Hello again! We had Lots of rain just after our last post... and I mean RAIN!! Its gorgeous & makes the air and flowers smell great AND causes a LOT of trouble. We had flooded apartments and hours-long traffic delays because of flooded streets. The only "sad" thing I am going to confess to tonight are the "zombie dogs" EVERYWHERE! Some of the poverty gets to me but the people are so resilient and happy in spite of it all that somehow it doesn't hurt as bad as the hungry animals. The Philippines doesn't have a strong animal control program so every 10 feet there are hungry dogs, small skinny cats, lactating mothers of both, and puppies that get hurt in traffic every day! I think the skinny little mamas trying to feed their babies make me the most sad. NO - they do NOT eat dogs here!! The people are kind but struggle to feed their own kids and although there are pet dogs that are well groomed, many many, MANY animals are alone, hungry and searching for food & decent water to drink! Surprisingly they are NOT mean and don't even bark very often... but they are sad & hungry and covered in fleas or mange or some other awful thing. Many of the street food vendors throw them scraps but there is a never-ending supply of hungry dogs & it makes me soooo sad! This particular dog (picture) is actually attractive compared to some, but she had the most amazing eyes! A golden color and very intelligent. I happen to keep a few snacks with me for this occasion, so I threw her a few and she kept looking at me, waiting for me to be mean or chase her away. She seemed to not be able to believe her luck or a kind word. I wish I could ship them all back home for someone to save! OK enough sad stuff - but I promised myself I would be honest in this blog!
During the crazy rain days ... We were stuck in traffic, and it was dark and we were tired, hungry, and frustrated while we were trying to get to an apartment to help some flooded missionaries. We heard children's play and giggling and looked around to see kids basically playing in the flooded streets. Probably wasn't very sanitary but they were having a blast and I felt thankful for their laughter and ability to have fun in the middle of "adversity"! Love to all and feel free to email us directly if you wish @ epperson.nina@gmail.com
Here is an example of the heartbreaking "zombie" dogs eating one of my snacks. I wish I had gotten a good shot of her face and eyes!
Playing in the flooded street. I wish I could have recorded their laughter & gotten a better picture of how happy they were. This was a main street that was flooding food shops etc. Cars were stopping and people were pushing the little buses - it was crazy!
We were in a high-class grocery store trying to pick up some items. I was starving and very interested in this particular grocery item! They also have many dried fish options. The grocery stores are really fun!
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