Haiti Journal
August 14 -August 21
Day 1 – Tuesday, August 14, 2012
My first taste of sugarcane.
So far this has already been an awesome experience. When the plane landed in Port au Prince I didn’t really know what to expect but I quickly learned that it was nothing like the United States. The airport was really unorganized and I almost got ran over by so many people. The baggage claim is just one big mess of people tossing bags out of the way, so finding all of our bags was a bit of a challenge. There are airport employees that try to help you with your bags but then they also want money from you so we avoided them. I found that Haitians are also very friendly and I think the men here have a thing for American girls. I got hit on and was told by three different guys that I was beautiful just at the airport. One even asked when he would see me again, so it was kind of flattering but surprisingly hard to get used to because I didn’t know what to say.
When we were on our way to the Matthew 25 guest house I realized how much damaged was caused by the earthquake. I took pictures of all the buildings and street vendors. I also realized that I would never try to drive in Haiti because although there are some stop signs, no one really follows them so there is a lot of honking and stop-and-go traffic. In intersections you just have to honk and squeeze your way in, and honk at every turn. It was such a strange concept and I thought there had to be so many accidents but Pierre said he had never seen a car accident in Haiti.
When we finally got to Matthew 25 we were showed to our room and Shelby (one of the girls in our group who went last year) showed us around and told us a little about her trip last year. The perimeter of Matthew 25 is guarded by security 24/7 so every time we want to leave the house we have to get let out by a guard. They also walk around the grounds at night and are armed so it makes me feel safer. We also got to try some sugarcane from a local who came by and sold some to us.. It was really good but tough on my teeth.
The kids here (and most of the people) are so friendly and seem excited to see Americans here. They call us “blan” which I guess just means a white person, or foreigner. And I’m starting to think all Haitian guys here have a thing for blondes, because of all the people in this group I am the only blonde besides Cindy and I seem to get hit on everywhere I go. One guy even gave me his number after he told me I was beautiful, nice and he loved me. His name is Mike but I only talked to him for maybe 5 minutes and he asked me to marry him. It’s definitely different here. I decided I’m going to keep a tally to see how many husbands I come back with and how many I get hit on by.
There is a soccer field right behind Matthew 25 and we are lucky enough to come during a week of their soccer playoffs. We watched the game and took pictures but I don’t think I captured how intense the game gets. People get hurt a lot because they don’t have any shin guards, and fights seemed to break out pretty easily, but it was a really entertaining game. At halftime we ate dinner and got to try some of the Haitian cuisine. There was rice with bean sauce, fried okra, avocado, picklese/pikliz (which is like a spicy coleslaw), bread, and plantains. It was all really good and I was glad that I liked it all.
After dinner I came back upstairs and decided to check out what the music was on the soccer field after the game. They have a DJ that plays a bunch of random songs, some American, some Haitian songs and everyone just hangs out and dances. It was kind of like a club, only its outside and the DJ stops playing music around the time that it gets dark. Now we are all just getting to bed because we have a long day of traveling tomorrow to Jacmel. I guess we are staying the night in Jacmel so only 1 more day of electricity.
When we were on our way to the Matthew 25 guest house I realized how much damaged was caused by the earthquake. I took pictures of all the buildings and street vendors. I also realized that I would never try to drive in Haiti because although there are some stop signs, no one really follows them so there is a lot of honking and stop-and-go traffic. In intersections you just have to honk and squeeze your way in, and honk at every turn. It was such a strange concept and I thought there had to be so many accidents but Pierre said he had never seen a car accident in Haiti.
When we finally got to Matthew 25 we were showed to our room and Shelby (one of the girls in our group who went last year) showed us around and told us a little about her trip last year. The perimeter of Matthew 25 is guarded by security 24/7 so every time we want to leave the house we have to get let out by a guard. They also walk around the grounds at night and are armed so it makes me feel safer. We also got to try some sugarcane from a local who came by and sold some to us.. It was really good but tough on my teeth.
The kids here (and most of the people) are so friendly and seem excited to see Americans here. They call us “blan” which I guess just means a white person, or foreigner. And I’m starting to think all Haitian guys here have a thing for blondes, because of all the people in this group I am the only blonde besides Cindy and I seem to get hit on everywhere I go. One guy even gave me his number after he told me I was beautiful, nice and he loved me. His name is Mike but I only talked to him for maybe 5 minutes and he asked me to marry him. It’s definitely different here. I decided I’m going to keep a tally to see how many husbands I come back with and how many I get hit on by.
There is a soccer field right behind Matthew 25 and we are lucky enough to come during a week of their soccer playoffs. We watched the game and took pictures but I don’t think I captured how intense the game gets. People get hurt a lot because they don’t have any shin guards, and fights seemed to break out pretty easily, but it was a really entertaining game. At halftime we ate dinner and got to try some of the Haitian cuisine. There was rice with bean sauce, fried okra, avocado, picklese/pikliz (which is like a spicy coleslaw), bread, and plantains. It was all really good and I was glad that I liked it all.
After dinner I came back upstairs and decided to check out what the music was on the soccer field after the game. They have a DJ that plays a bunch of random songs, some American, some Haitian songs and everyone just hangs out and dances. It was kind of like a club, only its outside and the DJ stops playing music around the time that it gets dark. Now we are all just getting to bed because we have a long day of traveling tomorrow to Jacmel. I guess we are staying the night in Jacmel so only 1 more day of electricity.
Day 2 – Wednesday, August 15, 2012
The view behind Pierre's old school.
This morning we woke up around 7 and I had my first shower in Haiti. It was a cold shower but I liked it cold because it was already pretty hot outside. After Pierre’s brother came to pick us up and take us to Jacmel. We all piled into the car which was quite the experience. We had to fit 7 people into a 5 person car, so it was super uncomfortable. Our ride to Jacmel was probably around 3 or 4 hours because of all the traffic, and when we were driving through the mountains, they had closed down the road at a curve for a while to make the road wider. I guess there had been a few accidents, so it made the drive a little longer. We stayed in a hotel in Jacmel and got to meet some of Pierre’s old friends from growing up. We also got to see where Pierre went to grade school and college. It was right by the water so it had a really pretty view.
After dinner, Pierre’s friend showed us Haiti’s “nightlife,” which consisted of one bar on the water with some good dance music. This is where they are trying to attract tourists to come to. We didn’t go in because no one was dancing but Pierre tried to get me to dance because he said I would attract other people to go dance with me. Haha. He also said, though, that I must have a very outgoing personality and come off as a nice person because everyone seems to be attracted/drawn to me. Even women selling bananas and things would come and try to talk to me all the time. I’ve decided that I want to come back again next year but I definitely need to learn either French or Creole because I hate not being able to communicate with anyone. Tomorrow we are headed to Belle Anse and then to Pichon, and from what I hear, it’s going to be quite an interesting journey getting there. The roads are really bad and we even have to drive through a few rivers, so it’s going to take longer than expected. I guess most people take boats there because it’s quicker. I am excited to finally be doing some work and making a difference in some way so I really can’t wait to get there.
After dinner, Pierre’s friend showed us Haiti’s “nightlife,” which consisted of one bar on the water with some good dance music. This is where they are trying to attract tourists to come to. We didn’t go in because no one was dancing but Pierre tried to get me to dance because he said I would attract other people to go dance with me. Haha. He also said, though, that I must have a very outgoing personality and come off as a nice person because everyone seems to be attracted/drawn to me. Even women selling bananas and things would come and try to talk to me all the time. I’ve decided that I want to come back again next year but I definitely need to learn either French or Creole because I hate not being able to communicate with anyone. Tomorrow we are headed to Belle Anse and then to Pichon, and from what I hear, it’s going to be quite an interesting journey getting there. The roads are really bad and we even have to drive through a few rivers, so it’s going to take longer than expected. I guess most people take boats there because it’s quicker. I am excited to finally be doing some work and making a difference in some way so I really can’t wait to get there.
Day 3 – Thursday, August 16, 2012
The gorgeous view from the car on the way to Pichon
Today we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel. Cindy wasn’t feeling well so our plans changed a little. We think she might have gotten carbon monoxide poisoning from the generator at the hotel. The generator was extremely loud and I guess it was right next to their room. She was in the room the longest and was the only one who got sick so we think the exhaust might have been going into their room. I also took a shower at the hotel because I wasn’t sure when I would be able to take another one.
We all crammed back in the car and headed to Belle Anse where Pierre was born. The road to Belle Anse was awful, everyone who warned us about it being bad was right. We had to first drive through two rivers (I didn’t know how cars were making it through, honestly), and up the mountain, then down the other side. The road on the mountain didn’t even seem like it could be a road. Their roads are made with all rocks, but some parts are paved where the road used to be really bad. Cindy and Pierre told us that the paved parts of the road were paid for by rich Haitians that sent money back home to have it fixed.
We made a bunch of stops on the way to Belle Anse because Cindy was feeling really sick, so it took a lot longer than we planned to make it there, but I am really glad we got to stop and walk a bit. Somewhere in the Belle Anse countryside we met a whole community of people who were helping a charcoal truck that got stuck make it up one of the steep roads. They were all very friendly and we took pictures with them. Pierre asked them first if it was okay to take pictures with them because I guess some people in Haiti don’t like it when Americans come and take pictures of them. Some of them think Americans take pictures of Haiti and the way people live there just to show how poor the country is, so we made sure to ask each time before we took pictures with/of people. Luckily, they didn’t mind, but they did ask us for food. Pierre told us that the best way for us to help them is to go back to the United States and advocate for them because if we gave something to one person, we would have to give something to all of them. He told them that too and they seemed appreciative and glad they met all of us.
In Belle Anse, when we finally got there, we met some of Pierre’s family members at the house that his brother built. The house isn’t finished yet, and he isn’t sure when or if his brother is going to finish the house, but it is beautiful. It’s right on the water and there are palm trees everywhere. Pierre said he hopes his brother finishes it so we would have a place to go and stay at when we go back to Haiti someday. Cindy and Pierre had to meet with the mayor of the town to talk about a program that is being presented to him in September. The program is a medical program where they take applications from people in Haiti who would like to be doctors, and the program will train the ones selected. Pierre wanted to meet with the mayor first to let him know that they supported it and wanted to give the doctors a certain amount of money for each day they were training them so it might give them more incentive to come. Cindy was telling us that the doctors will train the Haitian applicants how to notice different signs and symptoms of certain sicknesses and other medical things, leave them to practice on their own for 3 months, then come back to check and see how they are doing with their diagnosis’s and train them how to do more. She said the program had been done in another country and worked out really well, so they decided to try it in Haiti too because there isn’t much medical care of any kind. Pierre was saying that there are not really any doctors in the poor cities, they believe in voodoo, so when someone gets sick or dies they say it was because that person did something bad in their life. It was such a strange concept to think about, especially since I will go to the doctor anytime I am sick, so it really made me feel grateful for having health care throughout my life.
While they were meeting with the mayor I got to enjoy the water a little bit J The house is the only one around, so it was like we had a whole beach to ourselves. The water was quite warm, which surprised me because I thought it would be cold since it is such a huge body of water. I’ve already decided that someday I am going to live on a beach somewhere, and if I learn some French or Creole, Haiti will definitely be in my list of possibilities. We also had our first encounter with some fresh coconuts there. I’ve never seen someone climb up a tree to get coconuts, so that was pretty awesome. I thought I might be able to climb up and get one, but I would have some issues getting down.
Next we went to see the place that Cindy and Pierre want to build a computer lab. Belle Anse is a really poor city and some people there have never seen a computer. There is a computer lab in town at the school but it is right on the beach and the salt water air has been damaging the three computers that they have, so they want to move it more inland. Cindy and Pierre have teamed up with another organization to try and get this plan in motion and have already picked out the land where it will be. The other organization has already budgeted out how much everything will cost to build the building; everything from the price of the stones and cement, to the labor is calculated out so we know how much money needs to be raised. Pierre promised to raise $5,000 for this project so whatever we don’t raise he will be paying the difference. I decided that for the next year I will be fundraising for this project and the price of my ticket here for next year so I can come back and do more to help. I am really excited about it.
We ate dinner at a place in Belle Anse, and the principal of the school that we are doing all of our work at came to make sure our dinner was made for us. I thought that was really nice of him. We ate rice, beans, and fish. I was a little nervous about the fish because I had been warned by the lady at the MSU travel clinic not to, but decided to try it anyways. I am glad I did because it was delicious. It was hard to eat because I had to pick the bones out. I took just a piece of a fish instead of the whole thing (which I guess is easier because you pull it off the bone as you eat it), so it made it harder to eat but it was probably better I didn’t take a whole fish because I’m not too fond of my food literally staring back up at me. It was probably the best fish I’ve ever had though. The principal also drove out to Pichon where the school was to make sure we got there okay and could get into the schoolhouse.
The road from Belle Anse to Pichon was so bad. I thought the roads everywhere were bad until we drove to Pichon, but I didn’t think some parts of these roads should even be considered roads. When we finally got here it was pitch black and we had to get out all of our flashlights. There isn’t any electricity here, so it’s much different from the rest of the Haiti experience so far. One thing I do NOT like at all are the spiders here. When we first got here we saw one and it was huge! By far the biggest spider I have ever seen in my life. I hate spiders so I probably won’t get much sleep tonight, but I need as much as I can get since we are starting our work tomorrow.
We all crammed back in the car and headed to Belle Anse where Pierre was born. The road to Belle Anse was awful, everyone who warned us about it being bad was right. We had to first drive through two rivers (I didn’t know how cars were making it through, honestly), and up the mountain, then down the other side. The road on the mountain didn’t even seem like it could be a road. Their roads are made with all rocks, but some parts are paved where the road used to be really bad. Cindy and Pierre told us that the paved parts of the road were paid for by rich Haitians that sent money back home to have it fixed.
We made a bunch of stops on the way to Belle Anse because Cindy was feeling really sick, so it took a lot longer than we planned to make it there, but I am really glad we got to stop and walk a bit. Somewhere in the Belle Anse countryside we met a whole community of people who were helping a charcoal truck that got stuck make it up one of the steep roads. They were all very friendly and we took pictures with them. Pierre asked them first if it was okay to take pictures with them because I guess some people in Haiti don’t like it when Americans come and take pictures of them. Some of them think Americans take pictures of Haiti and the way people live there just to show how poor the country is, so we made sure to ask each time before we took pictures with/of people. Luckily, they didn’t mind, but they did ask us for food. Pierre told us that the best way for us to help them is to go back to the United States and advocate for them because if we gave something to one person, we would have to give something to all of them. He told them that too and they seemed appreciative and glad they met all of us.
In Belle Anse, when we finally got there, we met some of Pierre’s family members at the house that his brother built. The house isn’t finished yet, and he isn’t sure when or if his brother is going to finish the house, but it is beautiful. It’s right on the water and there are palm trees everywhere. Pierre said he hopes his brother finishes it so we would have a place to go and stay at when we go back to Haiti someday. Cindy and Pierre had to meet with the mayor of the town to talk about a program that is being presented to him in September. The program is a medical program where they take applications from people in Haiti who would like to be doctors, and the program will train the ones selected. Pierre wanted to meet with the mayor first to let him know that they supported it and wanted to give the doctors a certain amount of money for each day they were training them so it might give them more incentive to come. Cindy was telling us that the doctors will train the Haitian applicants how to notice different signs and symptoms of certain sicknesses and other medical things, leave them to practice on their own for 3 months, then come back to check and see how they are doing with their diagnosis’s and train them how to do more. She said the program had been done in another country and worked out really well, so they decided to try it in Haiti too because there isn’t much medical care of any kind. Pierre was saying that there are not really any doctors in the poor cities, they believe in voodoo, so when someone gets sick or dies they say it was because that person did something bad in their life. It was such a strange concept to think about, especially since I will go to the doctor anytime I am sick, so it really made me feel grateful for having health care throughout my life.
While they were meeting with the mayor I got to enjoy the water a little bit J The house is the only one around, so it was like we had a whole beach to ourselves. The water was quite warm, which surprised me because I thought it would be cold since it is such a huge body of water. I’ve already decided that someday I am going to live on a beach somewhere, and if I learn some French or Creole, Haiti will definitely be in my list of possibilities. We also had our first encounter with some fresh coconuts there. I’ve never seen someone climb up a tree to get coconuts, so that was pretty awesome. I thought I might be able to climb up and get one, but I would have some issues getting down.
Next we went to see the place that Cindy and Pierre want to build a computer lab. Belle Anse is a really poor city and some people there have never seen a computer. There is a computer lab in town at the school but it is right on the beach and the salt water air has been damaging the three computers that they have, so they want to move it more inland. Cindy and Pierre have teamed up with another organization to try and get this plan in motion and have already picked out the land where it will be. The other organization has already budgeted out how much everything will cost to build the building; everything from the price of the stones and cement, to the labor is calculated out so we know how much money needs to be raised. Pierre promised to raise $5,000 for this project so whatever we don’t raise he will be paying the difference. I decided that for the next year I will be fundraising for this project and the price of my ticket here for next year so I can come back and do more to help. I am really excited about it.
We ate dinner at a place in Belle Anse, and the principal of the school that we are doing all of our work at came to make sure our dinner was made for us. I thought that was really nice of him. We ate rice, beans, and fish. I was a little nervous about the fish because I had been warned by the lady at the MSU travel clinic not to, but decided to try it anyways. I am glad I did because it was delicious. It was hard to eat because I had to pick the bones out. I took just a piece of a fish instead of the whole thing (which I guess is easier because you pull it off the bone as you eat it), so it made it harder to eat but it was probably better I didn’t take a whole fish because I’m not too fond of my food literally staring back up at me. It was probably the best fish I’ve ever had though. The principal also drove out to Pichon where the school was to make sure we got there okay and could get into the schoolhouse.
The road from Belle Anse to Pichon was so bad. I thought the roads everywhere were bad until we drove to Pichon, but I didn’t think some parts of these roads should even be considered roads. When we finally got here it was pitch black and we had to get out all of our flashlights. There isn’t any electricity here, so it’s much different from the rest of the Haiti experience so far. One thing I do NOT like at all are the spiders here. When we first got here we saw one and it was huge! By far the biggest spider I have ever seen in my life. I hate spiders so I probably won’t get much sleep tonight, but I need as much as I can get since we are starting our work tomorrow.
Day 4 – Friday, August 17, 2012
Putting up screens on the school houses.
Today our work finally began! I didn’t get much sleep at all last night because I kept having dreams about spiders crawling on me, and the frogs here don’t sound like any frog I’ve ever heard before. It kind of sounded like two dogs getting into a fight. Before I fell asleep I heard Pierre’s brother, Bertron, slamming a shoe on the floor and coming toward us because he was chasing down spiders crawling around, so it was hard not to have dreams about it. The roosters here also don’t know what they are doing. You would think they would start “cock-a-doodle-dooing” when the sun comes up, but they really don’t know what time it is, they just do it all through the night and day. I kept thinking it was time to get up, but when I checked my phone it was still the middle of the night, so they confused me. With the sun being out for 12 hours it is easy to lose track of time, too.
We started our work by putting the screens on the windows of the schoolhouses. We had to stand on one of the desks to get up there because the schoolhouses are on stilts, and their ladder wasn’t so promising. I guess the schoolhouses were donated there and they raised them up because it can flood during the rainy season. I was one of the staplers because I was taller and could reach to almost the top. Cindy did the very top because she was taller than all of us. The screen didn’t fit across the whole window because I had to cut it so it would fit in my bag, but we just put a thin layer of screen across the top and it still worked with keeping the bugs out. We ended up not having enough screen for all of the windows, so when we come back next year we are going to finish it.
Next, we fixed the panels on the doors and scraped off the old paint that was chipping off so we could repaint them. Ahn and Cindy worked on scraping off the old paint, while Megan, Shelby and I worked on finding something to fix the panels of the doors with. We found some wood with supplies that were left behind so we took the wood and a saw out to cut them into the right size pieces. The kids would sit around and watch us, which was kind of awkward. Some wouldn’t say anything even when you said hello but I think they were just shy. I felt like my work was being critiqued though. Shelby sawed off the first few and then I took over. I ended up sawing it much quicker than her but I think it’s because I used to help Papa with random projects all the time and he taught me how to saw quick J So, I will have to tell him that he really helped me out on this trip with getting things done quickly. Our first door was a little rough looking because although we measured out the panels with how long they should be on the door, they all ended up being different sizes somehow, but it still worked.
We hammered them on the door and then took a lunch break. It was nice to take a break because it’s so hot and I can’t stop sweating here. I had to reapply my sunblock almost every hour. This was the only cooked meal we had and I guess we will only be getting one cooked meal a day, but that’s why we brought some of our own food with us. We had more rice and beans and the woman who cooked our food heated up a can of tuna we brought and mixed it with some kind of sauce. It was probably the best tuna I’ve ever had out of a can, but I’m starting to get a little sick of rice and beans since we have it with every meal. The woman who made our meal was making it all day. I guess the charcoal doesn’t get very hot, so it takes all day for food to cook. I think this is why most women here don’t have a job, because they are always cooking all day for their families.
After lunch we got back to work sawing the wood for the next and last door we had to make panels for. I don’t know why we didn’t think of it sooner, but we started to measure the wood from the last one we just did by just putting it on top of the wood we were cutting instead of measuring each one. They ended up all the same size for the second door, which was good. It has been hard getting used to the sun and heat here, so I blame it on that. I ended up getting sunburnt on the back of my neck because I must have missed it. I was the only who didn’t take a nap in the middle of the day, though, so I was in the sun for most of the day.
I helped Anh and Cindy scrap paint off the doors and then started repainting them. Scraping them off took the longest because we only had one good scraper, but we finally got it done. It took a couple of coats because the doors were soaking up the paint too much and we didn’t think of getting a primer.
After we got done with everything I wanted to rinse off and take a shower with the camping showers that we brought but all of the kids were hanging out right where we put up the shower. I didn’t want them all watching me so we put up a tarp so they couldn’t see. They seem to be so interested in what we are doing all the time so I knew they would just sit there and watch me, which would have been awkward.
Oh, and I almost forgot about my little friend that I made! His name is Francisco and he is probably either 2 or 3 years old. He followed me around everywhere all day until his mother came to take him home. He was my little buddy so I hope he comes back tomorrow J It was cool to see how willing all the kids were to help us too. We had to assemble a bookshelf earlier and take all the pieces over to the front building and all of the kids ran over to help carry the boards so we didn’t have to. It was really nice of them, and it helped a lot. Some of them are so strong. I also happened to step into a mound of ants too, and I don’t know if they were fire ants or not, but they definitely bit me. I was standing with a group of the younger boys trying to talk to them when it happened and when they saw me start jumping and trying to get the ants off my foot, they tried to wipe them off my foot too.
We also met with the parents of some of the kids to let them know what we will be doing with them. Tomorrow all the kids are coming back so we can teach them some games and hand out our little gift bags (which have pencils, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a piece of candy in it). I think the goodie bags part will be a bitter-sweet because it might be hard to see kids fighting over things they need. We will see though.
We started our work by putting the screens on the windows of the schoolhouses. We had to stand on one of the desks to get up there because the schoolhouses are on stilts, and their ladder wasn’t so promising. I guess the schoolhouses were donated there and they raised them up because it can flood during the rainy season. I was one of the staplers because I was taller and could reach to almost the top. Cindy did the very top because she was taller than all of us. The screen didn’t fit across the whole window because I had to cut it so it would fit in my bag, but we just put a thin layer of screen across the top and it still worked with keeping the bugs out. We ended up not having enough screen for all of the windows, so when we come back next year we are going to finish it.
Next, we fixed the panels on the doors and scraped off the old paint that was chipping off so we could repaint them. Ahn and Cindy worked on scraping off the old paint, while Megan, Shelby and I worked on finding something to fix the panels of the doors with. We found some wood with supplies that were left behind so we took the wood and a saw out to cut them into the right size pieces. The kids would sit around and watch us, which was kind of awkward. Some wouldn’t say anything even when you said hello but I think they were just shy. I felt like my work was being critiqued though. Shelby sawed off the first few and then I took over. I ended up sawing it much quicker than her but I think it’s because I used to help Papa with random projects all the time and he taught me how to saw quick J So, I will have to tell him that he really helped me out on this trip with getting things done quickly. Our first door was a little rough looking because although we measured out the panels with how long they should be on the door, they all ended up being different sizes somehow, but it still worked.
We hammered them on the door and then took a lunch break. It was nice to take a break because it’s so hot and I can’t stop sweating here. I had to reapply my sunblock almost every hour. This was the only cooked meal we had and I guess we will only be getting one cooked meal a day, but that’s why we brought some of our own food with us. We had more rice and beans and the woman who cooked our food heated up a can of tuna we brought and mixed it with some kind of sauce. It was probably the best tuna I’ve ever had out of a can, but I’m starting to get a little sick of rice and beans since we have it with every meal. The woman who made our meal was making it all day. I guess the charcoal doesn’t get very hot, so it takes all day for food to cook. I think this is why most women here don’t have a job, because they are always cooking all day for their families.
After lunch we got back to work sawing the wood for the next and last door we had to make panels for. I don’t know why we didn’t think of it sooner, but we started to measure the wood from the last one we just did by just putting it on top of the wood we were cutting instead of measuring each one. They ended up all the same size for the second door, which was good. It has been hard getting used to the sun and heat here, so I blame it on that. I ended up getting sunburnt on the back of my neck because I must have missed it. I was the only who didn’t take a nap in the middle of the day, though, so I was in the sun for most of the day.
I helped Anh and Cindy scrap paint off the doors and then started repainting them. Scraping them off took the longest because we only had one good scraper, but we finally got it done. It took a couple of coats because the doors were soaking up the paint too much and we didn’t think of getting a primer.
After we got done with everything I wanted to rinse off and take a shower with the camping showers that we brought but all of the kids were hanging out right where we put up the shower. I didn’t want them all watching me so we put up a tarp so they couldn’t see. They seem to be so interested in what we are doing all the time so I knew they would just sit there and watch me, which would have been awkward.
Oh, and I almost forgot about my little friend that I made! His name is Francisco and he is probably either 2 or 3 years old. He followed me around everywhere all day until his mother came to take him home. He was my little buddy so I hope he comes back tomorrow J It was cool to see how willing all the kids were to help us too. We had to assemble a bookshelf earlier and take all the pieces over to the front building and all of the kids ran over to help carry the boards so we didn’t have to. It was really nice of them, and it helped a lot. Some of them are so strong. I also happened to step into a mound of ants too, and I don’t know if they were fire ants or not, but they definitely bit me. I was standing with a group of the younger boys trying to talk to them when it happened and when they saw me start jumping and trying to get the ants off my foot, they tried to wipe them off my foot too.
We also met with the parents of some of the kids to let them know what we will be doing with them. Tomorrow all the kids are coming back so we can teach them some games and hand out our little gift bags (which have pencils, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and a piece of candy in it). I think the goodie bags part will be a bitter-sweet because it might be hard to see kids fighting over things they need. We will see though.
Day 5 – Saturday, August 18, 2012
So, this morning we finished all of our work. We put the last coat of paint on all of the doors, and Shelby and Anh went on the roof to fix the leak in one of the schoolhouses. We had to make sure they did it before it got too late because it would have been too hot on the roof and too hot for the glue to dry and work. We also had to build our own ladder since we were too afraid to send Anh and Shelby up there on the one they had at the school. I was glad to finally be done because it is hard working in the sun with it being so hot. For the past couple of days we have also been noticing other things that need to be fixed, so we are making a list for next year’s trip. I definitely want to come back so I’ll be saving up my money.
We got to play games with the kids today too and taught them how to say a few phrases in English. I don’t think any of them will remember the English phrases, but they still had fun with it. We also taught them the importance of dental hygiene and how to brush their teeth. The game we taught them to play was Duck, Duck, Goose which ended up being so much fun. I think they were excited for us to be playing with them because every time I was picked as the goose, they would all cheer for me as I ran around trying to tag them.
The goodie bags were a great idea, but there ended up being more kids that showed up than the amount of bags we had. We also brought some McDonald toys too that were donated by a friend of Cindy’s so we decided to give the toys to the younger kids and the goodie bags to the older kids. Luckily for us, the principal of the school decided he was going to pass out everything with the help of the teachers. I’m glad he did because we would have gotten attacked with all the toys and everything. It was really sad to see the kids fighting over things that they need, like toothbrushes, but I was happy we got to give most of them one. We made sure everyone got something, but some got more than others.
After we were done with our activities with the kids I went and sat by some boxes to relax out of the sun and I noticed some of the kids followed me and were all sitting around staring at me. It was super awkward because I would say hello and no one would say anything. I noticed it happening a few times, though since we’ve been here so I decided to ask about it. Pierre said that that is their way of showing that they appreciate me being here and helping them. They are too shy to say anything, so that is their way of saying thank you, I guess. After I found that out I just tried not to pay attention so I didn’t feel so awkward, but it was nice to finally know what that was all about.
We got to go swimming today too! I was super excited because that is the one thing I wanted to make sure I did. We drove back to Bel Anse where the beach was and on our way we ran into Pierre’s sister in law Nadia, her son, and a few other people. They just happened to be going swimming too so they took us to where they go swimming at. The beach was all full of rocks and there was only a little bit of sand right by the water. I picked out some rocks for Lisa to put around the house because I thought she would like some Haitian rocks to add to the collection. The water was really nice and I loved it but right when I was about to get out I got stung by something L It felt like a hundred needles being stabbed in my arm, so Cindy sent me with Nadia to see what it was and see if she could help. She thought it was a jellyfish but I’m not really sure because other people were saying it couldn’t have been a jellyfish. They ended up taking me into town and chopped off a piece of an aloe plant so I could put it on my arm. It doesn’t hurt at all now it just stings every once in a while. Aloe smells disgusting, by the way. I guess we will be seeing Nadia and her son back in Port au Prince because that’s where they live. After, we drove back to Pichon because we are still sleeping in the schoolhouse tonight. I’m excited for tomorrow because we are going to see the Cascades here in Pichon, and from how Pierre has described it, it’s beautiful.
We got to play games with the kids today too and taught them how to say a few phrases in English. I don’t think any of them will remember the English phrases, but they still had fun with it. We also taught them the importance of dental hygiene and how to brush their teeth. The game we taught them to play was Duck, Duck, Goose which ended up being so much fun. I think they were excited for us to be playing with them because every time I was picked as the goose, they would all cheer for me as I ran around trying to tag them.
The goodie bags were a great idea, but there ended up being more kids that showed up than the amount of bags we had. We also brought some McDonald toys too that were donated by a friend of Cindy’s so we decided to give the toys to the younger kids and the goodie bags to the older kids. Luckily for us, the principal of the school decided he was going to pass out everything with the help of the teachers. I’m glad he did because we would have gotten attacked with all the toys and everything. It was really sad to see the kids fighting over things that they need, like toothbrushes, but I was happy we got to give most of them one. We made sure everyone got something, but some got more than others.
After we were done with our activities with the kids I went and sat by some boxes to relax out of the sun and I noticed some of the kids followed me and were all sitting around staring at me. It was super awkward because I would say hello and no one would say anything. I noticed it happening a few times, though since we’ve been here so I decided to ask about it. Pierre said that that is their way of showing that they appreciate me being here and helping them. They are too shy to say anything, so that is their way of saying thank you, I guess. After I found that out I just tried not to pay attention so I didn’t feel so awkward, but it was nice to finally know what that was all about.
We got to go swimming today too! I was super excited because that is the one thing I wanted to make sure I did. We drove back to Bel Anse where the beach was and on our way we ran into Pierre’s sister in law Nadia, her son, and a few other people. They just happened to be going swimming too so they took us to where they go swimming at. The beach was all full of rocks and there was only a little bit of sand right by the water. I picked out some rocks for Lisa to put around the house because I thought she would like some Haitian rocks to add to the collection. The water was really nice and I loved it but right when I was about to get out I got stung by something L It felt like a hundred needles being stabbed in my arm, so Cindy sent me with Nadia to see what it was and see if she could help. She thought it was a jellyfish but I’m not really sure because other people were saying it couldn’t have been a jellyfish. They ended up taking me into town and chopped off a piece of an aloe plant so I could put it on my arm. It doesn’t hurt at all now it just stings every once in a while. Aloe smells disgusting, by the way. I guess we will be seeing Nadia and her son back in Port au Prince because that’s where they live. After, we drove back to Pichon because we are still sleeping in the schoolhouse tonight. I’m excited for tomorrow because we are going to see the Cascades here in Pichon, and from how Pierre has described it, it’s beautiful.
Day 6 – Sunday, August 19, 2012
One of the things Pierre promised us was that we were going to be able to see the Cascades and I’m really glad that we did. We all woke up around 6am and drove as close as we could get to the Cascades and then started our hike. The roads in Pichon are significantly worse than everywhere else we have been in Haiti so we had to hike down a steep road, then back up an even bigger hill, and then it was pretty flat the rest of the way to the Cascades. It was a long, sweaty hike so I was in front of everyone keeping a pretty fast pace so I could get there sooner. The hike up the Cascades was extremely tiring. I called it the “never ending stair master” because it was mostly all rocks that we had to climb up like stairs almost. It really gave my legs a workout, but it was definitely worth it.
There were a few flat spots where the water would collect before it fell down further to the next level of the Cascade and it was gorgeous. I almost didn’t make it to the very top, but I knew I would be mad at myself if I didn’t so I pushed through and made it. At the top of the Cascade there were water crests and mint growing, so Pierre’s brother, Bertron, grabbed some mint to take home. We also could look across at the next mountain over and see where we parked the car. It was crazy to see how far we had just hiked to get there. At the top we also met a family of 4 that lived at the top of the Cascades. They had a little hut that had just a roof and no walls that was about the size of a large dining room table. It was probably the poorest family that we have seen in Haiti so far, and it was really sad to see poverty to that extreme.
The way down was kind of scary because there were so many loose rocks and it was pretty steep, but we all made it down safely, even with a few slips along the way. When we got back to the car, the previous principal of the school in Pichon brought us fresh coconuts, which was extremely refreshing after such a long hike. When we got back to the school we all just decided to relax because we were all so tired. I even took a shower in my swim suit and didn’t mind all the kids staring at me because it was so nice to feel clean.
After we relaxed a while, Shelby and I taught Anh and Megan how to play euchre until Cindy and Pierre had a sit down with all of us. They wanted to reflect on our trip and talk about all the positive and negative aspects of our trip so they can try and make it a better experience next year. They also talked about all of the projects for this year for fundraising with us and I am excited to be a part of it. This has definitely been an experience of a lifetime and I love being in Haiti. I already can’t wait to come back next year. J Tonight we are getting to bed pretty early because we have to wake up at 3:30am so we can leave at 4am for Port au Prince to go back to Matthew 25.
There were a few flat spots where the water would collect before it fell down further to the next level of the Cascade and it was gorgeous. I almost didn’t make it to the very top, but I knew I would be mad at myself if I didn’t so I pushed through and made it. At the top of the Cascade there were water crests and mint growing, so Pierre’s brother, Bertron, grabbed some mint to take home. We also could look across at the next mountain over and see where we parked the car. It was crazy to see how far we had just hiked to get there. At the top we also met a family of 4 that lived at the top of the Cascades. They had a little hut that had just a roof and no walls that was about the size of a large dining room table. It was probably the poorest family that we have seen in Haiti so far, and it was really sad to see poverty to that extreme.
The way down was kind of scary because there were so many loose rocks and it was pretty steep, but we all made it down safely, even with a few slips along the way. When we got back to the car, the previous principal of the school in Pichon brought us fresh coconuts, which was extremely refreshing after such a long hike. When we got back to the school we all just decided to relax because we were all so tired. I even took a shower in my swim suit and didn’t mind all the kids staring at me because it was so nice to feel clean.
After we relaxed a while, Shelby and I taught Anh and Megan how to play euchre until Cindy and Pierre had a sit down with all of us. They wanted to reflect on our trip and talk about all the positive and negative aspects of our trip so they can try and make it a better experience next year. They also talked about all of the projects for this year for fundraising with us and I am excited to be a part of it. This has definitely been an experience of a lifetime and I love being in Haiti. I already can’t wait to come back next year. J Tonight we are getting to bed pretty early because we have to wake up at 3:30am so we can leave at 4am for Port au Prince to go back to Matthew 25.
Day 7 – Monday, August 20, 2012
Painting done by the locals that are for sale on the streets.
This morning we all piled into the car and headed to Port au Prince at 4am. I chose to ride in the back on top of all the bags, which I thought would be an awesome idea, but with the roads in Haiti it really wasn’t. I moved with every bump so it was pretty uncomfortable with bag wheels in my back and my knees hitting the windows.
The drive was somewhere between 4 and 5 hours but I’m not really sure exactly how long it was. My sense of time was all off from falling asleep for 5 to 20 minutes at a time. Since we got back to Matthew 25 we have just been relaxing. We are waiting for Pierre’s brother Bertron to get out of work so he can take us shopping and to see some different areas around Port au Prince. I realized today that I can use wifi here so I got to FaceTime with Joe, Hailey and Savannah J I was really excited to talk to some people from home and really glad that I have an iPhone so I can do that. The only hard part about being here is being away from all my friends and family, so it was nice to talk to some of them. I showed them around Matthew 25 and showed them the sweet DJ that played music on the soccer field.
Later on..
When Bertron got out of work he took us around Port au Prince. He showed us the government building here that no one has really tried to fix up since the earthquake. I took a picture of it when we drove by. It’s like the white house of Haiti, basically.
Next we went to see some shops and street vendors but Pierre and Bertron told us we needed to stay in the car if we wanted to buy anything. I guess Haitians think that all Americans have a lot of money so they extremely overcharge them. The main thing we wanted to go look at and buy were paintings. There was almost 3 blocks of paintings that were all beautiful and I ended up getting one with palm trees and canoes on it. It only ended up being 800 goud which is like $20.
Now we are just playing Euchre and packing for our trip home. Although I love Haiti, I am so excited to be back in the US and talk to everyone.
The drive was somewhere between 4 and 5 hours but I’m not really sure exactly how long it was. My sense of time was all off from falling asleep for 5 to 20 minutes at a time. Since we got back to Matthew 25 we have just been relaxing. We are waiting for Pierre’s brother Bertron to get out of work so he can take us shopping and to see some different areas around Port au Prince. I realized today that I can use wifi here so I got to FaceTime with Joe, Hailey and Savannah J I was really excited to talk to some people from home and really glad that I have an iPhone so I can do that. The only hard part about being here is being away from all my friends and family, so it was nice to talk to some of them. I showed them around Matthew 25 and showed them the sweet DJ that played music on the soccer field.
Later on..
When Bertron got out of work he took us around Port au Prince. He showed us the government building here that no one has really tried to fix up since the earthquake. I took a picture of it when we drove by. It’s like the white house of Haiti, basically.
Next we went to see some shops and street vendors but Pierre and Bertron told us we needed to stay in the car if we wanted to buy anything. I guess Haitians think that all Americans have a lot of money so they extremely overcharge them. The main thing we wanted to go look at and buy were paintings. There was almost 3 blocks of paintings that were all beautiful and I ended up getting one with palm trees and canoes on it. It only ended up being 800 goud which is like $20.
Now we are just playing Euchre and packing for our trip home. Although I love Haiti, I am so excited to be back in the US and talk to everyone.
Day 8 – Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Today has been a long day. This morning we made our way to the airport and there were so many Haitians outside the door trying to sell us last minute things. It was ridiculous how many times we had to go through security. We went through the first security checkpoint when we walked in the door, then when we checked our bags, went through immigration, then went through another security checkpoint. Then we had the opportunity to buy some rum. I bought 3 bottles; one more expensive bottle for Hailey for her 21st birthday that I missed when I was gone, one for my dad, and one for me. Then we went up some stairs and had to go through security again. It was just too much security for me.
Our flight ended up being delayed an hour so I decided to get some food. They actually had some fast food with burgers and fries so I was excited to eat some American food. I think everyone was really stressed out though because people were rude at the airport, which was completely different from my Haiti experience throughout the week. I even was told to “Hurry up and just pick something,” when the lady hadn’t even asked what I would like. I am assuming it was just stress though because there were some people hysterically crying and yelling from the boarding gate that led to the plane.
We then got our rum after they checked our ticket and took the rum on the plane, which I thought was different. We had to stuff it in our checked bag when we got our bags back in Miami though. Thank God they didn’t check the weight of our bags again because mine was definitely over 50 pounds. Our flight ended up being delayed 2 hours so I will get back super late.
I am now on the plane to Detroit and my roommate, Hailey, and my neighbor, Allania, are coming to pick me up. I’m so excited to finally be home, but I would be willing to go back to Haiti in a heartbeat.
Our flight ended up being delayed an hour so I decided to get some food. They actually had some fast food with burgers and fries so I was excited to eat some American food. I think everyone was really stressed out though because people were rude at the airport, which was completely different from my Haiti experience throughout the week. I even was told to “Hurry up and just pick something,” when the lady hadn’t even asked what I would like. I am assuming it was just stress though because there were some people hysterically crying and yelling from the boarding gate that led to the plane.
We then got our rum after they checked our ticket and took the rum on the plane, which I thought was different. We had to stuff it in our checked bag when we got our bags back in Miami though. Thank God they didn’t check the weight of our bags again because mine was definitely over 50 pounds. Our flight ended up being delayed 2 hours so I will get back super late.
I am now on the plane to Detroit and my roommate, Hailey, and my neighbor, Allania, are coming to pick me up. I’m so excited to finally be home, but I would be willing to go back to Haiti in a heartbeat.