It is still a bit petrifying when memory flashes back to the early afternoon of May 12th.
I
was on the 16th floor of a 19-storey office building located in
downtown area of Chengdu city, typical office hour: moving around the
room, talking with colleagues, smiling, gesturing and sharing harmless
jokes...then all of a sudden the floor started shaking, which in the
first few seconds was mistaken as a planned blast as the submway
construction has been under way for quite some time. But when the
ground I was standing began to move from one side to another in large
amplitude I immediately realized this was a major earthquake hitting
the city. It is just like that childhood experience when you are swayed
in a cradle but surely in a lot more horrible fashion...
The next thing I knew was finding myself among the crowds
trying to beat the way downstairs as common sense tells us not to take
the elevator during such an emergency. Handbags, high-heeled shoes,
garbage cans, etc. were flying all over the stairway and you didn't
actually need to walk on your own as there was this big urge from
behind you pushing you all the way forward. The ground trembled several
times as we rushed down the 16X2 flights of stairs but nobody stopped
for we knew any second of hesitation would otherwise result in
something really bad.
After landing safe on the ground floor
and pulling myself together, I called home to make sure mum and dad
were OK, and how grateful I was to know they were. Never thought it
would be so much wanted to have parents far away from me in another
city for in the past I always believe it's a nice thing to have
somebody to look after you no matter how old you are. Then minor
aftershocks came with people gathering on the streets looking horrified
and in panic.
Only grabing my cell before making a hasty
retreat from the office room, I had no choice but to go with one of my
colleague to her place, where I stayed for the next two days and two
nights. The night of May 12th is still vivid even now. Not sure if
there was another tremor or aftershock was in store, my colleague, her
husband and I spent the first half of the night with many other people
in the streets, discussing about this disaster, or when getting tired
of this topic, relaxing ourselves by playing poker. The latter half of
the night saw some people give way to the mental fatigue and climb up
to their apartments. TV news was running on 24h basis, giving safety
instructions to citizens as how to spend their nights indoors. Most
people would probably place an empty glass bottle upside down on the
verge of their desk or table so that a minor tremor would tip it off
and give warnings. I didn't know if many did this but one thing for
sure was few of them could have a sound sleep.
The next morning
we were back there on the 16th floor, trying to clean up the mess in
the office. Then a major aftershock came along and again we retreated.
For the first time after the quake I came back to my apartment and
found everything was not in its place: computer on the ground, cups
tipped over, wardrobe on the bed...I spent the whole afternoon putting
together a backpack with all kinds of stuffs that may come in handy and
also those important to me: a towel, toothpaste and a brush, underwear,
an overcoat, a flashlight, an electronic shaver, a radio, two bank
cards, and my Spanish textbook.
Had noodles for dinner at a
streetside eatery and then got a call from a colleague of mine, asking
how I was going to spend the night. Not knowing where to go, I accepted
his offer and joined him in a tent along the riverbank. By the time
when I got there, there had already been at least a hundred of tents
pitched in the area. The night was uneventful without any scale of
tremors or aftershocks. The only thing that I could complain about as a
nuisance was the mosquitoes hovering around my head all night long, the
only part of my body that stuck out of the sleeping bag.
The
rescue efforts entered the fourth day and it is a really really
saddening yet moving picture there in the most disaster-striken
regions. Thought it was a bit ironic seeing how
less we do this come-together-and-help-one-another thing when
everything is normal than we tend to do in times of catastrophes, but I guess I was wrong this time. A test like this speaks everything...and sincerely hope this disaster can be over soon and everything will be
reestablished, the homes, facilities, schools, and above all, the
confidence that everyone is cherishing deep down inside.
