in a nutshell

haiti happened. it's a beautiful, small country with passionate, kind, entertaining people. it had all of aspects i find myself loving about africa (smiling faces, no watches, fresh juice, reggaeton dancehall music, hilarious--not actually ironic--music videos and t-shirts, motorcycle rides, cheap beer, etc) but it is only a 3 hour flight from d.c.! i was never that far from home. i wished every day i spoke creole (or even better french), so i could have communicated with people better. i just felt like a doofus as i utilized every bit of body language i could muster to get a point across.

we--myself and an awesome team of 9 volunteers and 2 other trip leaders--began in port-au-prince where the earthquake looks as though it happened last week. no joke. there is rubble in the streets, caved in buildings, tents thrown up in any free space available in the urban center. tents are strewn together with USAID tarps and pieces of scrap metal, yet there are basic services available: water, illuminated latrines, and (some) assistance, so the individuals that flocked to port-au-prince seeking answers and potential opportunity are finding it difficult to leave now.

rape continues to be a problem.

as a group we moved to jacmel, a now sleepy coastal town 3 hours south of PaP. we moved in with Let Haiti Live and set up our tents and ground pads after a warm welcome. our work over the course of the week+ consisted of hauling cinder blocks up a steep hill, assembly-line style. as if there was any doubt, it was hot. like sweating-standing-still-hot. lots of water was consumed. the haitian students hung around and helped us out when we looked weak and as though we would melt. in the afternoons we taught english/art/leadership/etc. it was a blast. the kids were a riot and super smart and some even wore some sweet Nike sneaks. and every night i got to ride on a scooter--my favorite. just hanging out on the back of a scooter in perfect evening temperature, cruising by people dancing, praying, eating and just being. i loved that. there were many other priceless moments: swimming in an abandoned, warm ocean at dusk; dancing in a local bar-turned-live-music-joint; eating plantain chips; SUPER white socks thanks to hand-washing techniques i'll never be able to master; being woken up at 1am (and 4am and 5am) by a rooster, goat, cow; hearing 20+ haitian children proudly sing their national anthem; standing in the back of a pick-up truck as we came through small towns...

hurricane irene grounded me an extra 4 days. after a mild meltdown i returned from PaP back to jacmel for a surprise resurgence and an extra 2 day adventure, complete with crowded bus rides, extra Prestige and some serious rain that flooded our 2-room classroom. the PaP airport could be an entire story in itself, needless to say, it was mildly chaotic, but i'll save that for a rainy day? (get it?!)

now i am back in d.c., safe and sound, watching the storm pass by again.

pictures (a bit out of order):

we built a tippy tap!

kids listening to their peers teach us about haiti

the palace in port-au-prince, 1.5 years later

haitian street art

bassin bleu--like out of a movie

our view from atop of the hill

what happens to donated puzzles and jump ropes = decorations!

the local beer of choice

tess, mike and i with rolliance

steps down to the small beach

the whole gang after a soccer game

spectators

meryl, andrea and i

the team, piled into the back of a pickup

our view and where we ate all of our meals

some local kiddies at the bottom of the hill

the team on the road to jacmel

solar-operated lights by the latrines--public health in action!

where we stayed the first night

poisson en sauce creole

meryl probably said something funny--on a break from "hauling block"

an example of port-au-prince transportation: tap-taps (brightly colored and decorated buses, frequently seen with painted pictures of jesus and/or little wayne)