photo courtesy of philstar.com |
No snow, no hailstones, just water coming from the sky in what often seems like unending torrents of liquid curse. I was lucky I have a neighbour who owns a car and works in the same college as I am, she gave me a free ride to and fro, I did not have to suffer being exposed to the monsoon rain - turned typhoon. I know it could have been worse, but somehow I just could not shake this unpleasant feeling whenever it rains or whenever there's a typhoon.
The Philippines is also expecting the "big one" an earthquake predicted to have a magnitude 7 or 8 and yes I do agree that compared to the flood and the typhoon that is way worse. Still, that does not make it feel any better. I guess it's because while my mum and I are safe in our new home, my married brother and his family are still staying at our old house, which is in a flood-prone area. And whether or not I admit it, I feel frustrated because I couldn't do anything, and I do not have the capacity to help my brother out to find a new home, somewhere safer, somewhere where the flood won't bother them.
But how do I solve such a problem? I mean the house my mum and I are living in now, doesn't even belong to us. It belongs to my sister, and while we are free to stay here, I know time will come when she would decide to return to the Philippines, and well, I don't need to state the details, as it is of course rather obvious - we will have to find a place of our own.