True Grit

I am now preparing to leave after a month here in Nepal. Officially the immediate emergency phase of food distribution, seeds and tools, shelter , hygiene kits etc. is now coming to an end and we are in phase 2...recovery.


I took some time to stand on the balcony of my flat here in Kathmandu this afternoon. When I arrived back in mid May the open ground opposite was covered with tents, tarpaulins and makeshift shelters as everyone was fearful of another earthquake. No one wanted to sleep inside in case of a collapse during the aftershocks. Now I look again and there are no tents left, people have gradually made their way back into the houses, the schools have opened again and the notorious traffic is back on the streets, blocking the roads and causing a lot of pollution in the process. One could say that life has returned to normal, we even have electricity  cuts i.e. load shedding again ( i.e. blackouts for 12 hours a day)


However it  is not a return to normal, people still have to carry the fear that the cracks in the house may turn into a need to demolish it , that the cracks in the ground may turn into landslides and most of all there seems a resignation that this event will take years and years to recover from. I feel as if people, despite being exhausted and mourning, are now settling into the long haul of recovery. The grit and determination of this amazing group of people is a real inspiration.