Susan Semmler rode out the cyclone in Yangon, Myanmar, last week. She came through the storm shaken, but unharmed.
The 1994 New London-Spicer graduate -- whose parents, the Rev. Duane and Mary Semmler, live in rural New London -- has experienced power outages and the inflated costs of scarce food, water and gasoline since the storm.
But she has also witnessed a spirit of gratitude in the Burmese people who survived the storm and are used to living with little.
She has been in communication with her parents and recently sent them a quickly penned journal, excerpts of which follow.
On May 3 at 3:45 a.m., I sat in my 6th floor apartment while cyclone Nargis (in the U.S., we call them hurricanes) raged on thinking, "I am just a small-town girl from Minnesota. How did I get mixed up in all of this and what am I doing here? I wish I was Dorothy so I could click my heels and end up in my bedroom on Lake Andrew! First it was the October civil unrest and now this!" Between then and now I have found a few answers and I know at least a few reasons why I am here. Here is my tale of the last 4 days:
ADVERTISEMENT
By 4:30 a.m., still in the dark of night, I was really scared as I heard things crashing above me and on each side. I called my neighbor who calmly told me that it was 'just the roof' peeling off and the interior roof collapsing. It was unsafe for me to leave at this point with winds up to 180mph whipping through the halls with debris. So I stayed put until about 5 a.m. and when the winds died down, made a mad dash for the secure stairwell to go to my friends on a lower level.
By 11 a.m., it was safe enough to go out and assess the damages. To my shock and relief, people started crawling out of their hiding places amongst the rubble in a dazed state. I saw utter destruction though. Every tree seemed to be down. The massive seven story tree near my window crashed to the opposite side of our building. The roots dangled like an octopus in mid air!
Four years ago, I left the relative ease of suburban life in the Twin Cities to find adventure in the world. I enjoyed travel so I thought I had nothing to lose by just packing up and moving somewhere. That somewhere landed me in Myanmar, the country in my school days at NLS was called Burma. I can honestly say that I have learned more about people, places, politics, the world image of the U.S. and life in general in the past four years than I had in all my others combined. I still have some of the 'Why bad things happen to good people' questions dancing in my head but at least in this time of need, I know why I am here and hope I can continue to support the people who have been my family for the last four years.
I ask for your prayers in the days ahead.
All my Love, Susan
