Living Leyte People Features: Randy Mindt, Philanthropist

 

Randy Gene Mindt
Age: 60
Originally from: Born on Oregon, USA, grew up in Portland, also lived in Montana, Washington State, lived fifteen years in  Tucson, AZ.

Randy is sometimes called “Tatay” (father) by the people who work for him and he has this avuncular air about him. He possesses an amiable demeanor and is approachable. His humanitarian efforts ranges from empowering people, improving lives, granting scholarships to deserving individuals and more. His efforts are faith-based through what he refers to as “Lifeology” which translates to exhibiting his faith by his deeds.

LL: Randy, can you describe the place and vibe where you come from, the most recent one?
RGM: Tucson is an ethnic city with Spanish-Mexican influence, it’s twenty minutes to one hour to the border (of Mexico). It has a heavy Catholic community, beautiful outdoors. It’s hot, it’s the desert, it has some of the greatest lightning storms in the world, I like it for that.
LL: You take photography of lightnings? They make good photographs.
RGM: I used to be an avid photographer before it became digital. I went to film school, we would shoot from sixteen - eighteen millimeters then it became Beta then VHS and so on. 

LL: What was your life like before you came?
RGM: I was a missionary-pastor’s kid. Coming over (to the Philippines) has always been a part of my life. I traveled a lot, my parents traveled a lot, they started coming over to Leyte about 25 years ago. We worked in Mindanao, but Region 8 was their primary ministry. I came over to Leyte 15 years ago. I had a family but I did not bring them full time. I ended up having export business, began an export business in the northwest of the US; I had that for almost 10 years, my specialty are books and medicine then I created a book franchise outfit here in the Philippines.
LL: Can I name the book franchise? *Randy winks at me and I get the code for “best not.” Which is cool with me.

LL: What's your impression of our place?
RGM: The reason why I was attracted to the Philippines is because of the people. Filipinos love life, laughter, art, they are artistic, musically inclined, they have an artistic flair within them. From the first friends I’ve had in the 40 years that I’ve come... the capacity of the Filipino's mind is greater than what they realize. Languages, they have taken it to another level, they have a greater capacity to learn and this is what created the Filipino endurance, patience and ability to go forward in spite of.  This component of the Filipino I am always amazed by, for example, a person can come out from a mud house and put me to shame with what they know in languages.
LL: Why do you think we possess this?
RGM: I think it’s because of the different cultures present in the  society. The Philippines is a melting pot, because of that you have so many languages, from the Spanish heritage, Chinese, Southeast Asian, because of all these components, because of the melting pot, you either survive and integrate the languages. All of a sudden a family has learned a lot of languages.

LL: Wow, you have good things to say about us! We have this issue though, after the typhoon (Yolanda) many good things came out of it as well as not so good ones, nationwide studies have shown that our region is the highest in teenage pregnancy after Yolanda, why do you think this is happening?
RGM: I believe it's because of the drive for human connection, it’s the fear of not being able to experience bearing life. 
LL: Can you say something towards our level of materialism, I mean, I personally have not seen this many luxury vehicles, gadgets or accessories after a massive tragedy.
RGM: As for materialism, they do it because they think it adds value to themselves, they believe it enhances how people "look at me,” also, materialism is increasing because of integration. They look at the world around them and they aspire, this is no different than in the US. Filipinos see the foreigners that are here right now for example who will order coffee for hundreds of pesos and that’s nothing to an westerner, but to the Filipino who is looking, they will aspire. I was at Robinson’s the other day and what were people looking at? this iPhone 6 or 7 and I said, “Shoot me if I buy this thing,” I will not buy a phone that costs one thousand dollars when I could drop it, break it, it might slip in the toilet or someone might take it from me.

LL: I see pretty much that we have been able to rebuild after the typhoon.
RGM: The rebuilding can take fifteen years; and because of the Filipino’s resiliency and fortitude… There’s this grasping of the Filipino culture NOT to dissolve, there’s this component. There’s a percentage in the country that is pushing to a new paradigm. Filipinos are not dumb, they know that there’s a component in this world that it (The Philippines) can even be a greater nation. I call the Filipino people as the “Daniels” of this world.
LL: The Biblical prophet Daniel?
RGM: Yes, Filipinos are in all different types of work all over the world, they are engineers, medical people, laborers, one day they will rise up and one day they will have a voice. The younger ones right now, the 20’s group, they are the ones that will make or break a people.

LL: You recently had a symposium for women, can you tell us more about that? Was it for improvement of conditions?
RGM: I conducted a women’s conference, I brought in team members from the US, my goal was to expand their capacity for who they think they are, I work in the faith community, so I try to bring people together who want to experience that. I want for people to identify what they have. In that conference, I wanted Filipinos to partner with the Americans so that they can work alongside. In that environment we move to a community and the components are health, feedings, conferences and seminars but these are not about me, I’m just the one who orchestrates it. My mission is when we leave the conference, someone will feel refreshed, empowered and they will talk about what they learned, even if it is to disagree, it’s OK if people disagree.
LL: So it’s information and empowerment.
RGM: I look at the positive first. In the Philippines, it’s the women that move things.
LL: Yes, I think we are a matriarchal society, it didn’t use to be that though.
RGM: It’s because of the the number of women in the country, and also, the men are disengaged, complacent you might say. There are less involved. I have seen men who make the wives their cash cows. I once tried to help this couple, the wife was pregnant and she was my employee, the husband didn’t have a job. The wife asked me if I could help them start a business. It was going to be a chicken business. He wanted two chickens to start with, I told them, to start a chicken business, you need more than two chickens, you need over one hundred; two chickens - that's a hobby. I think that was just an excuse so that it can’t be said that he didn’t have a job while the wife would take care of the babies she was going to give birth to.

LL: What are other areas where you are involved in?
RGM: Coming here to help was always part of what I had done. I would always do youth camps here in the past, I would have youth camps at first for the kids of the parents who worked in the US Embassy. I would do week to week lessons, I wanted them to realize what influence they could bring having the privileges that they had. I have scholarships, right now I have thirty seven  who are in college, there are in Tacloban, Guian, Cebu, Ormoc, Samar, Manila and Mindanao.  My approach is what I call “Life-ology.” There is a saying that goes, “The eyes of the blind are watching you.” There should be no motive when you help.

LL: You have given me a lot for this interview already but please allow me to divert to this default question I have and this one is: given an opportunity to resolve one global issue or conflict happening in the world right now,  which one would you take a gander at?
RGM: What I really wish in reality is the best thing that we could do is to have a better education system. That we would teach people how to learn, not just how to take a test, teach critical learning skills to disseminate information better, but because we are taught in a theocratic way…
LL: Like spoon-feeding?
RGM: Yes, like that and the way where the teacher is the only source of learning, kids don’t learn much; and you don’t have much of a window to do this, if the kids don’t learn things from ages five to thirteen, if they haven’t been taught what’s important by then, then it’s finished and this creates a vacuum. We need to make leaders.

It is obvious that Randy has been ensconced here with us for decades now, he and his humanitarian work. He is involved in our community in a very personal sense and he gives a lot to people. Of a certain thing, many people who have been recipients of his efforts are singing kudos songs to his “life-ology.”

LL: Randy, thanks for this and thanks for all your work here in our community.
RGM: My pleasure.

Living Leyte People Features: Paige Elizabeth Leslie, Humanitarian at Heart

Paige Elizabeth Leslie
AGE: 22
Originally from: Houston and Austin, Texas, USA

Paige has a heart for humanitarianism. In her 22 years of life she has participated in aid and volunteer work in 3 prominent global disasters  and they are: Hurricane Sandy which occurred in the United States eastern sea board, the most recent earthquake in Nepal and with us here in Tacloban City after Typhoons Haiyan and Ruby. By now she has become a seasoned humanitarian but I believe she is just getting started. This is her interview.

LL:  So Paige, can you tell us about the place and the vibe where you come from?
PEL: I’m from Houston, Texas. I grew up in a quiet and small suburbia called Sugar Land in Texas; it’s 20 minutes from downtown Houston. I don’t like it, it's cookie cutter, safe, a nice neighborhood. It’s great for when you are raising children, I understood why my parents raised us there but it’s not a good place for adulthood. When I got older I began to explore Houston more and I found it to be a very diverse city. I went to the University of Texas in San Antonio, then to Texas State University in a campus that's 20 minutes from the Austin city limits.
LL: I like Austin too, it’s like a culinary mecca of sorts; what’s the Southwest by Southwest Festival like?
PEL: It’s awesome, it’s a great time. All the bands play in the streets, the big band names and there are films being shown as well.

LL: What was your life like before you came?
PEL: I had already been working with All Hands as a volunteer for Hurricane Sandy.
LL: I understand this occurred in New York and New Jersey right?
PEL: Yes, we had sites in Staten Island and Brooklyn, we did rebuilding...
LL: Of houses?
PEL: Mainly basements.  The basements were flooded and we worked with "Resurrection Brooklyn" which is partnered with Red Cross, they funded the project we had.
LL: How many volunteers were there? And didn’t it happen during winter? 
PEL: There were about 400 volunteers in a period of 9 months. Yes, it was in the winter, it was brutal, it was very cold. I was also in Nepal these past 7 months, I had already come here to Tacloban to help after Typhoon Haiyan then I went with All Hands to Nepal. I was with a DAR (Disaster Assessment Relief) team, where we go and assess the damage incurred by disasters. After the initial assessment there, it was already very bad that we  had to help immediately. There are already 940 volunteers from All Hands in Nepal post earthquake, that number is changing as people get done with their volunteer work. .
LL: There was a second earthquake that occurred one week after after the initial one right? Can you tell us about that? You were already there for the 2nd one right?
PEL: Yes, the first one was 7.8 and the second one was 7.4. There were many aftershocks, we got used to it but then the 2nd one happened. We thought it was just one of the aftershocks but it was very extended and buildings began to shake harder, things were falling to the ground. We were at the roof top so we ran downstairs, we were told to stay indoors though because of the debris falling from the buildings. We were in Katmandu at the time, we couldn’t see the extent of the damage at first but as soon as we went outside, we saw  it, then we moved to Sindhupalchok where 90 percent of the place was destroyed.
LL: What are the Nepalese people like?
PEL: They are very sweet, they would help us with the things we would do, such sweet people.

LL: What's your impression of our place?
PEL: I have already been here since last year, but I’ve never met anyone like the people here.

LL: How could we improve as a people?
PEL: I guess, people could take better care of the environment.

LL: What pivotal moment made you choose to become a volunteer/aid worker?
PEL: After Hurricane Sandy, I just had to help. I was in school, I did 3 years of school but I have stopped for now and did volunteer and aid work. I have to do 1 more year of school though.

LL: Has your experiences here affected or changed you as a person? And do you think that your experience here will be useful for you in the future?
PEL: Being here made a very big impact on me. There was more of an obvious need here compared to New York. We were restoring and rebuilding basements in there but when I came, one could see that the need was more obvious.
LL: Yes indeed, after the typhoon loads of people had no houses at all.

LL: Given all that has happened in the world, the news we see, the political and religious upheavals between countries and ideologies, there’s terrorism and the natural disasters which we cannot control. Do you feel there is hope for the future of our planet?
PEL: Call me an optimist but things are constantly changing and people will help with the change, like in Nepal, new ideas have come up in building more earthquake-resistant structures.
LL: How so?
PEL: There is this new thing called “Earth Bags”; it’s new, but they are trying to do this now where they use bags filled with soil and they stack them until they are dense to make the wall. It makes the walls absorb more shock in the event of an earthquake because unlike concrete which is rigid, it breaks; whereas the walls with Earth Bags will sway and not break.
LL: Cool! Like the suspension bridges during earthquakes.
PEL: That’s the idea.

LL: Given an opportunity to resolve one global issue or conflict happening in the world right now,  which one would you take a gander at?
PEL: Homelessness and the way we treat mentally-ill people.
LL: Indeed this is a concern isn’t it? After Yolanda, there was an increase in the number of people who could not cope mentally, a lot of them bear the trauma of watching their loved ones drown or get taken by the water.
PEL: That’s so sad.

LL: Apart from volunteer work or being an aid worker, what’s the next best thing that makes you eloquent with words?
PEL: Swimming, volleyball, shows, concerts.

LL: What’s next for you?
PEL: I might take an extended break but I am not done with All Hands, I am very passionate about this organization and doing humanitarian efforts.
LL: Who founded All Hands?
PEL: A guy named David Campbell began All Hands. He started after the big  Southeast Asian tsunami that affected Thailand and Indonesia. 
LL: How many projects has All Hands been a part of from the beginning?
PEL: In the past 10 years, we have had 55 projects. 
LL: How impressive!

LL: We are about to get done but wanna play one-word-answer questions and Bonus Q?
PEL: OK.
Moon or Sun?  Sun
Monochrome or Colored?  Monochrome
Iceland or Australia?  Iceland
Fútbol or Football?  Soccer
Coffee or Tea?  Coffee
Eagle or Dolphin? Dolphin
Heels or Flats? Flats
Red or Blue: Blue
Beach or Shopping: Beach
Bonus Q: If you were given the power to spend 2 hours with someone who has passed on, who would it be and why?
PEL: Andy Warhol, because I would like to talk about his life in New York during the 60’s. I’d like to ask him about Edie Segdwick, the very first “It Girl." I like the pop art he did. I find that whole lifestyle interesting.

The things that Paige has gone through in the 22 years of her life is profound to say the least. Her good deeds done will leave memorable footprints for the many people she has touched and affected. It was an honor to talk to Paige, she has put many things on hold like her schooling, pursuit of a successful career, personal life and comforts for the sake of the stricken. That cannot be taken lightly at all, not by the New Yorkers, the Nepalese and the Filipinos who have seen her hands reach out to them in the time they needed it most. 

Thank you very much Paige.

Living Leyte People Features: Jane Coughlin, All Hands Volunteer

NAME:  Jane Coughlin
AGE: 24
Originally from: Winnipeg, Canada

Sweet Canadian Jane is very affable. Her eyes shine very bright when she talks about anything, to me it signifies that the cup of her life here on Earth runneth over. This All Hands volunteer who in her own words has "no hurry" to complete college genuinely loves our island town and even has intentions of living here sometime in the future. That is very good news for us and here’s why.

LL: Jane, thanks for agreeing to this interview. Could you please describe the place and vibe where you come from?
JC: It’s ridiculously cold where I come from, it goes to extremes of negative 50 degrees in the winter to plus 40 in the summer. Where I come from has a small town feel but it has 800 thousand people. It’s like at the cusp of being a big city, it has neat coffee shops, different restaurants, underground music scene, the art scene is cool but we are shut in (our houses) 6 months out of the year.

LL: What was your life like before you came?
JC: I was in school for my undergrad, my major is in Microbiology, I have been at it for six to seven years already because I am also working full time. I was in insurance for years, I also did bar tending. I decided to have fun jobs for a while.
LL: Are you completing college as a working student?
JC: That and I have bursary.
LL: What’s a bursary? Is it like grants for students?
JC: Yes, they are the same.
LL: Are you going to be a doctor?
JC: Yes, my sister who is practicing Naturopathic Medicine is already a doctor.
LL: Is Naturopathic Medicine like Homeopathy?
JC: It’s more than that, there are additional certifications for it.
LL: It would be great if you practiced medicine here.
JC: I was discussing this with my sister that if she wanted to extend her Naturopathic practice here like in an international capacity, that would be good.

LL: What's your impression of our place?
JC: I am absolutely in love with Tacloban, I love the people. (Like Rosie Alberio, Jane is working on a project with Street Lights in the Tagpuro area). We went to the sea side of the Tagpuro area there one time, we spent time with the people and other volunteers there and it went far as us having a had blood pact where we promised that we would come back to live here. We already have a panday (carpenter), a contractor and so on! One of the girls who were with us already opened up a Facebook Page about coming back to live here, she’s serious, it’s like, “This is really happening.” *laughs excitedly.

LL: How did you end up volunteering here?
JC: I was traveling and I met this girl in Cebu, I told her that I was going to Australia but I had no where to go for a few days before my flight. Then we got into volunteering, she encouraged me to go to Leyte, I was supposed to be here only for five working days, but by day two, I extended immediately. I have now forfeited my plane ticket to Australia.

LL: What pivotal moment made you choose to become a volunteer/aid worker?
JC: Back home I have already volunteered in several places. I have always volunteered because one does this in high school. My grandma was sick with cancer for 1 year and I took care of her. She was my best friend growing up. She was the hardest working woman in the community and to see her not to be able to do anything for herself was heartbreaking.  I was so sad when she died so I volunteered in cancer centers, and I always wanted to do oversees volunteering. 

LL: Has your experiences here affected or changed you as a person? And do you think that your experience here will be useful for you in the future?
JC: Yeah, I don’t think you can be here and do what we are doing and not be affected. People we work with, I actually have love for them, and people from Tacloban just open up to us. I was shown images from the typhoon (Haiyan), seeing the images, it’s one of the craziest things, there was so much to be done. The resiliency (of the people) is incredible.

LL: Do you consider yourself as an activist or an advocate?
JC: Advocate.

LL: Given all that has happened in the world, the news we see, the political and religious wars between countries, ideologies, terrorism and the natural disasters which we cannot control. Do you feel there is hope for the future of our planet?
JC: Yes, If you’ve been here and you see how people keep enduring, there’s hope. The human spirit is cool, when people keep trying that’s when you have something better for the future.

LL: Given an opportunity to resolve one global issue or conflict happening in the world right now,  which one would you take a gander at?
JC: I don’ think I can pick one because it’s a chain reaction of everything. I think if you fix one, you'll fix everything.

LL: Apart from volunteer work or being an aid worker, what’s the next best thing that makes you eloquent or effusive with words?
JC: Animals, I love animals. Back home I foster cats, dogs and other animals. I get them when they are babies and when they open up their eyes, I am the first person they see, I am their mummy.  I also love to travel, I am an "experience seeker" and I like the countries that have great cultural backgrounds like India, Africa. 

LL: What’s next for you?
JC: Australia. 

LL: Wanna play one-word-answer questions and Bonus Q?
JC: Sure.
Moon or Sun?  Sun
Monochrome or Colored?  Color
Iceland or Australia?  Iceland
Fútbol or Football?  Soccer
Coffee or Tea?  Tea
Eagle or Dolphin? Eagle

Bonus Q: If you were given the power to spend 2 hours with someone who has passed on, who would it be and why?
JC: My grandma Lina (pronounced Lye-na), I want to chat with her about so many things. There are also a few people I want her to meet.

As we finish, Jane with her co-volunteer friend Rosie say goodbye and I feel that we are blessed to have everyone that has ever come to help us not only to rebuild, but also that they immersed themselves with our lives here in Leyte. I  hope we have a great and positive impact on them just as they have done with us.

Living Leyte People Features: Rosie Alberio, All Hands Volunteer

Name: Rosie Alberio
AGE: 26
Originally from: Minnesota, USA

We might not see it outright but Rosie is part Puerto Rican and of course very American. Rosie has been here in our island for three months now as a volunteer for All Hands. All Hands as we all know has been instrumental helping to rebuild out community post Typhoon Haiyan and Ruby.  Rosie has been a part of an All Hands' project in collaboration with another NGO called "Street Lights." The projects they are currently working on right now are in Tagpuro, Leyte, and she is helping in the realization of four large buildings.

LL:  Hi Rosie, can you describe the place and vibe where you come from?
RA: I was living in Portland Oregon where there’s good food, extreme types of people, nature lovers, vegan-ism, animal lovers; it’s set in the mountains. It has stunning nature and I worked as a delivery girl as well in a farmers market.

LL: What was your life like before you came?
RA: I had a great time in Portland, sometimes I’d do deliveries, but I knew it was a temporary thing. I have been also traveling, I love to travel. 

LL: What's your impression of our place?
RA: I love it so much, the most friendliest people, I have traveled around, I always meet people who invite us into their houses, offer us food. I feel completely safe, I walk around the street and everyone is my friend.

LL: What pivotal moment made you choose to become a volunteer/aid worker?
RA: I’ve always been interested in humanitarian efforts, I volunteered after Hurricane Sandy. This summer I am going back to school, I am  looking into disaster relief or medicine as a major. I want to volunteer more.

LL: Has your experiences here affected or changed you as a person? And do you think that your experience here will be useful for you in the future?
RA: Absolutely, I definitely want to be part of disaster relief efforts, I am just going to volunteer.

LL: Given all that has happened in the world, the news we see, the political and religious upheavals between countries an ideologies, there’s terrorism and the natural disasters which we cannot control. Do you feel there is hope for the future of our planet?
RA: I think that absolutely, bad things are going to continue to happen, but there are people who step up and you see more and more of that. People going out of their ways to help and give to people in need.

LL: Given an opportunity to resolve one global issue or conflict happening in the world right now,  which one would you take a gander at?
RA: World hunger, everyone should have something to eat. 

LL: Apart from volunteer work or being an aid worker, what’s the next best thing that makes you eloquent or effusive with words?
RA: traveling that’s my biggest passion. I also like mountaineering; I’ve already traveled to india, Sri Lanka and Africa, I like places that has great culture.

LL: What’s next for you?
RA: The holidays, I am going home but I am hoping to come back.

LL: Wanna play one-word-answer questions and Bonus Q?
RA: OK.
Moon or Sun?  Moon
Monochrome or Colored?  Colored
Iceland or Australia?  Iceland
Fútbol or Football?  Soccer
Coffee or Tea?  Coffee
Eagle or Dolphin? Eagle

Bonus Q: If you were given the power to spend 2 hours with someone who has passed on, who would it be and why?
RA: Jimi Hendrix, because he is the sexiest man that ever lived.

Thank you for those great answers and thanks for being a part of our community Rosie.

Living Leyte People Features: Jo Ah Yow, Engagement Coordinator, All Hands

  Jo (R) and Moi from Living Leyte (L).

Joanna Ah Yow, 24
Originally from: Mauritius and has been living in Coventry, England, a graduate of Coventry University.

LL:  So Jo, Can you describe the place and vibe where you come from?
JAW: I originally came from Mauritius but I went to university in Coventry England, I have lived there for the past 4 years but when I finished I went back to Mauritius before coming here. Mauritius is multi-cultural, multi-racial, it’s a mixture of Chinese and Indians. It was colonized by the French then the British, the trade there was sugar cane, local rum made from sugar cane; tourism is big there because we have nice beaches, like the the one in Kalanggaman. It’s relaxing, it’s not a big city but traffic can become intense. Cuisine is mixed there, Chinese, street food, Indian food, one can find french bread in the shops for example. A majority of the population is of Indian origin. Hindu is the majority religion, the official language is English, Creole and French. My great granddad went to Mauritius when he was 17 years old and we are the 4th generation.

LL: What was your life like before you came?
JAW: As I said I went to school in Coventry University for 4 years. My major was in Disaster Management. When I finished I went back to Mauritius to catch up because it had been 2 years since I’d been back. I caught up with old friends, everything changes when I go back home.
LL: True, nothing stays the same.

LL: What's your impression of our place?
JAW: I love it here, I have been to the nice beaches, it’s not really the physical aspects of things, it’s the people, the people are respectful. Whereas back, home people swear.

LL: What pivotal moment made you choose to become a volunteer/aid worker?
JAW: A lot of it came from my parents’ influence, they are traditional Christians and I grew up with that. I volunteered with a Christian organization in England and I discovered that's what I like. Volunteering came along and it’s the obvious thing for me. This gave me a perspective that’s why I majored in Disaster Management and not engineering which is what I was planning on.
LL: How long can one volunteer?
JAW: It depends on the funds, I am lucky because my parents support me. I volunteered with All Hands and I am now an Engagement Coordinator.
LL: What does an Engagement Coordinator do?
JAW: It has anything to do with fund-raising, engaging the community with our organization.

LL: Has your experiences here affected or changed you as a person? And do you think that your experience here will be useful for you in the future?
JAW: Definitely. Example, I am so used to things like air-conditioning, shoes, nice clothes. Now I think twice about what’s important in life. I am less materialistic now.

LL: Given all that has happened in the world, the news we see, the political and religious upheavals between countries an ideologies, there’s terrorism and the natural disasters which we cannot control. Do you feel there is hope for the future of our planet?
JAW: Yes. I feel like if there’s no hope then we won’t bother but we can see that people volunteer for example and it restores faith in humanity.

LL: Given an opportunity to resolve one global issue or conflict happening in the world right now,  which one would you take a gander at?
JAW: The war in Syria, the refugee crises. I feel that if the main issue will be resolved then the surrounding issues will be resolved around it.

LL: Apart from volunteer work or being an aid worker, what’s the next best thing that makes you eloquent or effusive with words?
JAW: Music, acoustic guitar, My favorite song is “Superstition" by Stevie Wonder.

LL: What’s next for you?
JAW: We are going thru the end of February with the project. We’ve had collaborations with Street Light, CRS (Catholic Relief Services). I’m looking to go to Nepal and I heard of new people from another outfit dealing with refugees in Europe, I may join that.

LL: Wanna play one-word-answer questions and Bonus Q?
JAW: OK.
Moon or Sun?  Moon
Monochrome or Colored?  Colored
Iceland or Australia?  Australia
Fútbol or Football?  Soccer
Coffee or Tea?  Coffee
Eagle or Dolphin? Eagle
Bonus Q: If you were given the power to spend 2 hours with someone who has passed on, who would it be and why?
JAW: Nelson Mandela. I would talk to him about his life. He is just was an inspiration to so many people. I’ve been to South Africa and I knew about him growing up. 

LL: There's just one thing left, I need to take a photo of you.

Jo is reluctant but concedes and agrees to this but only if I am in the photo with her too. I guess this is not a bad bargain, after all she's done for the community. ;-) .  

Jo  obviously has this kind heart that extends towards us and I believe even further beyond. Jo, from all of us, Thanks very very much!

Living Leyte People Features: Hassan Adebayo Bello, One Happy Volunteer

Hassan Adebayo Bello  FB: Bayo Hassan Bello
AGE: 22
Originally from: Osun State, Nigeria, Currently lives in Dubai.

When I met Hassan, he was with his friend Costa in a coffee shop. The positive spirit that flowed from Hassan was obvious the moment he walked inside the room. His story as a volunteer is an atypical one. He visited Leyte without any intentions of becoming a volunteer at first, but after getting to know some of the other All Hands volunteers and learning about the need for helpers to build a structure somewhere in the Tagpuro area, Hassan rose up to the challenge. One really has to admire that.

LL: Hassan, can you describe the place and vibe where you come from?
HAB: I have been living in Dubai for some years now. Dubai is like a playground for young dreamers, because it’s a young country, the things that Dubai has achieved there within 10 years is amazing. Dubai as we know is rich in oil, however, it has diversified on to other ventures because in 10 years the oil will run out. It has become a tourist place, an important port around the region and a place of enterprise. Dubai has it’s flaws but it’s a nice city; the only way you can know it is by visiting it.
LL: My impression of Dubai is that no one can go there unless you have an exorbitant amount of money or unless you enter as a worker. But as a tourist, don’t they check if you have money to be able to afford your visit?
HAB: No,  you need money to travel but they don’t check your level of income or something, you’ll be OK there. There are places for the working class or low income earning people too and they are just as nice as the ones for the upper class. Like cute cafés or restaurants.

LL: What was you life like before you came?
HAB: I am a software programmer, our clients are those that need enterprise solutions and so on.

LL: What's your impression of our place?
HAB: To be honest, I barely knew about Tacloban before I came. I only knew from the news about the typhoon (Haiyan), I saw the news and I just had to get here. I just hooked up with All Hands when I arrived here. I was at the Yellow Doors (hostel) and a lady there Marielle Trixie suggested that we volunteer. I started to volunteer for just half a day but it ended up to be more. I saw the site where we worked and I saw buildings that were pretty new.

LL: What pivotal moment made you choose to become a volunteer/aid worker?
HAB: I saw the initiative of the other volunteers from All Hands. It’s very gratifying to see how the locals are and you can really see the gratitude by the people we do this for.

LL: Has your experiences here affected or changed you as a person? And do you think that your experience here will be useful for you in the future?
HAB: Certainly, I was looking at the videos and they are educating us about the typhoon and how the death casualty was really not just 6,000. We saw a video about this shop owner whose warehouse was looted and how she just allowed the people who were in need to go ahead and get what they needed. She also allowed her warehouse to be used for charitable purposes.

LL: Do you consider yourself as an activist or an advocate?
HAB: I am an activist because I put action into my words.

LL: Given all that has happened in the world, the news we see, the political and religious upheavals between countries an ideologies, there’s terrorism and the natural disasters which we cannot control. Do you feel there is hope for the future of our planet?
HAB: I do. I was in Magallanes St. and I saw shoes and stuff instead of corals on the sea shores but because of the things for example that All Hands that has done, there’s improvement, simple things that they have been done inspires you.

LL: Given an opportunity to resolve one global issue or conflict happening in the world right now,  which one would you take a gander at?
HAB: The problem of generalization.
LL: You mean prejudice or lack of education?
HAB: No, its generalization, for example, when people think that all Muslims are bad. I am reading a book right now called "Black Swan," in the book there is a black swan, it exists but is rare, just because you only mostly see white swans, that doesn’t mean black swans don’t exist. Another example is the typhoon; before the typhoon nobody knew that a typhoon of Yolanda’s magnitude would happen but it happened and because it did, it can bring about change. This can apply to religion and so on.

LL: Apart from volunteer work or being an aid worker, what’s the next best thing that makes you eloquent or effusive with words?
HAB: Extreme sports, mountain climbing, skydiving even though I cannot swim. And also BoSfit videos (extreme workout videos). 

LL: What’s next for you?
HAB: I’ll go back to Dubai to my work, I still have one more subject to finish at university.

LL: Wanna play one-word-answer questions and Bonus Q?
HAB: Sure.
Moon or Sun?   Sun
Monochrome or Colored?   Colored
Iceland or Australia?   Iceland
Fútbol or Football?   Soccer
Coffee or Tea?   Tea
Eagle or Dolphin?  Eagle
Bonus Q: If you were given the power to spend 2 hours with someone who has passed on, who would it be and why?
HAB: Anne Frank. She was only 8 years old when the events in her diary happened and for her to think like that, I mean other kids were only perhaps thinking about hula hoops. She is one I could easily identify with. The hardships she experienced.

The interview has now come to a close and it was admirable to see Hassan and Costa because they were both open and very enterprising. Indeed I may not see them again but I know I will not forget this encounter or this kindness given to us by these gents that they would volunteer their efforts for people they don't know.

Hassan and Costa, thanks for all your efforts.