Hit the Ground Running

As an intern for the Emergency and Humanitarian Action Department at the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office, my secret hope was that a very small, low-impact disaster might occur during my two-month stint.  Nothing involving casualties or extensive infrastructural damage. Just some minor flooding or a fire that could demonstrate how organizations like the WHO go about handling such an event.  To get real experience on the job. It didn’t seem too unrealistic, given our proximity to the Ring of Fire. Such a thought sounds silly and naïve in retrospect, only two weeks later. As any mother would tell you, “Be careful what you wish for.” 

Day 1: Arrive in the office at 7AM and begin monitoring for events, essentially a broad web search to see what is going on in the world. Earthquake in Vanuatu, no reported injuries or damages. Cyclone in the middle of the ocean. Typhoon heading toward Palau at alarming strength. Category 5. Oh… that might be something worth reporting to my bosses at the morning meeting. The typhoon managed to brush Palau, but gathered strength as it moved on toward southern Philippines.

Day 2: Typhoon Bopha hit the eastern coast of Mindanao at 4AM. Spent the day furiously searching for any kind of information about the event. No news is good news?

Days 3-4: Several deaths reported. Meeting with the WHO Country Office to determine course of action. Meeting with the Dept of Health cluster to coordinate among NGO partners. Still little news.

Days 5-14: News starts pouring in. 1000+ casualties. 200+ damaged health facilities. 200,000+ damaged homes. Entire villages washed away. Hundreds of thousands of evacuees. No power, water, or communication in the hardest hit areas. Missing fishermen. Reports of disease outbreak. $450M in damages.

A week ago, I sat at my desk around 4:30PM on a Friday, excited to get out early after a week of 12-hour days, even though I knew I’d still be working over the weekend. From the depths of the office I heard “Earthquake in Japan!”. A quick Google search brought up the headline “Tsunami Warning Issued after Earthquake in Japan,” posted 20 minutes prior. It happened just off the coast hit by the March 2011 quake. “No no no no. Not now.  This is NOT happening,” I insisted, to no one in particular. My workmates hovered around to hear the details. Further inquiries found that the tsunami warning was for 50cm-2m. I began to laugh uncontrollably, both at my relief that it would likely have no impact and at the ridiculousness of the whole thing. I’ve found this is one field that if you don’t laugh and make light of the situation, you may just end up crying.

I am thankful for the strong leadership on the part of the WHO and my bosses, for their willingness to throw me into the situation, trusting me to report the most up-to-date information on which they can base their decisions.  My classmates in Boston are studying away, with finals beginning on Monday. I cannot fathom a more dissimilar scenario. The experience I am coming away with will serve me more than any course could. Learning not only how to react to disasters but also understanding teamwork, coordination, hierarchy, formalities, bureaucracy and government as it plays a role in health and emergencies is invaluable.

I rarely say that I am proud of something I have done, but my decision to come out here and to secure this internship is one time that I feel it is truly justified. While my boss had no intention of throwing me in the deep end quite so forcefully, the sink-or-swim scenario pushed me to work my hardest, make mistakes, ask questions, and trust my instincts. 

And I’ve still got another six weeks to go…

Reaping the Benefits

I write to you this afternoon from the comfort of my lovely foldout couch. Yes, folks, I made it back to Manila in one piece!

When I left off, I had just spent three weeks in Indonesia. Moving onto Thailand, I landed in Bangkok on Monday afternoon. A city 30-some years ahead of Manila, Bangkok is sleek, fast-pace and energetic. With two days of pedal-to-the-metal, camera-totting tourism, I only saw a very brief glimpse into this complex culture. Most of my siteseeing involved wats (Buddhist temples). The dizzying gleam of the reds, greens, blacks, and golds. The large-than-life Buddhas. The robe-clad monks. Even the most modest proved intricate and fascinating.

On my last night in the city, I met a few Peace Corp volunteers who were in Bangkok for vacation. Eating the street food and hearing about their experiences helped to peal away at the facade the Thai so carefully put up. It also deepened my respect for the goals and accomplishments of the Peace Corps, whose flagship program started in Thailand 50 years ago.

The following morning I hopped on a 6AM train to the border of Thailand and Cambodia. Armed with some advice I read online, I managed to escape the visa scam the Thais have going on their side of the border. Victory! A train, two tuk tuks, multiple immigration lines, and a cramped bus later, I made it to Siem Reap around 5 PM. 11 hours to travel 250 miles? Let’s count that as a success as well…

It was Thanksgiving and I was staying at a hostel run by a few Americans. While I didn’t manage to get any turkey, we did celebrate in style (read: rice, beer pong, and a dance party). My plan had been to leave for Phnom Penh by mid-day Saturday, but I decided to put it off a day.

Instead I headed to Angkor Wat (literally 10 minutes away) to explore the temples. The largest Hindu temple complex in the world, it dates back to the 12th century.

I first visited the most famous and largest, Angkor Wat but then moved onto the temple Ta Prohm, used in the movie “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.” It may be one of the coolest places I’ve seen on this trip (man, that list is getting long…!). In the afternoon, our hostel took 15 of us on a boat trip to the floating river and onto Tonle Sap Lake – the largest freshwater lake in SE Asia. The floating river is a bit touristy, with young kids floating in boats trying to get you to buy things or take a picture with their snake for a price. But swimming in the lake and watching the sunset from the boat was definitely worthwhile. Ending the day with a trip to the night market, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.

The rest of the week became a running joke, as I kept putting off my trip to Phnom Penh. “I need a bed for one just more night” I would tell the front desk girls. I just felt really at home in Siem Reap. No surprise, I never made it to the capital and flew out of “the Reap” Thursday night.

Yesterday was my first introduction at the WHO. I won’t go into it now, but it looks like this is going to be an intense two months…More details to come.

Hope you all are enjoying the holiday season. Manila is decked out in lights, fake pine trees and holiday cheer, not to mention 90 degree heat!