On December sixteenth, 2021, we were struck by the center of Force 5 typhoon Odette, as it was named by Philippine weather authorities. Outside the Philippines it was known as Typhoon Rai. The eyewall of the storm passed right over my house, some of the neighborhood's roofs and most of the trees were destroyed, and the fallen trees damaged or destroyed many houses and took down all the electricity and communications wires. We didn't have electricity or running water for twenty-six days, and we didn't have landline internet for a month and a half. Then my phone company's fiber internet service was restored, though I'm still waiting for my cable TV company's fiber internet to be repaired. The Philippines is also gradually normalizing as the covid 19 pandemic slowly recedes here. It's been an ordeal for sure, but we're almost back to normal now.