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Editor's Note: This article was contributed by Dannie Ly, a regular on this website. Dannie recounts her experiences as a volunteer in the earthquake area this past summer. This heartfelt story originally appeared as a Forum Post but we thought it should stand as an article so it can be easily retrieved in the future.
 A banner of thanks to Liaoning province, a supporting province of Anxian
The terrible earthquake in Sichuan
affected all
of China. After this tragedy of 5-12, my
roomate and I came up with the idea that we should go to the area to be a
volnuteer even though we did not know exactly how to do that. Then we learned through our university
(Dalian Maritime University) that there would be a selection of about 100 teams
which would get finacial aid and some other support to do certain project
research during our summer holiday. The university conducted an application
process where teams were invited to submit a project, write plans on how to run
it, and give a speech before a panel of judges who then selected the teams to
carry out their projects. Six of us put our heads together and developed a
project to submit to the university panel.
We were very happy to be selected as
one of the teams to go to the area. We
arrived at the earquake area on the 24th of July.and reported to the officals
of the Communist Youth League. We began working as
volunteers in Anxian, Mianyang city. During
the six days spent there, I had experienced so much that I can only pick up a
few stories of the whole process to tell you, and the whole trip was filled
with love, care, and many moving stories which I think will be a great lesson
in my life .
We six students
were sent to a temporary living site supported by the Beijing government. Those
who live there now were all hurt badly in the disaster, losing their homes and
family members. The place is called Chapingxiang, a mountain area located in
the middle of Beichuan and Wenchuan, two places which had been the most badly
hurt areas in the earthquake, with more than 800 people killed in the 5-12 earthquake
in Chapinxiang alone.
For us, we got a place to cook meals by ourselves, and in the evening ,we slept
on the sofa put in the big room which is used for the local people to watch TV
and play cards. Sleeping on a sofa was not
comfortable, but it was very memorable for all of us, being in the same room after
a tiring work day.
 Certificate of Herosim awarded to a local boy for his role in the earthquake
The moment we
got to the Jing‘an district, we got to play the role of big brothers and
sisters for the local children, playing with them, drawing pictures with them, playing
ball, teaching them to sing songs, or doing some handwork. We spent the whole afternoon with local
children and it turned out to be a very good way to build a nice relationship
and trust between us, and the kids enjoyed the moments with us.
 Children playing a game under the direction of Dalian Maritime University students
The next day we
began to work on our project. We were
very lucky to meet officers from the Epidemic Prevention Station of Liaoning
province. These officers were so nice
that they talked with us for the whole morning and were very happy that college
students like us could come and learn as well as help. During this time, we
tried our best to be like local people, talking with the local people, and playing
with the kids, and look deep into their lives to find out how is everything
really going. We asked some locals to complete
some forms and answer our prepared questions. The local people were very nice
to us, always wanting to help us. They
think it is so good that college students can come and help them little by
little. We also interviewed some
individuals who became heroes in the process of saving people’s lives who
talked about their feelings about the earthquake .
 small boy doing housework in the site where we were
We also had the
chance to visit the Military Region and Camp where the head officer took us
around the camp and showed their daily life. I was really moved by the great
people there since without the soliders’ help, there will be no hope for the
furture.
We also spent
one day visiting the area hit by the earthquake. We saw and discovered how the earthquake destroyed
so many peoples’ lives and it was so sad that such a beautiful place disappeared
in just a short moment . We also helped
some locals who were still clearing the site and we helped them move bricks. We even cried when we found out that the
people have water only from the rain and they have little to eat.
 This little girl could not join our games because her foot was hurt in the earthquake so we took special care of her
We also went to
visit a famous middle school in the earthquake—Sangzao middle school. Before
the earthquake, the headmaster trained his students to escape from such fire
and earthquake emergencies twice or three times a term and on 5-12, there was
not a single student who died or got hurt.
On the day we
left, kids and locals were very sad. I
can not forget the people there in the mountain area who are so warmhearted and
the kids are so cute and need help. How
I wish I could stay a little longer there.
Many kids cried when we got on the bus to leave and when I saw those
kids standing there helpnessly, looking very sad to say goodbye to us. I felt very sad.
I think after the trip, I
had a better understanding of the earthquake and the great word ---LOVE, and
what it means. I was so moved by the
support from the volunteers, strangers, the military, and the government. The power of all sides being united to help
support the people of this stricken area.
It showed me that in face of great troubles, we Chinese have confidence
to overcome all of them .
 There is still much work to be done in this area
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abhijeet
jim
