continued from Part 1.

In the university where he lived in, thousands of college students gathered in the field area, setting up tents and living the night. But not my grandfather. The moment he realized it was 500 miles away, he went straight back to his home.

“What’s the worst thing that can happen?” he asked. “Another shake. Even if, the chances of it being bigger than the first are extremely small. I’m living inside.”

Indeed, that night, there was a small tremor, much smaller than the first. The college students and younger people who had the courage to go back to their homes woke up. It only took one person in each building awake to set the whole building’s people running. Apartments were close to each other, and a shout was quickly heard by the neighbors.

People from many other buildings ran out and stood outside, scared to go back in. Eventually, they went back in and fell asleep early in the morning.

My grandfather woke up the next morning. The elderly in his building had not sensed the tremor. He had a well night’s sleep.

My father’s dad took a cold shower, had some fruit, and went out for his morning stroll. The streets were eerily quiet. Everyone was sound asleep, too tired. They had not slept the last night, too busy running around from the earthquake.

Is it chaotic? Yes. The entire army has been taken out, attempting to help the people in the center of damage. My father showed me photographs of children stuck under concrete school buildings.

In China, kids are told to just run out of buildings. Maybe in America we’re taught to walk in an orderly fashion to some shelter point, but China school-buildings are made of solid concrete. If you can get out without breaking something, consider it a bonus.

Hearing all of this is a shock, my parents say one night when we are eating dinner together. But it reminds them of the earthquake that happened in 1976. It was a 8.0, and the center was in Tangshan City, China.

It affected Xi’an as well, and both my parents were still young, maybe only fifteen or sixteen.

part 3