El terremoto

It would be impossible to not know this by now, what with all the media coverage blowing up the television right now, but there was an earthquake in Haiti last Tuesday.

GEOGRAPHY LESSON: Haiti and the Dominican Republic are on the same island!

With an earthquake of that magnitude, it was definitely felt over here. I was outside at the time goofing around with one of the neighborhood kids and all of a sudden her parents started screaming at her from across the street and motioning for her to run, so naturally I freaked out. I had no idea what was going on, nothing they were saying was intelligible. Luckily one of the fathers outside calmed down enough to explain to me that it was an earthquake. He asked, "Don't you feel it?" but by that time I was shaking so bad from not knowing what was going on that I couldn't really tell the difference between my knocking knees and the rocking ground.

A few minutes later I saw my roommates leaving the apartment building with boxer shorts hastily thrown on, big huge eyes, and computer cords trailing (at least they saved the important stuff?!). We were all a little shaken up, if only because we had never lived through an earthquake before and none of us knew the protocol-when to go back into the building, where was safe, etc etc. And then the news finally started arriving about what had really happened.

Port au Prince, Haiti- absolutely destroyed.

Nothing here was damaged in the DR, but it's a completely different story for our brothers and sisters on the other side of the island. It's just terrible. And then to think over 1 week later and they're still experiencing aftershocks. A humanitarian disaster, and relief can't come quick enough.

This is from an email I sent out after it all happened:

From my point of view in the Dominican Republic, I am already encouraged by the efforts I have seen taking place. Relations between here and Haiti have historically been strained for years upon years. Haitians face tough racist attitudes from Dominicans but all of a sudden they are no longer seeing each other along such strict racial lines. These are not Dominicans and Haitians, but brothers and sisters. I came to school today and there were piles and piles of dry and canned goods. Sometimes it's hard to think that the little amount you give will make a difference. You may think it doesn't seem like a lot, but to that one person who gets to eat dinner, it does make a difference.

Give, donate, pray, and hope. Haiti needs us. Let us unite for them and show them that together, we will get through this.