THE WAVE EFFECT

In America, we have the “amber waves of grain.” When we settled down in Southern Leyte, I saw a beautiful sight once on our way home from Tacloban. I'll call it the “Pampas waves.” Mike, JJ and I were on our way home from a shopping trip in Tacloban City one afternoon. It was a clear, beautiful day as our vehicle meandered along the scenic mountain highway when I noticed the tall, flowering pampas grass that lines the highway. The white billowy flowers were nodding and swaying in the afternoon breeze as if they were gayley waving at us. I since looked forward to our trips to Tacloban just to watch the pampas flowers nodding and swaying in the breeze.

I missed the amber waves of grain in the Midwest and now that rainy season is almost over, I can't wait for the pampas grass to flower again. In the meantime, I want to tell you a different kind of “wave” that we have experienced while living in the Philippines. Even before we moved here, Mike and I already knew we will create a buzz wherever we go. And why not? Picture a tall American guy with a Filipina wife and a chubby little African/Mexican boy in tow. We knew this “combination” will surely raise eyebrows and from our experience, stares from people wherever we go.  Add to the fact that it is a rare thing that Mike and I are an "age-appropriate" pair.  This is what I learned from my observation: most foreigners that are here in the Philippines have younger wives, and not to put anybody down, most of their husbands are either old fat geezers or scrawny old men.  When we first moved here I noticed people gazing at my husband and even saying out loud "a young Americano," this to them was rare (an age-appropriate pair). Not that we are young, it's just that, compared to other foreigners who are married to Filipinas that these locals have seen, Michael IS younger. Having said that, we knew beforehand that everywhere we go we will stick out like a sore thumb.

Michael does the driving and he brought with him the Kansas farmers' trait of waving at everybody as we drive by. JJ and I wave too, especially at the children. We got stares from them at first – I think I know what they're thinking. They are thinking “they are waving at ME – oh my goodness” I noticed their expressions – timid, unsure why we waved at her/him, some hide behind their moms and peeks as we passed, others look at each other and then timidly smile back, still others wait until we have passed before they wave back.

And then there's the teenagers. Some will readily wave back, others will ignore us, still others act like the children – unsure why we waved and smiled at them. The other drivers that we passed along the way nod back, others smile and then there are those who ignore our waves. We kept doing the “wave” every time we are out and about for a while now.  One by one the children started waving back at us, at first timidly and not really sure.  Then one day as we were driving, a little boy (about 5 years old) ran across the street and excitedly waved at us.  Then the other kids followed suit and also ran and waved at us and by this time they lined the edge of the street and were all waving at us.  I don't know what made them do it but it felt joyous to me as we waved back at them.  Since then we have children line up the street to wave at us every time they see our car.  There was one incident where these kids were playing hide and seek (I think) and they all had to come out of their hiding place and out into the street just to wave at us then resumed their game once we passed.  That was a treat! 

We  have come to love these kids.  We don't know them personally or their parents.  I would like to someday.  In fact I want to one day get off the car and talk to them to really know them.  Then I'm thinking maybe at Christmas time I would do that with presents but we'll see what we can do.

After our first year in the Philippines, we started our feeding program and then added art sessions before the feeding, a couple of months after that.  I have come to know the kids and some of their parents.  I have come to love them like they are my own.  When we decided to come back to the States after my mom passed on, I asked our church to continue the programs with the promise that I will keep sending money to them to keep it going.  Twenty-five dollars a week is all that's needed to keep the program going.  Perhaps you, my reader, would like to help.

By the way, this article had been in my draft box since 2015.  I kept pushing it in the back burner for some time.  I hesitated to publish this but then I just couldn't delete it so here it is.  I pray you enjoy this VERY, VERY late blog.

Thank you for following.  God bless you all.