House Arrest

Wednesday, February 10th

6:00 a.m.-5 p.m. (A New Friend) I woke up early for breakfast and later spent most of the day working from inside. At first I set up my office space on the second floor but decided to move because it was hot and too quiet up there. Plus, fear again got the best of me because I was afraid of being caught on the second floor if another quake took place. I worked out of my room and kept my door slightly ajar because I didn’t want to feel so alone. Lunch is not provided here so I snacked on granola bars and Rice Krispies Treats until dinner was served. There are three full-time people working here which includes a woman, a young girl, and a young man. They live here and all work seven days a week. At night the two women (who are sisters) share a mattress that they place outside on a little patio that sits between a gate and the front door of the house. The young man sleeps in a little outside area attached to the house that serves as the kitchen and "break room" (there is no air condition in their quarters). The women, Joanna and Nadege, do the cooking and cleaning. The young man does a little bit of everything from mopping and dusting to washing cars. He introduced himself to me as Bertiny and he reminded me of my younger brother in appearance and mannerism. Bertiny soon became someone to help break the monotony after being stuck in the heavily guarded “compound” all day long (there is a gun toting “guard” on the premises at night,bars on the windows, and barbed wire along the fence).