I write my daily updates in the early mornings and post them during the day whenever we had a good internet connection. Today is day 6 after the earthquake. I can’t believe it’s almost 1 week ago. My whole body is in pain and I feel extremely tired
Breaking down
Although we didn’t had an earthquake all day yesterday it was the most difficult day so far. I slowly start to realize what happened and wonder when can I let my nerves rest? When can I grieve? I lost my house and all our villas are extremely damaged. We will not welcoming any guest more in our little boutique hotel.
When you feel the ferocity of Mother Earth trying to bring you to your knees and having to run out of your house and away from trees fearing that your house is about to fall on you, there are so many, too many emotions to feel. Where do you run when the earth is what you are running from? One minute is all it took to change everything that we worked so incredible hard for in the last 3 years.
Together we stand, divided we fall
I can’t leave, I won’t leave because despite all this, Gili Air is still my home and my happy place. I want to stay strong and focus on the future. Hearts are broken and nerves are shattered like the buildings around us, but the feeling of love and connection from all around the world is stronger. In the end, that’s all that matters. Nothing else is as important as telling loved ones how you feel, leaving nothing unsaid. Letting go of grudges because they are a waste of precious time.
Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today, and love each other, without asking anything in return. Because when the earthquake happened, I didn’t want my phone, my laptop, my clothes, all I wanted was to be around people who love me. To tell them I was alright and let them hold me and tell me I was alright. I don’t know when this ends but I’m grateful for the lessons, the blessings and the love.
It’s the little things
It’s the little things, like hearing the mosque again for the first time, that make me feel that life will go back to normal again. Only 5 days after a massive disaster they managed to bring back the power. Was definitely not expecting that to happen so quickly.
We try to keep ourselves busy and helping our friends in Lombok where we can. We are waiting till the government declares the islands safe again and we can get a team of engineers in to assess the buildings and help us to make a plan.
What feels like the end is often the beginning
I’m so grateful that all of you help me to SHARE my story and please keep doing so. We need the help of our friends and strangers to get back on our feet. The target of our crowd funding campaign is not enough to build a new house but it will helps us to keep our staff and get through the first 6 months. We both still have huge debts behind our names and with no income it will be a struggle to keep paying our monthly reimbursements. Trust me when I say that every little bit helps.
Love Rose
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