You never know…

Family is the most important thing to me in life. I and my family go through traumas, happiness and excitement together, here is a story about a 11 year old girl in Indonesia, she has no family.

It was Boxing Day 2004 I heard many screams coming from outside and then I noticed this huge wave coming towards me. I ran for my life away from the wave, all it seemed to be doing was getting closer and I ran into the richest house in our village it had brick walls and closing doors. They comforted me there. We felt the wave hit the side of the house. I opened my eyes the house was flooding quickly. We managed to stay calm, then the water was stopping getting higher, I was extremely relieved.  

Suddenly my thoughts changed. I thought about my family, were they ok? Or were they dead? We heard silence outside, we slowly ventured out of the house. All I saw was distaste, disaster, disaster. I shouted my mother's name no answer, I cried and cried. All of a sudden I heard a helicopter above me they landed in a field nearby. A strange European looking man came up to me and carried me into the helicopter; luckily he spoke Indonesian as I do not speak English. He said to me everything is going to be all right and he was taking me to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I desperately wanted to know how my family was and if they were dead or alive.

When I got to Kuala Lumpur I was welcomed by a woman who told me she was going to look after me until my parents were found. A week went by and I heard nothing about my parents. I was missing them immensely. All I could do was wait.

I am now thirteen. It has been a long and traumatic three years since my Tsunami experience. I never did find my parents, but now a have a loving foster-mum who cares for me like I am her own child.

I hope this story has made you more aware how important your family is to you and how lucky you are to have them...

Amy Bottom, GIS