While we watch the destruction in the Philippines and we hear about the incredible loss of life from the fierce power of typhoon Haiyan, it makes us and our small problems here at home seem trivial. We are alive. Our friends are alive. Our lives are intact. Not much else really matters.
Unless, of course, you are me and being selfish about my travel plans. What is this going to mean to me? Will the hotels I have already paid for going to be standing in three weeks? Will everything be covered with a layer of dirt and goo from the huge storm and its surge? Will the airport even be operational? Will flights (mine, especially) be cancelled? Will train tracks be destroyed?
All those questions are rolling around in my small brain, even while I know that the answer to all of them is the same: wait and see. It will undoubtedly all be fine.
There is something so awkward and disconcerting about viewing a huge tragedy like this raging storm and yet trivializing it into a small, tiny problem for oneself. Maybe it's the human condition, or maybe it's just me, but it still bugs me.
However, I have decided that if the airports are open, I am still going, no matter what. If there is damage in the places I intend to visit, perhaps there is a chance I can help. I know how to bag rice, how to sort clothes, how to clean up debris. The odds are strong that it won't be necessary, but if it is, then that's what my vacation will be about.
But for now, I am just keeping watch on what happens to Ha Long Bay, Hanoi, Hoi An, Danang and the other cities on my route. Wait and see.
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