When 24-year-old Susan Barnett decided to go to Thailand to teach English her parents were fearful but excited for her. "She has always been interested in Asian culture and this was a way for her to learn more about Asia and get some experience teaching," said Janet Barnett, Susan's mother and the deputy director of the city's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Activities department. "We were a bit fearful but very proud of her."
Susan Barnett left in November and began teaching at a school in Phuket, Thailand. The school has just over 1000 students.
"She was having a terrific experience," Janet Barnett said. "She was scheduled to finish her teaching contract this week and was planning to travel throughout Asia, returning home in March."
THE DAY AFTER Christmas, Janet Barnett and her husband Ken did not know that there had been a disaster in Thailand. "We really didn't know anything had happened until we got a call from a friend at the State Department who asked if we had heard from Susan," Janet Barnett said. "When we checked, Susan had sent her father an e-mail letting us know that she was all right. We didn't have the anguish that many people had, wondering if their relatives and friends were all right because when we heard about the disaster, we already had a message from Susan."
The area where Susan Barnett's apartment is located was not badly damaged. "Here, things are relatively normal," Susan Barnett said in a telephone conversation from Phuket on Tuesday. "It's just at the beaches where things are really bad; cars are overturned; homes have been completely destroyed and there is debris everywhere. People who live near the shore are without the basic necessities and have no money to replace them."
Susan Barnett has kept a diary of her experiences since Dec. 26. "I woke up this morning, brushed my teeth, washed my face, got dressed and went out to buy a coffin," she wrote on Dec. 27. "I never expected to have a morning like this,
I am so confused right now. These past few days have been a living hell. Constant sorrow. I think of things that I could do to pass the time. I was craving my favorite pizza shop where I eat when I need a break from rice. Not only is it impossible to eat there because the shop has been destroyed; but I found out that the owner had been killed by the wave.
I saw many Thai people walking around who had nothing left. One of the scariest moments of the day was when the announcer requested strong men to volunteer to help carry dead bodies," she wrote.
SUSAN BARNETT WENT back to school on Jan. 3. "We talked to the kids about their families and what they need," she said. "Some of them have lost everything so it's hard to know where to start. I have been going out to buy what I can: toothpaste, food, those sorts of things. What they really need are homes, a place to live. It's just amazing."
Although Susan Barnett's teaching position is slated to end this week, she plans to stay on. "I've met so many wonderful people here and, as long as I can be of some help, I think I'll stay," she said.
Agudas Achim Synagogue has sent money to the school where Susan Barnett teaches and her friends have sent money. There are many charities collecting funds for the victims of the tsunami. For more information about how to help, visit http://www.state.gov to find links to nonprofits.