***This picture is meaningful to my Steemit Journey. Indeed, we are made of stories and each story is worth something. Welcome to my Steemit World. Picture was taken in Yellow Doors Hostel, Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines (December 15, 2017).
Before I make a post about who I am, let me tell you the story of how I became a Steemian. I think I should start with that first.
December 15, 2017. There was Urduja, a tropical storm and it was about to have a landfall in Leyte, Philippines. It was a rainy day and streets were flooded as the typhoon was approaching but I had to be out because I am on dialysis. I do regular dialysis 2-3x a week here in Tacloban City in Leyte, which is 37 kilometers away from my hometown, Dulag. I have to brave the rains and floods because dialysis is a life support treatment, it keeps me alive. I was on dialysis from 3pm until 7pm that day and when I went out, the storm was already wrecking havoc in the city. I had no choice, I tried to open my umbrella and walked 2 blocks to find shelter in the nearby hostels, lodges, pension houses, hotels or any kind of cheap accommodation which was away from the sea. The hospital where I go to for dialysis was near the sea and on a lower ground so staying there was not a good idea. In fact, a lot of people died in there during the Typhoon Haiyan or Typhoon Yolanda, the storm that made Leyte and Philippines famous all around the world last 2013 since it kind of wiped out Tacloban city. I went to 3 spots and they were all fully booked for the night. I cannot walk any further because my umbrella has been torn by the wind and rain and I was already soaking wet. Luckily a tricycle (the means of transportation within Tacloban City, we do not have taxis around) stopped infront of me and asked where I was going. I said I needed to find a place to stay for the night. He brought me to Yellow Doors Hostel.
In Yellow Doors Hostel, there was only one more bed left in their dorm accommodation. I felt so lucky. I paid and went into the room right away. I was surprised to see a lot of people in the room. It had four bunk beds. I was settled in the upper bunk of one of the bunk beds near the door. I climbed the bed right away and try to rest as I was tired from the dialysis and from walking and running in the storm. I didn't even bother knowing who these other people were in that room but I kind of heared a lot of noises as families with kids occupied the other 3 bunk beds. Our bunk bed was the least noisy of all the bunks in the room.
In the morning, the storm was stronger than the night before. It was dark outside, strong winds and heavy rain was pouring. I managed to get down the bunk and go out and eat breakfast in the diner at the ground floor of the hostel. I did not realize it would be my last decent meal for the next 24 hours. The diner closed a few hours after, thus I only have my biscuits, a bottle of water, some other snacks in the pantry of the hostel and their free coffee. The storm was moving slow and the backpackers that joined me in the receiving area of the hostel said it was in the news that the storm will stay with us until the next day. I had no choice but to book another day.
The storm finally made its landfall and it damaged a part of the roof of the hostel on the third floor, where our room was. We had no choice we had to stay indoors in our bunks or in the receiving area in the second floor. This time, the power was already out, the management of the hostel had to turn the generator on and off to save power. Luckily, we did not need airconditioners that time because it was too cold because of the weather.
Noontime, the storm was on its peak and I was already enjoying chatting with my dormates and I got to talk to the person occupying the lower bunk of the bunkbed where I was. She was very friendly and courteous. We talked about ourselves and why we are out there in the midst of the storm. I had to tell her about myself being ill and she on the other hand was a wandering nurse. I again felt lucky. I was in a bit of a situation but it was comforting to know that I was in a room with a registered nurse. Her flight was cancelled but she was hoping she can rebook her flight as soon as possible, she was solo backpacking to Manila. She was really fun to talk with, so fun we were already talking the entire afternoon. Then we suddenly talked about how we can earn while living a life of a digital nomad, a life that is fascinating to us both and we were surrounded by international backpackers in the hostel, thus the topic. Then we talked about something cool that we have in common, investing in Bitcoins.
She was the one who told me about Steemit. Before she told me about it, I totally had zero knowledge about Steemit. I was skeptical at first, I thought she had to refer me and she'd earn from the referral and that kind of thing usually done in ponzi scheme networks. I was waiting for her to ask me for my email but she didn't ask. It was already late, I thought she had forgotten to ask so I asked her instead if she needed my email for my referral. I was surprised when she said she won't need to refer me. She just told me to go to the Steemit site, make an account, start blogging and get familiar with the site and see if it can help me earn somehow. It was a weird concept for me at first, but knowing it is tied with cryptocurrency and having a little knowledge on how crypto works, I thought this was something I would definitely try to check when I get home to my computer.
We went out to check if there were fastfoods or restaurants that were open, there weren't any. We just went back to our bunk beds and chatted some more about life and how fascinating it is to meet people once in awhile and know their story and what you can learn from them. We exchanged phone numbers and we follow each other in Steemit, of course! Hello there, 
I don't really know how to start my Steemit journey but I am glad it started with a story of a wonderful person sharing with me the wonders of this interweb platform that is full of positivity. It feels like a portal of good opportunities for friendships, learning and growth appeared before my eyes. I am a dialysis patient, part of me will always be disabled because the illness hinders me to do a lot of things but with this platform, the possibilities are endless. And so far, all I see is a helpful community that tries to help each other to meet a common goal of progress.
Please help me to always have a wonderful experience here in the Steemit World, Upvote, Follow, Comment and Resteem! I'd appreciate it so much. Thank you!
Thanks a bunch