On Saturday April 25, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake occurred in Nepal, followed by numerous aftershocks, some as large as 6.7.  Yesterday, on Tuesday May 12, a further earthquake of 7.4 occurred, shaking us once more, just when we started to believe the earth was stable.

I have had a pause from blogging, while my website was updated, ironically to make it easier for me to post.  In that time, my adopted country got turned upside down by the major earthquake they have been expecting for years.  And just when people started to feel they were rebuilding, we have been rocked again.

Many people have been in contact already through email and social media.  For the record, we are all fine.  My family were all together during the first quake and most of the aftershocks, and we were all on compound here at the hospital for the second quake and caught up pretty quickly.  We have not been injured physically, nor did we really see any structural damage.

Mentally, the experience has been different.  Luke and I are still coming to terms with the fact that we are in a country that has been affected by something so major.  The children are dealing with the stress of repeated aftershocks and fear.  Ironically, yesterday’s earthquake didn’t scare them as much as the thunderstorm the night before.  But they are nervous to be alone, scared of loud noises and less secure than they were three weeks ago.

Just three months ago, we lived in Australia – a wonderful country, but one that is ridiculously lucky.  I accepted that before, but living in Nepal has proved it to me.  I believe it in my heart now.

Before the earthquake, Nepal had a very high poverty rate, and extreme poverty at that. There are “rich” here, who are as wealthy as we are, but they are almost exceptional.  There is so much that the Nepalis don’t have that we accept as “normal”. Not only that, but they don’t need a lot of that stuff, and I spend my time readjusting my head and prejudices.  In a land where healthcare is user-pays, poverty also has a major impact on medical decision making.  And I am lucky enough to work for a hospital that has a poverty fund.  Elsewhere in the country, they are not as lucky.

Now there has been two major natural disasters, with destruction of infrastructure, and overloading of health and welfare services.  I know in our local bazaar, far from the most affected districts, there are no tents, tarpaulins or blankets to be purchased, as they have been distributed to or purchased by the (700+) homeless in our district.  Restocking of scarce items and building items will take months.  And many villages still don’t have shelter, blankets and adequate food.

After all this, we still love Nepal.  We have been surprised by our reaction to living here, but we can’t imagine leaving just because the ground shakes.  Not only is this place beautiful, with gorgeous people and amazing experiences, but we daily feel needed and appreciated.  Part of this is the welcoming nature of Nepalis, but some of it is the fact that there is more work than money.  The hospital runs on a shoestring, and there is always something to be done.

So we won’t be leaving just yet.  We’ll hang around, help out where we can, and enjoy living in a beautiful hillside town.

Photo credit: UMN News