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A False Sense of Security led to a Neighborhood Barbeque

California is a great place to live. It is mostly sunny and warm outside. There are many great things you can do in California. You can go to the beach and have a nice relaxing time listening to the sound of the waves flowing to the shore or go fishing in one of the many lakes California has to offer.

It is a beautiful place in which to live. The only disadvantage of living in California is that earthquakes can occur at any time. It was February 20, 1994 around 3 o'clock am, and I was in a deep sleep.

It was Martin Luther King Jr. day, which meant there was a day off from school. Suddenly I heard the sound of some crows cawing. I woke up, flew out of my bed, and looked out of the window. The darkness of the sky prevented me from seeing clearly were the noise was coming from. I kept looking around and, finally I had seen something, it wasn't that clear.

There seem to be about a dozen crows outside perching on the telephone lines. I found that to be very strange. Usually I am not easily woken by crows. I am not a superstitious person, but crows usually represent that something bad is about to occur just like back cat.

I didn't let that bother me and attempted to go back to bed. The noise just kept on going. Frustration began to build inside me, and I had an urge to throw rocks at the crows. Seconds later there was complete silence; apparently the crows flew away.

A few seconds later, the ground started shaking. At that moment I lost my breath and was extremely terrified. I felt as if I was sailing on a stormy night. I jumped off my bed and stepped on to the floor. As I was standing on the ground I felt like I was about to fall, but I tried to keep my balance. I ran to my parents' room and opened their door.

The floor was moving as if the waves of the ocean were flowing to the shore. That image stayed in my mind like a photograph. My dad walked toward the living room. He attempted to open the living room door, but the door was stuck to the wall.

I saw the fish tank that was in the living room. The fish tank was shaking so hard that some drops of water managed to fall on to the floor. I was worried about my pet fish; I hoped that the fish tank didn't fall and break.

It took my dad three hard pulls to open the living room door, and at about that same time the earthquake was over. My mother moved all of the breakable objects away from us so they wouldn't harm us. We all sat on the couch together waiting for the sun to rise.

My sister was extremely scared. I remember how the tears from her eyes kept on pouring down her face the way a water faucet drips when it is partly open. My two-year-old brother didn't seem scared. He just had his eyes wide open like a fish. I was happy that my little brother didn't seem scared because I wouldn't want to see him cry.

My dad went to find a flashlight because the electricity went out. I was seven years old and not very comfortable with darkness. In fact, I was afraid of the dark. When he came back he turned on the flashlight with a built in radio. The reporter from the radio was informing us in what areas of the state the earthquake had affected. He had a distressed voice.

Some of our neighbors came over to see if we were okay. One of my best friends came over which made me a little more comfortable because we were there experiencing the same thing together. We were supporting each other. We kept on saying that everything was going to be okay.

They ended up staying with us all night. As we all waited for the sun to rise, there were several aftershocks that lasted for a few seconds. To me each felt like minutes. I felt scared because earthquakes and the aftershocks are unpredictable. All I could do was pray.

As time passed, the sun began to rise giving us a false sense of security now that we could see our surroundings. I checked my pet fish, and they were alright. Then I headed to the back yard; everything seemed normal. My pet bunnies were unharmed. Then, I entered the garage, and it was a mess.

The tools were all over the ground, and some of the light bulbs were broken. I went back to the living room and told my mother what I had seen. She didn't feel upset. She was actually a little more relieved that the earthquake was over and the sun was out. We all felt relieved.

This earthquake may have broken many of our material possessions, but it brought us together as a family and as good neighbors. Our whole neighborhood organized a barbeque, and we all talked about the incident that had just occurred. As a person, this experience has only made me stronger, and it made me realize I should not take things for granted.

I value the moments that my family spends together even more. I value life and am happy to be alive everyday. During one moment of the earthquake I feared of dying. The only ones I turned to during that time were my parents, but especially God.

I prayed to God for everything to turn out fine. My faith toward God is much greater than before. I believe that what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

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