Julia Of The World
Written by Major Tom
Filed under: Current Events
April 20, 2007
She’s been on the news for more than a couple of weeks now ever since her disappearance was reported on Easter Sunday—until the recovery of her dead body last Wednesday, half-buried among the weeds and bushes that lay beneath the towering enigma of the rice terraces. Everybody was talking about her untimely death and I felt that while most of us had been expressing disgust over the massacre in Virginia by a 23 South Korean student, and questioned with all our might how such grave thing could ever happen, it suddenly hits me that in our own country, an American traveler died in what could be gruesomely in manner (if initial investigations prove to be true; about her face being hit repeatedly by a hard object).
And now we must question with all our might, how such thing could ever happen in our own territory, almost repeatedly over the years, where travelers like Julia Campbell, meet their death on the hands of malevolent individuals. What have we got in our midst? These must be people who are so despicably embroiled in their own malice; so bad that it becomes entirely diabolic. Purely evil, I must say.
And we should be worried about that now, just like we are disturbed by a 23-year old boy in Virginia who had appeared to have had lost his mind.
Julia was not merely an American traveler who found her way into the nooks and crevices of our country’s outskirts, among the dusty streets of Legaspi and the rain-soaked jungles of Banaue. She was first and foremost an aide worker, a US Peace Corps volunteer who in her own words had ‘escaped the rat race in New York’; to do some work in a foreign land. She had been busy helping build a marine ecology sanctuary in Donsol and went on to become a volunteer teacher for a small college in nearby Legaspi City. From the province to the big city as she had once described this transfer thru her blog Julia In The Philippines.
She had met her end while doing such a wondrous act of benevolence, helping the downtrodden upon measly profit, or for none at all. We have no idea exactly what had been her intention when she decided to trek the cold mountains in Banaue, seemingly alone as the reports had stated. Maybe to see the beauty that lies in the lush jungles out there. Whether it was unsound and reckless. We will never know for sure. If it was for beauty, then to blame her should be farthest from our minds. For we all seek it also, in our own very strange ways, and she chose to seek it that way.
Once while Typhoon Reming was devastating the areas near Mount Mayon, she had been one of the first group of individuals who had given relief to the victims there, despite (as she had made clear) that the peace corp was not a relief organization and had no resources to provide any form of assistance and relief. But there she was alleviating the ones who had lived to see another day and condoling them for their lost love ones. She in fact had a very moving report for CNN about this tragedy.
This afternoon, I was briskly doing some general cleaning on our house and put on U2’s “All That You Can Leave Behind” album on my cranky mini-component while scrubbing dirt and dusting away dusts. As the music got to the part where Bono (U2’s lead singer) was gently rendering the words and melodies of the song “Grace”, Julia suddenly came to my mind. Grace, it’s a name for a girl the song went. It’s also a thought that changed the world.
Indeed, the song had all too sudden reminded me of Julia and how she had lived and died a life that she had chose, to be of help to others, especially towards our fellow Filipinos who got embroiled in desperate circumstances. And despite of it all, she had to die like this. Like she had given her life for the cause she found to be worthy. She is like a saint in many ways. Everything has not gotten to naught. She is a savior; a heroine.
And the song becomes all the more meaningful when it described how “Grace” “…walks on the street /You can hear the strings/Grace finds goodness /In everything”.
She travels outside of karma…she travels outside of karma.
Grace. She carries a world on her hips. No champagne flute for her lips. No twirls or skips. Between her fingertips.
She carries a pearl. In perfect condition. What once was hurt. What once was friction. What left a mark. No longer stings.
Grace is Julia. Julia is Grace. She makes beauty out of ugly things. She find goodness in everything.
May her soul find eternal peace.
For the complete lyrics of U2’s “Grace” , you can visit this site.
Kinda eerie to visit a blog of an already dead person….Ironically, her last entry’s title was “Buhay Pa Tayo.”
What a tragic end to a fruitful life. Sad to know this happened to a person who has a heart for the Philippines.
What could be the motive behind her killing?
Comment by Jayred — April 21, 2007 @ 1:44 am
Very sad indeed, if the account of a violent crime proved true, again a testimony of the violent nature of man and more often for selfish motives. Here’s a woman who puts so much trust on her fellow being and the trust was violated. Our hearts bleed for Julia, and may this be the last one…
Comment by vic — April 21, 2007 @ 4:01 am
agree with Jayred. When I saw the link at Sngl’s, I didn’t open it coz I don’t want to feel sad or anything. But I clicked it here and I had goosebumps.
I wish those who killed her will be punished and that may she rest in peace. I hope that wherever she is, she’s at peace.
Mabuhay ka Julia!
Comment by verns — April 21, 2007 @ 12:20 pm
grabe pala nangyari, i just hope accident lang ang nagyari. meron pa naman akong foreign friends na gustong pumunta sa pinas to try hiking, pigilan ko kaya?
Comment by iskoo — April 21, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
i was amazed to see comments on her page from filipinos all over the world. it makes things a bit lighter.
Comment by atticus — April 21, 2007 @ 11:01 pm
To jayred: The motive is yet unclear as of the moment but police had reasonably that violence really had appertained and her death wasn’t just an accident, as theorized initially. They thought she just fell from a cliff.
I noticed that very much too how her last post was ironically about life and had touched momentarily on the subject of death, having brushes with it. It’s kinda eerie as you said…
To vic: It’s a puzzle to me somehow how people can get so violent like that, for no veritable reason or causes. Looks like the perpetrators showed no qualm at all and could be repeat offenders. The police might look into this aspect and apprehend them soon.
To verns: I had similar apprehension like that verns but like you, I wasn’t to entirely avoid visiting her blog and read thru it and know more about her person. It made me know her better and what a wonderful person she was possibly, truly a kindred spirit; an adventurer and one with a ready hand for others.
To iskoo: Siguro mag-ingat lang at saka sa proper area. The location where Julia met her death are notorious for killings and other incident like robbery.
To atticus: It was a very active blog with so many commenters and I was a little bit taken by surprise bout that—pleasantly of course. And the blog was well-written and thought off, it saddens me that there’d be no more posts for that blog.
Comment by Major Tom — April 22, 2007 @ 3:05 am
It’s so sad to think how someone who had given up the comforts of her home to help strangers half a world away, would meet her end at the hands of a person whose own countrymen she had tried to help. And add that insensitive comment by Raul Gonzales, I am truly embarrassed for this country…
Comment by snglguy — April 22, 2007 @ 11:35 am
I have always admired Peace Corps volunteers. Just their decision to leave the comfort of their home and country to work for others in a third world country, speaks of selfless intentions and bravery.
May Julia Campbell have eternal repose.
Comment by rhodora — April 22, 2007 @ 3:35 pm
To sngl: And its so embarassing for our country and I wonder if volunteers like her can always think now of coming here and do some work. I bet they’d have serious hesitation now.
To rhodora: At times I wonder what really motivates people like her; what kind of character they have and society they have grown to that they have this inclination to do work in some far flung places, where danger permeates. I try to think of myself that way and honestly, it is just not an easy decision to make—leaving the comforts of life and responsibilities just to be of help to people who are basically strangers.
Comment by Major Tom — April 22, 2007 @ 9:09 pm
It’s so sad that this thing happened in our country. Shameful that her life was taken amidst the good work that she had done for some of our countrymen.
I hope they’ll find the perpetrator.
Comment by ipanema — April 23, 2007 @ 6:01 am
To ipanema: The criminals should be punished to the fullest and the authorities should try to ensure the area where this grave killing happened. Years ago, a couple of German tourists was also victimized there, being robbed of of their belongings.
Comment by Major Tom — April 23, 2007 @ 9:37 am
Pardon me, Major Tom, but as a New Yorker much like Julia and now transplanted here in the Philippines, I’d just like to limit my comment to wishing her eternal peace.
Comment by eric — April 23, 2007 @ 5:42 pm
To eric: As you wish bro…
Comment by Major Tom — April 24, 2007 @ 9:47 am
It is so sad that such thing could happen to good people, of all people.
Comment by lvn_dee — April 24, 2007 @ 11:05 am
What a sad story… too bad that nice people like Julia are murdered.
Alas our world is a very unsafe place (this can happen anywhere in the world). As a traveller you should always be careful and hope that you will never be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Filipinos are so friendly and hospitable to foreigners that Julia might have thought that there was no danger in roaming around alone. Sometimes you tend to forget that some people are so desperate that they would kill for cell phone.
Comment by Sidney — April 24, 2007 @ 11:16 am
To alvin: It is so grave and I wonder why despite the gains we have, these sort of sordid things still happens in our country—like a backwater county.
To sidney: How I wish that our authorities could gain prgress in peacekeeping duties, making every nook and crevice of our countryside raesonable safe for all of us and foreign visitors. But that seems to be just an illusion.
Comment by Major Tom — April 25, 2007 @ 4:05 pm