Cody Heaps

Nepal

This picture depicts the scene of Nepalese people surrounded at the capital Kathmandu’s Durbar square working in unison to clear piles and piles of rubble created from the earthquake.

My first glance upon this picture sparked a response that was quite eye-opening to me; and that was the realization that these people are just like me, just like you. The picture shows several kids ages 17-25, wearing nice jeans, basketball jerseys, and sweatpants just like i myself would wear. Before the devastating earthquake that shook their home, they were living a life just like mine; presumably going to school, perhaps working a job. Little did they know their home was about to be shattered, and their lives to be altered so drastically.

On April 25th 2015 the Gorkha Earthquake struck and killed over 9,000 people and injured over 23,000 more in Nepal. The earthquake also triggered an avalanche on nearby Mount Everest, killing 19 more; and another avalanche in Langtang valley, causing 250 more to go missing. On May 12th 2015 an aftershock of the Gorkha Earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 struck near the chinese border killing more than 200 more and injuring over 2500. More than 450,000 people were displaced.

April 25th 2015, a Saturday, most people around mutual age would be preparing for a night out on the town. Sending texts, maybe a tweet or two, planning with friends what the night ahead of them might bring. 11:56 rolls around on the clock and the city erupts in panic; an article dated April 26th states, “The tremors were so violent that people started falling to their knees around me. The earth rocked and rocked and then a crumbling, crunching sound began to emanate from the pagodas. People screamed and I ran for my life along with them as buildings collapsed around us, sending plumes of yellow dust into the air. Just minutes before, hundreds of people were enjoying a lunchtime stroll in the square.” (Heanue; ABC.net) I continue to want go back to my main response, these people, they aren’t different than anyone else. These people live lives just like i do, just like you do with no clue in the world when, why, or how their world was to be turned upside down. Young adults, just like myself, enjoying a life deemed ever so normal; at least for the moment.

Six months later devastation still rings through the cities. “On the drive back to Kathmandu, Beth said: “It’s easy for people at home to forget about what’s going on here because they don’t see it every day, but people still desperately need help.” (Bhatti; BBC.com) Children, Teens, Single Mothers, Relatives of those lost in the tragedy, all prepare for a winter without shelter. Young people, who, on a regular basis would be out in the streets, goofing off and learning what life is all about are now doing so in a way nobody dreams of. Preparing relief strategies, clearing the streets which their homes use to lie on of piles of rubble, and excavating bodies from those piles, only to return at the end of the day to camps, housing thousands of displaced and homeless citizens.

If i were to ever have to live the tragedy that the Nepalese people have had to live in the past year, i am very unsure of how i would respond. I cannot comprehend putting myself in the shoes of a 20 year old young man in Nepal in such a trying time. “With determination in his eyes, he assures me that things will get better. “We will get back up - Nepali people are strong and resilient.” (Bhatti; BBC.com)