Talk About Bad Memories

The diversity that was concentrated to room 118 was something unthinkable. There were six of us each with entirely different backgrounds. An African American, two Caucasians, an Asian, a Haitian, and a girl of mixed race. However, I never realized how important that diversity would be to our room until the night that I looked over to my left and saw my roommate with tears rolling down her face.

She and her family survived the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010. However the memories of that incident survived with her as well.  At first she was trying to keep to herself and cry all alone. It wasn't until I was crawling up the ladder to her bed that she even recognized that any of us was paying attention to her.

It was when she noticed that we were concerned that she attempted to pretend like everything was okay. She sniffled and wiped away her tears. She tried to laugh away her pain.
At first I watched her try to pull herself together. Then I pulled her in for a hug (which says a lot because I am the farthest thing from affectionate). After that she began to explain everything.

Her story began with her father picking up both her and her brother from school. Everything was peaceful at first, she was dancing in the backseat to the music that played over the radio as her brother was describing his day to them.

They were only moments away from being home when the earthquake began; and they were directly under a mountain. Rocks began to fall down, and she found herself stuck in the car. Unable to move, caught between her seatbelt and the door. Her father and bother had to pull her out of the car. Once the earthquake came to its end they had to walk the remainder of the way home.

Fortunately their home was not affected from the natural disaster that had just occurred. Which is why her mind rejected all of that danger as she told her father that she forgot her backpack in the car and had to retrieve it. Her aftershock held her back from realizing that the earthquake would result in not having school.

Then her tears began once again, this time with her realizing that she wasn't alone. We were there for her because she needed us to be. We comforted her like family, and then helped her to relax with movies, popcorn and ice-cream. She learned the same lesson that I learned that day; which is just because the people that are closest to you aren't near, doesn't mean that there isn't anyone around that cares.

Below I attached the video of the remains of her family's car, which her and her entire family were nearly smashed to death in.

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