Anemia In The Philippines

If you have a bent towards being a women's libber, you may not want to read any further.  But this post is the truth, nothing but the truth.

"Before mission", I enjoyed my independence. Any time I wanted, I would jump into our car and go. Go on shopping sprees, go to the temple, and even go on longer excursions to visit daughters.  Anywhere I wanted to go on my own, I fearlessly went.

"During mission" is a different story.  Even though I have a Philippines driver's license, it has literally never been used, (except for a very short trip when I drove Elder back from an opthomologist appointment.  And that short experience gave me a nose bleed.) The reason for this change in driving behavior from before mission to now? It is downright SCARY to drive here.  As I have mentioned in past posts, there are no traffic lights or stop signs. Few driving rules are followed.  Tricycles pass on the right, the left, and any other way they can.  If there is even an inch of space between cars, the motorcyclists,  tricyclists or both quickly zoom ahead and fill that inch of space. Anything that moves (carabao, tricycles, bicycles, motorcycles, jeepneys...you name it)  will pull out in front of others, not even worrying about their lack of speed.  And most of the time the merging drivers don't even look to see if the "coast is clear" before they pull out.  Vehicles will stop unannounced in front of other cars.  And they won't just stop temporarily, they will stop and park right there.  It really isn't the driver's fault that they park in the lanes of traffic. There are deep ditches on either side of the streets that prevent parking. And then there are always the walking-in-the-streets pedestrians to deal with.

With that review of driving conditions in the Philippines, I will continue. Last Saturday Elder and I had a conflict of schedules.  Elder needed to be to a regional training meeting at the Stake Center at the same time that I needed to be in Bacarra for piano lessons. After considering all possible solutions to the problem, the best solution was agreed upon.....which was a HORRIBLE choice: I would drop Elder off at the Stake Center and a few hours later venture out ON MY OWN to Bacarra and then to Vintar for piano lessons. I was so stressed on Friday that I lost my appetite and couldn't sleep that night.  I sat at my computer until 1am Saturday because of stress-caused insomnia. The nose bleed had begun.

By 7:30am Saturday, the nose bleed intensified.  As a baby-step activity, I drove Elder to the Stake Center for his meeting.  He said I almost "took out" two tricycles as I turned into the Stake Center parking lot, but what does he know?  I was in "perfect" control!  I turned around in the parking lot differently than how Elder advised, but "different doesn't mean wrong", as hopefully Elder observed. I think I did MARVELOUSLY well, considering my driving skills are WAY rusty.  Having dropped Elder off, the nose bleed increased dramatically.  But I made it back to the apartment safely...slowly, but safely.  And I didn't even get lost!

After pacing back and forth in the apartment for an hour, I decided to face my dragons and leave for Bacarra extra early....just to get the experience over with.  I texted Elder letting him know I was leaving, and off I started.  "Go to the corner, turn right," I told myself. So far, so good.  "Go two blocks and turn left onto the main road." Not quite so good, but a tender mercy: there was no traffic to contend with at the corner. "Turn right when you get to Marcos Stadium."  Again, no problem.  It's just a curve in the road.  "Go to the 't' intersection and turn left onto the road to Bacarra." Problem! The road to Bacarra is a busy road.  I waited and waited and waited for a break in traffic.  The Filipino way is to inch your car into traffic and eventually block enough traffic so that by default it is your turn to zoom out into the intersection.  I couldn't quite bring myself to be that gutsy.  After about three tricycles behind me started honking at me, I got brave, closed my eyes, and gunned it.  Gushing nose bleed!

 

 

 

Whew.  I did it!  Now I was on my way to Bacarra. With no more intersections to contend with, my nose bleed started slowing down....but didn't completely stop.  I quickly noticed traffic was piling up behind the "Americano Granny driver".  One of my "followers" was a huge dump truck.  It was passing all the tricycles that were ahead of it....with me next on its passing list!  My competitive spirit kicked in: "No dump truck is going to pass ME! That's just wrong!"  I started to speed up so the dump truck wouldn't succeed in passing me, when my Guardian Angel of Travel started yelling in my ear: "Don't be dumb! Get some sense, or you will have a 'for reals' nose bleed...in an ambulance on the way to the hospital!"  So I slowed down and let the dump truck pass.  That was the hardest part of the whole driving experience.  By that time I was feeling pretty confident and courageously passed a few tricycles of my own before I reached the Bacarra meetinghouse.  I was impressed that it didn't take me any longer than the usual fifteen minutes to make the trip.

Once inside the meetinghouse and giving Sister Rivera her piano lesson, she informed me she refuses to drive here for the same reasons: crazy drivers and even crazier lack of traffic laws!  That made me feel a bit better.

Bacarra piano lessons complete, my nose bleed started increasing again.  This time I had to find the Vintar turnoff from the Bacarra road.  But this was an uneventful trip.  I was now a seasoned driver!  I relaxed a bit and enjoyed the tree-lined country lane...even with its occasional passing trucks and cars that almost pushed me into the canal!

Vintar piano lessons completed, I headed back to Laoag City.  I even found the correct turnoff, preventing me from having to travel through Centro, where I REALLY would have had a major hemorrhage.

So, Dallin, I feel your pain.  Remember: Hands 10 and 2.  Stay alert, searching, always searching. Eyes on the road. No talking to your passengers! Take this advice from a proud survivor of the Phillippine driving experience!

I feel so accomplished...and liberated!  It is a freeing feeling to know that I can still drive!  Kohl's, Christopher and Banks, Genealogy Library,  Bountiful Temple, family, here I come! (in two months, of course.)

A Joyful Sunday In Bacarra

Michelle Formantes came to the LPIR (Laoag Philippines Institute of Religion) last Thursday where I was giving piano lessons to have an unscheduled lesson. The purpose of her unplanned visit was to have me critique her hymns that she was going to play for sacrament meeting on Sunday. Since last Sunday was one of the rare Sundays Elder hadn't planned a member records' meeting away from Laoag, I made a mental note to attend the Bacarra Ward to hear Michelle play. I didn't want to tell Michelle of my secret plans and add to her stress.  In a previous blog, I think I mentioned how hesitant Michelle has been to play for sacrament meeting.  She was one of my first students to play well enough for sacrament meeting, but has been one of my last students to actually play.  Once she saw how the other Bacarra students learned to play and then bravely played in sacrament meeting, she decided to take courage and join the ranks. Sunday was one of her few times to play, so I wanted to support her in her good cause.

After Relief Society and Sunday School were over, Michelle finally showed up to Church in time for sacrament meeting.  I was beginning to worry that she was going to be a "no show", but she came. She performed beautifully, in spite of her nervousness.  I couldn't have been more proud.  It is a rewarding moment to see a student play so well for Church functions. And then to look around the congregation and see so many of my young students who are now playing for sacrament meeting....it was very heart warming.

After the sacrament had been passed, Elder leaned over and asked me if I was planning on bearing my testimony.  The thought hadn't even entered my mind.  I whispered back, "Of course not. I would be too nervous."  But then as I looked at cute Michelle sitting on the stand, I thought, "My goodness!  All these months I have been trying to convince Michelle that being nervous is no excuse for not acting...I have to practice what I preach." About that time the Spirit started working on me to the point of heart pounding, so I knew I had no choice.  It was good to be able to express my feelings of joy for finding a way to serve in the Philippines. 

And then it happened.  Joshua bore his testimony.  What an awesome young man! I had even whispered that sentiment to Elder during the sacrament as I watched Joshua sitting at the sacrament table.

Joshua is a real success story.  After having finished teaching piano lessons one Saturday morning I was sitting in the foyer of the Bacarra meetinghouse waiting for Elder to pick me up. It was then that I heard someone in the sacrament hall struggling to play a hymn.  When I could endure the sour notes no longer, I returned to the sacrament hall see if I could be of musical assistance. There I met Joshua for the first time.  He was trying to practice one of the simplified hymns I had given his sister for one of her piano lessons. For some strange reason, he strongly resisted my offer to give him piano lessons.  He kept telling me Jessa could teach him.  But I just ignored his protests and gave him a lesson anyway. He half-heartedly committed to continue coming to lessons each Saturday. I remember thinking,  "That's the last I'll ever see of that young man." He didn't show up the next Saturday, so I figured my evaluation of him was correct.  However, to my shock and surprise, he was practicing the piano while he waited for me to arrive for lessons the next Saturday.  Almost every Saturday since that day, he has been one of the first students to arrive for lessons, always practicing the piano while waiting for me.  He immediately earned the title of "My Star Student."  Joshua absorbs music like a sponge.  He learns so quickly and practices constantly.  One week he informed me he had a surprise for me.  He opened the regular hymnal and played "We Thank Thee, Oh God, For A Prophet".  My jaw dropped and I choked up as I listened to him play.  In the first place, he had practiced the hymn in addition to practicing his regular piano assignment.  In the second place, NONE of my students are advanced enough to be playing from the regular hymnal.  But Joshua did it!  He is absolutely amazing! His fingers literally fly over the keyboard.

Josua playing prelude for a baptism

Joshua is now taking his turn playing for sacrament meetings.  He clucks how the other students aren't learning new hymns.  He reports that they continue to play the same old same old.  He, on the other hand, learns new hymns that aren't part of his piano assignments to add variety to the sacrament meeting music.  (Does it sound like he knows he is Teacher's Pet?)

Anyway, back to Joshua's testimony.  He voiced appreciation to me for teaching him to play the piano.  I teared up when he expressed how he loves playing the hymns...how he really feels the Spirit when he plays.  To quote Joshua, "It feels like I am dancing with the Spirit when I play the hymns."  Even now as I write this, I am getting emotional. Again, what an awesome young man. I hope and pray he continues to work towards his goal of going on a mission.

At the first of our mission, I prayed that I would find a meaningful way to serve in the Philippines.  It became very apparent early on that member records was Elder's mission call, not mine. It was, and is, a continued source of joy for me to see so many of my students developing their talents.  They are truly blessing the lives of the members by sharing their musical talents. I am very grateful for an answer to my prayers...and to the Harman Foundation for being an avenue for everyone's success.