Experiencing the Digital Divide

I headed over to Somerville's community meeting last night for the Haitian Relief Effort. They were set up with consolers, information on where to get help. It was great to see community members: the mayor, the superintendent of schools, school committee members and the Haitian Coalition leaders.

I have to say, though, that I felt out of place.

While, like the many Haitians in the room, I too have friends and family in Haiti and I am awaiting news, it's different.

I have an iphone and most of the Haitians walking around don't. I have a facebook page and am connected to my family and friends in Haiti who have satellite links in Haiti. They don't. I have access to pictures of friends working on the ground, pictures of friends homes that have collapsed and, for the most part, I know who is missing and who is found and I am confident that I will know more in the days that follow. They don't. The best they can do is to watch CNN continually and search for their family and friends, something that one of the trauma support members encouraged them not to do because she said some of the images were too distressing to ingest over and over, especially for their children.

As I walked around the room showing a few people my facebook page where I had information on family and friends in Haiti, information on where clinics were being set up and what was needed, others in the room looked at me and smiled and nodded. It reminded me of the time when my mother, a nurse running a clinic on Montaigne Noir, Haiti, tried to convince her clients, whose children had malaria, to get rid of all standing water so that mosquitos wouldn't keep breeding and spreading more malaria. They thought her idea a bit strange since they knew that mosquitos are flying insects, not swimming insects. They nodded at her, smiled and turned away.

I felt as if I was experiencing a different reality, and I was...

I put my name on their volunteer list and left, not sure of how my information could be of any use to anyone.