AFTERSHOCK

“TIME IS A WAITING GAME” When I first heard about the earthquake in Nepal, I was travelling and did not have full excess to the news. When I returned home and saw the magnitude of this natural devastation, I knew I had to get to Nepal as soon as possible. I needed to see if there was anything I could do to help. Even if it would be just one individual. Two days later I arrived in a small hotel in Kathmandu. Not having any local contacts to approach or a set plan of what to do I had extensive conversations with the staff and owners of the hotel. They had all the time in the world to discuss their sItuations, to feel their deep sorrow, and mourning the ones they had lost. All the tourists had gone home. The hotel was deserted. Within three hours of my arrival I managed to arrange to come along with the “Dream Nepal Relieve Team” -an initiative from the owners of the hotel, to raise money to distribute tents and supplies in the most remoted areas where the international aid organisations were not yet stationed. We started raising money through social media to order tents and supplies from india. Whilst waiting for the supplies to arrive I visited the towns Sankhu and Bhaktapur. Walking and climbing over the remains of what were once homes was not the hardest part. The smell of death and decay, people standing on a pile of rubble which once was their home searching for anything they once owned. During my visit I spoke to countless people and of of them, an elderly lady said to me: “ Why can I not give my time left to my son and daughter and the two grandchildren still lying under the pile of of rubble which was once our safe haven together”. The villages looked like a war zone. Total destruction. No words to describe. Only images. The relief team and myself finally got to Sindhupalchok two days later. When we arrived there were at least one hundrerd and fifty people waiting for us and cued up to try to obtain a tent, rice or other supplies. People were waiting and sitting for hours in the hope to receive aid supplies. People were thanking us and crying, but also fighting amongst each other about the amount of supplies taken. All fighting for their existance. A couple of weeks after our visit, the monsoon would undoubtedly arrive. Leaving the people behind in this worst hit area with just the basics to survive, knowing the rains would come was devastating. More casualties would fall. People were afraid. Always talking about the aftershocks which appeared daily. In constant fear of yet another big shock and how long this one would remain. Seconds were of essence. The longer the shock the bigger the damage and fear. It did not take long before the second big earthquake arrived in May. It felt like the world was ending. People trying to contact their loved ones, but not being able to reach them. Time has become a waiting game for medical aid, to heal… physically, emotionally, to mourn loved ones and hope for a new home. Casualties of the force of nature is so powerfull nobody will ever be able to coprehend this huge force.