To experience life, you have to attend one funeral, and survive through one natural disaster. A sudden surge of emptiness, that is how I am gonna describe the feeling. As if nothing is more important than being able to breath, lecture notes, homeworks, properties, all left behind.
This time, there is no more ash rain. It’s stone rain. Rain drops as big as a corn, falling down the sky, hitting hard on the roof to produce symphony that shakes our attention. Rain with thunder plus another sound—low, repetitive, somewhat sounds like wind blowing across the sky. It is not wind! It is volcanic eruption!
5th November
Early morning, I was a bit emo. Perhaps the sky has changed my mood. The floor gets dirty every one hour after we mopped. The water drainage system behind got clogged. It is all dirty outside the house, and inside too.
I supposed to have no class that day, but I have planned a full schedule for my day. I even planned to send a few books to the photocopy shops, attend my French class etc etc. Okay, and the most important thing, I was angry at someone that morning. Frustration, grudges….
Then all of a sudden, everyone seems to be shifting away. Yanyi’s neighbor shifted, my French class teacher evacuated. Was wondering what was going on. Yinli messaged the Embassy and asked when we should evacuate. We expect a calm answer as usual, but not this time. “Evacuating now!” And all the frustration and grudges was left behind.
A sudden chaos. Phone calls, messages, packing…. Then, news came in “gather at IP at 9.45am!” We stared at the clock. 9.30am. This is crazy! And there is a lot of things that I couldn’t bring with me. I left behind plenty. Yinli went to check out if the news was true, while Hsiao suan sent our luggage to IP. Then Mak came to pick all four of us up to the gathering site. The whole road was practically full of dust; we couldn’t even spot the motorcyclist if they had never on their lights.
It was already full of people and bags. We will be evacuated to Solo, around 65km away from yogya. The place should be fine.
Lim offered me a place in his car to go down to Solo. I accepted. A car was much comfortable than bus. But, as Mak’s car was emptier, and lim’s car was practically full, I switch to Mak’s car. So, we drove down Solo.
We checked into a “so call hotel” and stayed in. This so-call-hotel is not big, but we have to fit a number of people. Four people in my small rooms, and the pipe water was malfunction. We had only one small pail to fill the slow flowing water. So, imagine our clumsiness, with soaps all over, staring at the water to get filled up.
Despite all this, we actually took a taxi to shopping mall. We bought cakes to celebrate Joanna’s birthday, and 21 wafers for ho hwee’s birthday. Muahaha.
6th November
“Happy Birthday to you~ Happy Birthday to you~~~~…..” A song for Joanna, celebrating her 20th birthday!
With Ho Hwee thinking we only celebrate for Joanna, we push out the 21 wafers and continue singing bday song for Ho Hwee.
We done some shopping and of course had a dinner in a tiochiu restaurant. Celebrating Birthday when we were actually evacuee… LOL… This is hell of a fun. To have fun despite all the tiredness and frustration, somehow it is a comfort.
We were told that we will be evacuated back the next morning. But during the meeting, they told us the airport was closed. No plane was allowed to fly. Crap! Stuck in Solo. There is mishap happens to a plane and to get in a TUDM (Army Plane) in requires a lot of procedures. So the flight was delayed. Some says it is even safer to not to fly coz u won’t know what will happen to the plane in the air. Merapi smokes and ashes might just kill us on the way back.
Then they told us that we will have the TUDM to come in the next afternoon. But it was not confirmed yet either. Waiting and waiting~~~ But one thing for sure. There was no lecture notes for a while. No study stress. Nothing at all. Just waiting to go back. That’s it.
7th November
And from morning 7am, we waited until 4pm. Finally, we saw the plane. Grey. Short. Small.
We were disallowed to take photos, so i can only take from far.
The air tickets
We went in the plane from behind. It looks so unreal. So like computer games. So like a movie. Is so unbelievable that I am entering an army flight, C-130 Hercules Army Plane! And finally After all the waiting. I saw the plane. We can go home! We can go home!
There is some press conference, some announcement, with tv crew and reporters right after we landed. I don't get it. Isit that proud to run away from natural disaster? We are doctors! I felt a bit uneasy on this. We are doctors but we are running away like rats. Yea, i agree with yy. But somehow, to a certain point, it is better not to give burden to them by being a victims if your ability is limited. That is how i console myself.
8th November
I stayed one night in Yinli's house, as there is no more bus tickets to go back Malacca. Yinli's family was hospitable. And I left early morning with breakfast prepared. Really appreciate that.
Then i took an LRT to Bukit Jalil. The thing is, i had never been there, luckily Shida was with me, or i will be like a deer entering a village. Lost.
And yes. I am back, with unexpected holidays, not knowing when i can go back to study, not knowing what the futures lies to me. And i truly hope it will settle as soon as possible. Hopefully the mount wouldn't kill so many.
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