To say that babies are adorable would be an understatement. Babies are simply good enough to eat! I kid, I kid, but seriously, I have realized that babies do not look as scary to me as they did before. Cute, pink, wrinkly bundles of joy, babies are amazing works of art. How could something that complex, tiny, but complete come from inside you? It just shows how amazing our Designer and Creator is. All this occured to me when I visited Gail, a classmate and friend this morning, to see Baby Bam for the first time. Boy, was I in for a treat! See why!
family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family, family
Baby Bam is this cute, wide-eyed little thing who likes to observe in silence. Unlike other babies, she rarely cries. She would just look up at you with her big, black eyes. Her yawns, smiles, the way she puckers her lips, made my heart melt. Such a beautiful addition to Gail's and Jett's family. Welcome to the world, Bianca Amelie!
On my visit to La Limar last August 26, I noticed a small addition to the resort, a small native bamboo and nipa hut with colorful woven bags hanging on the bamboo eaves and stacked on the floor. A round, wooden plaque told me that these were the work of the La Libertad Weaver's Association.
I half expected the bags to be expensive. Made from native pandan fibers, bags like these that reach Dumaguete cost anything from 250 to 300 pesos. Surprisingly, the bags went for cheaper, and they looked great to boot! The color combinations were tasteful, and I particularly was drawn to the pandan trays that could also serve as great storage boxes that you can put on a bookshelf. In a corner were bigger square boxes that would look great stacked together and could serve as excellent storage for extra couch pillows or toys in the living room.
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| view of the beach--'rocky' is an understatement. |
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| La Limar suffered a little bit of damage during the earthquake, and months later, proof is still there |
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| Serlyn and Rudy 'shopping' |
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| how cute are these slipper wallets??? |
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| coin purses in pink! |
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| should have bought one of these home! |
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| and these too! |
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| native satchels! |
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| They sell native jewelry, such as shell bracelets aside from bags native woven mats |
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| Serlyn holding my nifty two-toned bayong |
The bayongs looked surprisingly stylish as well. Looking back now, I wish I bought one or two of the bayongs, what with the city going full force on its enforcement of the Anti-plastic ordinance. I managed to buy a rectangular storage bayong done in two shades of brown. Was not quite sure what I was going to do with what I just bought, but I loved the brown color and it was the only one of its kind left at that 'store.'
This is a great initiative, since it gives the local women a way to earn and be creative. No idle afternoons for these lovely ladies! Made me wonder if my own little town had something like this as well.
You can also have boxes and trays made to order. I got Manang Aida's number in case I want to have a few native storage boxes done. She showed me some of her work, boxes, purses, and even bags done in color mixes of oranges, greens, reds, pinks, and light browns. I was impressed. They looked great and would not, in the least, look out of place when placed in some expensive, souvenir store in some large mall somewhere.
The hut is just next to the parking lot, you can't miss it. :)
Last Sunday, August 26, I traveled with high school friends to La Libertad for an outreach program supported by the Filipino-American Social Club. La Libertad is one of the towns hardest hit by the
earthquake that hit the island back in March. People lost their homes and the damage to infrastructure was also severe. Our island became the focus of national and even international news when the earthquake hit. Sadly, it also took a lot of lives.
Today, people are slowly getting back on their feet, but they need a lot of help. A lot of people are still living in tents, especially those who are living along the coast. They were the ones hardest hit when the earthquake came, since most of them were living in shanties that were easily demolished by the quake. And with most of them barely eking out a living, rebuilding their homes is something that most families could not afford to do.
Aside from shelter, food is also a problem. The people of La Libertad need all the help they can get in terms of food and even medications, especially since there are a lot of growing children among them. When we arrived I noticed how many the children were, with some as young as a couple of months old. It was surprising to note that disease among the children is not really a serious problem, except for dengue which is a high risk since they live in a place where there are pools of stagnant water.
It is, however, very encouraging to see the children and adults still able and ready to laugh and smile, despite their current living conditions. They laugh and play like other normal children, and although it it hard not to notice a certain trace of sadness when they tell stories about how it's like to live in a tent, that sadness disappears when they flash a smile as I point my camera at them. Children are resilient and hardy, and perhaps being so young is helping them cope with this tragedy better than most adults.
It was a Monday morning when we decided to take a short walk to where Lola was buried. The place is halfway done, with concrete fences enclosing tall mango trees that continue as far as down the other side of the hill which is bounded by a narrow and shallow creek. Lola's grave is the only one there so far, it lies in the middle of the field bounded by a wooden fence and tall ferns. If it weren't for the fence you would not notice the granite slab bearing her name, or the melted candles that collect in a solid puddle next to it. The grass was being cut when we visited, so the loud roar of the grass cutter served as our backgroud noise as we talked and as Lolo laid down the flowers on her grave and lighted the candles he had brought.
