Typhoons and Kittens

Typhoon Ketsana arrived the 28th of September. We were well prepared, fully stocked up on food, water, candles and a torch. Electricity wiped out on day one, which preceded two terrible nights of no sleep while the wind creepily 'wooed' outside my bedroom window. Little rain fell, but the winds of up to 185km/h kept all awake and alert. Houses flooded, roads were blocked and trees bent, snapped and fell. Some neighbours boarded up their houses and relocated to another place, while others camped out at home by the candlelight with their family.

In 2009, having no electricity is a rather boring experience. My room mate and I tried to come up with some ideas to keep us entertained, and our mind always wandered back to a game of scrabble or a crossword, but we had none of those. We read, read and read by candlelight, while hoping that the lights would suddenly turn on again. Phone services were blocked (text worked!!) so almost all forms of modern communication were eradicated from the entire city.

Maybe I'm exhaggerating the situation, however for me, it was, well, scary. At night the house felt like it was rocking, while in the day the hours just slowly passed, basically giving me many opportunities to study, read, study and read. Anyway, Ketsana eventually passed, people slowly emerged from their homes, and the clean-up began. Trees and rubbish were strewn everywhere, but nothing was hit as badly as the beach. Huge tree trunks washed up ashore, along with tons of sticks, leaves, branches in the brown murky waters.

Thousands of homes were destroyed, and thousands more people were displaced. Please think about the people, unlike myself, who weren't so lucky. Some were injured and some were killed, while others have lost all they have ever owned. Please also think of those in the Phillipines, who were effected far worse. There are various charities accepting donations online to assist those in need.

We were very lucky it wasn't cold either. It was still pretty which makes it a lot easier to survive.

On a happier note, three stray kittens have decided to call my home, their home. They just turned up one day, and came back every now and then, so, I'm feeding them. Whiskas and tuna. They are stick and bones with huge googly eyes on these tiny little faces. They are getting used to me, so I just sit there while they eat and just look at them. It's amazing the effect something so cute can have on a person. They bring a huge smile to my face.

With the onset of the rainy season (typhoon season??), I am moving to Hanoi. At the end of October, I will say goodbye to Da Nang, my home of 8 months, beautiful beaches, quiet roads, and stunning natural landscapes, and say hello to the bustling Capital that is Hanoi. Although I am sad to leave the Central Coast, I am just as excited to work again in a kindergarten, see old friends, and partake in dance classes, Vietnamese classes and other extra curricular activities that come my way.

While dreaming of my new life in Hanoi (again!), I am also dreaming of the far away exotic land that is India.

Home of the Taj Mahal, the biggest population of English speakers, the largest democracy in the entire world and the creator of snakes and ladders and the digit 'zero'. A picture of vivid colour, a celebration of Hinduism, and an appreciation for the mind, body and soul and delicious food come to mind, as do crowded streets, humidity and severe poverty.

Because of this, I keep thinking about it! I can't stop. I don't know what spurred this interest, but I want to go. Not for a few weeks, but maybe 2 months. Volunteer for 5 weeks, travel for a few more, I'm not sure, but because of it's size, I think I'll just visit a couple of cities, slow down, and take my time. At the same time, be extremely cautious of the things I do, the foods I eat so as not to get SICK! (I've heard a few stories). It just seems like the country that I'm going to instantly fall in love with, you know those places in the movies that "change people", that have such an effect on them, I think that place for me will be India. But, maybe I'm wrong. Next year I hope to go to India, and provided I have enough funds left, Brazil too, in September. Two exotic lands in one year! Wow, I hope so.

I will post photos of the typhoon and the kittens soon.

Love.
Cat.