What happened?

Katherine - The Philippines

My memory isn't clear but I can remember alot of things. It has been my worst nightmare.

So, when I woke up, I was coughing really hard... A guy, full of bleeding wounds, sat next to me. His clothes were ripped open. I slowly sat up and noticed where I was... I laid on a huge shelve. There were other shelves around and a few people sat on them. And then I noticed: The huge hall was FULL of water, broken stuff, trees, etc.
I asked the guys what happened, because at first I couldn't remember clearly. He told me that the group of people in the hall stayed safe. They tried to find other people in the hall and around. He told me that he found me, because I was the lucky one, who was saved by a simple tree... Seems like I tried to hold myself on a tree that was stuck in the mall..
Well, I was bloody and pale by the cold water, but that was not even the worst thing that happened in that moment. Only seconds later I saw my worst nightmare in front of my eyes. Dead bodies swam all around us. I threw up right in the next moment.
The guy next to me helped me back up and explained to me that it all happened two nights ago. 
We stayed there for another 4 days. We tried to make signals for the people outside, because we heard helicopters and planes flying by all the time.
Then, the 4th day, it finally ended. I remember when people with neoprene clothes finally cut the door open and came in with small boats and laterns. They gave signals to the helicopter. I just hoped my sisters were okay.

We were flown to the Philippines. I tried to get those terrible pictures out of my head but they've been stuck in my head until today.

We arrived in a huge tent. We were patched up and weren't allowed to leave the tent. Policemen  and psychologists visited us from time to time, but back then I wasn't able to remember as clearly as I remember now.

After I successfully recovered and reobtained some of my memories, the nightmare continued when I tried to find my family. I ran all around the tent, screamed and broke down in tears when I couldn't find them.

That was the last memory of that day before I woke up somewhere else. They brought me away from the tent. I wanted to go back so badly but I didn't know where to go. I was alone.

I decided to start a new chapter of my life. I helped poor families in the streets to overcome my own nightmare. I wanted to make it all better. Soon, I was taken by a family.