Okay, the main thing that marred this past week (the first full week of August 2012) is the rain-with-no-name --- the nameless devil of a waterworld that took Metro Manila by surprise. My family and I were fortunate enough not to be affected by the bad weather. In fact, the second day, Wednesday, my youngest brother even stayed with us in our condo, because I refused to have my dad drive all the way from Laguna to pick him up in Makati then drive back to Paranaque. Not in the middle of that scary-looking 5pm-looking 3pm sky and the relentless rain. I count us to be so incredibly lucky, to have a solid roof above our heads, no water on our feet and enough food in our ref. We have enough resources to get back to normal, even assuming we get affected. I have colleagues who actually got flood damage, but I also still count them as lucky because they are able to get back to normal AT WILL. Choice is really something so crucial and so important in this life, because it's something majority of Filipinos do not have.
There were also a number of relief operations, one of them held in my alma mater and where I currently teach part-time. While I felt bad for the people who lost their homes, I have not been compelled to take action, mostly because I didn't particularly like the idea of providing temporary relief, to tide hunger over, etc. Not that these are not important, take note. I know that they are. But I guess with our many other disasters, and many to the point that they are probably semi-annual at this point, I am guilty in saying I've been a bit desensitized in terms of making the effort and helping out.
That is, until today.
I walked in to my classroom, prepared to start my lecture for the day. Then I realized one of my most diligent students, who always sits on the front row, was absent. I asked his best friend why this is so and she sadly told me that he is currently still stuck in the evacuation center in Marikina and is unable to come to school, because he has no money for fare, no school shoes, no things and no clothes. This is because his family lost everything (whatever small 'everything' that they had) in the flood. He is also unsure as to how to rebuild their lives. I would say that coming back to school is probably not the biggest priority right now.
My heart bled for this kid. You see, he is a full scholar and comes from very humble beginnings. In a school like mine, he is the overwhelming minority. Most of the kids who go to this school come from very comfortable homes, born into this world with a chockful of opportunities, theirs for the taking. I am one of these kids, so I am comfortable in saying that these kids have never had to want for anything. On the other hand, here is this full scholar, a bit awkward and intimidated in this classroom-full of well-dressed, well-heeled students, who speak English more like a primary language than anything else, and who probably never even gave a second's thought to things that constantly worry him. It seems so unfair, for Cris (that's his name) to have worked so hard so far in his life, to be able to go above his humble past and carve out a path for himself, to be forced by circumstances to start all over again. Whereas his other classmates probably relished the 2 days with no classes because they didn't have to endure any major personal damage by the bad weather. To use an analogy, his other classmates have had all resources at their disposal all this time, to build a tower worth of blocks. On the other side is Cris, who is building his tower with dilapidated blocks and an uneven floor. Then nature comes by and knocks Cris' tower down, and nary a block out of place among the towers of the other kids. Makes me want to throw things and scream right into Life's ear. WTF.
I'm not judging rich kids, take note. I'm just saying how badly I feel for kids like Cris, who have had to fight tooth and nail to get opportunities that come so easily and almost automatically for other chidlren. As someone said before, it's the luck of the draw at birth - to get the kind of cards you're dealt.
So I plunged into action and collated monetary help (which is what he needs the most) to give to him to help his family rebuild... and hopefully get him back to school ASAP. I have also offered to buy him new shoes and new school supplies. The last thing I want is for this calamity to affect his studies -- the one way he can work at to improve his family's way of life. I want to do what I can to make sure he gets back on track ASAP. It's not been fair, so I'd like to try to help him get back up.
Just a bitch-out post, I guess. I wish life were just a tiny bit kinder to kids like Cris.
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