There were many sleepless nights. The lights were kept on in the small bedroom downstairs where 16 of my family members slept on every inch of the floor. It was too dangerous to go on the upper floors of the house. The door was wide open in case we all needed to rush outside, because we never knew when another earthquake was going to hit. We never knew whether it was going to be big or small, or if we were going to survive that night. Any second could change our lives forever.

It took approximately one to two minutes for the lives of Nepalese citizens to drastically change. On Saturday, April 25^th, 2015, a massive 7.8 earthquake shook the grounds of Nepal, destroying many ancient historical sites, killing thousands of people, and leaving hundreds of thousands stranded on the streets with no shelter, food, or clean water. Since the main earthquake, countless aftershocks shocked the nation, with some being as large as 6.6 magnitudes. Therefore, nobody could tell whether another massive earthquake could strike again, leaving the nation with anxiety and a deep worry for the safety of their loved ones.

I never thought I would ever have to experience such a disaster and distressed nation. I had come to Nepal for a one-month vacation with my family. Before the earthquake, I was having the time of my life reuniting with family members and experiencing my country’s rich heritage and natural beauty. At the time of the quake, my family and I were driving back to Kathmandu from our vacation in Pokhara. In fact, we were in the Lamjung district, very near to the quake’s epicenter. Ironically, I did not feel the massive quake at first since I was in a jeep, driving on a rocky road near a village. The only time we knew something was wrong was when villagers came screaming out of their houses, which started to slowly crumble down. Curiously and deeply concerned, we stopped the car. Shocked at the sudden realization of the earth shaking, our first instinct was to get out of the car and call all our family members immediately. They all live in Kathmandu, which suffered serious consequences of the quake. Thankfully, everyone was alright, and their homes were intact.

From this experience I realize that I am very blessed. Blessed to be alive, for my family to be safe, to have a roof over my head, and to have enough food and water. Thousands of people in Nepal cannot say the same. To them, the world they had known has been devastated. For several months or more, they will have to stay in refugee camps in tents, battling hunger and the cold wetness of the rain. But what is inspiring is that despite suffering so much hardship, the Nepalese never fail to lend a helping hand. I am thankful to our Nepali neighbors downstairs who fed us despite the shortage of food, and opened up their rooms for us to sleep in since we were unable to go to the upper floors of our house. I salute the Nepalese and international armies who responded immediately by helping the injured and digging up the buried. And I’m inspired by everyday citizens of Nepal who have risen up to work together to help their motherland and by international aid volunteers who have given their full energy to helping Nepal. In a country where the government is too unstable to provide for its people, it is the local citizens and foreign aid that must work together in order for Nepal to pick up its pieces and rise even stronger.