“S’a a, se Frijolito ki sove’l” “That one, it’s Frijolito that saved him/her”

The Earthquake happened just before 5 PM. Between 4 and 5 PM on weekdays, most people in Jacmel (as is probably the case for many people in Port-au-Prince as well) gather together in each other’s homes to watch Frijolito (“Amarte Así”), a Mexican soap opera dubbed in French. In Jacmel people speak of dying or surviving along the lines of where that person was when he or she was watching Frijolito, and thus, Frijolito either killed or saved you. For instance, if someone left their home and was watching Frijolito at another’s house and died there, people say “Frijolito touye’l” (“Frijilito killed him/her”) or, if a person’s house fell while they were somewhere else watching Frijolito, people say, “Frijilito sove’l.” (‘Frijolito saved him/her”). Walking in town, Jacmel January 24, 2010