MANILA, Philippines – Standing up after the devastation brought about by Super Typhoon Yolanda was never easy for survivors who lost their homes and loved ones.
But sometimes, recovery begins from unexpected origins.
For the family of Jacques Palami, all it took was the simple act of painting their doors yellow.
Palami and his sister Trixie opened Yellow Doors Hostel, the first of its kind in Tacloban City, in November last year in time with the first anniversary of Yolanda.
The idea behind the name was close to his heart, he tells STARweek.
“I came back to Tacloban two weeks after the typhoon,” he recalls. “I came here to help bury friends and help my family because we lost our house.”
The youngest of 14 siblings, Palami – a graduate of film and audio-visual communication from the University of the Philippines-Diliman – says their house destroyed by the typhoon had yellow doors.
To remind them of the house that they lost, they decided to paint yellow the doors of the apartment that they rented after the disaster.
“There was life back in the house,” he says. “It started becoming home.”
The idea behind Yellow Doors Hostel is similar to what they did with their home, according to the 27-year-old Palami – they wanted to replicate the idea of healing and rebirth following the disaster that claimed the lives of thousands of residents.
“We said let’s paint all the doors yellow. In a sense, we want to say, we can rise from this, we can do something, we can have a life again,” he adds.
While many are busy trying to forget about the disaster by rebuilding their damaged properties, the hostel is doing the exact opposite – most of the items on display inside the three-story building are made from debris gathered in the aftermath of the typhoon.
All of the doors, for instance, were donated by residents who were affected by Yolanda.
In addition to cost efficiency, Palami says they wanted to make a statement that even the worst memories may be reworked into something that could serve as a beacon of hope.
“That is the essence of the Tacloban that we have now. It will never be the same again. It will always be the mixture of the old Tacloban and this new Tacloban that has traces of Yolanda,” he says.
“We want our people see the beauty in what others would think as trash. When they think there’s nothing left there, we want to show that we can repackage it into something else,” adds Palami.
In addition to accommodation, the hostel also offers guests various social and cultural activities, as well as volunteering opportunities to help in Tacloban’s rehabilitation.
Recently, Yellow Doors hosted 25 young professionals from eight Asian countries who are part of a disaster education program initiated by the Japan Foundation Asia Center.
Palami says the hostel offers a good place to share stories and collaborate on projects aimed at helping Tacloban City.
According to Palami, the idea behind Yellow Doors Hostel started a few months after his return to Tacloban City to help in the relief and rehabilitation efforts.
In addition to supporting different recovery efforts in his hometown, Palami also helped his family rebuild one of their businesses – a bar – that was heavily damaged by the typhoon.
Due to limited resources, he decided to establish a bar inside a truck that he would drive around the city at night to serve residents and volunteer workers who are helping Tacloban reclaim its former glory.
It was during his encounters with his customers that he learned of one of the most common problems among volunteers: the lack of available and inexpensive places to stay.
“A lot of the travelers were here and the prices were up, so staying in hotels was expensive. I thought, I can help out by finding them a place,” he says.
But more than just helping them find a place, Palami – along with his sister – ended up starting renovating a three-story building that they currently rent.
Yellow Doors Hostel has two private rooms and two dorm-type rooms that can house six and 12 guests, respectively.
While not a popular style in the Philippines, which is dominated by hotels that offer private rooms for guests, Palami – a self-confessed backpacker – says he has always wanted to put up a hostel that will offer inexpensive accommodation for travelers on a budget.
“If we did it before Yolanda, it would have been a stupid decision. But at the time we felt that it was a great opportunity and a great time do it,” he adds.
Majority of guests of Yellow Doors are members of non-government organizations (NGOs) that conduct rehabilitation work in the city. And they have good reason for choosing the place.
Regular rates range from P550 (dorm) to P1,250 (private room) per night, although Palami says they also offer discounts to those who are in the city to help in the rehabilitation efforts.
Palami says some people have already broached the idea of franchising Yellow Doors in other areas.
And while they are not closing their doors on the idea, he says they are still focused on improving their services and operations as they are only a year old.
He says some have even mentioned the idea of bringing the concept of Yellow Doors to other countries hit by disasters, such as Nepal which was struck by a huge earthquake earlier this year.
“We want to stick to the story, the yellow doors story,” he says. “We are thinking about places like Tacloban City where their doors will also have to be painted yellow.”
To know more about Yellow Doors Hostel, visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/helloyellowdh.