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On this memorable and crucial occasion – 2011, we witnessed Ms. Julianne step gracefully and steadily onto the stage of receiving the award.
She firmly clenched the trophy of the Colin Prize for Literature in her hand, her expression focused and proud, her eyes shining with joy and emotion.
At this moment, her mind echoed the thrilling experience of ten years ago that almost changed the trajectory of fate, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes again. "Distinguished guests, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude once again to all of you for your selfless support and full recognition. Ms. Julianne took a deep breath, tried to calm her excitement and solemnly declared, "The plane crash ten years ago completely turned the trajectory of my life upside down."
In her predicament, she once looked for a way out in the dark, once lost on the verge of despair, however, she never gave up her desire to survive.
She paused for a moment, blinked her tired eyes vigorously, and then spoke affectionately: "The birth of this personal memoir is not only a profound reflection on my extraordinary experience, but also a courageous attempt at self-redemption. ”
Through the power of words, she finds the tenacity in her heart and the true meaning of life.
Ms. Julianne's gaze swept over the audience like a blooming audience, and she expressed her most sincere gratitude to every supporter, family and friend, which undoubtedly brought her endless courage and motivation to move forward.
When she recalls the hardships of being trapped in the Amazon jungle a decade ago, her heart is still filled with fear.
It was a quiet and peaceful Christmas Eve in December 1971, and with the joy of expecting to be reunited with her father, Ms. Julian boarded Peruvian National Airlines Flight 508 with her mother to Iquitos, located in the Amazon Valley.
However, what was supposed to be a safe and smooth journey turned into a heart-wrenching plane crash.
Whenever she talks about those years full of hardship, Ms. Julianne still has lingering palpitations. She vividly remembers that on her first day in the Amazon jungle, she had just woken up from a coma and looked around to see that the dense woods blocked the sky and the sunlight could not penetrate.
Despite her helplessness and fear, she gritted her teeth and persevered through that difficult time.
There was silence all around, only the sound of gurgling water echoed in my ears. She followed the sound of the water and finally found a crystal clear stream. With a dry mouth, she couldn't wait to drink the sweet stream water and feel the beauty of life.
After drinking plenty of water, she began to actively seek out food, recalling her father's admonition that palm buds were a delicate delicacy to be enjoyed.
So, she decisively picked up the sharp knife in her hand, cut the fresh buds on the palm tree, peeled off the hard outer skin, and enjoyed the wonderful young stems inside.
Despite its slightly bitter taste, it is a precious source of energy.
That's it, she sticks to the dual lifestyle of drinking water and eating palm stems, and moves forward steadfastly.
Along the way, she would occasionally encounter thorn branches cutting through her skin, and the blood that flowed quickly attracted the insects of the jungle, who began to harass her endlessly. However, she gritted her teeth and did not let up, always maintaining tenacity and perseverance.
In the blink of an eye, the next day came, and the roar of propellers suddenly sounded overhead, and she immediately realized that it was the helicopter of the search and rescue personnel!
Filled with excitement, she cried out for help urgently, but her throat was too hoarse to make any sound. Seeing the helicopter disappear from view, she burst into tears and fell into an endless abyss of despair.
Just as she had almost given up all hope, she unexpectedly found a narrow path along which she finally found a hut made of rudimentary wood.
The hut was empty except for an engine lying quietly on the ground. There was still a small amount of gasoline left in the engine, which she used to simply disinfect her wounds.
The sudden, severe pain made her almost faint, but she still gritted her teeth and persevered through the painful process.
After a quiet night in the cabin, she heard the sound of people talking outside the next morning. She was full of anticipation, and the moment of rescue was finally coming! Sure enough, several local natives entered the hut and found her in a semi-conscious state.
They immediately lifted her up on a rudimentary wooden frame and took her to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Julianne was stunned when the doctor told her that she was the only survivor of a plane crash.
On Christmas Eve in December 1971, the 17-year-old girl boarded Peruvian National Airlines Flight 508 with her mother to Iquitos, a mysterious city in the Amazon basin, eager to meet her father again.
At first, the flight was extremely smooth and the passengers did not feel any uneasiness.
However, after only half an hour, according to a pre-set procedure, the aircraft had to carry out the ascent command. As the plane climbed upwards at an astonishing 2,000 feet per second, subtle jolts quietly appeared inside the cabin.
Despite this, passengers on this flight do not seem to pay enough attention and be vigilant about these subtle changes.
Who would have foreseen that when the plane successfully climbed to 10,000 feet in flight, it encountered a sudden and strong air flow impact, and was instantly swept into a dense dark cloud. At this moment, the plane began to sway violently, and the passengers on board all panicked, and some even began to vomit.
Suitcases also slipped off the shelves and scattered all over the ground.
At this moment, Julianne fell asleep peacefully in her seat. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a state of free fall surrounded by the roaring wind in the sky!
With the roar of the wind, she began to silently pray for the protection of the gods, and silently counted down in her heart, hoping to land safely.
After about three minutes, Julianne finally landed on the ground, and luckily fell into an area of vines that resisted most of the impact. Although her arms were cut by branches and drenched in blood, she managed to survive the death.
However, as a result of the violent impact, she soon fell into a deep coma.
It wasn't until the next morning that Julianne woke up from her coma, and after looking around, she realized that her father had set up a camp near it. So she decided to go there to ask for help, so that she could muster up the courage to continue and trek alone through the vast Amazon jungle.
Facing the doctor's surprised gaze, Zhu Li was relieved with mixed feelings. She took a deep breath and began to slowly reflect on how she had survived that life-or-death moment.
It turned out that it was because she was tightly fastened to the seat by the seat belt at that time, that the seat became an indestructible shield that provided her with a certain degree of cushioning protection.
In addition, at the moment when the plane was about to crash, the vines in the lush Amazon jungle blocked most of the impact for her.
Although her arms were still inevitably cut by the branches, and blood was dripping, her life was saved.
However, Julianne's joy did not last long. After only a moment, she pondered, remembering the harrowing sight she had seen—the wreckage of the crashed airliner just a few feet away, including the shattered fragments of seats and the decomposing bodies of the passengers.
The scene pierced her eyes deeply, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She mustered up courage and walked cautiously in that direction, hoping to find her mother's familiar figure. However, despite her best efforts, she was unable to find anything.
Despair and sorrow struck like a flood, and she longed for her mother to be as immortal as herself, but at the same time deeply worried that her mother might have suffered an unfortunate fate.
In order to fulfill her wish to reunite with her family, she had to suppress the grief in her heart, wipe away her tears, and move on. With the stems of palm trees and the clear water of the stream, she trekked through this vast jungle for 11 days and nights.
The 11 days were long and painful for her, facing hunger, thirst, beasts, and the threat of the weather, but she never gave up her belief in survival.
It is no exaggeration to say that Julianne was able to survive the tragic air crash, in addition to a certain amount of luck, the more crucial factor is that she has mastered a series of basic skills for survival in the wild.
Julianne, on the other hand, spent 11 days alone in the jungle, and in addition to her survival skills, her perseverance also played a crucial role.
Although she was well aware of the difficulties and dangers ahead, she never felt feared because she had a vision of being reunited with her family.
This strong desire has become a source of motivation for her to move forward, so that she can still persevere and never give up in the face of despair.