"Hey Gordon, Do You Want a Towel?" (by Gordon Gilchrist)

I tried to get to sleep by 10:00 last night, I really did. But it was after midnight when Eric and I finished the ABW business, then we got into a philosophical discussion about what we were trying to get done here, so it was about 1:30 before I went to bed upstairs. Eric was still sleeping near the door. I spend an hour thinking about the day, then, just as I was drifting off another aftershock hit. My rational mind said "High frequency, low amplitude; no worries." My emotions, however, said "Get out now!" My feet didn't wait for my mind or my heart to weigh in on the issue; I was already halfway down the stairs! Eric was yelling "Gordon, get out!" when I shot past him at the front door. With his next breath he said "Hey Gordon, do you want a towel?" And, as a matter of fact, I did! (Remember, I told you that I do not heed my mother's advice to always wear PJs to bed!!) After the initial shock wore off, I thought I better get my clothes and such. I went back in and put on more than a towel. I had just sat paused by the table to get my computer when the next aftershock hit. Again, I raced out the door. This time, I did not need a towel.

Eric and I decided to sleep outside like everyone else. The logical part of me lost the debate last night, but you can't win 'em all. I slept on the driveway next to a short retaining wall, and Eric slept in a car. There was one more shock that rattled all the fences. The reality is that these aftershocks are nothing like the real quake physically, but the emotional toll is immense.

In the morning we said goodbye to our great hostess as she stood by her tent and took one last look at the great house that no one, even us, will sleep in. These people have been living with this situation for six weeks now, every night, and they don't get to leave the country in a week for the bedrock of the Canadian prairies. Everytime I come home from a trip, I reflect upon a mental list of reasons for why I love my home. Now I will add one more: no earthquakes!

We also said goodbye to Thor today at the airport and then jumped into the Haiti Arise vehicles to drive out to the campus. All the way along you see groups of Haitians working to clean up--some seem employed by NGOs while others seem to be self-organized groups.

The thing that did not change--that never seems to change--is camp after camp of makeshift tents. I just can't imagine what this will look like when the rains come. Wait...YES I CAN, and it is ugly.

It is more than a little embarrasing that the tent we have now moved into is so much better than anything else around here and is designed so it can't fall down in a quake.

Must go to a meeting now. Tomorrow, I will tell you about inspecting houses.