Story Published: Mar 2, 2010 at 7:22 PM PDT
The NCU contingent communicate from Chile to Eugene via Skype.
EUGENE, Ore. - Taylor Zimel thought the shaking would never end.
"I thought I was going to die," said the college student from Eugene, who is living in Chile.
Zimel said the main earthquake lasted a minute and a half.
"I was just trying to stand up. I could barely stand up. It felt like the building was going to come down," the Northwest Christian University student said of Saturday's earthquake in Chile, Where Zimel and five classmates are on an exchange trip with Dr. Ron Palmer.
"It was an interesting ride, yep," said Palmer, the professor of history at NCU and coordinator of the trip.
KVAL News interviewed Palmer and the students via a Skype connection.
NCU student Carlos Sandoval was not in Santiago early Saturday but was staying with a host family in the nearby town of Vina Del Mar.
"Things started shaking," he said. Silverware fell all over the ground. Parts of the ceiling were falling."
Officials said the academic and cultural exchanges will go on, but Dr. Palmer sees another opportunity.
"We are very fortunate. God has blessed us, so we want to be here for the Chilean people," Palmer said.
NCU President David Wilson said "they want to reach out and they want to find ways to connect with the local churches and to be of help and service where they can."
Palmer can't give a date on when projects will begin, but he hopes it's sooner rather than later.
The other students on the trip to Chile are Patrick Rose, Alyssa Romera Veronica LeFavor and Elisse Crichton.
Chile's national disaster office says almost 800 people are now known to have died in the quake.
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