Sitting in the drafts folder of this blog are the posts I started writing about the mid phase review and my time off. I never got around to finishing them because on Saturday 25th April, a devastating earthquake hit Nepal.
It was coming up to midday when I started to feel the ground shaking below me. Sat in a meeting about smear testing with around 30 other people it took a few moments to register what was happening. Everyone seemed to realise at the exact same time that it was an earthquake and we left the room. Nepalis don't really do orderly and calm so they ran outside, pushing others out of their way, whilst myself and another UKV put our years of fire escape training into practice.
Standing outside waiting for the quake to stop seemed to take an age. It is very hard to explain that feeling, the ground was moving under my feet and the buildings around me were shaking. Walking was a strange sensation and there was nothing we could do but wait for it to stop. Although the media has reported the length of the earthquake as 30 seconds, it definitely lasted longer than that where we were.
When it finally stopped I tried unsuccessfully to contact the volunteers and we went back to our meeting. A few minutes later and a large aftershock began to shake the room. In a heightened panic, the Nepali people ran from the room. Whilst waiting outside we got news that the earthquake had measured 7.9 and the epicentre was 35km from our community. Still the phone lines were down and people began to panic. The UKV I was with received a text from home asking if she was ok after the earthquake. When I found out it had reached national news I realised that this was no small earthquake and that things were about to change.
It was a tense hour or so before the phone lines started working and I was able to contact the volunteers. Fortunately they were all ok and the Nepali volunteers had all been in touch with their families, who were all safe. Walking the 5km back to our host home, Rahul and I saw very little damage and our own village showed no signs of damage.
That evening news started to trickle in from Kathmandu and we began to hear about the devastation. The power had gone but information came in through relatives in Kathmandu and one of the locals had a radio. People were walking up and down the streets sharing stories and checking on relatives. Already the death toll was at 700 and many historic buildings had collapsed.
As time went by it started to look very stormy and we were given the orders to move volunteers living in mud houses in the hills to safer concrete houses in the small towns, due to the risk of landslides. It seemed to take forever to get them down to our house and I felt like a nervous mum waiting for them to arrive.
That night we left the house 3 times due to large aftershocks. My bed had 4 very high and slim legs so I could feel every tiny shake and I got very little sleep. Every time I drifted off there was a small tremor. Each time an aftershock hit I could hear Nepali people screaming and running outside, if they weren't already sleeping out there.
On Sunday morning there was much excitement as a newspaper arrived from a nearby town. It showed images of some of the devastation in KTM and reported that the death toll was now over 1000. That day was probably one of the longest and saddest days I've ever experienced. Nepali volunteers were getting news from friends and family about damage to homes and loss of people they know. I felt incredibly powerless because there was nothing I could do or say to ease the situation except from to offer a shoulder to cry on. We had had no news about what to do next so I couldn't even inform them if/when they would be going home.
Sunday was a long day followed by a long night. We took the decision to sleep outside as the aftershocks were still continuing. It wasn't a big deal and I slept strangely well. Monday continued in the same way that Sunday did as we all sat powerless, waiting for news. I was getting increasingly frustrated with the lack of communication because at this point I just wanted to get the Nepali volunteers back home to their families. The roads were all closed so we were stuck in Lamjung, with them so far from home and unable to leave. Their sadness became my sadness and I felt somewhat overwhelmed by the whole situation.
On Tuesday we began to get some information. It became clear that we would be leaving the programme and I was relieved to hear this as I wanted to get the Nepalis home as soon as possible. It was now just a waiting game. The volunteers that had been staying in our home were sent back to their host homes to pack and await further information. Things then began to happen very quickly. Wednesday we heard news that we would be moving to Pokhara, where we could fly to KTM if a flight became available. When we arrived at Pokhara on Thursday we finally got word that flights had been booked for us on Saturday afternoon.
Arriving at Kathmandu airport on Friday meant saying goodbye to our Nepali volunteers. Having had to do this once before in Tajikistan I knew it would be a sad occasion. Fortunately I got to keep my counterpart for one more day, but saying goodbye to one half of my team was very emotional, and the bus was almost silent travelling to our hotel in Thamel.
That evening we went for dinner in what had previously been a bustling and lively part of KTM. Everything had changed. Due to damage of buildings, many roads were closed and we could walk freely with no traffic. Most shops and restaurants were closed and there were people sleeping on the streets. We passed huge camps where people were sleeping and saw a number of damaged or collapsed buildings. The atmosphere was very sombre.
That night was the complete night to the one before it. Thursday night had been a perfect evening as all of the volunteers spent the night dancing, singing and just being their crazy selves. We'd spent the entire night together as a team and there couldn't have been a better evening. This one however was just the UK volunteers as we all thought about the Nepali volunteers and our impending departure. We got an early night and the only disruption was a tremor around 11pm, reminding us of the intensity of the eathquake.
On Saturday afternoon we left KTM and I finally had to say goodbye to my counterpart Rahul. It wasn't an easy goodbye and I'll admit that I spent the whole journey to the airport in tears (damn you Rahul!). The circumstances in which we were leaving made the departure a very sad one and I didn't feel ready to come back.
Now that I am home I am a mixture of emotions. The last week has been incredibly surreal and already it is starting to feel like it never happened. Over the days I've learned more and more about the devastating effect the earthquake has had on Nepal. The death toll is currently over 6000 and still continues to rise and new problems are arising due to sanitation problems. There isn't enough food and shelter for those who have lost their homes. Whole communities are shut off and inaccessible. There are still people trapped under buildings. Although aid is coming in, it isn't getting where it needs to be fast enough due to poor roads and transport links. I've seen the emotional effect it has had on the Nepali people and there is a great sadness amongst them. Landmarks they have grown up with knowing have been completely destroyed. The city is visibly different and friends and family members have been lost.
On a more positive note it has been incredible to see the nation come together to support each other. Relief has come in thick and fast and there is so much being done to support the country. We saw for ourselves the army taking supplies to and fro and many of the Nepali volunteers are now getting involved with the relief effort. I myself will be organising a fundraiser to help raise money, so keep your eyes peeled for news of that.
For now though I will be processing everything that has happened since the earthquake hit. It's been 10 days of highs and lows and the resulting emotions. Though I've had a number of issues with Nepal, I would never have wished for this and I was incredibly sad to leave. The relationship I had with my counterpart was going from strength to strength and I'm devastated to have had to leave that. I would had to have left regardless, but the suddenness of it is what's made the situation harder to deal with. I knew I would be leaving, but there were 4 weeks left and now the volunteers have had to abandon all of their hard work and we all have had our time their cut short. Obviously this pales in the context of the situation, but I think myself and the UK volunteers can all agree that we are heartbroken to have had to leave.
What I have come to realise is the love and support of the people back at home. Obviously I've had a very worried mum and dad, as well as lots of messages of concern and support from friends and family. It's sometimes been difficult for me to respond to this because I've been so wrapped up in making sure the Nepali volunteers get home, but I am extremely grateful for everything. I was perfectly safe the entire time, but having that network of support waiting for me at home made me feel very loved and I'm glad to have had that to return to. I'll no doubt be leaning on that as I begin to adjust to life in the UK.
I'll be updating this blog again soon with some of the backdated posts, but that's it for now.
Stay strong Nepal.
Lizzie x
