Yasi is a young woman living with her family in a village in the Philippines. On the morning of Hurricane Yolanda Yasi recounts the days’ events leading up to the start of the rain that develops into one of the worst hurricanes in the history of the world. She talks of her family structure and the strength of the people of her village that survived and those that sadly didn’t. Slowly coming to accept that she is the only survivor of her family she must figure out how to put the pieces back together, accept this reality of the situation and find the strength to move forward. Because she is a fighter, she weathers the storm and lives up to the expectations that her parents had for her, “Be strong alone before you share your strength with others.”
DI/ Female- Who Thought Yolanda Was A Good Name?
- I hear people often speak of where they were when monumental things happened in their country and in their lives. In America it might be the day that John F. Kennedy was or Martin Luther King Jr. were assassinated. Or the day that the planes hit the towers in New York City. For me a twenty- three year old living in the Philippines and for my people, there is only one. It would be the day that Yolanda came to town. Two thousand seven hundred and sixty four. I am the oldest of five. I have three little sisters and a baby bother that I adore. We lived in a small village with three streets made of dirt. It wasn’t much to people like you who have civilized roads, but it was home. And in our village everyone was family, and everyone was loved. What a wonderful place it is. It’s like my father always told us, “We don’t have much but we have our family and we have love. Be thankful for both.” One thing you learn growing up in my country is family comes first, last and everything in between. Our home was simple. Third home on the left from the first intersection. It wasn’t large, only had three actual rooms. One for my four siblings and I, my parents had a room and we had a small kitchen that had a table in it. (Laughs) We would have breakfast together as a family everyday. I used to cook breakfast by myself but as my sisters got older they always wanted to help me and I always said yes. Mom would make dinner, that is what made our family so unique and so strong.