Every semester Guiyang University takes the foreign teachers on a day trip somewhere in Guizhou just to help us further enjoy the province and to say thank you for teaching here. Today, all the foreign teachers (except Miah, who is visiting a friend in Beijing) went with three Chinese teachers, Ricky, Bill (the teacher who helped me when I fell), and Betty, to HuangGuoShu Waterfall, the biggest waterfall in Asia. It was a great trip, we had a lot of fun, and the waterfall was a spectacular place to visit; it even had a huge bonsai tree garden. I couldn't have asked for a better Friday!
That being said, on the way to the waterfall, however, we stopped and had lunch at a small restaurant along the highway. When we walked in, we saw a TV in the corner showing the news of the Sichuan earthquake. This is the first time in 9 months, ever since I came to Guiyang, that I have watched the news. I have read many articles on what happened, have been told personal stories by students, Chinese friends and fellow volunteers, heard the death count, saw and participated in the fundraisers, felt the pain and the loss of our neighboring province, but seeing it was such a different, intense moment. With the other foreign teachers and Ricky, who also do not have access to a TV, we stood beside the TV, crying and gawking open-mouthed at the truth of this event.
Perhaps this sounds naïve. I'm sure you at home have seen this coverage, but we haven't. We who are here and hearing the stories and know people directly involved had nothing but our imaginations to draw this picture for us. The coverage they showed this afternoon was of a reporter interviewing a child trapped under the rubble, waiting to be helped out. The soldiers carried out bodies on stretchers, in their arms, babies, children, teachers, parents. We heard stories of teachers dying covering the bodies of students, a three year old child survived under the protection of her parents dead bodies, babies dead, parents who lost their one-child. So many orphans! The soldiers and doctors and nurses are so tired and so stressed, dealing with non-stop death, yet keep on. It's been 4 days and people are still trapped in the rubble. I can't believe how close I am, yet so far.
When I got home, I signed on Facebook (Miah is letting me use her computer while she's away) and went into a group for the victims of the earthquake. I couldn't believe the comments people made there! Making this political, some made comments that I would never repeat, all anti-Chinese and glorifying this event in the name of Tibet. I am so utterly disgusted, offended and ashamed! Having been so proud to come from a country with free speech and a lack of censorship, I am so upset to see people use their freedom in such a hateful, cruel, ignorant manner (many Tibetans live in Sichuan and died, too). I hope that this was just a rare exception of people and that you at home are not hearing similar comments. If you are, I please urge you to use your voice and stop this hatred. I am so saddened for the people of China right now. The number "8" is a lucky number in China, and they were so excited for the year 2008 (which is why the Olympics starts on 8/8/08), but instead it has been filled with disaster upon disaster. Corruption regarding imported goods, the train crash, multiple outbreaks of various diseases, the awful winter snowstorm, the Olympic protests, the Tibetan riots, this earthquake…and it's only spring. This poor country.
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