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Published: February 23rd 2015
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Man-powered railroad transportation
Bamboo carts you can hire to take you up the tracks At least once in every person's life, they have an experience that changes them. Forever, and hopefully for the better. An event, or an experience... a person, or a place... a lesson, or a thought. For each person, that life-changing experience is unique to them and cannot be duplicated or repeated. I believe I have had several of these experiences, some immediately making my life better while others I struggled to find the light side of the situation.
The births of my niece and nephew are two that particularly stand out in my mind as some of the most positive things in my life. Spending a semester overseas and leaving home for the first time was a big turning point for me... and I believe the beginning of my constant urge to explore the next city or country. (I suppose my bank account doesn't always agree that is such a good thing... but my memories certainly do!) Calling off a 4 year relationship and 2 year engagement with the man I expected to spend the rest of my life with... well, that one was a bit harder to come to grips with. But each of these events have pushed me
to become a better person and to take certain paths in life I hadn't initially planned on.
As many of you already know, I recently spent a few days in Manila. When I first arrived I have to admit I hated the city. It was nothing like any place I had ever been... and certainly nothing like the modern cities that I was used to. The airport looked like it belonged in a bad western movie, not a huge international city. And where were the subways?? What about the skyscrapers and shopping centers? And WHY would any one want to visit a city after hearing horror stories of taxi drivers charging 2-3 times (or more) too much for a ride from the airport? By the time I arrived at the hostel, Our Melting Pot, I was hot and tired and wanted nothing more than a cold shower and some friendly faces, preferably some one who wasn't going to try to rip me off.
By the end of my short 3 days in Manila, it ended up being one of the best decisions I've ever booked. And, besides the friends that I made there, I can say
Children
Some of the children we saw and gave fruit to that the reason behind that can be summed up in two words: True Manila.
True Manila is an organization that brings groups to see the heart of Manila. The places you will not see along the busy shopping streets or financial districts. The people who likely will never be able to afford the things much of the world takes for granted: cell phones, televisions, a house and, in many cases, sufficient clothing and food. The children who couldn't be happier to see this group coming because they know they are likely to get a piece of fruit, the families possibly getting a bag of rice to help feed their families. Nothing has been so humbling in my life than to see the places some of these people call home just hours after complaining about the fact that my iPhone 5 wouldn't connect to a wireless connection in a restaurant with AC, eating a burger and fries with a soda, with plenty of money in my pocket and bank account to more than take care of my immediate needs.
In a matter of one afternoon, my worldview changed in a way it never has before. I grew
up in small towns in New Hampshire where poverty like this simply doesn't exist. Sure, I had seen the occasional homeless person begging for money in the city streets. I had even bought some of them a sandwich or a cup of coffee on a cold day, gave them a bit of change when I had it... I felt bad for them in many cases, but they were quickly forgotten. I cannot remember their faces. I had no connection with them. And, for the most part, they did not have any direct impact in my daily life because I did not connect with them. However, True Manila forced me to see where many of these families live and how little the live and survive on.
From riding on the man-powered carts on the railroad tracks (and having a close encounter with one of the trains coming up behind us, forcing a quick exit from our ride to the other side of the tracks) to visiting families living in shacks, their children often barefoot with little to no clothing; stopping at a fruit stand to buy from a woman in her 80s that still works to help pay
Close call...
Collecting our stash of fruit after an upcoming train required a quick exit from the carts... luckily none of it got destroyed! for her grandchildren to get an education; the families living under a bridge whose homes were completely flooded last year but - having no where else to go - returned to the same spot after the waters had gone down; and playing with a large group of children, holding one of the sweetest babies I have ever seen, giving fruit and rice to some of the most thankful people I have ever met: True Manila is an experience I will never forget.
I can't even begin to thank Ed and Miley enough for the work they do not only for the people living in the places they show but in bringing awareness and working to better countless lives. Maybe it wasn't the intention, but I truly believe it has changed mine for the better.
So I want to share a little bit of my True Manila experience with you all. Pictures will do far more justice than my words ever will so I will let them speak for me as much as possible.
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