Sandy Storm Part 2

This week has been physically and emotional draining. 5 days with out power or water really puts you life in perspective. When I got my power back friday night I did a little celebration dance in the kitchen. Then when my hot water came back I stood in the shower for 30 minutes almost crying because I was so thankful. I'm was even more thankful for my situation when I got back to school monday. Half of the class wasn't even there because they either lost their homes or couldn't get to school. I've talked to so many people in my classes and at work that had their houses flooded, some still don't have electricity and some don't have a place to call home anymore.

It's always interesting to see how you put your own life in perspective in a situation like this. I was really lucky having an apartment on the 5th floor so nothing happened to it, even tough or building got flooded. I am very thankful that I have Emily here on Manhattan, and that she and Quinn opened up their home to me. They were my security in all this, even tough they didn't have power either, they kept me from freaking out.

It's also interesting how other people react. I'm especially thinking of this weekend when I worked at the store. Some came in to buy 700 dollar jackets so they could donate their old ones, some came in with no money and really needed a warm jacket, a lot of the costumers were tourist finally being able to shop after 5 days in darkness. I also meet hundreds of marathon runners, of course most of them were disappointed not to be able to run, but so many helped out by volunteering and raising money.

So now it's time for the next storm. The city isn't ready for it, yet here it comes. My school is closed once again and everybody is holding their breath for what is going to happen. I went out for a walk a while ago, and I must say I miss the snow. I haven't had any winter since December in Oslo, so I'm excited for a real one this year. But when it's windy like it is outside right now I get a little scared. I hear the windows shaking and I always think back to the night Estonia sank. I still remember looking out the window to see my mom leave for a parent-teacher conference at my school. I always get this uneasy feeling when I look out the window and see the darkness, the rainy/snowy weather and hear the wind. So I hope this storm will go by quickly and that we don't get our 'real' snow until a few more weeks.