Growing up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., the closest I came to agriculture were the tomato plants my father cultivated in our backyard next to my mother’s flower beds. Or the family visits to local farmers’ markets on summer weekends to buy fresh corn and other vegetables. As a university student, a course on “International Agriculture” broadened my perspective. Marrying into a family of West Texas cotton farmers introduced me to the hardships faced by farmers. Uncertain weather, uncertain yields, uncertain prices – each season taught me more about why earning a living farming the land is hard work that often yields little or no profit.

Like in the United States, agriculture plays an important role in the Philippines. The crops are very different but the problems of weather, pests and market uncertainty are just the same. Last week, I got to join the United States Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack, as he visited the Philippines. He toured the International Rice Research Institute outside of Manila where we heard of phenomenal research taking place to produce better seeds and crops that can withstand typhoons as well as provide greater nutrition. We tried our hand at the hot, back-breaking work of rice planting while standing barefoot in a muddy rice paddy. We saw how rice is painstakingly harvested by hand.

Later we moved out of the fields to see a Philippine Flour Mill that produces high quality flour made from US wheat for use in local bakeries. We joined agricultural business leaders from the United States in meeting with their Philippine counterparts to see how they could further enhance the already robust trade in agricultural goods and products. Mindful of the devastating damage caused by recent typhoons to agriculture and food stocks in the Philippines, Secretary Vilsack concluded his visit with a donation of 8.5 million dollars worth of rice and dried milk to help feed those displaced by flooding.

Usually I seem to attend about one wedding a year – of family or friends. But this year has been a wedding bonanza. First was my brother’s wedding in Washington DC this past May. My brother’s lovely rooftop wedding overlooked the White House and the Washington Monument. Then I attended two weddings in Manila this past week. The first of the two was a very relaxed wedding of a Filipino colleague who got married in the garden of my house with a casual gathering of friends and family. The other one featured a Filipino Senator (and Vice Presidential candidate) who married a very well known Filipina TV journalist. That wedding was held in a church packed with more than 2,000 people and featured music by the Manila Philharmonic.

The three weddings I attended this year featured very different styles, but some common themes bind them together for me. All three were, as weddings tend to be, joyous events. No matter how large or small the crowd, a wedding is a celebration of love, togetherness and of hope. All three were moments that brought people together: My brother’s wedding reunited old school friends, introduced us to the bride’s Cuban-American heritage, and gave us the excuse to catch up with long time family friends; The relaxed Manila garden wedding combined Filipino families from different parts of the country with the bride and groom’s work friends from Manila; And the large and elegant wedding of the two prominent Filipinos had guests from across the political, business, and cultural spectrum of the Philippines.

The sentimental part of me always chokes up at weddings. I wish all three of the couples whose weddings I was proud to attend a lifetime of happiness.

Sixty-five years ago, U.S. and Filipino heroes waded ashore from ships anchored in Leyte Gulf. It was the beginning of the successful World War II campaign to retake the Philippines from the Japanese occupation.

I recently had the great honor to join ceremonies commemorating that event. We flew over mirror-calm Leyte Gulf, ringed by green hills, landing in Tacloban city. From there it was a short drive to the large memorial depicting General MacArthur wading ashore, accompanied by future Philippine President Osmena and Philippine General Carlos P. Romulo.

The ceremonies were simple: A solemn wreath laying under the sweltering sun was followed by short messages of solidarity and awards to some veterans. Philippine President Arroyo presided. She had been scheduled to speak but a torrential downpour convinced her to cut the speech rather than have all the attendees get soaked. The highlight for me was meeting a group of U.S. veterans and their families who had come to mark the event. Such warm, compassionate people who were clearly proud of the bonds between the United States and the Philippines. Two of them had been part of General MacArthur’s Leyte landing party and, despite their age, still carried themselves with great dignity. Diplomats from Japan, Australia and Canada also joined the ceremonies. My Japanese colleague and I reflected on how the world has changed in the past 65 years. Japan is no longer the enemy of the United States and the Philippines as it was back then but is now a strong ally in promoting peace, development and economic growth.

Not all of Leyte is rooted in the past. While there, I also got to see new U.S. Peace Corps trainees who were learning culture and language in preparation for their assignments in the Leyte region. I also visited a sparkling new facility for American company APAC, where talented Filipino staff provide back-room services for prominent American business and media services.

I love modern technology! Those of your who know me personally know I can’t bear to be disconnected from my friends, my family or the latest news. Whether it is flood relief updates, sport scores or events around town, I always want fast news and information.

My friends and family are scattered all over the world. My husband is the U.S. Ambassador to Colombia - 13 time zones away from Manila. I get news from the United States, Latin America, and Asia as fast as my friends and family can log in. And I get instant updates from my Filipino friends - their news, opinions and advice - from across this beautiful country.

At the U.S. Embassy in Manila, we use all sorts of modern technology to stay in touch, and we want more people to have virtual access to us and our activities. We have a new U.S. Embassy Manila Facebook page, along with our Embassy website, to share stories, news and photos with you.

And now, we are launching a U.S. Embassy Manila Twitter account. Starting Monday, October 19, we begin “Twitter Week.” We will not only launch our site, but will also add fast updates on what members of our Embassy team are doing. You can follow us at http:/twitter.com/usembassymanila.

Join us! Share the technology, the news and your opinions. And tell me what you think at the end of Twitter Week!

I have to start this blog entry by telling my mother, once again, that I am fine. Yes, Manila was flattened by major floods. Yes, typhoons followed the floods. Yes, many people suffered. Yes, the U.S. Embassy was flooded. But I am fine. And very lucky. Many others were not so fortunate.

Two weeks have passed since a tropical storm flooded Metro Manila. And while the stories of grief and destruction continue to mount, so do the stories of the millions of people, organizations and governments who have pitched in to help with relief and recovery. I’ve heard from so many about relief efforts. Some hoped the United States Government could do even more than we have done. Others wondered how they could help out. Others offered thanks for our help and that of so many others.

I last wrote about the immediate actions taken by the U.S. Embassy in Manila. The day the floods hit, we gave USD 100,000 to the Red Cross. That is the maximum an Ambassador can offer immediately – additional funds require more approval from the U.S. Government. We also used the few rubber boats that the U.S. military had in country to help rescue people in the early hours after the flood. By two days later, we had a much larger relief operation underway. The U.S. Marines diverted a long-planned exercise with their Filipino counterparts into a flood relief exercise. Working with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Marines used helicopters to deliver tons of food and relief supplies to areas isolated by the flood. Marine equipment, such as bulldozers and forklifts, joined their Filipino counterparts in clearing roads and debris. U.S. military trucks delivered food and relief supplies under the direction of the Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development. Many of the supplies were those donated by private companies, including the largest two TV stations in Manila. U.S. military doctors and medics teamed up with Philippine military medical personnel to offer medical treatment in evacuation centers, treating more than 800 patients per day. The U.S. military also contributed several million dollars worth of medicines. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) donated $1.8 million dollars to relief organizations such as the Red Cross so that those in evacuation centers would receive food and supplies. USAID also flew in a planeload of non-food relief supplies, such as hygiene kits, plastic sheeting and plastic “jerry” cans for water. Those interested in learning more can read the details on our U.S. Embassy Manila website.

As flood waters recede, the U.S. military prepares to wind down their immediate relief operations and turn remaining activities over to civilian relief organizations and USAID turns their attention to ways we can support recovery efforts through technical assistance. But the stories of friendships formed in tough times continue to inspire. I watched U.S. military chaplains help a little girl in an evacuation center select clothes she liked from among those they were donating. They took her preference for color as seriously as if she were at a swanky store. I watched people waiting in line for food step aside in favor of the elderly among them. I saw students, business leaders, and sports figures sitting on the floor packaging relief goods for distribution. I saw Embassy colleagues whose homes had been totally flooded hard at work distributing relief supplies in evacuation centers. The Filipino spirit of giving was never more obvious or more welcome than during this difficult time.

Many wonder what they can still do to help those less fortunate get back on their feet after this devastation at the hands of Mother Nature. Those in Manila can still volunteer at their church, their school or their office to help. Those further away can help by contributing generously to relief organizations. Those funds help buy relief supplies for this flood and provide stock for relief supplies for future natural disasters.

Saturday, September 26 started as a rainy day, which is pretty normal for this time of year in the Philippines. But by midday, it was clear that this was far from a normal rainstorm. This was a brewing flood of historical proportions. Before the end of the day, much of the city of Manila would be seriously flooded with lives lost and extensive property damage. No one was spared. Mother Nature’s fury touched us all alike – old and young, rich and poor, tall and short. The phone calls, texts and e-mails I received were heartbreaking. Everyone I knew suffered in some way. News reports showed the widespread devastation across all areas of Manila with millions of people affected.

U.S. Embassy buildings suffered extensive flood damage. Our scenic location on Manila Bay posed real problems as the torrential rainfall matched up with high tide. Our Embassy crews were tireless in pumping water, cleaning up and testing systems. Despite the massive flooding, we were forced to close to the public for only one day. A heroic effort by our teams to be able to re-open our services to the public so very quickly. Many of our Embassy staff, American and Filipino, helped out with the clean-up efforts despite having lost their homes in the floods.

We also wanted to be able to help out the Philippines with rescue and relief efforts. After talking to senior Filipino officials, we organized a rescue mission by bringing a U.S. helicopter and U.S. military zodiac boats from their temporary deployment in the Southern Philippines to Manila to support the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The U.S. Navy had the boats in the water within an hour of landing and set out to help rescue people and drop off relief supplies to those who chose to stay at their homes. Working through the night, they rescued dozens of people, including a pregnant woman who they safely delivered to the hospital three hours before she gave birth. We also immediately released USD 100,000 from USAID funds for relief supplies to the Philippine National Red Cross so that they could begin providing relief supplies, such as mosquito nets and hygiene kits, to those in evacuation centers.

We were far from alone in wanting to help out. Across the Philippines, ordinary citizens ignored their own losses to donate and deliver relief supplies. Americans were also generous, reaching out across the miles to give to relief groups. We are now busy organizing for the next phase of relief and recovery efforts. Together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, we will turn a long-planned exercise between the U.S. and Filipino Marines into a recovery effort. The U.S. Marines are working on a plan to bring in equipment, such as trucks and bulldozers, that can help clear debris. We will also bring in U.S. military medical teams to work with the Armed Forces of the Philippines to provide free medical services and supplies to families in evacuation centers. We will continue to look for ways to offer assistance to our Filipino friends as they rebuild and recover from this tragedy.

Mention the date September 11 and images of crumbling towers, clouds of smoke, and shattered lives come to mind. Most of us remember where we were that day. I was at the State Department’s training institute in Arlington, Virginia listening to a lecture by a visiting University professor. I heard a huge crash, which I thought must be some sort of industrial or construction accident. I remember thinking it was odd because there wasn’t any major construction nearby. Minutes later our session was suspended by one of the training center staff. As I walked out of the lecture room, I paused next to a television set mounted in the hallway and saw footage of a plane hitting the World Trade Towers in New York. A friend came up beside me to say that the crash we had just heard was an airplane slamming into the Pentagon. And just that like, our world changed.

We were all sent home, but that posed an additional problem for me. My house is not too far from the Pentagon, and police officials had closed off all the roads, including one bridge that I had to cross to get to my house. Luckily, I was able to show two forms of identification with my home address and the police agreed after consultations with supervisors to let me through. While I waited for their authorization to proceed to my home, I stared in horror at the clouds of smoke billowing out of the Pentagon. Once at home, I joined neighbors as we watched TV and heard steadily worsening news. They were in tears, but I wasn’t yet sad – the sadness would come later. I was angry and horrified that anyone, anywhere would so willingly destroy so many innocent lives. My husband soon joined us. He had been at his office at the State Department. Finding the streets totally blocked and public transportation overloaded, he put on his gym clothes and jogged the five miles to our house.

In the years since that day, we have all paused every September 11 to remember those from so many nations whose lives were lost and to honor the many selfless, heroic acts that took place that day. This year, President Obama has asked that we all honor September 11 by giving back, engaging in community service or contributing to the improvement of the lives of those around us. It is a very tangible way to honor lives lost and dreams destroyed. I hope many will join and give back in whatever way best suits their situation. As a part of this effort, I joined visiting American NBA basketball “legends” painting homes for a less fortunate community. Embassy staff and families will meet to see what more we can do to assist to the various charities we support. Give honor by giving back.

The holy month of Ramadan is now underway for millions of Muslims across the world. This is the month when Muslims fast and pray. They break the fast after sunset each evening with an Iftar dinner. Although I have known Muslims most of my life (America has many millions of Muslims), I had never participated in an Iftar dinner until I came to the Philippines. And it is a special time to break bread with friends and share a laugh or smile about the day’s activities. My Philippine Muslim friends are very welcoming of non-Muslims to their Iftar dinners and very generous in sharing the beliefs of their faiths with those who practice different religions.

The openness of the many Muslims here in the Philippines makes it rewarding to host an Iftar dinner to honor their religion and its traditions. This year I invited a very diverse group representing many religions and many nations to my home for an Iftar dinner. And as I listened to the many lively conversations taking place over the food, I reflected on how easily my guests from different backgrounds and holding different religious beliefs talked as they shared the meal. And how lucky we are to live in such a diverse world where we have the opportunity to learn and to honor the traditions of different religions.

I hope this blog doesn’t sound too much like a commercial for U.S. development projects. I don’t want to be taking undue credit for the United States or come across as merely a cheering section. But I am encouraged at the positive changes taking place in Tawi-Tawi and at the results of the combined efforts of many people and many groups.

Tawi-Tawi is literally at the far end of the Philippines. It is a beautiful island, surrounded by turquoise waters. The island roads hug the shoreline and any drive there features stunning vistas of palm-lined beaches and small houses. Tawi-Tawi is home to a branch of Mindanao State University and features a superb program in Mari-culture. But Tawi-Tawi is also far from the Philippine centers of commerce and close to routes used by terrorists and smugglers.

I have been to Tawi-Tawi many times, and each time I see progress. This last trip – a week ago – I saw some significant steps forward. We inaugurated a new airport – a runway capable of landing commercial aircraft. The airport was a joint project with grant assistance from USAID and significant input from both the national and local governments of the Philippines. At the airport inaugural event were the members of Tawi-Tawi Chamber of Commerce who eagerly told of their work to convince commercial airlines to start service there and were energized at the new markets they would have in the rest of the Philippines. They weren’t looking for anyone to make efforts on their behalf. They were eager, ready and organized to sell themselves as a destination and to promote their products.

Later in the day, I met with former MNLF combatants who live on Tawi-Tawi. These former combatants received assistance from USAID a few years ago in becoming seaweed farmers under the “Arms to Farms” program. Now, they proudly told me, they have graduated to even higher value products – growing abalone in hatcheries and cultivating good markets for this product. They were forming cooperatives and engaging with the business community to market products.

It was uplifting to see the progress, and the excitement about the future was palpable. I can’t promise that the road ahead for Tawi-Tawi will be totally smooth. But I can see that there is a road ahead and that the future has been seized by the local citizens. Positive change is possible and is worth our investment.

Chalk it up to being a school teacher’s daughter, but I seem to keep returning to the theme of education. We all know that education is critical to not just the present but also the future of any country. But because education systems are run by Governments, we often wonder how to best contribute.

These past few days, I have seen great examples of how individuals, charity groups, and businesses can pitch in to help provide good education for Filipino youth.

One day I visited two schools in the Manila neighborhood of Tondo. U.S. Navy sailors off the visiting aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, were doing community work at the schools and I wanted to stop by to meet them and thank them for volunteering to spend their liberty hours helping others.

But the U.S. Sailors weren’t alone in volunteering. One of the schools is supported by the Ayala Foundation (the charity arm of a major Philippine Corporation) as well as by a volunteer group called the “Children’s Hour.” I watched as wonderful people read to the children, taught mathematics, and held art classes.

The other school is supported by the Philippine Christian Foundation and receives donations from around the world. Recently flooded by heavy rains, the U.S. Navy sailors cleaned up flood damage and did repair work. Other dedicated volunteers assisted the teachers with classes and in preparing and serving nutritious food for the children.

At the far end of the Philippines, on the island of Jolo, I visited a bookfair. The bookfair is sponsored by the USAID with assistance from “Save the Children” and “Synergia,” two global non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Over 250,000 books were given to 500 local teachers and school administrators who got to pick the books most suitable for their classes and students. The books were donated by another American NGO, the “Brother’s Brother Foundation.” This public-private partnership has already placed a million and a half books in schools in the southern Philippines.