Making adjustments, making do

Yesterday we witnessed firefighters in the Saint Gerard community, extinguishing burning bodies in a huge pile of rubble. The odor was a bit overwhelming, which has only occurred a few times.

The sight that I found the most disturbing, and I don't understand why, was our visit to a huge tent city at the Cite Militaire that has been dubbed as "Abri Provisoire #31." I was told that translates as temporary shelter. There were displaced residents crammed together, some lying on the ground in a field, others in brand-new Coleman tents.

The children seemed happy, smiling, playing and braiding each other's hair. The adults seemed a bit worn, but many would still smile at a glance. There were residents making tents out of cardboard or even just a tarp. All were neatly dressed, wearing cleaner clothes than what I had on.

I have no idea how these displaced people can maintain the level of pride when living in such horrendous conditions. It seems as if they just deal with the present situation, and not worry about tomorrow.