a haitian holiday

i just returned from the land of cement and jungle vines. haiti was beautiful. absolutely. also... a little shocking and very humbling. 


after a looooooong two days of traveling, i arrived and met the henwoods. they were very hospitable to me as i visited.. their six kids are a ton of fun. their house is located in petionville (known as the bourgeois part of port-au-prince). after climbing up what appeared to be a mountain, i was introduced to the heavy gate a barbed wire that surrounds their house (only slightly unsettling). the house was lovely. and the neighbors very kind. 




i had many great experiences... we visited a small orphanage and spent some time holding babies.. i found it nearly impossible to make them laugh. it was a rainy day, and they seemed to be a little blue. there was one boy there with a dazzling smile. he knew i couldn't speak his language, but it did not stop him from grinning ear to ear every time i looked at him. i was also lucky enough to help at a medical clinic in canaa. it is a HUGE tent city outside of port-au-prince. i mean HUGE. it was really interesting to see what all they can do for these people. not a lot can be done for some of them, but some vitamins and medicine really go a long way. there i met an adorable little boy, samuel. we played tag and looked at the clouds. he spoke to me in creole, i answered in english, and it never seemed to bother him. i liked that. 

typical housing in haiti

the farmland of the baptist mission

i enjoyed visiting the baptist mission.. especially the bread we got there. de-freakin-licious. i later went back and bought some pretties for my future home. i did some more shopping.. which is stressful. the street vendors are really good at making you feel pressured to choose something quick and if you show ANY signs of interest, they keep trying to sell you.. no matter how many times you say, "no merci!"


the marche. it is like a farmers market on steroids. utter chaos. i was glad to have our friend rosalie there to keep me safe from fast moving vehicles and cat-calling men on motorcycles. that was an experience to remember. i also got to see a true haitian rainstorm (good practice for seattle). the streets were, quite literally, waterfalls. and yes, we drove up them to get home. better than splash mountain. 

waterfall #3

one day rach and i took the big kids and hiked in the jungle behind the house. wow. we saw waterfall after waterfall, gardens just planted on the hillsides, avatar trees of life, some wildlife, farmers, it was too amazing to explain in words. i wish the jungle were in my backyard. oh, oh yes, and the hike was complete with naked men bathing in the river.                           

the wildlife...

me loving the corn...

the palace

a typical tap tap.

there was a considerable amount of driving... everything is far away. but, we endured two four-hour drives out to the beach.. well worth it. on the drive, i saw the palace, many a great graffiti, a naked man covered in mud, tap taps PACKED with people...

the ocean!

and after driving through all of this destruction and poor living conditions, we emerged onto a beautiful beach, set aside for the wealthy to enjoy a day of sitting and eating. really? it was difficult for me to feel comfortable, but, admittedly, i loved the beach. it was beautiful, relaxing, and the food was delicious. and there were baby jelly fish! and volleyball! but, i could not turn off those images of people starving and living in trash piles while i lazed on the beach. just too hard. 

beach feet!

on sunday, i tagged along with the henwoods to the feeding clinic they started holding in a placed called st. rock. first of all, the road to st. rock is ridiculous. not meant for a weekly drive, and more like climbing mt. everest.. with six kids, five adults, and a puppy. insanity. there were 150ish kids there to eat. it was kind of awkeward at first, because i do not speak their language, but i found a friend. her name is ishmaya. after an initial moment of shyness, she called for me to come and sit with her. her older sister was the nicest girl ever, and we all became good friends, through smiles and nods and laughter. also, the food was so amazing. the rice and beans that haiti is famous for. seriously. yummy. 

my friends at st. rock

so... i know i am forgetting things, but this is already a long post. all in all, i loved haiti. it was rough around the edges, but the people have lovely hearts. i have this new passion for helping orphans.. and for helping in the medical field. i also am going to learn how to make ricole, the rice and beans dish, and soup d'jou moo.. i probably spelled all of those wrong. but, i am going to make them. so good. 


my final thoughts on haiti are these.. it is amazing that a country can be in so much need that all the help there is barely scratching the surface. there are so many organizations and projects and volunteers, and so much more needs to be done. i read in a book.. mountains beyond mountains by tracey kidder (HIGHLY suggested).. there is a haitian saying.. "God gives but does not share." I like this. God gives us everything, but not everyone is given the same amount. and that is where we step in. it is our duty to share what God has given us. no matter how much or little we have, there are people who we can share it with. everywhere. we just need to look around. and, though the people in countries like haiti need a lot of help, there are people in our very own communities that need us. we don't have to go far to serve. i love that.

some great graffiti.

the best.. and coolest way to carry things.