Ten Days of Protest

                                                    .   Ten Days of Protest

  Imagine if all the trucks in Brazil suddenly stopped moving, that is what happened in

2018 and caused paralyzation for ten days. In May 2018, truckers from all over the country

stopped their truckers on the highway and stayed there for ten days. The reason was to promote a

protest because the diesel increased by 50% in twelve months. The protesters demanded a

reduction of taxes. This manifestation was also a form of protest against the corrupt government

at the time. The 2018 Brazilian truckers strike caused problems for my family fish business,

leading to financial difficulties, and impacting our family relationships.

  Brazil's dependence on trucks for daily transportation, with 60% of goods traveling by

road, the protest had a huge impact on the country. When the strike began, Brazilian people

started to see the effects of the strike at the very beginning. People could not go to their

workplaces or school. Medication, gasoline, and food started to disappear in the first days of the

protest. All kinds of businesses and people started to suffer the consequences of the strike, and

the economy in Brazil also began to decline.

In addition, my family business was one of the companies that had to deal with the

consequences of the trucker’s strike. My family has a fish company. They fish, and then the

company imports and exports the fish to various continents, like North America, Asia, and

Europe. Because of the protest, some of our trucks with fish inside got stuck on the highway. The

company had to deal with angry clients, debts, and loss of clients due to the non-delivery of fish

because of the strike. The company also lost a lot of goods. No one in the company was

expecting the strike to be that big. It was a surprise event, that brought serious consequences to

Brazil in only ten days.

  However, the financial burden was not the only bad consequence that the strike brought

for my family and me, it also impacted my family dynamics. My grandfather started the

company when he was in his twenties, he started selling fish in the street, and with a lot of effort,

he was able to create his own business. Since I was young, I saw the love that all my family has

for the company, so when they saw the consequences of the manifestation things changed

quickly. My grandparents used to live in Florida. They enjoyed it a lot, but because of the

problems, and to work more accurately, my grandparents had to go back to live in Brazil. It was

a difficult time for my grandparents to go back to Brazil because of business problems. They

were never able to go back to living in Florida because COVID-19 started, and when it ended,

they were too old to continue there alone. The results of the manifestation caused a lot of stress

in my family, especially to my grandparents who are very attached to the company and had to

give up from their life in Florida.

  In conclusion, the trucker's strike was an event that affected all of Brazil. The country had

to deal with the consequences of the strike, making the economy worse, and the lack of food,

medication, and gasoline was a difficult situation for everyone. Additionally, it causes emotional

and economic problems for my family. The company had to deal with high debts, and angry

clients for a while because of the manifestation, and my grandparents and father suffered a lot

emotionally to see the the company going badly. Even though we had those bad moments, my

family rebuilt, and my grandparents are now better, and happy to be close to their family.

Horrible Moment

 On April 25, 2015, I was having lunch with my family at home when the ground suddenly started shaking, and there was loud noise. We were all confused and at the same time terrified with everything that was happening. We began running trying to find safe place. As I think of it now, I can still feel the vibrations. It was an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8, and the epicenter was in Gorkha, Nepal. This was the first time in history that an earthquake of this magnitude had occurred in the country. After that, there were several aftershocks, including one with a magnitude of 6.3 just ten minutes later. The shocks continued to occur repeatedly. After that catastrophe, we lost some of our close relatives and friends, struggled with finances, and also there was damage to our home.

More than a thousand people lost their lives, and more than twenty-five thousand got injured. I lost my best friend, Bina the same day. She was inside her home when it collapsed. Bina’s family was also inside the house, so everyone died on the spot. We were other same age; she was only twenty years old. We often used to hang out together. She had been a great friend, and I have beautiful memories with her. During those days there was lack of resources, and many people died because they did not get medical attention on time. My mother’s sister also died in the earthquake due to the same reason. She used to live in the village of Lamjung.

Besides these horrible deaths, many buildings and houses were damaged during the earthquake. More than 750,000 houses collapsed around Nepal. Many houses were made of concrete, including my house. The walls of my house were destroyed. Pipes were damaged, all the windows were broken, and many more things were damaged, throughout the home. As a result of the damage, my mom said that my sister and I were going to the town to live with my grandmother. At that time, it was hard to get any public vehicle, but We somehow managed to go to the village. In addition, historic temples and historic buildings, which were built between the twelfth and eighth centuries, were also destroyed. Tragically, royal palaces in Kathmandu, and Durbar Square in Bhaktapur were also affected. All these historic buildings were collapsed, which resulted in loss of thousands of years of architecture and culture.

            Finally, the price of everything started increasing. The GDP decreased by twenty billion, which was only half the budget. My family also faced financial problems, as the prices of goods were outrageous. My mother lost her job. After that, we struggled more for everyday goods. My mom had to borrow money from relatives. so, we could buy food. We used to buy less expensive foods and could not afford chicken because it very expensive.

This single earthquake changed the entire country and everyones lives. Many lives were lost, and many were injured. I lost my beloved friend and a close relative. My family faced financial problems, shortage of food and also our house was damaged. However, many Nepaleese came together and helped each other. People shared the limited resources they had, provided emotional support to each other. After the earthquake, I learned many things including people’s resilience and how they come together in the face of adversity. From this experience, I understood the importance of having community.

Unexpected Changes

 The Nagorno-Karabakh is an ethnic and territorial conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The first Nagorno-Karabakh War happened in 1994 and lasted two years. However, The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has a long history, even before the first war. During the Soviet period, Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh were discriminated against Armenians remained the majority population. In 1988 Nagorno Karabakh referendum was held to transfer the region to Armenia. This decision led to pogroms against Armenians across Azerbaijan. Moreover, Nagorno-Karabakh was claimed and controlled by the Republic of Artsakh but was recognizable internationally as a part of Azerbaijan. Between 1988 and 1994 the estimated number of people that were killed was 40,000. Therefore, The Nagorno-Karabakh War was the beginning of changes in the history of Azerbaijan, and my father’s family experienced changes in their life as well.

My father and his family started to experience changes in 1990 during The Nagorno-Karabakh War. Azerbaijan faced a crisis in 1990 during the “Black January” which was one of the massacres in The Nagorno-Karabakh War history. The Black January crisis led to mass protests against the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, internal politics, and criticism toward Ayaz Mutallibov’s political point of view. Ayaz Mutallibov was the first president of Azerbaijan after its separation from the Soviet Union in 1991. My grandfather was onKhojalytallibov’s supporters. It is the main reason why The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict unexpectedly affected and changed my grandfather’s life.

In 1992 my grandfather escaped Azerbaijan. The reason for my grandfather to escape was that Mutallibov faced accusations that led to not being safe in Azerbaijan due to protests, murders, and attacks from Armenia. Consequently, he decided to leave Azerbaijan as soon as possible, and my grandfather left Azerbaijan too. My grandfather left his family back in Azerbaijan. No one knew where he could be, how to reach him, or if he was even alive.  It was not safe for his family to be with him, but they also were not safe in Azerbaijan. People could break into their house to find my father or his siblings, so they could tell where my grandfather went. My father used to hide in the basement of their house for days, so no one could find or hurt him. Later my father, his two siblings, and my grandmother left Azerbaijan. My father experienced those changes for years. Even though it lasted for years, it had its end. A few years later, when the president was replaced, the first Nagorno-Karabakh war and the post-crisis period were over my grandfather and his family came back to Azerbaijan. However, their life was not the same. 

Another significant change that was part of The Nagorno-Karabakh War was the Khojaly massacre that happened in 1992. The Khojaly massacre became the largest massacre in Nagorno-Karabakh’s history. During the night of February 25 to 26, Armenian forces went to the Khojaly district and attacked at least a thousand Azerbaijanis, not including approximately a thousand people who could run away and died of cold or got missed. Khojaly massacre also was one of the changes in the history of Nagorno-Karabakh. In addition, now, Azerbaijan has The Alley of Martyrs, a cemetery, and a memorial that is in the capital of Azerbaijan- Baku. It is a memorial for all innocent civilians and soldiers who gave their lives to protect their homeland. 

In conclusion, The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict changed everyone’s life in Azerbaijan and Armenia. Nowadays, it still does unexpectedly change many people’s lives. Millions of innocent people were murdered because of this conflict. In my opinion, war is not an option to solve any kind of conflict. However, I hope that someday The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be over, and people will live in peace.

 

Heavy Wave

         Before 1998, Indonesia was in the golden era of its economy. However, when Southeast Asia countries got hit hard by economic crisis in 1997, Indonesia’s economic situation went south. According to the local newspaper in Solo, Indonesia, at that period, Indonesia got the hardest hit by the crisis. It was not only for its economy but also for its political conditions. In addition, the same year in 1997, Indonesia had a presidential election. The party that had ruled for thirty-two years won the election. The same President, President Soeharto, is well-known for his dictatorship and the most corrupt government. During the presidential transformation between 1997-1998, Indonesia’s economy showed a massive decline. There was a rumor spread across Indonesia, that the winner of the Presidential Election was cheating on the election. With all the rumors spreading across Indonesia regarding cheating and corruption along with the economic failure, this made the public and the supporters of the presidential winner upset. As a result, a tremendous riot to overthrow the current government happened during that time. In 1998, Indonesia was in a state of chaos and the economy was crushed. Massive unemployment followed by a high inflation rate and public distrust for the government contributed to the chaos. These short and long-term effects of the economic crisis seeped into all aspects of Indonesia’s economic structures, including my family, my family business, and myself. 

The economy in Indonesia had been slowing down, and my family business went downhill little by little. On top of massive unemployment, the government decided to raise the gasoline price. On the other hand, the rupiah, Indonesia currency, had become weaker. When the currency became weaker this was an indication of inflation. Moreover, the cost of production in my family business tripled compared to before the economic crisis. The prices for almost all of the components needed for the production went up three or four times than usual. These uncertain conditions and the news of rising gasoline prices by the government put the majority of people in Indonesia in difficult circumstances. Their situation was as unsteady as a boat on the heavy waves. Many people panicked and started to stock up essentials and gasoline supplies before the prices went up. Consequently, there was shortage of essentials and gasoline in the market, and it caused all the prices to be more expensive before the gasoline price surged. 

Furthermore, Indonesia’s economic crisis caused financial hardship and ruined my parents’ relationship. My family business barely made enough money to run the business and to provide for my family. There were almost no customers for the business nearly every day. There was no chances for most people in Indonesia to buy other more than bare essentials. Eventually, my parents laid off all their staff because they could not afford their salaries. I still remember vividly when my parents were arguing all the time. The debts, the groceries, the payments for school, and others that needed to be paid were delayed. For this reason, my father was barely at home because he was swamped maintaining the family business by himself. A few years later, my family business was closed permanently. 

If I could turn back time, I would, for my family’s sake. Nevertheless, all these situations made me more resilient and independent, and I became the breadwinner for my family. Regret did not change anything afterward. After I graduated from high school, I decided to go to work instead of going to college to help my parents. My parents had been through a lot of hardship for all those years. It was a hard decision to give up college and look for a job, since I was accepted in one of the good universities in Medan, Indonesia. My parents insisted that I go to college. However, I did not want to burden my parents with expensive college expenses. I eventually moved to Medan, not to go to college but to get a job. I got a job as a sales marketing agent. After a few years of dedication, I got promoted to a better position. Finally, I made a decent income over the years, and I sent some of my income to my parents every month to cover my parents' living expenses. Additionally, I have been able to pay for my siblings' educations, even up to this present.  

In the end, the short and long-term effects of Indonesia’s economic crisis had taught me a lot of lessons. If my family business had not been ruined by the economic crisis in Indonesia in that period, I might not be as resilient and strong as I am today. Perhaps I would never have landed my feet in the United States. Every setback is a setup for a comeback, and now, I come back stronger than before. There is a turning point after a dark situation. In my humble opinion, if someone never gives up in life and is always positive, the challenging situations will bring more opportunities to grow for the better.