Tsunami Aftermath - thanks for the concern.

Thank You for the Prayers and Concern

We are safe – and in Goa at present. We thank each of you who included us in your thoughts and prayers as your hearts lurched for those suffering.

I was finally able to visit an internet café today – and suddenly I realized the gravity and scale of the concern that has been pouring our way. Once again, in my life, I am humbled by the number of people who care for me and mine; sincerely grateful for all the friends and family who have been anxiously calling Canada, England and Goa to get word of our safety; checking our website and emails for an indication that we are not affected.

So let us first apologize for not being electronically available over the past days. We apologize for not updating the blog earlier to calm your fears - it was a miscommunication between Bernard & me. I had thought that we had posted something to the website to indicate that we were not in the region and that Goa has not really seen any significant after effects of the Tsunami. Add to that the fact that we were out of the house (standing in line for 3 1/2 hours to see St Francis Xavier during the Exposition one day, visiting Margao the other) for the days surrounding the event. With no answering machine at the house we did not catch the number of the calls coming in - which only added to the concern of those elsewhere in the world.

We are without TV and radio in our house (just because the house had been closed for 3 years – equipment no longer works, cable has been disconnected) – and while we had seen segments of news at our cousins homes, we had not watched the scale, furor and intensity of Mother Nature. Add to that my unwillingness to acknowledge that something so intensely beautiful could be so significantly altered and my inability to accept that so many people we have met and written about recently may no longer BE. Our hearts go out to all those who have lost loved ones, or worse, not know where or how they might be. Our prayers are with you.

Yesterday we met Bernard’s Aunt and Uncle who just visited Sri Lanka this year. Uncle Joe’s comment that “most of it has been wiped out” started putting a dent into my state of denial. We visited the beach in Goa on Jan 4 – and the beach that had gently sloped all the way to the ocean on Dec 30 now has a 3 foot precipice a yard away from the tide line – indications of subtle changes in the oceans and tides a full 10 days after the event.

Once we are able to gain more information on the scale of destruction we may continue with our South bound itinerary. Places like the Maldives and East Africa are on our itinerary because we wanted the children to be able to see the beauty of Nature before Man caused it to be destroyed – through the waters rising due to global warming and engulfing the islands, or the poaching of endangered species for personal gain. Visits to Kerala and the Maldives will now be more precious and poignant. There are large areas that are undamaged – and in need of a normal routine and tourism revenue.

How has this affected our children? There are questions that pop out of the blue. Sarah asked recently “Mummy, how many people would have been on PhiPhi island the day that we were there?” We figured around 3,000. “Why?” I asked. “I just wanted to know – because of the 40 or 400 or 4000 or something ….” From which I gathered that she had been listening in on all the adult conversations that had been spinning around and processing them in her head. Andrew has been extra clingy and happy to hunt for shells on the water edge rather than play in the waves. Ian is beginning to understand the immensity of the event and its ripple effects as we describe the destruction and discuss its impact.

What has the impact been to Goa? We have minimized our visits to the beach for fears of the aftershocks. I described the amazing change to the waterfront above – the rising waters in the estuary did bring down some waterfront walls. Fishing trawlers have not put out to sea for days – and the price of fish has gone up astronomically. This might sound unimportant on the face of it, but the local population survives on fish curry, fried fish and rice as a daily diet. Most of the population is Hindu and does not eat meat. This increase is significantly affecting their daily pockets. The 2 pomfrets which might have cost Rs 150/- before Christmas are now being charged out at Rs 400/-. And our children are beginning to appreciate HOW long and hard the local community has to work to earn that Rs 250/- increase. On the positive side, a number of charters destined for Thailand have landed in Goa – but that has also increased the traffic on the beach, the roads and the demand on the little available supply of fish.

But returning to Phuket – my mind is filled with the faces of the Doctors who helped Sarah when she needed her stitches, the front desk, pool and restaurant staff at the Best Western Hotel, the cook and her helpers at the shack where we enjoyed that delicious fish on Thanksgiving Day on Karon Beach in Phuket, the driver, guide and staff on the 30 footer that we took on that day trip to PhiPhi island, the people at the Elephant farm on Phuket … and while I hope that they are all well, I am sure of the destruction of segments of their property, I imagine that they have lost family and friends, I know that there were immense acts of courage and heroism – and my mind harks back to the Loi Krathong festival and all those beautiful smiling faces, their devotion and genuine gratitude to God, and the generosity of spirit that is indigenous to the region. We hope you were all able to enjoy the photos of Phuket & PhiPhi which we now find all the more poignant.

We join our prayers with yours that all God will be with all those who need Him these days – and that neither the region nor the Tsunami will be soon forgotten.