Hagupit Typhoon

I think this week and the next one will be specially long weeks. On Saturday we had decided to go with six schoolmates to Camotes. Camotes is an island more in to the north of Cebu to spend the weekend. But along the week, we were looking for the forecasts from the first moment when we knew that a typhoon could come to the Philippines (the other possibility was for it to turn and it would go to Japan).

Finally, it was confirmed that it would hit the Philippines and it was expected to arrive between Friday or Saturday and it could be prolonged through Sunday. Then… Travel was cancelled. Immediately, we thought alternative plans to do things near here, expecting to have very bad weather (wind and rain). We knew the typhoon didn’t come to Mactan, it cross more to the north. Theoretically, the eye of the typhoon didn’t come to Cebu, but we expected the secondary effects.

Image from the forecasts for Friday

On Friday we saw all the security measures the school took, and sincerely, we didn’t understand why they had taken so much prevention, just for a small wind and rain (this was the forecast for Mactan).

They sealed all the windows of the school

Sealed windows and secured with a piece of wood

The thing which shocked us was in the afternoon, when a manager told us: “You are not allowed to go out”. We couldn’t go out during the whole weekend and as long as the typhoon was here, and it was risky.  As what I understood and deduced, all this preparation and precaution was not for about what was foreseen to happen, otherwise it was for what can not be predicted. Maybe the typhoon turn and goes down to the south, to don’t find us surprised. Specially after the experience they had last year where almost 10,000 people died.

With the prevision to stay all the weekend in the school, on Friday evening, we went to buy some sweets to better spend the weekend.

On Saturday, after breakfast (to be special we ate bread with chocolate spread which we bought on Friday), we went downstairs to not begin the day closed in our room. At the end, it wasn’t raining and the wind was weak. On this week a Korean woman and her eight- year old son had arrived, and they were there also. At the end, we started to play a Korean game and we noticed the rules during the game!

Spending the Saturday with some mates

To spend the Saturday and benefit the free time we had, we decided to spend the time with the reason why we are here, study. Truly, we work well! At the evening, we didn’t like the school dinner and we were lazy to eat just rice, we decided to ask for a pizza (this time  normal size!). After we arranged a meeting with the Russian people to play some games and spend part of the evening together and not alone in each room. We played a similar game like the Spanish “taboo”but just with mimics.

The management of the school, at the ground classrooms, took in some neighbors (or worker’s families, we were not sure about it) to sleep in a safe place. The children were puzzled with our games (one Filipino girl played with us).

Today, Sunday, we don’t notice anything about typhoon. Only a constant rain which has started since yesterday night. We will wait for a fast finish and without consequences!

 

A sweet breakfast

MARIA'S VERSION

Theoretically, we had to go to Camotes this weekend (it seems and they say it is a very good island). We had all arranged, but in the half of the week, we started to listen about the coming of one super typhoon. We waited until Friday to decide whether to cancel our trip or not. I was  very excited to go but finally we had to stay here.

The typhoon was only a small rain and cloudy weekend… Nothing more…  

We will go another weekend to Camotes, sure with sun we will enjoy more!!!

Until Saturday, I was not worried for the typhoon. Although we couldn’t go out of the building (with a signature to leave responsibilities to the school you could go out), it seems to me it's only precaution, more than other things. But on Saturday night, the classrooms were full of families, which we suppose live in cabins and there they were not safe. Here, I thought that something bad could happen… But… NOTHING!!!

After a whole weekend closed into the school nothing has happened.

 

On Friday all the furniture were moved