NCEF student Hemanta, Grade 5

Where were you when the earthquake happened?

• At home, in Jawlakhel

Do you remember what time it was?

• Around noon. I was on the third story of my house. It is made of concrete. I was watching tv.

What happened when you noticed the earthquake?

• I was sitting on the sofa. When I felt it, I ran. There was no electricity when I got back. The earthquake lasted for quite awhile.

Were you alone?

• No, I was with my brother. We didn’t go back home for awhile because we were worried there would be a big quake coming. We didn’t go back home that night, we just stayed under a tent.

What did you do in the tent?

• I played with my sister’s cellphone. I wanted to go home, but I was afraid to. We stayed in the tent for 10 days. It rained during that time. Our tent got wet and water got in.

Were you able to fall asleep at night?

• Yes. And my teachers had given me homework, so I worked on that at night even though school was closed.

How long was your school closed?

• We initially had a month long break. School was to reopen that Sunday, but it didn’t because the earthquake destroyed our school. Our school used to be in Jawlakhel and we were supposed to move to a new building, but that was destroyed. Our old building remained.

Besides not having friends to play with during that time, what all changed after the earthquake?

• Nothing really. It wasn’t fun. I couldn’t go to school or play with friends. Living in the tent was cold and wet -- not like my house. It was difficult to eat. I couldn’t study well or watch tv. It was difficult to sleep. We still washed our clothes in our house during that time, but we could only access a dirty toilet. We had water brought to us by a tanker -- everyone collected money for the tanker.

Who else was with you during the quake?

• My father, mother, uncle, grandmother, brothers, and sister. It was not much fun all being in the tent together; it was more fun with them in the house.

What difficulties did they face? Were they happy or sad?

• Neither happy nor sad. Our house was ok, but we experienced the inflation where even cheap items were expensive. Our local store was closed so we took food items for ourselves. We didn’t sell them to others, so we didn’t run out of them.

What did you eat during those days?

• Noodles, cookies -- sometimes we cooked rice, and ate our regular meal. For snacks sometimes my uncle brought samosas from outside. We ate momos instead of rice, but I didn’t enjoy them as much because we were eating them almost every day. But they were quick and easy.

When did school reopen?

• A month after the quake.

Did all your friends come to school after the quake?

• Only a few came. Others joined later. They must have thought the school was closed, must have heard there was a quake in KTM.

What did you hear about Kathmandu?

• That many people died, buildings fell. That Dharahara fell. We could have gone to the top of it. I used to visit temples -- some of them fell down.

There used to be a lot of people camping in Tudikhel (grounds).

• Yes. People were camping in Tudikhel and other similar open places.

Does your family talk about the earthquake at home?

• Yes. My brothers do; not me. They say that it was a big one and that many buildings were destroyed around Kusunti. Around our house, a little further away. I checked out 3 or 4 of those buildings, they had cracks.

It’s been a year since the first earthquake. What has changed since the earthquakes?

• I used to be very fearful initially- I am not as much anymore. Buildings are being rebuilt. I would have been living in hostel if we hadn’t had an earthquake.

Are you fearful of the earthquakes?

• No. I don’t think there will be another one.

What are your plans for the next year?

• Studying well, working hard. Distributing relief to earthquake victims.

How hard-working have you been lately?

• More than before. I study more than before -- I didn’t so much in the past. Studying has been much easier here.

What do you plan to do when you get to 6th grade? What do you think will be new in 6th grade?

• It will be more difficult and will require more studying. Especially in Math and Science.

What do you plan to do in the future?

• Join the army