Letter to the editor
Issue date: 2/2/10 Section: Opinion
My name is Maggy Dartiguenave-Peck. I have been working at the College since September 2004 as the Administrative Assistant to the South Campus President. I also teach a Student Life Skills (SLS) 0005 class.
I was born in the province of Tiburon, Haiti. At the age of 7, I moved to the capital of Port-Au-Prince and then at 9, I was sent to Massachusetts to live with my father. Many of my family members still live in Haiti, including 2 brothers. My mother lived in Haiti all of her life up until 4 months ago when she moved here to Florida.
When the quake first happened communication to the capital was nonexistent. We could, however, make contact with those who live in the outskirts of Port-Au-Prince, such as Tiburon. We have gotten word of at least seven deaths involving my family members, one of which is my first cousin. My mother gets calls daily informing her of lost friends or their loved ones.
Like the tragedy of 9-11, I will never forget where I was when I heard of the first earthquake having taken place in Haiti. I was just signing off for the day at work and a news alert was received about the tragedy. It wasn't until I got home that I was able to see and read about the full impact of this devastating phenomenon. When one hears about a 7.0 quake, you know there will be ruins, casualties, and object destruction of homes and other structures.
When the media began to show the images out of Haiti, it was then that one got the full understanding of what actually took place on this ill-fated island. Those visions of thousands of humans being bulldozed into mass graves will be etched into my brain for the remainder of my life. However, to counter those images will be those of the infant being pulled out alive after days of being trapped and smiling up at his rescuer; the 24 year old man being rescued with barely a scratch after 12 days of being trapped under debris; the young girl pinned under rubble and while being rescued was letting her rescuers know that she is not afraid, she knows they will get her out and they did. These images will also be engraved in my mind.
I was born in the province of Tiburon, Haiti. At the age of 7, I moved to the capital of Port-Au-Prince and then at 9, I was sent to Massachusetts to live with my father. Many of my family members still live in Haiti, including 2 brothers. My mother lived in Haiti all of her life up until 4 months ago when she moved here to Florida.
When the quake first happened communication to the capital was nonexistent. We could, however, make contact with those who live in the outskirts of Port-Au-Prince, such as Tiburon. We have gotten word of at least seven deaths involving my family members, one of which is my first cousin. My mother gets calls daily informing her of lost friends or their loved ones.
Like the tragedy of 9-11, I will never forget where I was when I heard of the first earthquake having taken place in Haiti. I was just signing off for the day at work and a news alert was received about the tragedy. It wasn't until I got home that I was able to see and read about the full impact of this devastating phenomenon. When one hears about a 7.0 quake, you know there will be ruins, casualties, and object destruction of homes and other structures.
When the media began to show the images out of Haiti, it was then that one got the full understanding of what actually took place on this ill-fated island. Those visions of thousands of humans being bulldozed into mass graves will be etched into my brain for the remainder of my life. However, to counter those images will be those of the infant being pulled out alive after days of being trapped and smiling up at his rescuer; the 24 year old man being rescued with barely a scratch after 12 days of being trapped under debris; the young girl pinned under rubble and while being rescued was letting her rescuers know that she is not afraid, she knows they will get her out and they did. These images will also be engraved in my mind.
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