BOAT PEOPLE TRUE SURVIVAL STORY

This photograph has nothing to do with the story below. It was taken from a

UNHCR calendar published in 1987. This photograph is an authentic picture

of a Vietnamese refugee boat after it landed on El Nido, Palawan, Philippines.

**MY GREAT ADVENTURE**.....
Written by Hoa, Group 57 El Nido Palawan.....

Crossing the ocean was challenging but a great journey.

I was barely sixteen years old when I bravely crossed the vast South China Sea in search of freedom. I went on a small fishing boat with a group of my compatriots and we decided to head to a safe haven. After three excruciating days sailing, eating and drinking too little, our engine suddenly broke down. Then there was a rainstorm with strong winds that brought gigantic waves. I was so afraid that the boat would capsize. I was wet, cold, and starving. I couldn’t move my feet because they were numb. The fearful children started crying and screaming, calling their mothers. I looked up in the air and saw that the sky was dark. There was no sunshine at all. It seemed as though that the nights and days had become one. “Will this be the end of my life?” I whispered to myself.

The boat owner had stopped navigating and just let the boat drift to nowhere. We were almost out of food and water. I ate dried salted fish to ease me of my hunger. We shared every drop of the water that we had. Many people on the boat were crying while praying. We saved drinking water for the children so that they wouldn’t suffer from deadly dehydration. We were desperate for food and water. To make matter worse, we discovered that the boat was leaking. Instead of panicking, we remained focused and took turns to scoop the sea water out so that it wouldn’t fill the boat and sink it.

I was asked to run errands up and down the lower and upper decks while the boat mechanic was trying his best to fix the broken engine. Thirty-four hours later the sun came up and it burned our skins. We were extremely hungry and thirsty. I thought I was going to die. As I was about to close my eyes to pray, the boat engine started running again. With renewed hope we looked up the sky and thanked God. The boat started heading to its destination. Finally, we landed on Philippine Islands where we were welcomed by the very friendly and generous Filipino people. These caring and loving Filipinos gave us food and shelter and expected nothing in return from us.  One week later, we were all transported to the PFAC Refugee Center on Palawan Islands.

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