6/17/08
Flooding has been in the news lately. The US midwest was inundated while Manila and many other parts of the country experienced flooding once again. A flood is a curious thing. It seems unimaginable that a locale can be overwhelmed by a massive amount of water.
I grew up in Sampaloc, Manila and certainly not a stranger to the onslaught of storm and flood water. I have many memories of those days and I must admit none of them I would consider bad or traumatic. Those that I fondly remember are surprisingly vivid enough. Though I can’t remember the year or how old I was, I remember the excitement and the anticipation. I had fun when Manila was under water.
I woke up one morning and as I was going down the stairs of our two-story house, I see everyone scrambling. The good old rattan furniture were afloat, newspapers and magazines were soggy and everything else was hoisted or hurled up the stairs. All hands were on deck carrying everything from the TV to our LP albums. Once the valuables were secure and out of danger, we then took turns scooping the water out in what seemed like a very futile exercise.
Of course, the flood water couldn’t keep me in the house. Miguelin st., inundated and all, beckons. I recruit my friends and we all meet up. We cheerfully glide and slice through the water oblivious to the murk and whatever waste and flotsam surround us. We never did anything extreme, though. We didn’t swim or splash the urine infused water. The best part was going to the corner of Dapitan where trucks and buses would sometimes brave the flood and surge ahead. The result was a ripple which to our fertile minds were massive waves. The waist-deep water rising gave an unusual thrill.
Needless to say, floods as I remember them weren’t devastating and catastrophic. They weren’t toxic, hazardous or downright repulsive. I’m not sure if it’s because I grew old or because the world just got nastier and dirtier but I can’t imagine myself wading cheerfully in flooded waters anymore. I’m not sure if it’s my perspective on the world that changed or if the world simply descended to a more deplorable state where floods are utterly filthy.
The reality of today is if I wake up and see flood water inside the house, instead of excitement and anticipation, I’ll most likely be panic-stricken and miserable.
