6
after learning a lot from the people I talked with. It was during this
work that I found myself useful.
Q16: How did you end up working in London?
A16: Even if I enjoyed what I was doing in Tacloban, the funding for the
NGO I was working with was low. It was not a secure job for me.
So, I decided to move out of Tacloban and go here in London.
In 2016, there was a mass hiring of nurses from the Philippines to go
to United Kingdom. Being a nurse is actually not something I wanted
to do. It was what my mom wanted it. But at that point, I realized
what is there to lose if we already lost everything? I knew in my heart
that I enjoyed community work, but it was not sustainable.
Q17: How did your experience with super typhoon Haiyan affected you,
if any?
A17: I was traumatized, but I had to cover it up. I felt I had to repress it. I
pretended to be strong for my family since my mom was not. I had to
stand up for them. I had to suspend my youth as a 22-year old
because I have to help my family. My social life was never the same
even if I tried to act normal.
It was also traumatic to see dead bodies everywhere. When I was in
Cebu and I saw a homeless person lying on the street, it made me
jump out of fright. It reminded me of Tacloban when I saw dead
bodies.
We did not undergo any psychosocial briefing. My little brother had
to stop from schooling for three (3) months. My mom was not able to
work. Before Haiyan, we were living a relatively comfortable life
where my mom could earn around PhP100,000.00 or more in a month
or two and we could afford house helpers. After Haiyan, we had to
make do of what I was earning, which was around PhP5,000.00 to
PhP6,000.00 as school nurse.
Also, even our relationship with some of our relatives turned sour.
For a year, I never spoke with some of my relatives. I started talking
with them only because of my aging grandmother who did not want
any feud in the family.
Q18: How else were you affected by your super typhoon Haiyan
experience?
A18: Growing up, I thought the strongest typhoon was signal number 3. In
my lifetime, I was able to experience signal number 5. Now, I do not
know anymore what is in store for us.
Every time I hear typhoons, I remember my experience. Even if I am
away, I get in touch with my family to check on them. I get worried