So I finally got some sufficient signal to be able to open my PeakD account and upload this article while queueing, but not enough signal to upload more photos 🥲. I couldn't do that back home and I apologize if my updates seem late and grammatically under-optimized. I only write through my phone these days (and yes, I still rely on my mobile data) since most charging stations here only allow essential devices like phones and powerbanks, and less likely laptops and tabs.
Started writing: December 25, 2021 (Christmas day)
So I finally got to have the time and the energy to write about how my family and I spent Christmas bisperas. I started the day late, I guess it was because I spent the previous night trying to reach for signal to communicate with my loved ones outside the island.
I was supposed to meet a friend that day and do my now usual routine of looking for charging stations prior do in Christmas shopping.
I never expected everyone to still want to be persistent with their holiday plans after the typhoon ravaged the city but I guess people are really trying to get a semblance of normalcy despite everything that happened.
So Christmas shopping it is.
If I had known the stores were already started becoming sold out as early as 3 PM, I wished I didn't stay up late the other night trying to scout for signal. But I couldn't help it, the signal is usually best near midnight while standing nearby my house's gate. There are no more streetlights and there are already plenty of news on looteries, muggeries, and robberies happening in the city recently, which makes staying nearby my house's gate at midnight risky. I guess I spoke too soon about the lack of evidence on "Ija-ija, ahu-ahu". It was only just a matter of time before people become increasingly desperate and baser instincts kicked in.
The ordinary long queues in ATM machines, gasoline stations, and watering stations, are now made all the more exacerbated by the long queues in grocery lines and food shops. There were so many people EVERYWHERE. It's as if people from all the neighboring towns came to Tagbilaran in preparation for Christmas.
And I, still traumatized by my last attempts of queueing in line which lasted for hours, decided to order takeout for my family instead. Despite that though, navigating through the thick crowds are anything but easy. Good thing a friend I was supposed to coordinate with for a donation drive offered to help me with Christmas shopping, and good thing there was only four of us at home, I could at least afford us a nice meal.
If here in the city, we only have to brave through the long queues and ATM machines, gasoline stations, and watering stations, now made all the more exacerbated by the long queues in the grocery line and food shops, it makes you think about the state of those on the opposite side of the island.
At least here in the city, while there is still ZERO electricity, I still got to attend Simbang Gabi with my grandmother, and still got to enjoy a cold slice of pizza afterwards in the candle light. Most people on the other side? Not so much.
It's very difficult to process all the emotions of what is happening in where I am.
I think everyone affected can relate to vasalating between being grateful for being alive and safe, and then not so grateful and teary-eyed for all the collateral damage and the long way to recovery, and then guilty for complaining and having to queue for 8-10 hours for basic necessities, and then desperate for some silver lining in the kilometers-long lines my brothers and I are queueing in for, and then annoyed at line cutters or the lack of movement within those queue lines, and then frustrated for being unable to contact my loved ones, or running out of data, or running out of phone battery, and then envious of those whose states are better or those who are more privileged like it's as if some bloody contest of who got more affected than who, and then angry at situations that pose more inconvenience at our currently already nagkamuliki state, and then worried about our own safety from looters, and bandits and those who try to take advantage of the lack of lighting in our area, and then thankful somehow, because there are still people who choose kind over everyone's own baser instincts during this state, that there is still food on our tables despite the very long queueing lines to acquire it. This December is one huge potluck of unexpected intense emotions and I just wish I'm painting a more accurate picture with this post.
At least here in the city, the center of trade of the province, trade still exists. I can't imagine how it must be in the least known places of East Bohol like Bantigue and Butan, Ubay, Inabanga, Carlos P. Garcia (Pitogo Island), wherein people are not getting anything at all. I only know from friends and social media posts from people who have already started sending help and it's not pretty:
Bohol is already lacking representation enough as it is compared to its more urbanized and more known counterparts. How much more in those places wherein there is still zero signal and due to that, are succumbing to digital isolation?
So that's why I am currently scouting for donation drives that are aggressively targeting those areas.
Things got slow since the last time I posted because I had to prioritize my family's needs first, and I had to take some time to do my own research and crowdsourcing for legitimate donation drives that will really reach the far ends of the more desperate and dismal places of the province.
So far, I only know of one Donation Drive specifically addressed to Bantigue and Butan and am currently coordinating with them.
The thing about Bantigue and Butan is that they are little islands off the coast of Ubay, and there is no source of fresh water on the island. Everyone there is at the risk of dehydration as Ubay itself is also in a dismal state.
I highly encourage you to directly send your donations to the link above or you may upvote my previous post or this post, as a portion of it will directly go to their funding. It might get a little delayed as I still have to process things from my end like make online transactions that will require better signal to transfer the funds to the multiple different accounts.
Aside from these two, I am also looking for donation drives of other affected municipalities like as Carlos P. Garcia, Ubay, Inabanga, Bien Unido, Cataban and little islets of East Bohol like:
I am currently looking for donation drives SPECIFICALLY TARGETED to these places, as I am pretty sure they will be the least prioritized due to the remoteness of their location. Will let you guys know how things will work out in the next weeks to follow. There's still a long way ahead of us.
HIVE FOR EAST BOHOL!
Ended writing: December 27, 2021
Roxanne Marie is the twenty-year-old something who calls herself the Protean Creator.
She is a chemical engineer by profession, pole-dancer and blogger by passion and frustration, and lastly, a life enthusiast. She is on a mission to rediscover her truth through the messy iterative process of learning, relearning and unlearning. Currently, she works as a science and research instructor in her hometown, Tagbilaran City, all the while documenting her misadventures, reflections and shenanigans as a working-class millennial here on Hive.
If you like her content, don't forget to upvote and leave a comment to show some love. It would be an honor to have this post reblogged as well. Also, don't forget to follow her to be updated with her latest posts.
It must have been such a traumatizing experience. The conversation you shared gave me chills, people must be so desperate to have to compete for relief goods, it's unfortunate. I hope the government would do better to provide help to their citizens.
As much as I want to say something negative about the speed of the relief distribution of the government, I'd rather not say anything at all 😅. Things just get frustrating 😔, and as much as I also want to plea for the government and ask to expedite their distribution systems (which often comes out as complaining btw 😔), it invites a lot of unnecessary emotional bandwidth spending on my part that could be used for other things like acquiring water and fuel for my family 🥲.
I'll just leave it for those who can still find the energy to do it I guess. 😅
That's unfortunate to hear. But I do hope for the best in your recovery!
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I think you did a really good job of capturing what's happening and the whole range of emotions you're going through, which is normal under the very abnormal circumstances. I had no idea this had happened - reading about it now. In situations like that there's a real tension between kindness to others and base instincts of survival which can bring out the worst in us. I hope people get what they need to get through this.
I know and you can really feel the tension already in the city I am in. I can only imagine those on the other, more rural side of the province. 😔
Maybe in the rural areas they have closer connections and thus might be more predisposed to helping each other through adversity? I don't know - but I always like to hope. Be safe.
Permission to reblog sister. My prayer goes to you and your family. Stay safe, stay strong and stay healthy during these hard time. Thank you for updating us about current situation there. Don't give up too
Permission granted. I might keep editing this post if I am able to look for more donation drive links that are worth spreading and are related to Eastern Bohol so your reblogs will be most helpful ❤️ Thank you ahead!
Thank you so much 🙏🏻. My prayer goes to you and your family. Be strong. Stay safe as always my friend ☺️
It's all a matter of perspective I guess. Even though things are really bad there at the moment, the situation in the smaller offshore islands is probably a total loss in some cases. My family and I lived through an economic collapse in Suriname, and it was bad when the ATM machines and banks were money-less, no water too, but there were a couple cooking gas shortages, and that was the worst by far.
I hope services start coming back online soon, and hopefully things don't get worse. The queues are terrible, so much of your day can be lost just standing somewhere for your turn. Hang in there and stay strong.
Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry you also had to go through that, and yes, it is a matter of perspective when you can still afford it. It's just very difficult to consider that while wrestling with the many different and often contradicting emotions during this time. Let me know some time how you were able to keep up during that crises! ☺️
⋆ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴜᴛʜᴇᴀsᴛ ᴀsɪᴀɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴏɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ
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We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!Dear @proteancreator,
Hi. it must be so hard for those people who live in such secluded places. i have always lived in urban cities and never even thought about what that would be like.. i hope they can get form of aid soon. take care of yourself, too..
Thank you and I really do hope so too as well 🌻
I !LUV that you're using the mental space you have and the position you're in to actively look for donation drives that are targetting areas that need it the most Roxanne.
I also loved that you shared so eloquently the emotional rollercoaster you've been on just navigating this. I definitely think the bouncing around from one emotion to another to another is completely normal in the kind of situation you're in right now.
Very big hug from a sister you've never met 🤗 Thanks for being awesome. In case you needed a reminder, you're doing right. Seriously 🙏
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🥺 That is really comforting to read ❤️.
Thank you. These days I keep feeling guilty every time I experience bits and pieces of happiness or some relief from all the queueing here and there because it honestly already feels like some sort of undeserving privilege to be able to experience positive emotions when half of the island are lacking of water. I hope to keep doing what I can with what I have.
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We wish you a Happy New Year!Dear @proteancreator,
I felt sad seeing the devastation caused by odette. The queue is really long....
I can only imagine going through the crowd and then queuing for hours. Stay strong sis 💪💪
Thank you ❤️