It should have been a leisurely afternoon.
Suddenly the earth trembled, as if a giant bull were turning over underneath.
In an instant, buildings, roads and bridges collapsed,
and people ran away, scattering in all directions.

Wearing a light-colored dress and a pair of sandals, twenty-five year old Claudia looked a bit weak when she boarded the small aircraft that would take her from Bogota, capital of the Republic of Colombia, back to her home town of Armenia.

Carrying a light piece of luggage, she had a sad look on her face. A conspicuously long, deep scar, which stretched from her forehead all the way to her mouth, made our hearts ache.

Claudia is one of the countless victims of the January 25, 1999, earthquake, which measured six on the Richter scale. She lost both her beauty and husband in the quake, and her home was only a pile of broken tiles. For the time being, she had to stay at a friend's home. Severely wounded and nine-weeks pregnant, she encountered us at the airport in Bogota, where she had gone for treatment.

How would Claudia eventually care for the baby after surviving such a serious disaster and how would she cope as a single parent? Concern from foreign passengers like us would be of little comfort to her in her sorrow.

Claudia's misfortune was merely one among many tragedies caused by this earthquake. We dared not think of how many other people in the heavily destroyed area were waiting for assistance.

A giant bull turning over

It should have been a leisurely afternoon. Suddenly, the earth trembled as if a giant bull were turning over underneath. Buildings, roads and bridges were destroyed in an instant. People ran away, scattering in all directions. According to the first announcement that day, there were over five hundred casualties, but the number kept increasing over the days that followed. Beyond mourning the loss of relatives, friends and homes, survivors were further frightened by nearly a hundred aftershocks, most measuring between two and four on the Richter scale.

Tzu Chi sent an inspection team to assess the extent of the damage and the needs of the victims. One night during the inspection tour, Tzu Chi member Hsieh Ching-kui was sleeping on the floor of a volunteer's house when he heard a deep, roaring sound. The earth was shaking! All the residents of the building quickly rushed out into the dark.

Experiencing the aftershock heightened Hsieh's sensitivity to the anxiety of the survivors during these months. After two fact-finding missions in late January and early February, 9,200 units of food were purchased in Bogota. On February 23 and 24, a disaster relief team organized by Tzu Chi members from the United States and Argentina distributed relief supplies in Calarca, Circasia and Finlandia, while the Tzu Chi International Medical Association held free clinics.

Tzu Chi has no chapter in Colombia, nor does Taiwan have diplomatic relations with the country. By cooperating with the Colombian Red Cross and with local volunteers, we managed to solve problems with communication, transportation and manpower. Within a month after the earthquake, the distribution of relief items was completed.

In the aftermath of the earthquake

Among the survivors, some were badly wounded, some were traumatized, while others caught colds due to lack of clothing. Moreover, lack of clean water and poor sanitation caused many skin infections among children.

In Calarca, a temporary shelter set up by Tzu Chi and the Red Cross served as site for the Tzu Chi free clinic and distribution of relief goods. In addition to local people made homeless by the earthquake, citizens from San Jose and Simon Bolivar also came to receive food parcels containing rice, corn powder, milk powder and cooking oil and to take the opportunity to be treated by a doctor or dentist at the free clinic.

Overcome with grief, a woman told Dr. Tseng Tun-hua that she stumbled and fell three times while rescuing her mother and grandson. "I'm afraid that there will be another earthquake," she said despondently. "Many of my neighbors and friends have been killed." Dr. Tseng was able to alleviate her mental anxiety with acupuncture.

Andres, a thirteen-year-old boy, had originally gone to the free clinic simply to get a toothbrush. He told the volunteer that his house had come tumbling down and that he had no choice but to take refuge in a temporary shelter with his grandmother and brother. Asked about his grandmother's condition, he shook his head forcefully and scratched his chest saying, "Oh, she's frightened to death!" Not long after he left, he came back with his sixty-eight year old grandmother. Like many patients, she was in a state of shock from the traumatic experience.

Three dentists, some basic equipment and an x-ray machine made up the dental clinic. Each dentist was accompanied by one or two local high school students who could serve as English-Spanish interpreters. The dentists very much appreciated these students, because with them they did not need to use gestures to explain their diagnosis or to teach patients how to brush their teeth. Instead, they could continue with the treatment while the students interpreted.

On the second day, the free clinic was moved to a high school near a temporary shelter. While the doctors were busy diagnosing patients, there was a sudden crashing sound and a cry for help outside. A careless young man had fallen off the roof while doing repairs. While Dr. Hsu Ming-chang applied first aid and stopped the young man's bleeding, Dr. Tseng Tun-hua massaged the young man's acupuncture points. The man revived in just a few minutes and was quickly taken by ambulance to the hospital. Bystanders gave a big hand and bravos to the two doctors. Even now, the doctors' white pants still bear traces of red and black stains from the blood and the soft, black asphalt. The stains are a record of having saved a life.

Chinos Buenos!

Our eleven distribution sites in Circasia and Finlandia were all in outlying villages. Volunteers split into several groups and went to each site to personally distribute relief supplies.

Compared to the downtown areas, where debris was scattered everywhere, the villages offered a peaceful scene: herds of cattle grazed on green grass with verdant mountains in the background. Our jeep whisked past endless coffee fields, which showed no signs of damage from the earthquake.

The inhabitants of the countryside were much shyer than those of the cities. While some of the Tzu Chi volunteers were busy distributing relief items, others strolled through the crowds and, with the help of interpreters, chatted with the people and engaged them in group activities.

"Since you are Chinese, can you perform Chinese martial arts?" one woman inquired. She had seen Chinese on TV before, but here were real Chinese people!

Kuo Man-li, a Tzu Chi member accomplished in traditional Chinese kung fu, took the opportunity to show off her skills. Three farmers challenged her one by one, but they were all defeated, which left the winner, Ms. Kuo, surrounded by a growing crowd of children all trying to learn how to strike and kick.

The kung fu performance and other group activities helped kill time for the people waiting and enabled our volunteers to get closer to the people. "Chinos buenos (Chinese, good)," grown-ups and children kept saying. "Chinos buenos!"

An outlet for love

To personally distribute every item was an exhausting job, but we cherished the help and friendship offered to us by the local volunteers. Much of the credit for Tzu Chi's successful disaster relief distribution in Colombia belongs to the local volunteers. Loving and eager to do something for their countrymen, they found an outlet for their love.

Chu Tai-po, a volunteer from the Tzu Chi New Jersey branch, felt particularly thankful to the Red Cross for taking care not to give out too much to the victims at a time, because if people got too many supplies all at once, they might try to make a profit by selling them. A large supply would also make storing these goods more difficult, since the people had no steady residences.

"At first, I wondered what I could do," said Isabel Salazar, an English major at a local university, "but I was impressed by the Tzu Chi members who fearlessly completed their tasks and who were very punctual, always arriving ahead of schedule." Isabel accompanied our fact-finding team and stayed for our daily meetings until they ended at midnight. She understood our difficulties very well.

Isabel had thought that outsiders would have little understanding for the pain the earthquake victims suffered. However, the Tzu Chi members not only delivered the relief supplies personally, but they also hugged the people and did activities with them that made them feel loved and cared for. Her family strongly supported her serving as volunteer. "After this experience, I know I'll need to study even harder to improve my English," she smiled.

"I sensed that there was a lot of love coming from the Tzu Chi members, and that they were guided by some kind of higher power that is beyond my understanding," said Edgar Jose Eraso. He participated in the entire relief project and designed the cardboard shelters that Tzu Chi provided. He thought that what Tzu Chi had done through its disaster relief would be of great help in rebuilding the country after the earthquake.

Jose arranged to have forty-two high school students help interpret for us and carry relief supplies. After two days of hard labor, even the most energetic students were tired. "What I want most now is to go home and have a good night's sleep!" Yet, they still enjoyed the party given by the Tzu Chi members to thank all the volunteers for their help.

Lin Pan-shih, Taiwan's representative in Colombia, said that it was difficult for Taiwan to promote its relationship with countries that do not have diplomatic ties with Taiwan. By engaging in this relief work, the Taiwanese people, through Tzu Chi, made their relationship with the Colombian people more concrete and profound.

Before I left the country, a local volunteer approached me and said, "We are so grateful for all the friendly assistance from all over the globe. Before we did not really know you, but now you have embraced us with the greatest love and the most beautiful smiles."

The work of the relief mission

According to Chu Tai-po, a member of the Tzu Chi fact-finding team, the affected cities will be able to overcome shortages of water and electricity in three or four months. But the water supply and sewage disposal systems are more difficult to restore. Urban reconstruction and the rebuilding of the public facilities are estimated to take at least three to five years. Moreover, whereas the damage caused by the earthquake is readily visible, some invisible problems are more difficult to deal with.

Since the completion of its disaster relief and medical assistance mission, Tzu Chi has been evaluating various possibilities for continuing its care and aid to Colombia. The Colombian government must deal with many problems, such as the mental rehabilitation of victims, reconstruction of the country and society, and other challenges that directly or indirectly resulted from the earthquake.