{"id":1773,"date":"2014-02-18T00:45:52","date_gmt":"2014-02-18T00:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/web02.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters2\/archives\/1773"},"modified":"2015-05-24T07:10:37","modified_gmt":"2015-05-24T07:10:37","slug":"an-earthquake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/archives\/1773","title":{"rendered":"An Earthquake"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The earthquake hit at 8:00 a.m. It was a Sunday and I was at home. My two<\/span>–<\/span>year<\/span>–<\/span>old sister and 80<\/span>–<\/span>year<\/span>–<\/span>old grandma were at the next room. We were Christian<\/span>s<\/span> so we were ready to go to church at 8 a.m. After having breakfast, we dressed up well and wore shoes at our front door. Then the weird things began to happen!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

When I wore my shoes, hundreds of frogs kept jumping on the road in front of my house. I ha<\/span>d<\/span> never seen that before! That was really scary! But this was not the weirdest thing, my two<\/span>–<\/span>year<\/span>–<\/span>old sister screamed out loud, as she was only two<\/span>. S<\/span>he couldn\u2019t talk well. But I could still see the fear in her eyes, and then she pointed at the sky. I was shocked too! The clear sky was covered by thousands of birds and bats which usually flew at night. I immediately realized that something was going wrong, so wrong. But we <\/span>decided to <\/span>continue our journey to the church<\/span>, hoping that the people there could tell us what was happening<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Suddenly, the land was shaking violently<\/span>. M<\/span>y grandma fell down on the street. Things inside the shops were all on the floor<\/span>. S<\/span>poons, forks and plates covered the floor of <\/span>a<\/span> restaurant. It was <\/span>an <\/span>earthquake! I ran to my grandma and carried her to the side of the road.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat<\/span>\u2019s<\/span> happen<\/span>ing<\/span>? Why <\/span>i<\/span>s the land shaking?\u201d <\/span>M<\/span>y grandma asked me <\/span>out of fear<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think <\/span>it\u2019s an <\/span>earthquake<\/span>. B<\/span>ut <\/span>don\u2019t worry.<\/span>W<\/span>e<\/span>\u2019re<\/span> all alright and sa<\/span>f<\/span>e<\/span> now.<\/span> I answered her firmly,<\/span> trying to calm her down,<\/span> and I<\/span> hop<\/span>ed<\/span>there w<\/span>ouldn\u2019t be any<\/span> aftershock and other natural disasters.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After five minutes<\/span>,<\/span> we decided to go back home as my grandma could not walk well, <\/span>neither could my little <\/span>sister. But<\/span> unfortunately<\/span> another strong earthquake took place. Glass and windows <\/span>crashed<\/span> and the earthquake lasted for three minutes. When I thought that it was the end of the disaster, I realized that it was just the beginning!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Buildings behind us <\/span>started to <\/span>collapse as <\/span>they<\/span> could <\/span>not <\/span>withstand the violent shock. We move<\/span>d<\/span> faster<\/span>, hoping to find<\/span> shelter to hide. <\/span>Many p<\/span>eople ran out from<\/span> different <\/span>buildings<\/span> screaming and crying in horror. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go to the volcano behind our home. I remembered that my teacher told us to go to an open space when <\/span>an <\/span>earthquake occurred. The<\/span> piece of <\/span>land <\/span>at<\/span> the lower part of the volcano is barren. Let\u2019s go there,\u201d I suggested.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Grandma hesitated for a moment but nodded her head at last.<\/span> I carried my sister on my arm and held my grandma\u2019s hand to walk towards the barren land. On our way, we returned home and got some of our important <\/span>personal <\/span>belongings.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We finally arrived <\/span>at <\/span>the barren land, but I noticed that the caldera evolved much gray smoke. I climbed up a little bit to have a closer look and I found that it was volcanic dust and smog! <\/span>It was t<\/span>he <\/span>least <\/span>thing that I <\/span>expected to<\/span> happen. The largest volcano in Bali was going to erupt!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We began to run towards the sea as we lived in Nusa Dua in Bali, which was an island surrounded by the sea. We hoped that the volcano could give us some time to run away from the lava ejected from the cane. But this was not the case<\/span>. T<\/span>he volcano was so cruel to us and its lava ran towards us. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou <\/span>two run.<\/span> I can\u2019t move fast. Run for your life, my dear grand<\/span>children!<\/span>\u201d my grandma stopped her move and said. \u201cI won\u2019t leave you <\/span>behind<\/span>. <\/span>We will always be together!<\/span>\u201d <\/span>I grabbed her arm tight and tried to pull her. \u201cNo! We\u2019ll all die. Run with your sister! Save her please\u2026\u201d Tears streamed down her face. She used her remaining strength to push me away from her.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reluct<\/span>a<\/span>ntly, <\/span>I turned my eyes away from my grandma. <\/span>I carried my sister and ran <\/span>fast<\/span>.<\/span> I dared not look back, fearing that I would collapse taking another glimpse of my grandma. <\/span>I<\/span> just kept swearing <\/span>that I<\/span> would <\/span>protect my sister from any kinds of harm. Finally, we arrived<\/span> at <\/span>the beach and we were supposed to be safe at that time. I couldn\u2019t feel my legs anymore because I\u2019<\/span>d<\/span> run for two kilomet<\/span>re<\/span>s. There were many <\/span>people<\/span> there on the beach. <\/span>All of them<\/span> looked shocked and depressed. I <\/span>was<\/span> so worried about the safety of my grandma. I really, truly hope<\/span>d<\/span> that she could escape from the volcanic eruption. Meantime, I <\/span>noticed there were<\/span> some tourists from Malaysia and we spoke the same language: Malay.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But this was not the end of the story. The sea water retreated quickly. Many fish and carol reefs were exposed on the beach<\/span>. Some p<\/span>eople <\/span>walked<\/span> towards the sea and tried to find out what had happened. And my sixth sense told me not to do so. The waves suddenly grew to a height of 17 met<\/span>re<\/span>s high.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRun<\/span>!<\/span> It\u2019s tsunami!\u201d <\/span>A<\/span> local<\/span> resident<\/span> shouted.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I immediately <\/span>grabbed<\/span> my sister and began to run again<\/span>. The situation was chaotic and the people ran to all directions in <\/span>panic and <\/span>extreme fear<\/span>. And I decided to run towards the main street in our district. The shops on both sides of the streets might help slow down the speed of the destructive waves.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I ha<\/span>d<\/span> never run that fast because I did not want to lose one more family member anymore. My parents both died <\/span>because of the<\/span> volcanic eruption <\/span>occurred <\/span>a year ago when they worked on the field, and I was so lucky that I was not at home at that moment. Therefore, I must protect my little sister<\/span>.<\/span> I must save her life!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But the waves just <\/span>came <\/span>too quick<\/span>ly.<\/span> I could see people being swallowed by the huge waves when I looked back. That was <\/span>really<\/span> horrible. Some locals stayed on the roof of the houses, because their experience told them it was safe to stay on the roof when huge waves arrived.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At that moment, I was totally exhausted and I decided to hand my sister to <\/span>one of <\/span>the locals on the roof. They h<\/span>e<\/span>ld my sister tightly and I wanted to c<\/span>limb<\/span> up to the roof too. But there was insufficient <\/span>space <\/span>for<\/span> one more adult <\/span>to <\/span>stay there. I just begged<\/span>the local woman<\/span> to take good care of my sister. I kissed her forehead and I started to run again<\/span>, hoping to find a safe place<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The waves just kept chasing me, they frightened me to death. I ran into a resort<\/span> centre<\/span> finally and I decided to give up running. I jumped into a swimming pool just one second before the waves crashed me into pieces. I tried my very best to hold my b<\/span>reath<\/span> under the water. I did not know if I could make it or not, I did not open my eyes like I prepared to die. And after two minutes, I ran out of oxygen and <\/span>raised<\/span> my head above the water again. I made it! I survived after the three disasters. I immediately got out of the swimming pool and tried to find out if there were any survivors like me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The whole region was totally destroyed. Houses collapsed, bridges and roads were broken, and <\/span>it<\/span> was a miracle for me to stay aliv<\/span>e<\/span>. Luckily, I found a first-aid camp where injuries were sent to (as the hospital <\/span>had already<\/span> collapsed). I immediately searched for my grandma and my sister. The camp was full of injured peopl<\/span>e. Y<\/span>ou could hear people cry<\/span>ing<\/span> and scream<\/span>ing<\/span>, and you could see <\/span>people covering their faces with their hands hopelessly. T<\/span>ears continuously ran out <\/span>through their fingers<\/span>. The whole region was surrounded by sadness and <\/span>sorrow<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Suddenly, I caught sight of a <\/span>familiar person sitting on a chair <\/span>looking<\/span> worried. That was my grandmother! I ran to her and <\/span>embraced her<\/span>. I <\/span>had <\/span>never hugged her <\/span>so tightly <\/span>before. She said she <\/span>had <\/span>hid<\/span>den herself<\/span> into a cave where she used to g<\/span>o. T<\/span>he lava did not fl<\/span>ow<\/span> into the cave.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhere\u2019s your sister?\u201d She asked me.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I couldn\u2019t hold back my tears, and I said, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, grandma. I handed her to a local<\/span> woman<\/span> on the roof, but I don\u2019t know where she is now.<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere you are, my friend,\u201d I turned my back and that locals w<\/span>as<\/span> standing in front of me, with my sister <\/span>in her arms<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you so much,\u201d I hugged my sister so tightly again like I never wanted to lose her again.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI said staying on the roof is safe, see?\u201d\u00a0 One of the locals said. We all laughed together after all.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After an hour, we tried to find our home, but it was totally d<\/span>e<\/span>st<\/span>ro<\/span>yed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNever<\/span>mind\u201d, I said, \u201cI <\/span>still keep<\/span> the most important <\/span>things<\/span> with me.\u201d I <\/span>wore<\/span> a satisfied smile on my face.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou two are the most important <\/span>in my life,\u201d<\/span> I continued.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We hugged together again and we were not sad <\/span>although<\/span> our home was destroyed. I understood that as long as we three stayed together, <\/span>it<\/span> was the best home ever. I ha<\/span>d<\/span> never realized <\/span>how<\/span> importan<\/span>t<\/span> my family was to me, until the <\/span>disasters came<\/span>. <\/span>For<\/span> the rest of my life, I would cherish my family every moment because nobody knew when another accident would come.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The earthquake hit at 8:00 a.m. It was a Sunday and I was at home. My tw<\/span><\/span>yea<\/span><\/span>old sister and 8<\/span><\/span>yea<\/span><\/span>old grandma were at the next room. We were Christia<\/span><\/span>so we were ready to go to church at 8 a.m. After having breakfast, we dressed up well and wore shoes at our front door. Then the weird things beg.........<\/span><\/p>Read More<\/a>","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":8474,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","language-en","classlevel-others","schoolyear-35"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1773"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3403,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1773\/revisions\/3403"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carmelss.edu.hk\/buddingwriters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}