Thursday 31 December 2020

The Victorias Barter Community: Sharing Kindness While Bartering Trash and Treasures

Bartering is exchanging goods (or services) without using money. Before gold and other items used as currencies, bartering was the mode of commerce between peoples.😊


But these days, as more online communities devoted to bartering have been created on Facebook, it has become the easiest way of surrendering old items and things you want to give away in exchange for things that you need. 

In other words, "one person's trash is another person's treasure". 😄 

But in this difficult year, everyone in our community has been affected by the pandemic and this Christmas season, many families will have less to celebrate about.

And in order to give these families a reason to smile about, the Victorias Barter Community, led by Ms. Nonalyn Librodo, chose 50 families, which were nominated by members, to receive Christmas packs that contain rice, Spam and other canned goods, coffee, bread and sandwich spread, and for those who have children, infant formula and diapers.


These goods were donated by some members of the Victorias Barter Community who simply wished to share.👪💓

To deliver the gifts, a team of volunteer members went to visit the beneficiary families living in barangays close to the city center. They also went to the areas of Florencia, Gaston, Cubay, Hda. Nenang, Aji, Villa Victoria and Hacienda Carugiat, that were far from the city center.


The volunteers did not care about how far or how difficult it was to deliver the Christmas packs. 

This was about sharing, caring, and looking after the members of our community who need help the most.


More than just a vehicle for exchanging or bartering, these online communities should be an instrument for members to share with our brothers and sisters who have less, not only during the Christmas season but all year round.😍

The photographs on this blog were taken during the visits to some of the beneficiary families of the Victorias Barter Community's Christmas 2020 sharing.😎


"We don't care about being tired or how far we need to go in order to bring happiness to our brothers and sisters." - Victorias Barter Community










Ang ila mga yuhum nagdala guid kalipay sa mga naghalatag.💝

Their smiles bring joy to those who shared.💖

Monday 30 November 2020

The 1803 Frontliners: Dr. Francisco Javier de Balmis and The Royal Expedition to Eradicate Smallpox

Researching for another chapter for my Victorias History blog (read here) during this Covid-19 pandemic, I learned that, other than 1900s cholera epidemic, the contagious smallpox also swept the Philippines at the turn of the 18th century. 

(A sketch of the famous Torre de Hercules of
 A Coruña in Spain and the ship, Maria Pita)

And after reading more about the smallpox epidemic, I decided to blog about it as a tribute to the people who helped stop the spread of the disease in the Philippines, saving more lives than anyone could have ever imagined. 

Although it was 217 years ago, I found a personal connection. The connection is the Spanish coastal city of A Coruña (click here), the city where the royal expedition sailed from on November 30, 1803. It is also the home of my good friend Kiko, who showed me around his hometown a few years back!😃

(The expedition's route from Spain to the 
Americas  to Las Filipinas and back to Spain 
that lasted from 1803 to 1806)

Royal expedition
The expedition was officially called Real Expedición Filantrópica de la Vacuna or the Royal Philanthropic Vaccine Expedition. 

It was a royal expedition as it was funded by King Charles IV, the king of Spain at that time, who ordered the vaccine to be shared among his colonies on the other parts of the world.

The smallpox vaccine, the world's first vaccine (and yes, 'Hecho en España'!), was discovered in 1796 by Dr. Edward Jenner of England. 

Dr. Jenner successfully created the vaccine from cowpox virus after he learned that milkmaids did not catch the smallpox because they were already exposed to cowpox, a disease in cows. That's why the word vaccine originated from the Latin word, 'vacca', which means 'cow'.

And while the smallpox vaccine was available in Europe, it was not available in the Spanish territories in the New World. That's why King Charles IV appointed his royal surgeon, Dr. Francisco Javier de Balmis, to spearhead the expedition that eventually brought the vaccine to the Canary Islands, Central America, South America, the Philippines, and China.
 

In order for the vaccine to be brought to the Americas, Dr. Balmis needed human hosts to carry it. That's why he brought 22 orphans from A Coruña along with a deputy surgeon (Dr. Jose Salvany), two assistants, two first-aid workers, three nurses, and Sra. Isabel Zendal Gomez, the directress of the orphanage (Casa de Expósitos) in A Coruña where the orphans came from. They sailed on a corvette named after the Galician heroine, Maria Pita.

Since the effectiveness of the vaccine was short-lived and they didn't have the technology, like refrigeration, to prolong the 'shelf-life' of the smallpox vaccine, Dr. Balmis needed the healthy orphans to carry the vaccine in their bodies during the long trip to the Americas. How? Every ten days, the live vaccine was transferred from one orphan's arm to another until they reached the New World. Monuments for these 22 Spanish orphans from Galicia were installed in A Coruña, Spain (click here for the video).

According to the list, the orphans aged from three to nine. So very young!😱 

These kids probably thought they were just going on a sea trip as they were too young to comprehend what momentous achievement in medical and human history they were going to be part of.😇


(The names and ages of the Spanish orphans

Las Filipinas
After a successful expedition in the New World, Dr. Balmis left Acapulco, Mexico on February 8, 1805, for Las Filipinas.

On April 15, 1805, Dr. Balmis with 26 orphans, who, this time, were all Mexicans, arrived in Manila. 

There was an initial reluctance from Filipinos against the idea of the vaccination, especially from the Catholic Church during that time. But after the Governor-General Rafael Aguilar made an example by having his five kids inoculated, everyone else accepted the cure. The Philippine expedition of Dr. Balmis inoculated about 20,000 Filipinos.

Sacrifice for humanity
The Balmis expedition did not end in Las Filipinas. 

Bringing with him three Filipino orphans, he sailed for China and eventually returned to Spain in 1806. (Sadly, I could not find records of the names of these Mexican and Filipino orphans, or which orphanages in Manila the Mexican orphans were later sheltered, or whether the Filipino orphans were brought to Spain or sent back to Manila😓).

As gratitude to King Charles IV, a monument was erected in his honor in 1824 at the Plaza Roma in Intramuros, Manila. 

The Balmis expedition has been hailed over the centuries as one colossal humanitarian effort that has no equal in world history. Millions of lives in several continents have been saved by the sacrifice of a few, including the very young orphans who sailed on boats across the high seas in order to save people they did not even know. 

              (Arriving in Manila on April 15, 1805)

And on setting foot on foreign lands, they brought more than just a cure for a disease. 

And in our time in this new pandemic, we all remember Dr. Balmis and his 'frontliners' of 1803-1806.😍 

And for us here in the Philippines, let's be grateful for those orphans' sacrifice for humanity because, two centuries ago, they saved the lives of Filipinos - a people from a world they did not even know.🙏

                              *  *  *  *  *


(That's me being dwarfed by 
the Torre de Hercules 
in A Coruña on a cloudy morning😎)

Saturday 28 November 2020

The Popular Online Cooking Classes @ Itaewon Global Village

Even during this pandemic, when international tourists couldn't visit Korea even if they want to, it's Korea that visits them at home! Virtually, that is!

Over the years, I have blogged about my favorite Korean dishes: from soondae to buddae-jiggae, to seolleong-tang, to mandu, and even to my favorite duo, kimbap and cheese ramyeon (read blog here)!

And thanks to the Itaewon Global Village in the Yongsan District of Seoul, everyone - no matter where they live in the world - can learn how to cook Korean dishes without having to fly to Korea during this pandemic!🙇

(A screenshot of the online class on Youtube)

On November 28, 2020, a Saturday, the Itaewon Global Village conducted the online class featuring the CEO of a Korean food company, Naturellemente, Ms. Lee Mi-Gyeong.

Ms. Lee taught her online students how to make everyone's favorite, japchae, and my favorite street food, hotteok. 

Japchae was the chosen dish because the ingredients required were easy to find. Although traditionally, japchae has beef, one can also eliminate this ingredient from the recipe to make it a vegetarian dish. 

Hottoek, on the other hand, has been a popular request among foreigners. That's why it was included.

     (A screenshot of the Zoom participants)

During the live Zoom class, there were 43 attendees, all of whom tried to replicate what Ms. Lee was doing in her kitchen. And for everyone's benefit, there was an interpreter present who translated Ms. Lee's instructions into English.👍

What was interesting was that, other than the proper way to cook the recipes, Ms. Lee gave out tips to her students. Although I don't really cook, I appreciate knowing about those little tips. One can learn a lot from a teacher who has a wide experience and expertise.😄

According to Ms. Katherine Corteza, who has been the director of the Itaewon Global Village since March 2014, they decided to hold online cooking classes so everyone could join from the comfort and safety of their home, enabling those living overseas to experience Korean cooking virtually, and give those living alone to have an occasional online interaction with other people.

The Itaewon Global Center has future online cooking classes lined up for everyone interested. Do sign up for their newsletters through their Facebook page. Other than the online cooking classes, the Center will be conducting a webinar on mental health, and online painting and taekwondo classes.

Aside from the Seoul Global Center in the Jongno District, the Itaewon Global Center, run by Ms. Corteza and her team of five, is one of the seven village centers in Seoul that help and assist foreigners living in Korea in matters of daily living. 

Having availed of their services, I appreciate and am grateful for their help and assistance in all my years of living in Seoul, especially during the time when I applied for a permanent resident visa (read blog here). 😍 

If you missed the live online class, the Youtube video below is the entire episode. You can watch it anytime whenever you crave for japchae and hotteok.😎



And do watch out for the schedule of their next online classes!😋

Saturday 14 November 2020

The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe


In 2019, late last year before everything was turned upside down by this pandemic, our local parish church held a procession to celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

The short procession started from a chapel in a barangay hall and meandered through a few streets under the afternoon sun, and finally made its way to the church. Our parish priest held the Holy Sacrament while riding a moving vehicle as residents waited along the road with lighted candles and quiet veneration.



Along with members of parish organizations, parishioners joined the procession and later attended the Holy Mass to celebrate the feast.🕐



This year, in this pandemic, the celebration will be confined within the church to follow the Covid-19 restrictions with limited number of parishioners in attendance. 👪

Although it would have been more meaningful that a recorrida was held where the Holy Sacrament and the parish priest rode open van as it roamed the city where residents along the route might again light candles to honor the Sovereignty of Christ as King of the Universe and to pray for His intercession in these difficult times.🙏  This was done by other parishes to celebrate the feast. 👌


The Feast of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 to celebrate the Jubilee Year and the 16th centenary of the Council of Nicaea. It was also to remind the dictators of the world at that time (Mussolini, Stalin and Hitler) that Christ was the only Sovereign King. ♔

Perhaps, this should also remind today's leaders and public servants that truth, honesty, and integrity should govern their lives and work ethics, and not greed and corruption. 🏠 

These photos are from the 2019 'Christ, the King' procession of the Our Lady of Victory Parish in the Diocese of Bacolod, Philippines.🇵🇭