[Hooper] Hello Hooper Genealogists

[Clay Hooper]

Hello All ~

I've been negligent with all my Hooper Genealogy business this year - 
mostly due to getting a new job last February that keeps me so busy I'm 
exhausted each night when I come home from work.  I apologize to anyone 
that is waiting for a reply from me or for me to post something on the 
Hooper Connections website. 

Additionally, I've not taken a vacation in years and years, but just 
spent the month of January in the Philippines.  Although not genealogy 
related, thought many of you may be interested in my trip.  If so, a 
portion is attached, if not, please just delete.  This will give you a 
better understanding of why I'm still so behind on my correspondence.

~ Clay

**************

Hello All ~

I made it home from the Philippines late last night (Saturday) and am, 
as expected, exhausted.  The trip was the most wonderful thing that has 
ever happened to me and one I'll never forget!  I really wish I could've 
stayed.  It put a lot of things into a new perspective for me.
The people there live in such poverty, such as you've seen on the "Save 
Our Children" or "Christian Childrens Fund" TV advertisements - yet it's 
not just here or there ~ it's everywhere.  And although they're poor, 
the people are the friendliest, kindest and most generous people I've 
ever seen.  The city people were a little cooler, but still friendly ~ 
but the country people were super!

The beauty of the country is something I've never seen before and the 
water is terrific.  Being close to the equator, the water was warm 
enough to get in and stay for as long as you wanted any time.  Went 
snorkeling several times and the underwater life was so beautiful and 
abundant.  Every color you could imagine is living below the surface!  
Of course, you have to be careful, I smashed a knee against some coral 
on the first snorkel and took the rest of the time for it to heal, but 
it's okay now.  Also got a big cut on the bottom of my foot from having 
to walk through a coral bed to catch our bunca (boat) - that cut is 
still sore, and healing a bit slower.  When we went to Nogos Island, our 
bunca dropped us about 30 feet from the island and we waded to shore 
with all our food preparations for about 60 people.  We ate, played in 
the surf, roamed the island, etc., then when it was time to leave we had 
to go off the island on the other side of it because the water we'd 
landed in had become shark infested.  So on the other side of the island 
the edge was not beach front - it was covered in some sort of trees and 
the trees grew up out of the water for a long long long way.  As they 
come up, they're like hard spears from 2 inches on until they're tall as 
trees and they grow thickly together on the coral bed, so it was like 
walking through a field of spears with very sharp tops - very 
dangerous.  As we walked from the island to the bunca, which was waiting 
more than a half mile off island, I put a little 2 year old up on my 
shoulders (other people were carrying all the food and prep items - even 
huge jugs of water).  Was going along pretty well, then I tripped!  All 
I could think of while going down was "Oh my, this kid and I are going 
to be stabbed to death - there's no where to safely fall!"  When I 
thought all was lost, about 3 other natives rushed to me and grabbed my 
arm and pulled me back up while I held the boy.  Then I was told to put 
him down as it was (obviously) too dangerous - so he waded out with the 
rest of us until it was over his head before he could be picked up again 
- which by that time we'd left the spear forest.  I was chest deep in 
water before we reached the bunca!  It was only after we'd gotten on the 
bunca before I learned we'd changed our route due to the sharks - 
otherwise, I'd've been petrified!

The worst thing I ever saw in my life happened in Iloilo City.  We'd 
just finished looking at something on a tour and had come to the van to 
go to our next sightseeing spot.  There was a little boy about 1 years 
old standing toward the back of our parked van.  He had on a shirt and 
nothing else.  He was crying and crying.  I noticed he had something 
coming out of his bottom and thought he was crying because he was 
pooping, then I thought well, maybe he sat down on a stick.  Anyway, a 
woman came over with a tissue and pulled this thing out of him and my 
eyes about popped out of my head when she continued to pull and pull - 
eventually extracting about a 14 inch parasite (worm)!!!  Once it was 
out, the boy immediately stopped crying.  I thought I was going to throw 
up!

The other eye opening thing I saw there, was while we were in Anininy, 
out in the country, where we stayed for 5 days and nights and I had the 
best best time.  Anyway, while there, I watched them (up close) 
slaughter and disassemble live animals for our dinner and family reunion 
celebration!  Watched 3 huge pigs, 3 little goats and 1 huge bull.  The 
method for each type animal varies a little bit, but essentially they 
all have the same end.  I had to wait a day before I could eat anything 
but chicken, but eventually went right back to being a natural carnivore.

I bought an entire Gigabyte of flash card for pictures, which I thought 
would be more than enough, but ran out after only the first 1/2 of our 
trip.  Others still had film, so I'll try to get copies of some of their 
shots later.  The second 1/2 of the trip is what I enjoyed the most 
too!  Rats!  I started writing experiences at the beginning, but about 
the time I ran out of film, I ran out of the drive to keep that up too - 
maybe because things were happening so much faster and so much more to 
do and was having so much more fun, that I didn't have any writing time 
by then either.  Even so, I ran out of 4 ink pens during the first 1/2 
of the trip.  I haven't figured out yet how to share the pictures I 
took, but will try to show some of them eventually.

Everyone on the trip got sick at some point.  Mostly diarrhea problems.  
I had it off and on, but not bad.  However, everyone got sick together 
during the last 4 days of the trip in Boracay with some sort of sinus 
and chest infection.  I gave out all the antibiotics I had just to keep 
people from having to go to the hospital and told them all to ask for 
Cipro when they get back home.  All 13 of us coughing and coughing on 
the long flight home - probably spread that infection to the entire 
plane.  Good thing I had some with me, or certainly we'd've seen the 
inside of a hospital there!

I can't possibly describe all the close relationships I formed while I 
was there, but I'll tell you about a couple.  One woman I met in Macpac 
- close to Loon, Bohol, was my age.  Her husband died when she was 2 
months pregnant with her youngest child.  She has 3 kids, ages, 13, 12 & 
11.  She had very little English, but put a great deal of effort into 
talking with me.  Her little girls, 13 and 11, were shy, but stayed 
close to their Mom.  The boy, 12, was braver and sat beside me - 
farthest from Mom while we visited.  I asked her since her husband was 
dead how she supported her family and she said that she raises a pig, 
then her son helps her take it to sell.  They get about 3,000 Philippine 
Pesos ($60 US) for it.  Then they go home and raise another pig.  Her 
biggest concern is to keep her children in school and try to figure a 
way out to get them into college.  I asked her how long she can provide 
for her family on that money and she said she can take care of them for 
about 6 months.  I was so shocked and sad for her, I gave her 4,000 Php 
to help her and she cried.  Her name is Molly, but pronounced like it 
would be spelled Moe-ly.  Her son, Ray John, (who clung to me) begged me 
not to forget them and to promise to come back.  It was heartbreaking.

Another one I want to tell you about was a fellow named Ariel.  He's 
almost 19 and almost in his last year of college.  He will graduate in 
March of 2006 with a BS degree in Marine Engineering.  They all 
(regardless of age) go to school from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 6 days a week!  
Can you imagine?!  Yikes!  Also, I asked around various places and the 
general working hours are 12 hours 6 days a week also.  The average 
money for that shift is between 130 and 240 Php (about $2.50 -5.00 US).  
That is - if you're lucky enough to have a paying job!  Anyway, back to 
Ariel, he was initially very protective of me when we met in Iloilo City 
before we went to the family barrio Lisub-A in Anininy - so I started 
teasing him that he was my body guard - which he and everyone else took 
on to be very serious.  He told me that he was my alali (body guard).  
So if ever I asked "Saan alali ka ako" (Where is my body guard)?  He 
would say "Dito ka" (I am here).  No matter where we were - in the city 
or the country - he kept an eye out for me or would come running if I 
asked anyone where he was.  Well, you can only imagine through a week of 
this treatment we grew closer and changed from calling him my alali to 
my kaiebegan (friend).  He would say "You're my best kaiebegan!"  When 
we departed company, he cried and cried and cried.  He lives in a 
boarding room in Iloilo City for school and comes back to Lisub-A on 
Friday night, returning to Iloilo on Sunday.  The trip is about 3 hours 
each way.  This way he gets to see his Mother and 3 siblings each week.  
His Father is a Seaman and gone for many many months at a time.  All the 
college kids were allowed to skip school during the 5 days we were in 
Lisub so they could be with us (something pretty out of the ordinary for 
them).  Ariel pitched right in when it was time to slaughter the 
animals.  Apparently all boys have to help with that once they're big 
enough to do any little thing.  The girls can watch if they want to, but 
their job is to cook up the meat once the animal is disassembled.  The 
boarding rooms that folks rent to live in (I visited 3 different ones in 
3 different towns) are comprised of a main hut that is divided into 
about 4 rooms or so.  Each room is "the" living quarters.  There is no 
cooking or toiletry.  The rooms are about 8 ft by 10 ft at best.  They 
usually have only a platform for a bed - no mattress.  There is never 
one only to a room.  Usually 2 to 4 in a room.  Ariel shares his with 3 
girls.  A fellow I met in Iloilo City shares his with his female cousin, 
and a fellow I met in Boracay shares his with 2 other guys.  Anyway, all 
who share the room - also share the platform bed.  The only thing else 
in the room is usually a place to hang a few items of clothes and a 
statue of Mary or some other saint.  The going rate for one of these 
rooms is about 1,200 to 2,400 Php a month. Now figure out that price 
with the wage of 130 - 240 Php a day and see how much you have left over 
to help take care of your family!!  I'll miss Ariel a lot and if there 
were a way to bring him to America - I would!

In short - Bohol was a peaceful, relaxing island.  Lots to see and tour, 
but plenty of time to relax.  Cebu was overpriced and over tourismized.  
Lots to see and do if you left the resort, but no one really enjoyed it 
as much as everywhere else we went.  Antique (where Lisub-A, Aninny, 
Antique, is located) was my most favorite place.  Out in the country 
with country people.  Lots to see and do and actually live more like a 
native.  Boracay had the prettiest white beaches, but was also a bit 
over tourism oriented.

Forgot to tell you we went to the Sinulog festivities when in Cebu - 
that was the most fun thing we did there.  It's a big big big parade 
with floats, dancers, theatrics, tribal bands, etc. that goes for 12 
hours through the streets (noon to midnight).  The celebration is 
centered on Magellan coming to Cebu Island and when the Chief's wife 
became a Christian he presented her with a Santo Nino (statue of baby 
Jesus) - so they celebrate the Santo Nino's arrival every year.
Well, I'm exhausted and still sick with a terrible sinus and lung 
infection, so will close this colossal letter now.  Will share pictures 
later.  After 23 days of wearing chinnellas (flip flops) - these shoes 
I've had to put on are killing my feet!  Haha!  Came home to over 900 
waiting emails - so if you reply to this message ... there may be a 
delay in reply from me - sry.

Love to all ~ Clay