Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Coconuts

While in Haiti last June, we got a chance to travel to Petit Goave to visit the missionary compound. It’s a green space, over looking the ocean. Sail boats bob up and down, the water is clear and clean. All is calm. Coconut trees provide some shade. As I’m walking, a group of kids join us. One girl has a pretty torn party dress on and she loves to have her picture taken. Some have been swimming in the ocean. They tell me that they like to swim and ask me to join them. I laugh and tell them that I don’t have my swim suit. They ask me if I know how to swim. I laugh and ask them if they know how. They tell me that they know how to swim and that they like to swim.

I ask them what happened when the earth shook. They shook their arms in the air and they told me that it was so strong. I asked if it was really strong. They all shook their heads together and said “Yes, really strong, really strong”. I asked them about the noise? What did it sound like? They said “it was loud, really loud” They said “it was like zzzzzzz.” I said where were you? He pointed next to the house where he was. He said his mother hurt her foot, but that he didn’t get hurt, he is okay. He shows me his arms and his legs. Just then a coconut drops from the tree and slams to the ground from about 30 feet up. I had forgotten about those coconuts.

I asked them “what did you do after the earthquake.” He showed me the ground where he had to sleep. He said he had to sleep outside in the open. It’s too dangerous to sleep under the coconut trees where the coconuts can fall on you. He said the problem was that the sun would boil them in the morning, and it was too hot.

He told me his story several times. I asked the others too about it, trying to get them to talk about that scary time, trying to get them to help me understand. The second boy tells me that they had to run away from the ocean so that it wouldn’t come get them. I realize that he is talking about the Tsunami warning. They had three problems – coconuts, earthquakes and tsunamis.

I take their picture and I show it to them. They laugh. I ask them if they go to school and they tell me yes. They start to tell me what things are in English and then they translate the words into Kreyol for me – they are teaching me. They walk me to the car and I ask them if they are going swimming again. They say they will get fish to eat.
We drive away in our car to head back to Port-au-Prince. I think to myself - I only had to worry about falling coconuts today.