Our last day in the Philippines and the rain clouds showed up to say farewell. we were driving when the rain started... one second, dry car, dry pavement, the next we had accelerated into a sheet of rain, and the tablespoon-sized rain drops didn't let up all afternoon. minutes into the storm and the gutters were already overflowing. people respond quickly to heavy rains here, and children and adults alike were taking advantage of the free showers offered by the streams of water pouring off roofs. seeing the rain storm by car while driving through cebu was surprisingly different than experiencing a downpour from inside the clinic (which I have described in a previous post). i realized today that when it rains almost every male Filipino removes his shirt, from scrawny little boys shivering in the cool shower - who knew it was possible to be cold here?! -, to bare-chested old men flaunting their guts unashamed. im convinced that the tricycettes (tricycles with the bikes attached instead of the motorbike) squeak louder when it rains (if that's even possible), than the normal ear-splitting sound of the breaks on a dry day (well, they're not breaks exactly. to slow the bike the driver uses his foot to press a piece of rubber, that has been attached above the back tire, using the friction to slow the back wheel)... there are very few women in the streets, but I do see a couple utilizing the abundant water to do the dishes (literally standing in the pouring rain with buckets that quickly accumulate enough water to wash and rinse the daily dishes). little boys run the street as if they are at a waterpark... when a sewer bubbles up, unable to hold the volume of water falling from the sky, and begins overflowing into the streets, the boys try to surf the river that forms, the river that is black with dirt and who-knows what else. they are standing and sitting in the swift moving water that rushes away from the gushing sewer system and carries garbage and random debris with it. one group of boys has found an old tire, bigger than any of them, and are floating it down the current, rolling it through the rapid created by a curb at the end of the street. i dont think they could be having any more fun. a family sits on another curb, feet submerged in a huge puddle, a few of the young children lie bellies down in the brown water, splashing and laughing. many people take cover under awnings... the best shelters have Filipinos packed shoulder to shoulder waiting out the storm. rain dumps in waterfalls off roofs and splashes brown along the sides of homes, huts, and food stands. the water accumulates quickly and I see two young children with brooms frantically trying to sweep the water toward the drain down the street. the water is almost level with the curb and threatens to flood their home/store, but the "water sweeping" is hardly effective. there are even locals who try to ignore the rain, continuing on their way on bicycles or motorbikes or on foot, saturated within minutes, even seconds of being in the storm.
If you can't tell from this or my previous post about the rain, I really like it when we get rain storms here. Lauren and I ended up back at Hilary and David's and went for a walk with Penny in the downpour until the lightening got so close, and the thunder so loud, that it scared us back to the house. We leave for Thailand in the morning to meet up with our friend Koranin (he's Thai though he has been living in the states for many years now)... we have a great adventure planned over the next two weeks, and though I'm not expecting to have as reliable internet access I have here, I will do my best to keep the blog updated!! I'm sad to leave Cebu, I will most of all miss the amazing people here, but I am very excited to start this next part of my travels! Wishing everyone the best!! miss you family and friends!!
love,
~Lindsay
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