With all the intensity of the trip so far, its hard to even find the words to begin.
We drove through a part of the capital and passed by people standing outside their tents waiting. Yet everyone we passed waved with such enthusiasm and eagerness, waved with so much hope. And when we waved back, they smiled with so much gratitude, so much warmth and hospitality.
We went to an orphanage one of the days and held a dance class with the kids. They were all so excited to be showered with that much attention. There was one little girl in particular who was smaller than all the rest and just stood there confused while the other children tried to imitate the steps. So I went over to her and immediately she held her arms up wanting to be picked up. And as soon as she was in my arms she refused to let me go. So I held her for the whole time we were there and when all the dancing was over, she just quietly fell asleep in my arms. We were asked the question that night of what we think needs to be done to help the Haitian people. Tender loving care.
There was another little boy at the orphanage who has left an impact on the rest of my life. He was the first little boy to run up to me and stayed by my side the whole time. It wasn't until later that I noticed the mark on his wrist. I pointed to it and he motioned with his hands buildings falling down, buildings falling on him, buildings cutting his wrist. And while he motioned this to me, he NEVER stopped smiling his big enormous toothy smile. Not one part of him showed sadness or fear, he was just so happy to be sitting there next to us, to be able to dance, and to be able to live despite all that he had gone through.
Its incredible the immense ability of humanity to adapt. To adapt in times of suffering and pain and in times of excess and luxury. Thousands of people continuing to live in tents. eating nothing but dirt, washing dirty cloth with dirty water. living under dirty pieces of cloth stitched onto each other to create the illusion of a roof. The illusion of shelter.
Patches of cloth holding strong when the rain drops fall.
Its incredible the immense ability of humanity to adapt. To adapt in times of suffering and pain and in times of excess and luxury. Thousands of people continuing to live in tents. eating nothing but dirt, washing dirty cloth with dirty water. living under dirty pieces of cloth stitched onto each other to create the illusion of a roof. The illusion of shelter.
Its incredible how people are so adaptable. Incredible how people can so easily adapt to mansions, heated swimming pools, mid afternoon martinis, and 600 channels of T.V. And its funny how others can so easily adapt to dirt, and cloth patched roofs.
We arrived into Port au Prince on Saturday afternoon into an airport that was recently built but could barely serve its purpose. The real airport was demolished from the earthquake. Needless to say, getting our baggage was probably one of the most confusing and stressful experiences. Luggages were thrown into the middle of a room while hundreds of people pushed through the crowds in search of their luggage. With all the donation bags we had, it took us over an hour to gather everything. and Evelyn, Thanks SOOO much for the dollar bills, they came in handy the second we stepped off the plane and was gone before we even left the airport. People were pounding our car windows as we were getting ready to leave. Begging for anything, while laughing, joking and smiling.
For safety reasons, we stayed at a hotel 2 hours away from Port au Prince. While driving through the capital, all you see are broken houses, bricks, debris, more bricks, tents next to bricks, tents on top of bricks, hundreds and thousands of tents that people call home. It actually started to rain as we were driving pass the tents and we were informed that the rainy season was coming up.
During one part of the drive we all looked around wondering where the fowl smell was coming from, who had farted? It was mountains of rotting corpses. Unidentified bodies and no efficient sanitation system to dispose of these bodies. So they are piled together rotting on the side of the road serving as a reminded every time you are forced to drive by it.
I am always amazed at how much more of a culture shock it is to come back to the States. How easy it is to embrace the dirt, the earth soaking into your pores but so much harder to adapt to the use of chemical soaps. How easy it is to adjust to eating under the candle lights but so much harder to choose between the thousands of restaurants taking over the streets of new york. How easy it is to pass the days away in the company of others, but how difficult it is to speed through life alone.
Coming home to my empty apartment, I was shocked by the realization of the isolating lives we lead. I spend all of Monday counting down the minutes until dance class so that i could see everyone. I am once again reminded of the power of human connection, support, and love.
From the depth of my heart, I am touch by all your generosity. As poor of a country Haiti may be right now in terms of materialistic possessions, it is a country full of wealth in terms of human strength, compassion and tenacity. I went on the trip hoping to give something to the people of Haiti, but instead the people of Haiti has given me a priceless gift. The reminder of the power that lies within humanity when we learn to open up, to depend on and support one another. So thank you for being apart of my life, for your love and support, and take some time to remember to love and appreciate all the people around you. It is easy to build a house, but much harder to bring back loved ones to fill that house.
For more pictures:
http://rockrockproductions.com/HAITI_GALLERY_2010/haiti_2010_gallery.html
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