It happened again. I knew the possibility was real, and that the chances were high, but you never expect it to actually happen TO YOU, until one second it just does. In a country such as Nepal this experience is all too common. This time is was early in the morning, about 5:00am. I was already awake when I felt the Earth begin to move below me. Like a house on stilts. "Is this what I think it is"..."Is this happening?", I thought to myself, as a million other thoughts went through my mind. Claudia! Is she awake? Okay? feeling this too? Then the knock came at my door. She was there. "Put your clothes and shoes on Melissa and we are going downstairs. "Was that an earthquake?!" I ask. Trying to not show the panic and fear too much in my voice. "It was a tremor, we have about 3o minutes to see if there will be another one. Just put your clothes on come downstairs". She sounds so calm and reassuring.
We sit in the courtyard with the people who run the hotel. "Everything is fine, it is fine". They try to reassure us, yet they have their whole family in the courtyard as well, and some apparently rushed down as they are standing in their underwear. The trauma from the quakes last year is still fresh.
I always knew that we were here for this purpose. That these woulds still neeed mending, but this really makes it even more real.
We were very lucky last night. The center of the earthquake was closer to Kathmandu and only registered a 5.6. There are open spaces to run to here. In KTM, there is no where to run, the buildings can crumble beneath you, topple over you, with grids of powerlines overhead.
I am most scared of telling my family about this. Already uneasy about having my so far away with so many variables out of their control. I worry this might confirm all of their worst fears. But I cannot hide the truth from them forever. Even a place as beautiful as Nepal has a dark side.
