"At the age of 38, I decided to step out of the rat race of New York, join the Peace Corps and board a plane for Manila. This blog is dedicated to my adventures in the Philippines for the next two years. Wish me luck..." Julia Campbell (picture taken from her blog)
I love blogging as well as I love reading and visiting other blogs in blog spot. Whenever I am online I do find time to at least visit a couple. For the past week that I have started to create posts, I found myself more engaged on discovering different interests of different people. Some blogs are about hobbies, sports, music, food, others do business by posting their items on it, most of them write blogs about themselves on what's going on with their daily lives, some about their struggle in fighting or surviving a disease, some writes about their journey...
When news about the death a peace corps volunteer Julia Campbell spreads all over the television stations, they featured some of Julia's posts about her experienced here in the Philippines, I was so anxious to search for her blog site. As I watched the news, they put Julia's pictures on the screen with a background of her blog. I put my full attention at the back of her pictures and searched for words that might be her blog address...and yes! I did find something! I immediately run to my computer and typed at my browser what I have found out: http://juliainthephilippines.blogspot.com/. And it opened...I read, read and read. I was mesmerized...I felt that I was with her journey.
"One of the most familiar phrases people say here when you ask them how they are is "Eto" (here) or "Buhay pa" (still alive). Never has it had more meaning than in recent weeks ..."(from her blog entitled "Buhay pa Tayo") seems a premonition? Julia as a journalist and at 38 years old left her life in the USA and joined the peace corps to be with the Filipinos and hope this would change her life. She wrote her journey in the Philippines, in which most of it was what she did for the community and how the community accepted and loved her. "It seems that I am now a celebrity. I have arrived and Donsol has rolled out its red carpet. Everywhere I go I am greeted by name, by people I've never seen before. Word has spread quickly that I am the new American in town, the new teacher sa Donsol High School. And they call me "Julia Roberts..." (from her post entitled "Move Over Julia Roberts!) Julia was here for a very good reasons... to reach out to us, to give meaning to her life and to her death now.
I guess wherever Julia is now, I know that she found what she has been looking for. I know that the last 2 years of her life was really intended for us Filipinos to see and feel a real angel. To let us know that God did not abandoned the less fortunate ones by sending someone like Julia. I feel so lucky for those persons that came in contact with her. I envy her students and Filipino friends who has given the great chance to be close to her.
As a nurse, I am so lucky that being with the community is part of my job. I treasure now more my profession...
She was an inspiration to me and I hope to all of us...
"I'm signing off for now and hope to update you all a little more frequently.
Ingat". " Buhay Pa Tayo" posted by Julia.
Visit her blog and leave message for her if you like...
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