當收到尼泊爾地震的消息時，心裏很難過，我知道捐款和為他們祈禱是在我能力範圍能夠做
到的，要捐款也必須找到一個好的管道，剛好看到朋友Pink以下的一篇文章，她除了講述自己在地震現場的實況外，還留在尼泊爾為這次的大地震籌款，幫助災
後的善後工作。我想很多有心人也希望能夠在這時候盡一份綿力，以下是捐款方式。一個小小的善舉，就能撫慰無數人的心靈，何樂而不爲。
香港捐款：HSBC 5560015173 Lee Wai Ki
国际捐款：Paypal pink.waiki@gmail.com
国内捐款：支付宝 pinkgata@gmail.com
微信钱包 Pink_Abheda
FringeBacker链接: https://www.fringebacker.com/en/projects/Fundraising-for-Edventure-Nepal/
If you wish to help Nepal, a nice and lovely
country, we are fundraising now to provide the locals who have yet to receive
any assistance with food, clothes, tents etc. See for details: www.facebook.com/lightonnepal
When the Nepal earthquake took place on 25 April I
was right in Kathmandu, ready to receive the 7 volunteers from Hong Kong who
were originally scheduled to arrive that night for the Love and Light Workcamp.
Who would have thought of encountering a massive earthquake that occurs only once
in a hundred years (the previous huge earthquake in Nepal was 80 years ago).
A few
days before the earthquake
After arriving at Kathmandu from Pokhara by bus on
20 April, I caught the flu the next day – it got serious and I was in bed for
two days. Intestinal flu developed, and for two days I suffered from diarrhoea.
I therefore didn’t move about much and was resting in the hostel most of the
time. It was only until 24 April evening when two Hong Kong volunteers arrived
early that I visited the local market with them on 25 April morning.
Close to noon when the big earthquake was about to
happen, they were planning to go to Dubar Square. I decided to return to the
hostel to rest as I had not fully recovered from the illness. On the way back,
I dropped by a bookstore to check out some books.
The
rocking moments
I was sitting on a low chair when suddenly I felt
clearly that a thump of the heart of the earth. My intuition told me, “This is
earthquake; run!” However, the apparently rationally trained mind said, “Impossible!”
Very soon after, it was obvious that the heart of the earth started to pump continuously.
I saw the bookstore owner getting up quickly and running towards the door. I instinctively
dashed for the exit too – when at the same time I heard loud noises of books
falling – I thought to myself: “Run faster or get buried in the books!”
Books in the bookstore all over the ground
after the earthquake
It was not easy to run; it felt like standing on
the deck of a rocking ship. I made my way to the door swaying from side to side,
but the exit was small – I remember pressing my hand on the back of the
bookstore owner in pink t-shirt, thinking: “Goodness, get out more quickly.”
Luckily there were not many customers in the store, or we could have been
trapped in it.
Outside the door was a road, and everyone had
rushed out. There were screams and sounds of window frames swinging. As I
swayed my way forward, a woman tourist for some reason tried to make her way
back to the bookstore. I grabbed her and dragged her to the road, saying, “Beware
the windows may fall down!” At that moment, her boyfriend hurried over too to
protect her, and we swayed our way back to the centre of the road together.
Everyone ran for the streets when the
earthquake took place
The earth was shaking even more violently. I looked
up and saw a dark sky, dust flying, birds fleeting, crows crying. I didn’t know
how scared I looked, but the people around were petrified, and my heart was
beating fast. I noticed that all the windows in the three-storey buildings on
both sides were making creaking noises, and thought: “These windows may fall
down anytime. Get out of here.” As I was going to move along the road, the
earth stopped shaking.
12
hours after the quake
Where I was in the outskirts of Thamel, Kathmandu
was one of the newer areas, and so only some of the lamp posts and walls had
collapsed. On return to the hostel, I reunited with the two Hong Kong
volunteers and learnt that they had a narrow escape. Looking at their photos,
Dubar Square was seriously damaged; the monuments all turned into rubble!
Collapsed lamp post in the new area where
I was located
The entire wall near the hostel fell down
Tower in Dubar reduced to flat land within
seconds (photo by Franco)
We and many travellers in the hostel were in the
lobby, trying to connect with the unstable internet network. My mobile 3G
signals were on and off; there was traffic jam on the telecom network as I
tried to call the chairman of the children’s home. At that point, to put safety
the priority, the volunteering organization in Hong Kong and I decided to cancel
the week-long workcamp. Fortunately, the 6 Hong Kong volunteers had yet to set
off, although one volunteer was transiting in Kuala Lumpur and was stuck there
due to the closure of the Nepal airport.
At dusk, a number of travellers took their sleeping
bags planning to spend the night outdoors. At first, we had no such plan; but
we ran outside in fear each time there was aftershock and, as there was
forecast that there would be a strong aftershock that evening, we borrowed
blankets from the hostel to spend the night outside. We were lucky that it was
not too cold, and even when it rained at midnight it was only a short drizzle.
So we felt rest assured staying outdoors on this day of the huge earthquake.
Rest assured because even if there were a few strong aftershocks throughout the
night, we could get back to sleep after having been shaken awake as we were
already outside.
My yoga mat proved useful for spending the
night outdoors
24
hours after the quake
At 6:30am on 26 April, we unexpectedly ran into the
minivan driver hired by our workcamp. I had not been able to get in touch with
him since the network could not connect. After discussing with Amrit, we
decided to postpone our departure because even if we were to leave Kathmandu on
the day, there might still be landslides from aftershock on the road to
Pokhara. The two Hong Kong volunteers wanted to return to Hong Kong
immediately, and so we parted ways. I went with Amrit to stay at his sister and
brother-in-law’s.
Their home was in a new residential area outside of
the town centre, and was not much affected. Several buildings, with their
foundations having been affected, did not look straight, while the rooftop of
one building had a large piece of cement hanging in the air. Even so, the
residents of the area all camped out in fear of damage that might be caused by
aftershocks.
Residents with homes that they could not
return to
Deeply touched by the residents’ donating
blood courageously
It felt warm to see Amrit’s big family of nine,
together with several neighbours, helping each other out – cooking and eating
together, and camping in the same tent. When they gave me the freshly prepared
hot Dhal Bhat (lentil rice and vegetables, a local main meal), I was moved.
That was my first proper meal 24 hours after the quake.
36
hours after the quake
For the entire afternoon that followed, we for fear
of aftershocks stayed in the tent like camping and picnicking in the
countryside. What was different was that during the occasional aftershocks,
people ran out of the tents in panic. All we talked about was related to the
earthquake, and we kept paying attention to the news on the radio. The area was
out of electricity and running water, and the network disconnected often. We
only managed with difficulty to charge our phones, to keep in touch with the
outside world.
It rained in the evening and the temperature
dropped substantially. My thoughts were with the people in Nepal whose homes
had been destroyed, hoping they could find shelter. On the other hand, those of
us here with homes that could not be returned to were not too comfortable
either. 20 people hid in a tent, with the rain reducing the area in which we
could sleep. We had to share 3 blankets among the 20 of us on this cold night.
48
hours after the quake
When at last it was dawn – after having been “shaken
up” for a number of times by aftershocks – I was grateful beyond words when I
saw the first sunrise after the earthquake and it was all sunny and bright. It
was not an easy thing to be alive!
The aftershocks reduced in the afternoon, and
Amrit, his brother’s family and I decided to return to Pokhara. Amrit’s sister
was worried, asking them in tears not to go, so that they could stay together safely
as a family. Nonetheless, they decided to go back because Amrit’s mother was by
herself in Pokhara.
Kathmandu in ruins on the drive to Pokhara
We learnt from the news that the relief work by the
government was mainly in Kathmandu and had yet to reach the villages near the
epicentre. As we were doing fine, Amrit and I decided to help by fundraising,
in the hope of providing food, clothes and tents for the victims.
60
hours after the quake
After an 11-hour drive, we finally returned to
relatively calm Pokhara and saw the ten little angels in the children’s home
again. Two people died in Pokhara during the earthquake, compared with some 4000 (and
still counting) in Kathmandu.
The little angels alive and well, not affected
by the trauma of the quake
A journalist asked me: when to return to Hong Kong?
I said, no plans yet.
When the Hong Kong volunteering organization asked
if I would take the charter flight to return home, I declined without thinking.
I did not feel I wanted to escape from Nepal, but
to go to the places in need and do my best to help with my money and effort.
Why? Perhaps all these years of volunteering, travelling and living in
different countries have made me realize deeply that I am part of the global
village.
I replied to the journalist, “Nepal is my home.” “In
fact, the world is my home.”
If you wish to help Nepal, a nice and lovely
country, we are fundraising now to provide the locals who have yet to receive
any assistance with food, clothes, tents etc. See for details: www.facebook.com/lightonnepal
