Oh, my Philippines.

I am so saddened to hear about the floods in the Philippines. As many of you know, I have been there four times and lived there two years ago while on a Fulbright scholarship. In many ways, it feels like a second home. They have found dozens dead in the flooding there recently, when a month's worth of rain fell in about six hours.

I can't imagine the struggle those people are facing right now, many of whom live hand to mouth, barely surviving off their daily earnings--if they make any earnings at all. At the same time, I've been moved by photos of young street children jumping off make-shift boats and laughing as the rain pours down on their faces. If there's one thing I know, it's that Filipinos are survivors, able to smile and help a neighbor in the midst of any disaster. It's one of the things that inspires me about them the most.

See a news report by the BBC here, and keep them in your hearts.

Photo taken from this website: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6851191.ece by (Reuters/Erik de Castro)