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Survivors of Haiti earthquake
slowly adjusting to new life in Canton
By Kathy Anderson
Citizen Staff
When Gaetane
and Alain Jean stepped off the plane at Logan Airport from Haiti
on January 26, they were experiencing a conflux of emotions
ranging from relief and joy to sadness and residual fear.
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(L-R)
Gaetane, Alain and their cousin Samantha Fabien of Canton enjoy
a laugh. Mary Ellen
Cahill photo
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Sixteen-year-old Gaetane and her 10-year-old brother Alain were
on their way home from school when the devastating earthquake
nearly leveled their world on January 12. The two were fortunate
to be able to fly out of neighboring Dominican Republic to stay
with their aunt, Irlene Fabien, and 15-year-old cousin Samantha
Fabien, Canton residents for the past five years. Gaetane and
Alain are currently preparing to begin school in town — she as a
junior at Canton High School, and he as a fifth grader at the
Hansen School.
While Gaetane
and Alain are relieved to be away from the destruction of their
native country, the harrowing memories still haunt them.
“At first I
thought someone was shaking the car,” Gaetane said, explaining
that a family friend was driving them home and was nearly there
when the terrain began to shake at 4:53 that afternoon. “Then
when I turned around and saw that no one was there, I realized
what was happening.”
“I was
scared,” Alain said. “I saw a house falling down.”
Gaetane and
Alain ran into their house, where they lived with their parents,
grandmother and uncle. Their mother, Marilyn, was traveling to
Montreal with her oldest daughter, 19-year-old Tricia, when the
quake struck.
“My
grandmother was on the floor because she knew what was
happening,” Gaetane said.
Marilyn, a
business owner, and her husband Edrige, a banker, were lucky in
that their house survived the earthquake intact; however,
Marilyn’s auto parts business was leveled and most of the bank
Edrige worked at was reduced to rubble. Gaetane’s best friend,
Kurly Jean-Baptiste, was killed in the quake and Kurly’s
mother’s legs were both crushed. She found it difficult to talk
about.
Alain and
Gaetane stayed inside their house for 14 days, fortunate to have
food, water and a generator for electricity. Irlene recalled how
frightened she was while awaiting word on her family’s safety.
“For three
days we had no communication and I was so worried; then Gaetane
called from her cell phone,” she said. “Gaetane has a heart
problem and I thought it was best for them to come here; I’m
always afraid because so much has happened to her already.”
Since the
family members all had legal visas, Edrige took his children by
bus to the Dominican Republic, where they flew to San Juan,
Puerto Rico, and then on to Boston.
“It was really
hard to say goodbye to him, but we talk every day,” Gaetane
said.
Adjusting to
their new home — and the cold — are challenges both children are
tackling head-on. Neither had ever seen snow before, and they
are slowly getting to know Canton children their own age.
Mary Ellen
Cahill, a neighbor and acquaintance of the Fabien family,
happily accompanied the children to school events to help them
get acclimated, including a CHS hockey game and the Hansen
School Flashback. Her 15-year-old daughter, Kathleen, is friends
with Samantha, and that helped to break the ice. “It’s fun
having the kids around,” Samantha said.
“They are the
sweetest kids,” Cahill said of Alain and Gaetane. “Alain met
some kids his age at the Flashback and they all wanted to be his
friend. There is also a great group of girls Gaetane’s age who
catch the bus at the end of the street, and they’ll be saving a
seat for her. [The Fabiens] are the sweetest, nicest family I’ve
ever met in my 12 years in Canton. You can see how a person this
warm can open up her home for them.”
Gaetane said
her favorite subjects at school are math, chemistry and physics,
and she loves to play volleyball. Alain isn’t sure what his
favorite subject in school is yet, but he enjoys karate and
playing soccer and has already developed a reputation as an
outstanding arm wrestler.
But the
memories still linger for Gaetane and Alain. Irlene said they
couldn’t sleep the first couple of nights at her home, and one
day when she was doing dishes she dropped a cup and Alain
panicked and she had to reassure him that it wasn’t another
earthquake.
Gaetane said
she is hesitant to watch the news, as it just serves as a
reminder of how terrified she was.
“I’m shocked
at how bad the damage was,” she said. “When we had the
aftershocks I thought it was happening all over again.”
Irlene said
she anticipates the children will be able to begin school after
February vacation, and they are settling in very well in their
new surroundings.
“It seems the
earthquake has affected everyone you know,” she said. “Whether
it’s your family, friends, house, business, or you know someone
there — everyone’s affected. I just want them to start school
now because they’ve been in the house for two weeks, but I’m
very relieved that they’re here and safe.”
February 11, 2010
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