Natalie Cinque's apartment is still closed and a year after a powerful earthquake destroyed the Italian town of L'Aquila, work to make it habitable has not yet started.
"If someone had told me a year ago that I would still be out of my home, I would not have believed him," the Ħamrun-born woman said.
But, today, Ms Cinque is marking the first anniversary from the tremor that changed her life in a rented apartment as the place she called home for 24 years remains way down on the list of buildings awaiting reconstruction.
"A life built over 24 years was shattered in 30 seconds," she said.
Just like thousands of Abruzzesi, Ms Cinque, her Italian husband Angelo and two sons, Simone and Adriano, were jolted out of their sleep early on April 6 last year as the earth shook with a 6.3 magnitude earthquake that left 308 people dead and about 40,000 homeless.
The family spent two days living in their two cars, until they moved to a hotel in the coastal town of Montesilvano. Six months ago, they transferred to an apartment in St Elia, a 15-minute drive from their home. The apartment might be comfortable but it was nothing like home, Ms Cinque said when contacted.
"We cannot wait to go back home," she said referring to the apartment she had moved in as a young bride and where her two sons were brought up.
Her feeling is shared by thousands of Abruzzesi who have been turning up on Sundays to remove the rubble marring their formerly picturesque town, in a clear message to the Italian government to clean up the area so that reconstruction can start.
Yet, Ms Cinque knows that going back home is still a long way away. Her apartment sustained substantial damage and the architects in charge of the 24-flat condominium's reconstruction have not yet requested the necessary funds for the work.
"I was hoping it would be finished by Christmas but I was already told not to raise my hopes," she said, adding that last Christmas was a subdued affair, with the whole town not in the mood for the usual celebrations.
Although she is out of her home, Ms Cinque counts herself lucky. "There were many families who lost a loved one. At least we all survived. A house can be rebuilt but a life cannot be brought back," she said, adding that she was grateful that the Italian government was footing the bill for the works.
The people of L'Aquila were yesterday preparing to meet again to mark the anniversary of the tragedy with a sombre candle-lit walk amidst the rubble that is a constant reminder of the catastrophic earthquake that shattered their lives.
"Here, it is national mourning," Ms Cinque said.
She pointed out that few people knew where L'Aquila was before last year's earthquake. "Now, it has become famous. But whenever I tell anyone I am from L'Aquila, I almost stop myself. We no longer have anything in L'Aquila."
The ground in the area is still trembling. On Sunday morning two tremors were felt in Tagliacozzo, some 40 kilometres from L'Aquila. Ms Cinque did not notice. "Thankfully, I do not feel the tremors or I would go crazy." In fact, a tremor in January saw her jump out of bed and run outside, fearing that history was repeating itself.
"I have to trust that the authorities will tell us if they believe another earthquake is going to happen. Otherwise, I will never have any peace of mind," she said.
Perhaps just looking at wildlife will give a clear indication that a quake is on the way. Researchers have found that the toad population in the L'Aquila area abandoned their breeding colonies en masse just five days before the earthquake. According to a study published in the Journal of Zoology, the toads must have detected some changes in the environment, leading them to believe that violent tremors were imminent. The toads returned to the area just days after the earthquake.