I was just thinking about a short article I read that described what many people had gone through during the last century. It went along like - "Imagine if you were born in Europe in 1910. You could have experienced World War I and survived it. Then came the Spanish Flu and it is possible that you could have also survived that pandemic. Then came World War II, and again it was possible that you could have survived that terrible experience. If you were in Eastern Europe, perhaps you could have endured the Cold War period and lived to see the end of the Iron Curtain..."
Where were you when Mt. Pinatubo erupted? This and similar questions we usually asked ourselves, jokingly or seriously, when we converse about major events or incidents - at least those that are considered so in written history. Here goes a few for my case:
Where were you when Martial Law was declared in 1972? I was still a baby; 7 months old to be a bit precise. We were already residing in Mandaluyong at the time when Martial Law was declared.
Where were you during the 1986 People Power revolution? I was at home as classes were suspended then. I was in Second Year of High School.
Where were you during the earthquake of July 1990? I was at home, taking a nap when I woke up to our home shaking and people shouting for us to go outside. Later that day, we watched the news on TV to learn about what happened in other areas including the collapse of buildings in Baguio City and the liquefaction in other cities.
Where were you during the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991? I was heading home and riding a jeepney when it became dark. The ash fell as I was a couple of kilometers from home. I caught the news when I arrived home and we all were awed at the succeeding chain of events including the lahar flows and the ultimate pull-out of the US from Subic and Clark.
Where were you when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1992? I was in University and I remember our classmates who resided in the dormitories going back during breaks to catch the news on the TV at the dorms. More so when US and its allies launched Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait and invade Iraq for the transgression and allegations of keeping weapons of mass destruction. There was no internet or social media like what we had now that allowed us to have updates every minute.
Where were you when Mt. Pinatubo erupted? This and similar questions we usually asked ourselves, jokingly or seriously, when we converse about major events or incidents - at least those that are considered so in written history. Here goes a few for my case:
Where were you when Martial Law was declared in 1972? I was still a baby; 7 months old to be a bit precise. We were already residing in Mandaluyong at the time when Martial Law was declared.
Where were you during the 1986 People Power revolution? I was at home as classes were suspended then. I was in Second Year of High School.
Where were you during the earthquake of July 1990? I was at home, taking a nap when I woke up to our home shaking and people shouting for us to go outside. Later that day, we watched the news on TV to learn about what happened in other areas including the collapse of buildings in Baguio City and the liquefaction in other cities.
Where were you during the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991? I was heading home and riding a jeepney when it became dark. The ash fell as I was a couple of kilometers from home. I caught the news when I arrived home and we all were awed at the succeeding chain of events including the lahar flows and the ultimate pull-out of the US from Subic and Clark.
Where were you when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1992? I was in University and I remember our classmates who resided in the dormitories going back during breaks to catch the news on the TV at the dorms. More so when US and its allies launched Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait and invade Iraq for the transgression and allegations of keeping weapons of mass destruction. There was no internet or social media like what we had now that allowed us to have updates every minute.
Where were you when 9/11 happened? I was in Saitama, Japan at the time and we just came back from dinner out and some ice cream with friends when we were greeted by shocked students and researchers at the International House.
Where were you when Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) wreaked havoc in the Philippines? I was at home and both at awe of nature's power and shocked at the onslaught (caught on news cameras) and outcomes of this powerful typhoon.
The list goes on and I guess we can add the Covid-19 pandemic to this list of "where were you's". What others can you add to this?
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