I had always felt indestructible. Life was routine and comfortable. I would wake up on the same mat every morning, get dressed in one of my few outfits, and go to school at the same place surrounded by the same kids. Then I would come home and help my father cut stone until nightfall, when my two younger sisters and I would aid my mother in her gracious efforts to put delicious food on the table. Day after day, year after year, my life was predictable and I felt secure. But in a single instant, everything vanished and I realized how wrong I had assumed this life would be lived.
I was on my way home from the market when the ground began to shake beneath my feet and I was slammed head-first against the street. I don’t remember hitting the ground or hearing the buildings crash around me. All I remember is waking up hours later, feeling pain on every inch of my body. The impact of the cement had knocked me out and the debris from surrounding buildings had crashed onto my legs and back. The pain in my body was familiar and the pounding in my head was bearable. It was the ache in my heart told me that this injury was unlike any other I had experienced. Where is my family? My heart felt empty. My body knew something my brain didn’t want to accept.
I struggled to my feet but once I was on them I broke out into a full sprint. It was loud at first, but with each stride the sirens became quieter and the screams seemed more distant. I ran faster than I have ever run for almost a mile until I rounded the corner where my house once stood. The edges of my vision were black from all the physical exertion and I could hardly hear over the pounding of my own heart. The mass of bricks and rubble that used to stand as a home, sucked the remaining air from my weakening lungs. It took every ounce of my strength to refrain from collapsing with the rest of the world.
I swallowed my tears and all emotions with them. I had to find my family- no fear, no pain, no heartbreak- only courage. Searching so desperately for any sign of life, I began moving bricks aside and lifting the panels that used to function as our roof. After thirty seconds that felt like eternity, absolutely nothing stood out. But when I saw it, I wished I hadn’t. I wanted to wake up from this nightmare. This couldn’t be happening, not to them, not to me. Her purple hand stuck out under the mass of wall remains. I paused and thought the emotions were going to take over again, but only for a moment before I shut them out. Continuing was my only option; I shoved everything off of my baby sister and didn’t allow myself to feel anything when I realized she wasn’t alone. On her right side was my other sister and in front of her my mother. In that moment I didn't want to process it. Continue, continue I told myself. I had to find my father. I scoured every inch around my mother and sisters, but to no avail. It was only when I retraced my steps to where I had entered the home that I found him. I didn't recognize it the first time because I wasn't looking for body so close to undamaged ground and he had been completely covered by the rubble from our door and window.
I snapped. It was like waking up all over again. My senses returned all at once and the stench of destruction filled my lungs. The sirens which I had been able to block out were now blaring and screams ripped through the streets. My vision was blurry and my body felt as if were made of stone. I couldn’t move anymore. Where would I even go? I felt jealous of my family because they were all together. I was forever alone. My father was so close to the door. Why didn’t he make it? Why couldn’t they have been outside when it started? Who controls these things? If they were in a different room, would they have made it? If I didn’t fall could I have saved them? What if I left for the market 10 minutes earlier? Or 10 minutes later?
These are things I will never know or have the power to understand, but I know that each moment is worth enjoying because nothing in this world is guaranteed and no one is indestructible.
This anecdote was written from the perspective of a boy living in Nepal during the earthquakes in April of 2015. When researching this country the most surprising information to me was how devastating these earthquakes really were. I remember reading about them online and hearing stories in the news, but it wasn't until I dug deeper into my research that I was able to understand the effects this disaster had on the country and all of its citizens.
A powerful earthquake struck in the morning of morning of April 25 2015, between the capital city of Kathmandu and another city, Pokhara.The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8 - which means it was very strong - and tremors could even be felt in the nearby countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. A second strong earthquake with a magnitude 7.3, hit eastern Nepal, near Mount Everest on 12 May 2015. More than 100 people were killed and thousands more injured. Many of the country's historic sites were severely damaged, including temples and monuments. Cumulatively almost 9,000 people died while 22,000 people were injured.
Even though statistically these earthquakes directly impacted 31,000 citizens, in reality each and every person in Nepal has been impacted by this natural disaster. Over 800,000 buildings were destroyed and the rebuilding process is very difficult because Nepal remains one of the poorest countries in the world. The overall damage is estimated to be at about $10 billion, according to the Nepal government. This number is hard for me to comprehend but in perspective it is nearly half of Nepal’s gross domestic product (GDP) of $19.2 billion. Prior to the earthquakes Nepal was set on a good track of moving from a “less developed country” to a “developing country” though theses disasters served as huge setbacks and forced the government to invest money into reconstruction rather than further developments.
My understanding of the devastation which still surrounds this country has helped me understand what kind of impact I will be striving for this summer. I want to ignite hope in the hearts of those I will be surrounded by and in order to do that I need to be able to create relationships with the students that are a good balance of professional and personal. In the past, I have struggled to become extremely close to the students in a classroom setting because it was always more important to me that they understood the material rather than feel a friendship. Now I know that if a loving bond is created, in or out of the classroom, the eagerness both for me to teach and them to learn will prosper. Further, the students whose families and world’s have been impacted by this recent devastation, can understand that they are not alone in their struggle to recover and there are people everywhere who want them to succeed and are willing to put in the effort to help it happen.
This goal is very important to me because over the past summer and fall semester I feel like I have gained the maturity to become more open to new and different forms of relationships, without the fear of getting too close. I used to be afraid to open up to others and allow them to do the same to me because I didn't want to have the power to hurt anyone nor let them have the power to hurt me. This year, I have learned that if I don't open up to others, I am hurting myself and them little bits at a time. I now know that it does not make a person weak to become vulnerable with others. I believe this newfound truth will allow me to create stronger friendships with the students I will be teaching and they can more deeply understand how much I care about not just their learning, but their well-being.
