Three days later, an SMS from a cousin in Banda Aceh that Muharar's nuclear family was alive allayed some fears. Feeling alone and helpless, he continued in vain to try to reach his mother and sisters. Finally, he made contact with them on Saturday, January 1.
According to Muharar, the women were starting their day when the waist-high water began pouring in. They fled to the local mosque - because it has two floors - and lived there for a couple of days; next, they found refuge with relatives. When Muharar finally reached them, they had left Banda Aceh and were making their way to his hometown of Tapaktuan, South Aceh. Because communication remains difficult, Muharar can rarely contact his family, but takes comfort in the fact that they survived the tsunami.
His mother and sisters traveled with one of Muharar's cousins who had a harrowing escape from the violent waves of the tsunami. That morning the university student was riding his motorcycle to the beachside neighborhood of Uleeheu where he was to work on his practicum. Suddenly he saw a wave of water `as high as a palm tree' coming at him. He turned around and gunned the motorcycle. Each time he looked back, the giant wave was still following him. He told Muharar it was just like in a movie. Around him, to his horror, he saw people being swept away and buildings collapsing. Miraculously the cousin escaped unharmed. The area of Uleeheu, however, was pulverized.
Muharar's roommate, Saiful, is also from the Aceh province. He left on Friday, December 31 for Indonesia to learn the fate of his family who were living in Meulahboh, another city decimated by the tsunami. Sunday, January 2, he sent Muharar an SMS telling him that he had found his wife and family in good condition.
These are stories of the lucky survivors of the fury of the tsunami. Their fate, however, remains uncertain. Muharar estimates that it will take years, maybe even a decade, to restore the Aceh province to what it once was. Beyond essential matters like food and housing, Muharar points out logistical issues that seem trivial in a life and death situation, but which complicate one's subsequent survival. For instance, his family lost all forms of identity - from birth certificates to college diplomas. One sister lost her job because the place of work was destroyed by the tsunami. Another sister was studying at the Syiah Kuala University in Banda Aceh. The university remains intact, but many of its lecturers and students are dead or reported missing. How a community picks itself up after such a colossal disaster is mind-boggling.
At the UT, Muharar and other Indonesian students are working to support the relief effort. PhD student Sri Nurdiati, the coordinator for the Netherlands Chapter of KZIS-Isnet, a network of Muslim students from Indonesia all over the world, is leading the campaign. Nurdiati is grateful for the 8000 euros already collected, ninety percent of which have been used in remote areas of Aceh which remain neglected by the media and, thus, most international relief organizations. To learn more about Aceh Care Fund, visit: http://kzisbelandapeduliaceh.blogspot.com/
Concerning the plight of Indians working or studying at the UT, Shankara Narayanan, an active member of the UT Indian community, shares good news, `As far as my knowledge goes, none of the UT Indians were affected by the Tsunami. However, the family of Mr. B.A. Balaji Adhimoolam, a TNW PhD student, had it close. The sea stopped just 50 meters in front of their house in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu. Thankfully, his family members were safe inside the house.'
Manish Arora, a representative of AADHAAR (An Association for the Development of Health and Academic Awareness in Rural India), reports that the group is working with like-minded organizations in western Holland - FCCI (Foundation for Critical Choices for India) and NIA (Netherlands India Institute), to name a few - to construct a building to serve the dual purpose of school and rehabilitation center for women and children affected by the tsunami in the Tamil Nadu state. A fundraiser will take place in the coming months; see the AADHAAR website (http://www.aadhaar.com/) for details as to how to make a contribution to Tsunami Relief Fund India.
The media have directed most of their attention to Indonesia, India, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Other regions, however, also suffered damage as a result of the tsunami. One tiny country virtually overlooked is the Seychelle Islands, north of Madagascar. Although there were no casualities, four-meter high tidal waves and subsequent monsoon rains left a trail of infrastructural destruction. Vinod Morar, an employee of the TSM Business School, knows the Seychelles well, as his partner, Gerda Didon, is Seychellois. Didon expresses relief that her family's homes were spared. Like many expatriates in her position, she says, `I would surely want to go back home even if there is hardly anything I can do.'
In the wake of the tsunami, Didon ponders, `Given what happened, I will try and complain less now and learn more how to appreciate life, which is so fragile.'
.aut Kristin Zimmerman
A model airplane surrounded by tsunami. Photo taken by Mr. Tifatul Sembiring in Aceh
