Well, today was my last full day in Haiti. It is amazing how fast trips go! I was going to say vacations, but this really
was not a vacation. Anyways, we were all
on the bus this morning by 8:30am and we headed off to do some shopping. We went to a place called the Metal Art
Market. We weren’t sure what to expect
but it had been recommended by several people.
It ended up just being a neighborhood where multiple homes sold metal
art. We wandered down the street, crossing
occasionally, going in and out of houses.
At the first house there were two kitties! One black one that had an old sore on his
head and an infected eye, and a tabby that didn’t want much to do with me. They were both pretty skinny, but so
adorable! The black one was meowing and
begging for attention, so I gave him some scrubs for a while. I don’t think I even looked at any art in
that house, I just petted Mr. Kitty. I
guess it could have been Miss Kitty…. Oh
well. Moving on… Ang and I bought a few
pieces of art at the various houses and then we moved on.
Our next stop was another market place that just had general
souvenirs and art work. On our way
there, we stopped in front of the Presidential Palace. I had heard a few people mention that
building, but never really thought much of it.
But it turns out, that it is this massive white building that has some
major structural damage. It happened
during the earthquake and it, so far, has never been fixed. In a way, it gave me a better sense of how
strong the earthquake actually was. A
few students stepped out of the bus to take better pictures, but as soon as the
bus stopped we were surrounded by street vendors. I didn’t really want to fight my way through
them, so I didn’t get off. Of course, I
sort of regret that now because I wish I had better pictures!
So we left the palace and headed off to the market. We were part way there when we heard several
loud pops in a row. I wasn’t really
paying attention but heard a student ask if that was gunfire. We look to our left and see all these people
running down the street, followed by several armed policemen. It was pretty crazy! I didn’t feel like I was in danger, and that
same thing could happen in any city in the entire world. But it was still rather intense. It turned out that the market was just half a
block from that area, so no one really wanted to get off the bus and walk
around. Instead, we headed to
lunch. We ate at a place called
Muncheez. Adorable, right? Ang & I got a cheese pizza to share, and
it was surprisingly delicious. After
lunch, we went to a nearby hospital. The
nurses got off the bus and took a quick tour of the TB clinic, while the rest
of us waited.
After that, we headed back to the UN base. You would think that by now the guards would
recognize us, but apparently not. It
took us a few minutes to get in and then we drove to the United Nations
Development Project. There we met with
several people from the UNDP, and learned more about their work. They focus on the following five areas;
democratic governance, poverty reduction, crisis prevention and recovery,
environment and energy, and HIV/AIDS.
They were all very interesting and informative presentations, which was
a nice way to end the trip. We were
there until just after 5pm and then headed back to HHH.
We got to HHH and had to say goodbye to Herald, our interpreter. He has been so great to us! He has a great attitude and sense of humor,
plus he was really patient with us! And
I am sure we had to be pretty annoying!
After Herald left we ate dinner and then had a quick meeting. We just talked about tomorrow and how it was going
to go, and then just what would happen when we got home. We also discussed having a fund raiser for
Herald. He used to rent a building and
teach Haitians English, but ended up losing the building. He has been trying to open up a new school
but just does not have the funds. So, we
are going to try and raise $1,000 to help him start his school. Wouldn’t that be great? And it really isn’t even that much money! Hooray!
After our meeting a big group of us played a game called the
Resistance. It was pretty fun. Most of them played it the last few nights,
so me and Ang were a bit lost. Next time
I’ll be better! I did a little bit of
packing, got in the shower, and now I am just hanging out. I need to go to bed but really wanted to get
my blog up. Especially since it is the
last day! I am ready to go home in a lot
of way, but it still kind of sucks. I’ll
miss Ang (she is headed to Peru) and Greg and Michelle and really, just being a
part of something. When you do a study
abroad program, you are never alone!
Which can be a bad thing, but when you get home it can be hard to adjust
to being by yourself (not that I will always be alone, but you know what I
mean!).
So, what is the main thing I will not miss? Being stared at. We get stared at everywhere we go. Not just glanced at or occasionally looked at… We get full on stares. I am sure that most Haitians have seen plenty
of foreigners but I guess a bus-full of them is pretty weird. We get double takes, and pointed at, and sometimes
one person in a group will see us, say something, and everyone flips around
really quick to stare. I am just not a
fan of it. I don’t like to be the center
of attention! And while you know we will
get stared at, you don’t know if the reaction will be positive or
negative. Sometimes we get smiles and
waves, other times we get angry hand gestures.
And I don’t blame them if they aren’t happy to see us. But it is still no fun.
While there are many things I won’t miss (cold showers, weird
food, sleeping under a mosquito net, sharing a room with 9 other girls, waking
up early, humidity and heat, living out of a suitcase, etc) there are a few
things I will miss. I’ll miss our bus
driver, Olin. He is so funny. He doesn’t speak a ton of English (though I
think he speaks more than he lets on) but always is laughing and trying to
communicate with us. And he is such a
good driver! I keep saying that if I
come back to Haiti and start my own NGO I will hire him as my driver. I’ll also miss Gracie. She is the dog that is running around
HHH. She is adorable! I’ve really liked having her around. And I’ll miss having a plan. I really like that I don’t have to decide
what to do with my day! I just have to
get up, and be on the bus. Like I said
before, I’ll miss being part of a group and having adventures together.
Anyways, I need to go to bed. It is 11:30pm, which is the latest I have
stayed up this whole trip! And I didn’t
really do much of my packing so I better get on it. Tomorrow we don’t have to be on the bus until
9:30am and then our flight doesn’t leave until like 1pm. When we get to New York we are planning on
going in the city as we have a twelve hour layover. Unless we get stuck in customs or something… Ang & I want to just hop in a cab and
head off to Lombardi’s. They make the
best pizza I have ever had.
Delicious! But, we’ll see. Well, I’m off. Next time I write, I’ll be in the
states. Crazy!
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| Metal art |
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| More metal art |
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| Adorable! |
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| I liked this one, except for the dog is a bit creepy |
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| A skinny dog, laying in the yard |
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| A man making metal art |
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| More metal art |
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| The Presidential Palace |
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| What looks to be a public park, taken over by tents |
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| Us with the UNDP people we met with |
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| Us with Gracie, Herald, and Olin |
