I woke up at 11:30pm with a start, and peeked out the bus window to find myself traveling through the beautiful Northern Philippine mountains! The darkness of the night made them appear as black shadows canopying the sky. I wished for daylight, so as to enjoy their beauty, but instead closed my eyes in a feeble attempt to get some sleep during the remainder of our eleven hour bus ride.
It was the 4th of November, and Bethany (another student) and I were on our way to Tabuk to a small maternity clinic run by a Canadian midwife, Georgia. We first flew to Manila, where we were able to spend one luxurious day together at the mall of Asia. We went ice skating (something I never dreamt could be done in the Philippines!), watched “Under the Sea” in 3D at an IMAX theater, and ate at a French bakery. We felt spoiled! After a night at a Baptist guesthouse, we headed to the airport only to discover- after we checked in- that our next flight was canceled due to a typhoon at our destination! The airlines work a little differently here than back home- no accommodations were made, no flights were available for two days, and we’d be lucky to get reimbursed. So we picked up our luggage and made our way through the crazy traffic in Manila to catch a night bus…
At 5:30am we arrived at the clinic, which is also Georgia’s house. It was such a relief to be finally out of the city, breathing in fresh country air!! And the place definitely had country flair, with pigs, chickens, dogs, and water buffalos roaming around. The lifestyle is different as well. The outhouse and shower are just outside, and a pump serves as a water supply for the bathroom, and hand-washing clothes. When you hear “Mangan” you know it’s time to eat. =) They have fish or chicken for breakfast, lunch, and supper, always served with rice- as a meal without rice is no meal at all for a Filipino!! =)
I immediately fell in love with the clinic here, which is much smaller than Mercy Clinic in Davao- a big reason why we came. Our director wanted us to have the opportunity to witness this type of clinic, as Mercy itself is far too large for our minds to possibly image duplicating. It takes around thirty midwives to run Mercy, as apposed to four here! Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to deliver any babies here yet; however, I did have to transport two patients to the local hospital due to complications.
On the 13th, Bethany, Anita (a Filipino midwife) and I headed on a six hour trip up into the mountains to the small village of Bugnay, situated on the side of a mountain! We rode on the roof of a jeepney, completely spellbound by the breath-taking scenery of the beautiful rice terraces that have been carefully carved into the natural contour of the mountains. As we rode (more liked bounced) along, we were often faced with the predicament of passing oncoming traffic on a narrow one-lane path. Somehow, they always made it work! =) The path was rough, as it had just rained that weekend, and at one point, where a landslide had occurred, I wondered how we would pass through the muck! The jeepney slowly made its way through the mess, but it was too much! Our jeepney completely slid onto its side!! Thankfully, except for bruises and cuts, nobody got hurt! They managed to get the jeepney back upright with a loader that happened to be there fixing the path. I must admit, after getting back on, the next hour ride to our destination was one of the most terrifying of my life! I was on the top again, and for most part we were riding on a path that dropped at least 800 ft within a few meters from the side of the jeepney! Talk about praying hard- we sure were!
By the time we arrived it was dark, and we had to hike about 625 steps (Bethany counted =P) down the mountain, across a bridge, and up another mountain to reach the village. We were so relieved to make it to Emma’s house, Georgia’s friend who was our wonderful hostess! The few days we spent there will probably be some of the most memorable ones of my life! We thoroughly enjoyed our stay with the friendly villagers, scrubbing our clothes at the community water pipe, pounding rice, and dining on snails in their little huts! On the Sunday we went to the church where they asked Bethany, Emma, Anita and I to sing, and then give our testimony, with Emma translating. Such a sweet time of fellowship with people we couldn’t even understand!
We also went to the high school that was an about an hour hike up the mountain. The little elderly villagers put us to shame as they left us in the dust to huff and puff up the many steps leading up to, and through the village. The one day we went through the village to invite expecting mothers for a prenatal examination and we were excited to have 13 showed up. Some were a little timid to have these “strange white girls” do a prenatal exam on them! =)
On Tuesday morning, we had to say goodbye to Emma, the villagers and the beautiful rice terraces to bounce back on an overcrowded bus back to Tabuk! I will never forget Bugnay, that beautiful place where I learned so much about life!!
So that brings me back here in Tabuk, where I’ll be until the 20th. I am currently sitting on the clinic balcony watching self-made motors stacked with rice sacks zipping by, along with jeepneys overcrowded with people. Life is more simplistic here, and in many ways it’s more appealing then our sophisticated, chaotic life back home. But it is also harder- especially when you know a woman is dying in the hospital because her family has no way to pay for the medication. You see a little sweaty six year old boy carrying a heavy bundle up the mountain to his house, and a pregnant woman with a sleeping baby on her back, bent over scrubbing her family’s clothes. And then you realize that both worlds are not the answer. There’s only one solution to life- Jesus!
My Continuity"
- Gilbert Luis -
