WHY WE REMEMBER
Adam McRoy recalls his experience of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan and why it is always remembered in China every year.
 May 12 in China
May 12th is China’s National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Day, established in memory of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. We mentioned it in assembly this year and it brought back some very vivid memories for me because I was living in Chengdu when the earthquake struck.
No idea
It was my afternoon off and I was relaxing in my apartment when the building suddenly started shaking. Having never experienced an earthquake before, I genuinely had no idea what was happening. My first instinct was to stay put, but when the shaking increased in intensity, I opened the door to see cracks appearing in the wall before my eyes. At that point, I thought it was probably a good idea to run.
I lived in a high-rise, so I joined hundreds of other people hurtling down endless flights of stairs. It was only once I got outside that I realised I was still wearing my slippers. Mind you, others were in a far worse state than me, including one sheepish young couple, huddled together in a blanket, protecting what little dignity they had left.
Isolation
One thing I remember very strongly was the feeling of isolation. Phones weren’t working, so I couldn’t contact my wife to let her know I was OK. I suddenly felt very alone. So I did the only thing that made sense to me at the time: I walked 40 minutes across Chengdu in my slippers to the school where I worked.
When I arrived, my colleagues were trying to get out through the school gates, which had been locked so they could do a head count. They stared at me in disbelief that I’d walked all that way dressed like I was taking the bins out.
Fragile – and human
For the rest of the day, many apartment buildings wouldn’t let residents back inside because of aftershock fears. Plenty of people slept outdoors that night. As for me, without access to a kettle to make a cup of tea, there was really only one other option left for a Brit abroad: head straight to the pub. Yes, still in the slippers.
I still think about that day quite often. Not because of the earthquake itself, but because it was one of those rare moments where life suddenly feels very fragile and very human at the same time. One minute you’re relaxing at home, the next you’re walking across Chengdu in slippers just trying to find familiar people and somewhere that feels safe.
Adam McRoy is headmaster of Cogdel Cranleigh School ChangshaÂ
FEATURE IMAGE: by enase on iStock
Support Image:  by Xieyouding on iStock  Â
