Waves,
Thanks.
It's all bad news.
M.

I am very sorry to hear that.
You must be upset.
I hope i was not indiscreet to ask

(((HUGS)))

~ waves ~

Dear Mari, I am so sorry for what you are going through.

We have had a few major earthquakes in the sub-continent in the last two decades and I was part of a relief and rehabilitation team for the one in Uttarkashi. It was in the month of October in '91. Uttarkashi is in the mountains and bitterly cold at that time. Most people there are very poor. It happened around 3.00 a.m. ( 6.5+) and by the time rocks and boulders were removed and any help reached them.
It is lucky that because of the inhospitable terrain the area is sparsely populated. Even then we lost over 700 lives and 5000+ were injured. The devastation was terrible. Thousands of cattle were killed. Around 40,000 houses were completely destroyed.
Memories that I have are awful and there is no way I could cope with facing the same situation today.

It seems infrastructure problems are also delaying the relief efforts at Haiti. The airport is too damaged to used and the roads are blocked. Those who survived the quake are dying in huge numbers. There are apparently 3 million people in need of urgent rescue efforts and relief.

Many other details are coming through - HORRIBLE!

Waves and Isis,

I don't know how to talk about this yet -- with real people or on-line.


Yes,
I was home today and watched about an hour of tv news to catch up (was not able to handle more than an hour of that).

One concern is the airport. It seems to be a functioning but not fully functioning for the air traffic and parking and unloading that needs to take place.

The USS Vinson will arrive on Friday and take on some of the airport and other needs.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/wor...tml?id=2442881

I'm heartbroken about the important 72 hour rescue window that already passed.

Three students I talked to have gotten word that family members are dead. I have not talked to others yet, but I might try to leave an open space in class for talking -- not sure how to handle that but I think it might be wrong not to acknowledge that something is happening to them. Also, my other students from the Caribbean are more than a little unsettled by this as well -- as I can see from their talk on facebook.

M.

((((((((Mari)))))))

THanks.
I likely will not be able to watch any more tv after today.
The pictures were too detailed and the sounds too much.

Maybe I can get news from radio.
I find web news completely unsatisfactory so I skip over it.

M.

You are not sleeping very much, are you Mari?
Poor you!

Hi, I don't sleep at night.
The docs haven't been able to help me.
It is mostly psychological I believe -- and not so much about psychiatry, although who knows.
Even acupuncture and hypnosis have not helped.

M.

I am sorry Mari.

i understand about the news. i am still watching some, but it quickly becomes an emotional OD on a calamity with the sense of distance and powerlessness overwhelming.

i feel for your students. And you. i do think it would be very appropriate to set aside some time for exchanges over this.

also you might simply observe a minute of silence. at your discretion you could invite those who wish to, to pray. however, i believe those who want to will quite simply appreciate and use the opportunity to do so, without need for an explicit invitation.

a minute of silence seems like something you could do at the start of each class, if you wanted to... for a time... (?) just a thought.

Caribbean resident/natives are very close neighbors to each other... not just by physical proximity. almost like a union of nations even if it isn't and even if the cultures themselves are quite diverse. obviously any threat to home is what hits home first... but next door is... very next door.

the sense of bonding is magnified if you are abroad.

~ waves ~

Hi,

1. Regarding the news:
It seems less depressing now. The first few days the news was only able to convey how horrible things were. Now the news is talking about what is being done. The activity (as inadequate as it is) makes me hopeful.



2. Regarding the students:
I asked two colleagues what they were doing.
I came up with something that I thought might work for me. I did something but was not that happy with it.

I might let this grow on me and get back to it later -- like maybe find some Haitian poetry and bring that in. (It's not like the earthquake is going to be solved and go away soon. . . I have time to come back to it when I am ready and when the kids are ready.)

Several years ago I bought a panting on ebay from someone claiming to be a Haitian artist. I have the picture framed on my wall. I chose it because of the mountains and the bright colors. The picture also depicts woman working.

Here is a link to 2 poems by Felix Morriseau-Leroy:
http://womensvoicesforchange.org/poe...iti-always.htm


M.