Filipino Women: Dancing Backwards in Flip-Flops

The Filipino Woman: maybe high heels aren't her style but in the flip flop world of Manila, she's definitely the one dancing backwards. I'm not sure where the "Dancing Backwards in High Heels" quote about Ginger Rogers originated but the thought behind it focused on Ginger doing twice as much work as Fred Astaire because she did everything he did, only backwards and in high heels. As a current Manila resident, I know first hand the amount of work the Filipino women do to care for their family and their employers too.

Typhoon Ondoy

On Saturday, tropical depression Ondoy made landfall in the Manila region. The storm, also known as Ketsana, dumped massive amounts of rain on Metro Manila areas completely destroying the homes of many and stranding others on roof tops as their homes completely filled with flood waters and mud. Pictures pepper internet sites showing the disaster and showing Filipinos up to their necks in water making their way to safety or to rescue others.

I've known from the beginning the Filipino woman I employ had a heart of gold and the determination to conquer everything she faced. Saturday she demonstrated this perseverance as she left her home early morning in the rain traveling to my house to check on my family while I am away. A typical return trip to her home would be 45 minutes. Four hours after leaving my home, she arrived discovering her flip flops needed to be swim fins since the water was already up to her neck. In true dancing backwards style, the non-swimming Filipino woman made her way in the deep water to her house to find her father who was caring for children. The next 48 hours were spent in the second story of her home, with flood waters up to the ceiling underneath, wondering if her husband was ok as he had not yet made it back to the home area.

There's no Disney fairy tale ending to this story. There isn't a happily ever after moment for those who still have 10 foot of water standing inside their homes, or for those who lost everything. There are raincoats, umbrellas, and flip flops with an occasional pair of rubber boots as this Filipino woman and her family wait out the floods and prepare to begin the process of mucking the mud out of the living quarters once again. Until I arrived here, I thought I was a strong woman, but I don't even come close in comparison. I don't think I could dance in those flip flops even facing forward. The strength of the Filipino is tremendous.

Invisible Sisters

Ann Wizer, an artist, activist, and environmentalist started a project in the Philippines called Invisible Sisters. The stories of the Filipino Women participating in the project can be seen on Wizer's web page for the project here.
Wizer started with a small group, teaching them to make things from recyclable garbage like computer wires and disposable grocery store type bags. The Filipino women crochet the bags into items for sale. I particularly like the caption on the Barangay 201 page about the Filipino woman whose husband was not supportive of her new activity of "playing around with garbage" . Now, with each piece she sells, she puts the price sticker on the family mirror to remind him of her new income. She danced in the face of poverty and found her way to make life a little bit easier, one crocheted item at a time.

Metro Manila and surrounding areas are disaster filled today. It will be a long time before the area returns to what it was before Ondoy visited. Even in spite of this, I know many Filipino Women will be washing the caked mud from their flip flops and preparing for the next backwards dance in support of their family and friends.