25 years since I turned 7

Yesterday, I saw BPI's tweet about Pampanga's holiday to commemorate Mt. Pinatubo eruption's 25th anniversary. So, I realized, it has been 25 years since I turned seven.

It brought back my memories to that unforgettable day. I have had numerous memorable and happy birthday celebrations (as well as non-celebrations), but my seventh birthday should undeniably be a stand out. Seventh birthdays are usually celebrated with a blast (especially nowadays, they're grandiose for kids!), and my seventh birthday was definitely a "blast."

We were in total darkness, with light only coming from candles, flashlights, and lightnings. I do not know if they were simply lightnings or flashes of light from the volcano's eruption. There was a lot going on but an eerie darkness blanketed us that seemed to stop life. There was ash fall, there was rain, and roofs were crushing down from the weight of ash and rain.

If I remember it right, the men in our family tried to partially remove ashes from our roof. Yet, aside from roofs falling due to wet ash fall, there were earthquakes. There were the usual earthquakes, and then there were earthquakes that moved VERTICALLY. I was young then, but I knew that the earth moving up and down was totally scary and wrong. So, hoping to survive whatever comes our way, we stayed under a table for the whole day and/or night (the day felt like night).

It was like an apocalyptic scene, except this was real life. And, it was my birthday.

I was an only child and the only apo back then, so of course we were to celebrate my seventh birthday. I had a table of food to feed my guests (although I cannot remember the food). My invited guests did not arrive, though. My guests were strangers temporarily seeking shelter in our home as they moved away from the north.

I was too young to mingle with them, to know their stories, and to ask where they were going or what were their plans. Now, twenty-five years later, I wonder about them. How are they now? What happened to their homes? How has life been after Mt. Pinatubo unleashed its wrath?

I hope and pray that they feel blessed now. Despite that unfortunate disaster, I really do hope that they are happy just as I feel happy. This post is really about you who has a Mt. Pinatubo (and other disaster) story. For all the people affected by Mt. Pinatubo, especially the people who have passed through our home, and for my 25th birthday after turning seven, CHEERS! :)