Life is more than trying to decipher every problem and complaining because of things not going your way. It is instead about loving the people who surround you, enjoying yourself, and living like every second is the final one. I heard people saying that but I didn’t understand until the day I almost perished during that earthquake that happened in my country. The more I think about it, the more I know that life is gift, a very important gift that has to be considered, and protected through your actions and behavior. Life is short, but a lot can be done during that short period of time, just like a lot can be done in only thirty seconds...

It was a day just like today when it happened, when it all went down, when every building in my country collapsed, when my school disappeared, when thousands and thousands of people died, when sadness invaded the country, when the country was reduced to ashes. It started to be a really nice day. The sun was smiling from up above with a glance that seemed to predict that the day would be nice... It was almost five o’clock. I was sitting in the car. One of my favorite songs was playing when suddenly all stopped, and the car began shaking; shaking so badly that I cried while praying so we can stay safe in God’s hands. Almost thirty- five seconds for everything to disappear. Thirty- five seconds of doubt; Doubt of if we were going to stay safe in the car or if we were going to fall in the ravine that was right next to us. Doubt of if we were going to live or not. I don’t think that you have ever been so scared; scared at a point that you forgot about everything except the fact that you were living a terrible moment, scared at a point that you were wondering if you were dead or alive while you have survived a powerful earthquake, scared at a point that you couldn’t swallow nothing besides the saliva in your mouth which by the way was hard to drink down. I have no words to describe how I felt, to describe how we survived all this, to describe what happened. I do not know how my family and I survived this. I know we were lucky for sure. God had saved us and we came out of that car with no injury.

Days after it happened, my family figured that there was no hope. It was impossible for my sisters and me to go to school, and even have an education. Since everything was so bad, we decided to come live in the United States to begin a whole new life, and try to forget about the things, and the close friends we lost.

Sometimes, things happen in life; things that we like, and things that we don’t like. Without questioning life, I’m taking it easily by accepting things the way they are and continuing to live. Even though I went through all this, I know that happiness is made for me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here writing this, saying that God had saved my life, and that I’m ready to face every obstacle that comes on my way. Life is the most wonderful thing that can exist. Sometimes being able to breathe, and say “Thanks Lord for a new day” is all that matters. Sometimes, you just have to forget everything, wake up in the morning, and say “God, my life is in your hands.”