Dec 28 2008
Remembering the Tsunami part 2
After the Tsunami
I had not been asleep for an hour when my phone beeped. I got a message from my cousin in California. She heard what had happened in Phuket and she also knew I was there. So she sent me a text to check on me. I replied I was all right and back in Bangkok. I couldn’t contain my tears. They were flowing as I sent her my reply. I still couldn’t believe I and my coteachers escaped the tragedy. It was past midnight so I went back to sleep. But an hour later I got another message from my cousin again. Apparently she was not receiving my reply and by the tone of her text I could tell she was very much worried and nervous. I sent her another reply.
That day, I just spent the time by myself. I have also sent the message to my mother to tell her that I was back in Bangkok.
The next day, I went to see my friend, Karoline. They were so scared and nervous about me getting killed by the tsunami. There was a newspaper and I couldn’t bear to look at the photos of the casualties in Phuket. It made me cry again. I was too overwhelmed by the tragedy.
A couple of days later my mother arrived from the Philippines. It was her first time in Thailand and she almost cancelled her flight upon hearing what had just happened.
Anyway, I was glad that she came to see me alive. But at the same time I felt sorrowful about the people who were killed. I couldn’t watch the news on TV, I couldn’t read the news on the paper, I couldn’t listen to anyone talking about the calamity.
Tomorrow is the last part.
One of the casualties was the king’s grandson. Stories were told that he just came back from surfing and was on his way back to the hotel where his mother was waiting for him. Unfortunately, the wave caught him. That year there was no countdown at the World Trade Center in Bangkok and not fireworks to celebrate or welcome the new year. The whole country mourned with the king and the family.
