The trip into Haiti was straightforward, but not uneventful and lasted around 20 hours. We left the house in the Dominican at 5am and traveled for 4 hours in the opposite direction from Haiti to catch another bus that would take us to Port-Au-Prince. The first set of buses were very nice but we were short on seats to the point that Woody rode on someone’s lap for almost all the trip. The bus from Santo Domingo to Port-Au-Prince, however, was the nicest bus I have ever been on. We had huge reclining seats and got a hot meal for lunch.
We arrived in Port-Au-Prince after some minor delays at the border and promptly spent the next two and a half hours or so in a crazy traffic jam. As the sun was setting the bus driver turned on the interior lights and we became television for everyone in the streets.
When we finally arrived at the bus station, we were greeted by our contacts and squad leaders and headed off towards the bus that would be taking us to Grand Guave, where we would be working. The vehicle we had was a short school bus that belongs to the orphanage were staying at. However, it would not start. After watching the driver fiddle with it for several minutes as our fellow squad members all headed out, the driver said we needed to push it to start it. So we all got out and tried to push this heavy buss backwards up the hill it was resting on, but it proved too much for us. Luckily, we found some other racers and contacts and managed to get it started.
As we drove through Port-Au-Prince, I was amazed at how different it was from my expectations. There was a spectacular lightning storm that allowed us to see most of the features of the city. Most of the buildings looked in decent repair, although many were in shambles. The city itself is beautiful and mountainous. There were stands lining the streets selling every kind of clothing and food I could think of. The only power in a majority of the city was from small generators. We drove by the presidential palace that collapsed during the earthquake and it was untouched since the quake. As we neared the outskirts of town traffic slowed to a stop and we got stuck in another traffic jam. I’m not sure what the cause of it was except for some minor bottlenecks, but there were UN troops and local police everywhere.
As for where we are staying, it is on the beach in Grand Guave. The sun both rises and sets over the Bay of Haiti, and it a daily spectacle for me. I have my tent set up in the compound, but I’ve spent every night so far under the stars here. The stars are so nice here, its almost beyond belief. There is a Haitian lady, Mary Eve, that lives in the compound and cooks us amazing meals for breakfast and dinner.
We are working with mission of hope and building “temporary” houses for people living in tent cities. The idea is that the families will live in them for 5 years or so and then be able to afford a normal shelter, however, most here believe that the people will be living in them for the rest of their lives. The structures are largely prefabricated and we need only to square up the frames, put the roof on, anchor it, install the built in bunk beds and tarp around the outside. So far in 4 days we have worked on 24 houses as a team. The design and materials are provided by Samaritan’s Purse, so you may be able to find some pictures of them if your curious, as we cant upload pictures here due to limited internet access. The work is hard and it is hot outside, but the thankfulness of the people we have been working with really keeps me going.
All the Haitians I have met so far have been amazingly friendly and welcoming. Most young adults love a chance to practice their English with us, and I even got to go to and English only social after church on Tuesday night. The young kids love to see us too and cry out “you, you, you” to get our attention when we walk by. This is truly an amazing country and I’m loving every minute of it.
