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Rosie had been
working at a school in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo and with millions of others,
found herself caught up in the Asian tsunami on 26th December. Here is her latest
postcard from the scene of the disaster:
| Date:
Thursday, January 6, 2005 | The
situation here is obviously very grave. Thankfully I am fine, as are most of the
people I know.
It was a miracle that I returned from Hikkaduwa, one of
the worst hit areas on the South Coast, on the 25th Dec, a day earlier than planned,
to meet my boyfriend at the airport on 26th as he was unable to get the flight
he wanted on the 27th. So really, his arrival, a day earlier than planned undoubtedly
saved my life, otherwise I would have been on the train when the tsunami struck
and that doesn't even bear thinking about.
Sadly, one of my colleagues
was swept away by the tsunami. It seems especially ironic that we swam together
every morning at school. Many others had lucky escapes from the beaches and survived
purely because of the help of others and sheer courage. Some of their stories
are amazing - the bravery and generosity of everyone. We are still not sure about
all the children at school but so far it seems to be good news.
On 26th
I woke up at 6am to feel the ground shaking very slightly. Nothing seemed to happen
as a result of this so I didn't think much of it. When the tsunami struck I was
actually picking Andreas up from the airport. The first we knew of it was when
Radio Solent phoned from the UK to see if I was OK and get my opinion of the events!
Although I live only two roads away from the sea in Colombo, thankfully the area
wasn't affected at all. Most of the deaths in Colombo were the slum dwellers who
lived in shacks between the railway line and the sea - they didn't stand a chance.
The real problem was trying to get information about what was going on.
The media completely distorted the events and were reporting about Colombo whilst
showing pictures of other towns in Sri Lanka which were completely submerged.
Everyone was really panicking and rumours of aftershocks and further tsunamis
were flying round.
We had booked a week in the Maldives from 27 December.
We just didn't know what to do. We couldn't get any information from anyone and
we knew the news reports weren't accurate. They were showing pictures of Male
airport being completely underwater when it was actually open! We phoned a guy
I know who lives in Male and the resort we were meant to be staying in and were
told that things were OK. So, on 28th we went to the Maldives as planned.
Everything was OK there, some islands were hit but nothing like the devastation
in Sri Lanka, although there were hardly any tourists, which is really worrying
as the country gets almost 100% of its income and employment from the tourist
industry. I don't know how the people will survive if visitors don't start going
back there.
We got back a couple of days ago to scenes of utter devastation
and disorganisation.
However, things are beginning to get much better.
The army are now co-ordinating the relief effort and US and Canadian troops have
been deployed to help. Apart from in the extremely inaccessible areas, most people
now have clean water, food and shelter and some electricity and fuel supplies
have been restored. The mines [left over from the war] are being cleared, the
road to the South coast is now accessible, although it is still problematic to
get to the East and North.
Most of the aid so far has been short term,
in the form of food and clean water. This has undoubtedly saved lives but now
the people need longer term measures.
It is quite hard to know how to
help. Everyone is doing what they can, even if it seems small. Some of us are
going to clean wells at the weekend. Lots of people have donated toys for the
millions of orphans who have now been rehabilitated to the Colombo orphanages
but they have no-one to play with them or look after them so we are trying to
do that whenever we have time. We are also collecting books, pens uniforms and
bags to enable the schoolchildren to return to school when they reopen.
I am really worried that as soon as this disappears from the news, the amount
of aid will dry up. The tourist industry has been ruined as most of the hotels
were on the South coast so have been destroyed so the country will be plunged
even further into poverty. It is so so sad, I can hardly put it into words.
Rosie |
| Date:
Thursday, November 11, 2004 | This
month has been very wet so far, but it hasn't rained for 2 whole days now, which
we are all excited about. Monsoon rain really is the pits- especially in Colombo
which is riddled with potholes, cockroaches and rats (last year one of my friends
was walking after the monsoon, the road was flooded and he fell down a pothole
up to his neck!). Also, the rains bring the mosquitoes so consequently there is
an epidemic of dengue fever, a potentially fatal illness nicknamed 'mini-malaria'
for which there is no cure.
The end of the south coast monsoon season
means the beginning of the dive season, so this weekend I will be heading to Hikkaduwa,
a beautiful, wide, yellow sandy beach quite near Galle, to do my first dive of
the season. I will be hoping, as usual, to see a whale shark as, at this time
of year they migrate past Sri Lanka, but the likelihood is slim.
And,
at work, the students are about to do exams so are frantically trying to revise.
It's amazing how hard these children work, it is not unusual for a student to
be in school at 6am for a sports practice (before it gets too hot), then attending
lessons until 2pm, or some days until 4pm, and afterwards to extra tuition classes,
then homework!
Rosie |
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