Finally on our boat, our only way to a better life. People had already started becoming seasick as soon as the boat left shore. Women and children clearly wanted to leave, we couldn’t do anything about it though. The smell of the salty ocean never leaves me alone to this day. Thunder, waves clashing with rage, everyone on the Palapa starts roughly swinging left to right. Children start screaming, crying, the women start praying asking for forgiveness of their sins, the men supporting their families telling them everything will be ok. We all knew it wasn’t though, the Palapa started breaking apart… too many people on board! Although there was so much ruckus I decided to fall asleep, just to avoid disaster happening in front of my eyes. Though asleep I could still hear the cries of children. I opened my eyes, it’s the next day, we lived, thank goodness. I got up looking outside to see the men putting objects on the floor, it spelt SOS my dad told me. I didn’t know what it meant nor did I bother to ask. Time passed by and finally our saviours came to rescue us. The Tampa with its crew. We boarded onto the Tampa leaving everything behind. We spent 10 days on the Tampa with hopes we would make it to Australia. The news hit us that no country, even Australia, wanted to take us in, we were bad people in their eyes. 

New Zealand on the other hand was willing to take 150 refugees into their country. We were saved.

I couldn’t fully go to sleep even though I was super tired, I could only think about food at that moment, why was it so hot? “Wake up” I heard as I slowly drifted off to sleep, “we have to go, the bus is here.” I immediately got out of bed. I looked around to see darkness with only a hint of moonlight shining through the door cracks. I saw shadows moving around swiftly. I grabbed my bag, snatching the stuff I needed. Clothes, books, maps, toys, food, anything that would help me get through the trip. I zipped up my bag as soon as I finished, dashing out the door and sprinting to my family who had already gone ahead of me. They didn’t seem too distant so I made it easily. Once I had reached them I slowed my pace to speed walk with them. Knowing that I ran to my family, absolutely draining the power out of my legs especially with speed walking, we still couldn’t stop or we’d miss the bus. I was starving, it was somehow very cold, the taste of my morning breath was something I couldn’t bear any longer, I could just smell the danger from a mile away. After walking for what felt like centuries I spotted my only way to freedom “THE BUS” I loudly whispered, suddenly all my senses disappeared, my only focus was the beautiful bus that was going to get my family and I out of this horrendous place. I wanted to run to the bus, I just didn’t want to leave my family behind.