Nepal Earthquake

It's been a restless few days.
As you know the Nepal Earthquake occured a few days ago which has brought catastrophe to Kathmandu and its surrounding areas. Being there myself in 2013, it has brought me immense sadness. As I still carry the trauma from the earthquake in Japan in 2011, I can feel their pain and sadness.

But what was the most worrisome was that R was in Nepal. Not only was he in the earthquake affected area but in a small village where he was doing a "homestay"with a family and helping out with their farming. I had messaged him via Facebook Messenger but of course, with all the infrastructures and wifi/3G outlets out there was no way of reaching him. More and more bad thoughts were crossing through my head. Memories from not being able to reach my relatives in the tsunami-affected area were rushing back to me.

 A few hours after the quake I received an SMS from him saying that he was safe. I broke down in tears and just prayed and thanked all the gods and Buddhas for his safety. But after then, there was no communication. As I was seeing that aid was being delayed I was getting more and more worried. Being in a small village, aid is probably even taking more time. Our friends from Cambodia and also his high school friends (whom I've never met) were contacting me to ask about his whereabouts and situation but I wasn't able to answer anything. A day after, he let me know that he was sleeping in a mud-floor evacuation building and that he was surrounded by corpses. Being far away, sometimes our emotions and symptoms sync (I know, really odd phenomenon) but I had a mysterious headaches for days - probably he was experiencing it from the pollution and debris mixed in an exacerbating the atmosphere.

Finally I got a series of messages from him, saying that he was at the airport. He was miraculously able to buy a ticket online from his phone and that he is about to take off. Just got word that he safely arrived in Paris and I am just in awe and gratefulness that he was able to make it back alive in one piece.

That is not to say that I am completely relieved. For the millions of people who are still living in shacks with little aid coming in, my heart aches. It aches because there is nothing I can do but to pray. And so I pray today again for all the people in Nepal.


Few pictures from back in 2013:

 

Spring is almost here!

Enjoying early spring with drinks over a beautiful view of the lake in Geneva. A favorite spot for tourists and locals all year around with cheap fondue, reasonable platters, and fresh oysters when in season!

Buvette des Bains des Pâquis
http://www.buvettedesbains.ch/
Quai du Mont-Blanc 30, 1201 Genève
Tel. 022 738 16 16. 

Lausanne

Lausanne is the closest "big"city to Geneva yet I've never had a chance to go there so what better a time than during Spring Break? Lausanne resident and ex-classmate Sarah gladly volunteered to show Amir and I around. Thank you for the great guide :)

Lausanne central station

Beautiful lake.. different view of the Lake Leman from the other side!

Olympic Committee HQ & Museum

Possibly the best tapioca place in Switzerland...I missed this so much!

Finishing the tour with beer of course!

Le Kraken Bar

It's Easter break and since prices sky rocket, my schedule has been wide open. In fact it's been quite a stressful semester already so it's a good time to rest up and catch up on studying and watching movies & tv shows. Of course, our classmates and I can't go without going out drinking. From the first day of grad school, Le Kraken Bar on Rue de Medicin has been our sacred place where we can let out our academic stress, have fun , and make lots of memories. This time goes without saying with me losing my memory for about a good 10min hehe. No worries, no harm done. It was a fantastic night. My grad school major is only 11 people (down from 12 with one of us deciding to opt out!) but because of that our friendship and bond has become stronger than ever through these months. I definitely wouldn't of had this had I decided to go to another school!