Three years ago, I was a freshman studying in Russia. My family and I decided to visit Sichuan for our summer vacation, a province in southwest China, famous for extremely spicy food, and of course giant pandas. We had booked a hotel right in the heart of Jiuzhaigou National Park, best known for its beautiful scenery.
I had just gotten back to my hotel room after a whole day of touring. And just as I was getting ready for bed - it happened. The entire Sichuan Province was hit by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, shaking and tearing down buildings, roads, and mountains. It started with sudden vibrations which before we knew led shaking of the entire building.
Hailing from a town over 2000 kilometres away in Shenyang, we had never experienced such a thing as an ‘earthquake’. To us, it was nothing more than a ‘natural hazard’ you see on tv, read on books or hear from people online. However, that night, lying down on the floor of my hotel room, my hands trembling as they covered my head, that was when I truly knew what it felt to be helpless, to have your life at the mercy of fate. The entire experience barely lasted a minute, but the trauma that was to follow after it? That lasted much much longer. Over 25 people lost their lives that night and more than 100 others were injured. Our hotel building miraculously withstood the 7.0 magnitude quake - the same cannot be said for the locals who lost their homes and lives.
The next day I wanted to travel as far away as I could from the city. I had never imagined myself being in a position where I would feel so vulnerable or scared. I was there for my summer vacation, everything was supposed to go ‘smooth.’ I’m just thankful and fortunate to have survived it. Had I booked our hotel elsewhere or been outside, the outcome could have been an entirely different story. But I guess that’s just how life is-full of ‘rough’ surprises.
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