Day One:
We spent day one in Port-Au-Prince. Our flight landed around
2:30pm. Betsy Sherwood, SBHF’s program coordinator & Social Worker, and Anita St. Onge, Residence Coordinator, picked us up from the
airport and took us for a tour around the city. We began with visiting The Apparent Project in Delmas, where
women create jewelry there to earn a living. Deep in a neighborhood of
Port-Au-Prince, it was very hard to find. House numbers are drawn onto the
walls and don’t always go in order. One has to really know the roads and the
area to get around (a GPS would not help you here). Hidden behind a large steel
gate, I was shocked to see the beauty that stood behind it. A lovely decorated
shop filled with gorgeous handmade creations- everything from wind chimes made
with coca cola bottle caps to paper beaded jewelry. It was inspiring to see how
far their project has grown, and I was really impressed by how beautifully
decorated and displayed everything was. It was exactly what I’ve been imagining
for Bay Lavi. Afterwards, we went for lunch. and then hit the road for Fond des
Blancs, about a 3-hour drive from Port Au Prince.
The roads are extremely rocky with lots of twists and turns,
and many drivers here are reckless. The drive feels like a hybrid of a roller
coaster ride and a safari adventure, as parts of the road are submerged in
water and we drive through them as if these mini ponds are puddles. We covered
a lot of Port-Au-Prince, seeing many different neighborhoods. People crowd the
streets. Buildings are brilliantly hand painted with logos and advertisements. It’s
an interesting contrast- the dusty dirt roads against the vibrant colored
buildings. Art is everywhere. There are no street lights and many homes are
without electricity. People wake up at
the crack of dawn and go to sleep as soon as it gets dark out. As someone who
is a night owl, I couldn’t imagine having to lose a decent part of my life to darkness.
They create mini businesses by selling candy, fruits, cooked
foods, cellphones, & random articles of clothing that they hang off
buildings and display in wooden shacks to create makeshift stores. The experience from being in the chaos of the
city to escaping into the serenity of the countryside is very mind clearing.
Staying at St. Boniface hospital is always a pleasurable
experience. Ladies work in the kitchen preparing food each day such as rice and
beans and goat meat, there’s always a bowl of fresh avocados on the table, and
amazing homemade bread. They have the most AMAZING raw honey too. There is a
beekeeper in town that produces it. It’s not thick and syrupy. It’s thin and
almost watery and the best thing I’ve ever tasted. Haiti is also big on recycling and being conservative. There are separate garbage containers for organic materials (food) and for other trash, all sodas and juices come bottled in glass that are then recycled and brought back to be refilled, & instead of running water, dishes are washed in separate tubs, one mixed with soap and one mixed with bleach.
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| The kitchen |
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| Amazing Haitian food |
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| Glass bottles that are all recycled |
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| Balcony in the back of the residence quarters |
The guest room is clean and we are lucky to have our own
bathroom & wifi here too. The showers are cold and the water pressure is
low, but with the humidity your skin is always sticky, so it feels refreshing
no matter how icy it is. Everyone is wonderful and friendly. The feeling of
community and positive energy here is incredible.
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