Thursday, December 07, 2006

Some good advice . . .

Recently I discovered that all of my US cash stash had been stolen from its hiding place in my room. Oct 1 was the last time I counted the money and tucked it away. Needless to say I was bummed . . . especially in light of my upcoming trip.

I told my host sister as soon as she got home. She said there was no way of knowing who took it. Many people have access to this house and my room wasn’t always locked. She told me, though, that there is a lady who “sees” things and who may be able to give us some clues as to who took it. She said she would check with the teachers at her school and find out if the lady, who lives in another baranguay, still sees people. I told her I’m open to all available help.

Two days later when I got home from school around 5:30, my host sister told me that her husband came home early to drive us to Taba-ao to see the woman. She said, “Take your coffee first while I’m cooking the rice. Then we will go.” So I fixed my coffee and took about three sips. “Time to go.” So we went.

My host brother drove his new used jeepney. In the back were my host sister and her 3 yr-old daughter, my host sister’s twin sister and her 5 yr-old son and 9 year-old daughter, and me. We also picked up and gave a ride to a couple of the teacher’s who had attended my class earlier and were walking home.

The road to the lady’s place is a long winding rocky dirt road that leads away from Baguio. We drove about 30 minutes before we reached her place. It was dark when we arrived and we parked on a bridge. Our crew climbed out the back of the jeepney and my host sister pointed to the light at the top of the hill, which was the school where the woman teaches and lives in the cottage. We would be climbing up dark stairs. I pulled out my cell phone and once again thanked the gods for its trusty built-in flashlight –which has truly been a godsend in this country!

As promised, the woman and her co-teacher housemate were at home. They occupy the little three-room wood and tin guesthouse, since they both live in Baguio and commute home on the weekends. Maam “see-er” directed us where to sit. I sat across from her and recounted to her the facts of the case as I know them. She listened and then she spoke in a broken mixture of Ilokano and English. She showed no signs of doubt or hesitation when she announced that a young man in his 20s took the money. He’s not a criminal or a regular thief. He was tempted because he “knew” that the American had money. Since he was able to get into my room, he searched until he found my cash. However, now he feels guilty and no longer looks me in the eye.

Then she told me what to do, which made perfect sense and was exactly what I needed to hear. She said, “Forgive him and lock your door”. OK. Yes. That’s it.
Simple wisdom.
Sound advice.
Nice.