the flood pt. 2

I went back to the shelter on campus to volunteer today.  It was much like yesterday.  Hundreds of people lining up and passing things from one person to the next, from supply truck to storage room, to sorting to distribution.  We passed bags of water bottles, bags of rice, bags of clothes, bags of noodles, bags of hygiene products... bags and bags and bags.  The gym at Thammasat is being used as relief headquarters for our town, Rangsit.  My friend Aom and I stayed in the passing lines for more than 2 hours, and still more trucks were expected to show up.  It is awesome to see the community giving so much in this time of need.  But at the same time, having all of those bags pass through my hands shows me just how big this situation is, and how many people are/will be affected by it. 

The end of a passing line.  I tried not to be that farang (foreigner) who was just standing there taking pictures.

After that, Aom and I went to help sort donated clothes for distribution.  We sorted in a room with about 20 other people, and after 3 hours, it did not look like we even made a dent in the mountains of bags sitting in the hallway.

On our way from the passing lines to the clothes sorting room, we passed through the main gymnasium where many evacuees are finding shelter while their homes are flooded.  I had heard estimates of over 3000 people, but I did not imagine how many of those people were children.  It made me realize that these are not just "people," they are real families.  Who had real homes.  And now they are sleeping on a carpet-sized bamboo mat in a gym with 1000 other people, not knowing what they will return to.  Most people only had one or two large traveling bags with them-- their remaining possessions. 

The only two pictures I was brave enough to take as we were walking through the gym.  I think if I were them, I would not want people taking a million pictures either.  These two pictures do not even show half of the gym.

The sight of it all brought a lump to the back of my throat, stopping me in my tracks as the reality of my surroundings set in.  The air became thicker, the faces became real, and my wants and needs became less significant.