Crocodiles & Destinies

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Pictures: The Croc Farm

Last weekend, three others from the DTS and I went to the crocodile farm and animal reserve. It was not half bad, despite the fact that the crocs were not in the wild but rather secured within the cold confines of plastic tubs and concrete walls. Obviously, this is where an endangered animal had to be to saved from the obliteration of it’s race, but I didn’t really sense the viciousness I hoped I would. I like to experience things for what they are, and viewing ferocious animals known for their instinctive wrath from the safe distant walkway overhead as they lazily waddled into the water seems like a half-experience. Perhaps it’s just that I don’t like the sight of a caged animal. Or perhaps they should have thrown meat at them to demonstrate the carnivorous rampage that would ensue.

There were more animals in the nature park, which was like a full-fledged forest, except the animals were still in cages with little man-built “houses.” The animals were pretty cool, but this also seemed like a half-experience in which animals were minimized to peace & love. I saw bearcats, a bearded pig (he was my favorite), 3 kinds of birds, ostriches and monkeys. Seeing monkeys wasn’t very special, because the monkey here at the YWAM base sits on my shoulder and picks through my hair in search of lice to eat whenever I pick him up. He really likes me, but he’s not peace & love when he’s been given an old cupcake and you’re within striking distance. I have heard there is a trail near the underground river called Monkey Trail, because there are many monkeys there who have been trained to steal from hikers, and are good at it because they use distraction tactics. That’s the sort of experience that doesn’t sell a person short of what an animal is. I hope to take that path back from the underground river this weekend. The plan right now is to go with two other people who will head back the same day while I stay an extra day.

Because this is our last weekend before going to Ransang and the tribes, there is much planning for us to do. When we get back, we are only likely to have one free weekend before we go on out major outreach to another place. This means that from here on in, you will probably be hearing less from me. Of course I’ll do my best to stay in touch, but between foreign YWAM bases, hostels, people’s couches and living my life one day at a time, access to the Internet will fall even deeper into the list of luxuries. Blogs will be shorter and finding another place to rest my head will become a priority. It’s scary to think of being out of communication with the people I miss and only strangers, but God had taken care of the birds, and he’ll take care of me.

This week’s topic was Destiny by DESIGN. Yeah, most of us were able to agree that it sounded like it would involve a lot of palm reading, crystal balls and tarot cards and feature a psychic as our guest speaker, but we were sure it was just the name. To better describe the topic, it was about we are custom-created with certain gifts and characteristics to fulfill a unique life purpose given by God. What made this pertain to me more than a book that wastes 40 days convincing someone that they have a purpose, was that it really helped me think who I am as a person and why I enjoy the things I do, ultimately hinting at what my own specific purpose may be. It was a good week indeed, and I’m at least a few baby steps closer to knowing what road to take in life, if not the bush to the right. I have huge dreams in mind right now, and to try to explain it all now would be a bad idea.

Even with an extensive supply of photos, I find it a daunting task to explain exactly how awesome it is here. I mean, I saw what I thought to be the most incredible pictures of the Philippines before my arrival. They seemed to say so many things about the lifestyle and culture of the place. But this place is so hard to capture within the single medium of photography. Even though viewers may have a much clearer idea of this country through my photos, I am still unsatisfied with how I have described the place. Either it is my lack of photography skills or there is much more to a place than the sights. I'm very certain it is an odd combination of both. So to entertain the minds of those trapped in the paradoxically clasping claws of the first world (perhaps what an eagle should really represent), I continue in what is likely an endless quest for description of my current home. On today's menu is a list of things that remind me quite clearly of where I am:

I Am Reminded I Am in the Philippines When:
- Every dog looks the same, because they're street dogs. It doesn't mean they have no owner, but it means they all mate with each other and don't really serve any purpose to their owner but to eat fish bones and other refuse. They take afternoon naps on the street and tricycle drivers have to move for them.
- Chickens are running everywhere, but none of them are wild. They don't seem to know that returning to their owner means death for them in the end. Should someone be paranoid that their chicken may run away, their front yard or public property is a perfectly good place to tie it on.
- I realize that the only hot water I’ve experienced since I came here was in my morning tea.
- It rains and clears up, and then rains and clears up almost every day.
- People call me “Joe” because I’m white.
- I’m considered very good looking.
- If you buy something electronic, they make you test it before you leave the store, because most of them come from China and are of lower quality. For example, each model of cell phone in the local shop was available in 6-month warranty version, and no-warranty version. The warranty is not a coverage program. When I bought my phone, they had run out of no-warranty phones. That tells you a little something, when not every phone is able to have warranty.
- Piracy doesn’t refer to downloading stuff from the Internet. It refers to the 20-in-1 video DVDs made and distributed illegally for sale across the country, or counterfeit Sun-Maid raisins and any other copyrighted products. Nobody sees it as a moral issue here, it’s the culture.
- Neighbors seem to think they’re doing the barangay a favor when they crank love ballads beyond reasonable volume as early as 7am.
- People at the market don’t respond to excuse me because they couldn’t care less if you nudge them as you walk by.
- People live above, behind or in their store, and the front of it is a great place to hang the entire family’s laundry out to dry. Most sari-sari store signs are donated by beer companies as advertisement and any additional signs can be markered or spray-painted by hand onto a surface. For example ‘No peeing allowed’ or ‘We sell ice’ or the name of the store.
- It’s no longer a surprise to see someone taking a pee in a bush beside the main street or hear someone burp at the dinner table.
- Most stores and restaurants have a security guard at the door. To enter the mall, you have to have your bag inspected and be scanned. All banks are secured with 2 or 3 guards, in full uniform and holding 2-foot long semi-automatic guns, should anything get out of hand.
- Termite infestation is a fact of life, and finding their eggs on your desk or backpack is common.
- I’ve only worn long sleeves once s o far (it was raining).
- Milk can’t be found in a refrigerator, but on the shelf in what I recognize as a fruit juice carton, and has a 3-month shelf-life before opened. Shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, juice, snacks and many other things are mostly available in single-portion sachets. Gas is pumped into empty Coke bottles and then resold in such portions at select sari-sari stores.

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