Rajan Maharjan: “One woman had protected her infant by covering him with her own body”

School girls in uniform

I was watching a movie on my laptop when suddenly the bed started moving. There was a loud noise. I dove under the bed and stayed there until I heard my mom calling me from downstairs. Even though I was terrified to leave the room, I thought that if I didn’t, she would keep on calling me and wouldn’t get out either. Stuff had fallen onto the stairs, so it was difficult to go down. I finally decided to jump and I scratched my leg. All of these events occurred within a minute.

Outside, I couldn’t see anything because of the dust. The old house next door had fallen. I saw the four kids who used to live there running away. They were covered in dust, and there was blood on their feet.

Everybody ran to an open area. There, people were searching for their kids, and crying and sharing their experiences. One woman had protected her infant by covering him with her own body. She was badly hurt and was taken to the hospital. While we were discussing these things, we felt another tremor, and then another, and another. I was terrified. My legs shook for hours.

The earthquake changed me into a more mature person. I became more independent and learned that I could help others. I also came to realize the importance of neighbors. These are the people who will help you in a time of trouble. When you are with your neighbors, you feel that you are not alone, and that gives you courage to fight against the terror of nature.

Also, I have become more emotional. I felt so sorry for the people who died. I almost cried when my mom wept after seeing our neighbor hug her children who had been buried under the boulders. I thanked God for letting me and my family live. I worried about my relatives, which is something I had never done before. So, because of the earthquake, I have grown emotionally closer with my neighbors and relatives.

But the greatest change in me is that I’ve become braver. Even though there were big aftershocks, I wasn’t scared. I told myself to be cool and remain calm. I told myself that since my house had already withstood the biggest shock, these small and medium-sized tremors wouldn’t damage it further. I even convinced my family and friends to calm down and stop worrying. When the next big quake hit, I didn’t run. I slowly got up, walked out of the room, and went to open ground. So, the biggest change in me is that I am braver and more able to handle myself in panicky situations. I guess I’m a little more mature than before.