September 26

This had to be one of the loneliest day of my life.

I got stuck in Ateneo for about an hour. Grr, I still can't believe the table tennis games pushed through despite the typhoon! But then again, I had no choice but to venture the Katipunan flood. My mom kept calling me asking me why I went out of the house even though it was raining so hard. It was so difficult to explain myself because this is my PARENTS we're talking about and this is PE I risked my life with. Plus, they are starting to get worried about the house in San Juan because my titas texted them saying the water level in San Juan river was starting to get high. Funny how I reacted and said, 'Ma! yung mga libro at yung laptop ko, pakitawag at pakisabi iakyat nila'. Looking back, if my kuya hadn't been wiser and not salvaging anything but my laptop and books, I would be broke by now, and my things will be washed away.

Anyway, it was a wise decision to ride the LRT and go to Cubao instead of V. Mapa. SM Sta. Mesa and Aurora Blvd. is so freakin' submerged in flood and I can't imagine myself being drowned at the San Juan River currents. On a sour note, I got a jeep to drive me till Pinaglabanan (I spent 4 hours finding a jeep in Cubao) and I had to walk, ok, WALK from Pinaglabanan monument to N. Domingo! Not to mention my umbrella getting harassed by the strong winds, I finally reached N. Domingo. But SURPRISE! There is flood in Agora. You have got to be kidding me.

Agora is 500 meters away from San Perfecto (in which my maison is situated) and ooh la la, people were swimming because the water level is, if I'm not mistaken, freakin high! I start to panic but my mom told me that my kuya will be fetching me from Agora so I didn't have to worry, all I have to do, she said, was to get a plastic bag so that my bag won't get wet.

OKAY.

What?! I asked my mom. 'Ma, lulusong ako sa baha?!?' was my exact text message. 'Hanggang dibdib yung baha satin! Lagpas tao pa ata!' And gee, it wasn't a joke. For the first time in my life, I felt I was going to die because of this calamity. There were so many people stuck in Agora and I don't want to break down in tears. I just prayed and buried myself in my knees as I tried to sit on one of the pavements of Puregold. I lost all hopes of being with my family for the day, knowing surely I would be rescued the following day.

I was on the verge of panic when the assuring image of Kuya Chadd, Chalk and Ateto appeared by my side. I want to hug them but we have to move faster because they were afraid tataas pa yung tubig. We brought some goods in Mercury drug and we got extra plastics for our bags. I had a pep talk with them for a minute, and then, we swam.

It was cold. Hindi pa'ko natutulog for the last 24 hours at that time and so I didn't have that 100% energy to venture the flood. I was right, hanggang dibdib yung baha. Ateto joked and said, 'Buti na lang pinanganak tayong matangkad, Joice' and yep, I couldn't agree more.

Hinding hindi ko makakalimutan yung time na sa sobrang lakas nung current, muntik na'kong madala nung agos ng baha. Wow. How many times do I have to say this, but I owe my life to these people I swam with. They made sure I was okay, they held me tight while the current tried to take me away. Ngayon, naiimagine ko, I could've drowned if I didn't hold on.

Nung makarating kami sa bahay, ayon, wala na kaming bahay. Hahahaha! Joke. Our house was submerged in flood. Thankfully, wow Lord, we have a two storey ancestral house (our main house) where most of my relatives are living in. It was standing courageously amidst the flood. As soon as I made it upstairs, that was it. I WAS HOME. Everyone waited for me to settle and my niece Chesca prepared clothes for me to change. Really, thank you Lord.

Despite this experience, I know there a lot of people who experienced more than I did. They lost their homes, their living, and most of all, their family members because of Ondoy. I do not want to think that I'm luckier than this people. I just want to thank the Lord for keeping all my loved ones safe and unharmed. I felt relief when Mama told me they were fine and unaffected back in Cavite.

I pray for all those who died, and for all those who had their houses swept by the flood. I know makakabangon rin ang Pilipinas. Let's just have faith and hope that in no time, everything will be alright.

P.S.
Hugs and kisses for the people who carried my stuff upstairs, kahit na andami kong gamit, nabuhat niyo yun pataas? Amazing. I would be lost without them. Really, God moves in mysterious ways. :)