This time last year I was peeing .... That's right, peeing ... At my friend's house in Managua, Nicaragua, when the earth sounded as if giant gears from deep within were cranking it open and my insides rumbled with it at my core.
Even if I'd never heard of an earthquake, anyone's instinct would be to RUN.
No one has ever wiped and sprung off the seat and pulled up their pants so fast. I'm sure of it.
In the seconds it took Yacarely to shout "Where's Kris!?" In case I hadn't begun to flee the house that could shake down, I was standing under the street lights.
Her mom called me a ninja.
I said my dad's a fireman. I don't mess around in emergency.
The block spent the night in the street, on plastic chairs or mattresses pulled out, battery radios sharing updates on less fortunate neighborhoods.
Overall it was ok... And I saw families come together and be ready for "whatever" together.