Citadel Success!

Our first attempt had been a failure. Not a complete failure, we were still able to have fun (see post here), but we did not achieve our one goal of the trip: visit the Citadel. So, we decided to try again. We counted the hours and realized that we could attempt this trip on a regular weekend. We didn’t need to wait weeks for the next long weekend to come around. We wanted to see this thing and, in true American instant gratification style, we wanted to see it now. The plan: Leave Friday right after school and stay in Cange. Leave early Saturday morning, drive to the Citadel, walk around take many pictures. Stay in Cap Haitien Saturday night and drive back to Port au Prince on Sunday morning. We checked out a car and prayed it would work. That was the only thing that stopped us last time, a busted vehicle. We got the thumbs up from our mechanic friend. We called any friends (or acquaintances) and begged for a porch or front yard to camp in. We packed our snacks and gear and left freakishly on time on Friday afternoon.

The "Haiti Bingo" game that Jill made for us. We saw everything on the list except for "Airplane."

Our goal for Friday was to get out of the city and make it to Cange, a small village on the outskirts of the Central Plateau and home to Paul Farmer’s organization Zanmi Lasante. Paul Farmer is Haiti famous from decades of work in Haiti and his work with Bill Clinton when he was U.S. Special Envoy to Haiti. Tracy Kidder wrote a great book about Farmer’s work in Haiti in his book Mountains Beyond Mountains. We were actually staying at the Zanmi Lasante clinic in Cange. On my flight back to Haiti in January I sat next to a guy who was on his way to intern in Cange as an engineer with this organization doing water treatment and other tasks in that category. I asked if we could crash on their property Friday night and htey agreed, letting us sleep on a sweet porch at their clinic. (Side note: I rarely describe something as “tight” but this place was tight! Their large compound had amazing buildings, was incredibly clean, and had working power and working toilets! We are easy to impress.) The people there were very hospitable as we cooked on their white tile porch and set up our hammocks everywhere. 

View from the balcony.

It looked like an advertisement for Eno Hammocks.

Before we got to Cange though, we were greeted with yet another piece of the beautiful Haitian countryside. We crawled through large green mountains and after one turn came upon a large lake that was made even more beautiful by the sun setting on the water and the dark grey storm clouds rolling in. 

View from inside the car...not the best picture of the scene, but it'll do. 

After a good night’s sleep in Cange, we were up and in the car by 6 am and heading to the Citadel! We drove 45 minutes to the slightly larger town of Hinche. We refueled on gas and prepared our bodies for the next part of the drive. Thus far on the trip our bottoms had been spoiled by nicely paved roads with minimal bumps, but we knew this was about to change. We had been told that the road after Hinche all the way to Cap Haitien was rough, really rough. They were right.

For the next few hours we bumped and rattled along the road. It wasn’t all that bad, and Nathaniel (who was driving) did a great job of finding the smooth parts of the road. But, the road ended up being too much for our beat up car. After a small river crossing, and as we were driving on one of the smoother parts of a road through the village of Saint Raphael, we heard the heartbreaking sound of metal crashing to the road. After checking it out Nathaniel told us “Oooh, we lost something BIG!”

River crossing Oregon Trail style. No oxen were lost. 

Yup, the drive shaft just fell out of the car. We aren’t sure if we started with all four bolts, or slightly less than four, but the rattling of the road had loosened whatever bolts we started out with and the drive shaft just fell out of the bottom of the car. 

Is this bad? It looks bad.

"Do we need this?"

As we all got out and bent down to inspect the damage, we drew quite a crowd. We could do nothing but laugh and agree that, at least we had made it further than the last time. Our hopes of seeing the Citadel faded as we looked at the large chunk of metal on the ground, but our group is just amazing and we all stayed in good spirits (Ironically, we had just listened to a podcast on Contentment about 15 minutes before the car broke down….coincidence?). 

A few minutes after we the boys had diagnosed our problem as just a few simple missing bolts, a very legit looking man on a moto rode up and said he could fix our car. He drove back into the main part of the village and returned 15 minutes later with bolts and tools. In a very anti-climactic moment he crawled under the car, did some stuff, and sent us on our way for only $25 US. Quite a bargain.

Everyone checking out what's happening under the car. 

We continued our drive with almost no excitement. The road was rough, but the car stayed in one piece. We began to crawl through mountains and then one moment we turned the corner and there it was, sitting atop a mountain in the distance, the Citadel! (More to come….)

View of the Citadel looking very small at this distance. 

How long will you be here?

There are some many parts of life here that I won’t get used to. The part that is most in my mind right now deals with relationships. Relationships are just so much more fluid here. Meeting people is so much different here. In Dallas, when meeting someone I would ask their name, where they are originally from, how long have they lived in Dallas, what do they do, etc. Here, when meeting other Americans or missionaries, the line of questioning goes like this: 

Where are you from? 

Who are you here with? 

How long will you be here? 

That last question is sometimes the most important, or the one most focused on, even if only subconsciously, because it determines a lot. It determines how invested you feel you can become in that person’s life. It determines the amount of emotional capital you are willing to invest in that friendship. The scale of emotional investment depends on the answer they give. One week? Nice to meet you, enjoy your stay. Two weeks? Hope you have a good time.  One month. One year. Two years... 

How long will you be here? That is a question I have never asked anyone in the states, because I just assume that that is their home. For most of us here, this isn’t our home. Very few people think they will live in this country forever. Some people you meet have a specific time they are in country determined by a contract. Others can be here as long or as little as they want, but no matter which camp someone falls into, one thing is the same: they are going to leave at some point. 

Growing up, my family moved more than most. Every 4 years or so we would move to a new town and start over. I wouldn’t change my childhood for anything; I think I am stronger and wiser because of the way we moved around. I am able to get to know people easier and adjust to new environments well, and I can deal with changes in relationships due to geography. But one drawback is this: I am used to being the one moving. I can deal with that. I actually like the excitement of going to a new place and “learning the ropes.” 

But...I’m not used to other people, my friends, moving away. 

Over the past nine months here in Haiti I have met several people, developed great friendships, and then due to jobs, money, life change, etc several people have had to move back home or move on to the next stage of their lives, and I don’t like it. I told a friend of mine today that I was mad at Haiti. The truth is, people move in and out of lives no matter where you live, whether it’s Haiti, America, or Timbuktu, it just seems to happen so much more here. 

At the end of the school year a few friends are moving away, to school, to different parts of the country, to new stages of life and it is sad and I don’t like it. However, no matter how sad it is I do not want to neglect or run away from friendships here because they have a determined “end date” (ok, maybe not an “end date,” that sounds dramatic, but you get the point). I don’t want to determine how much I will invest in someone based on their answer to the question “how long will you be here?”                                                 

Just some thoughts from the Haiti front. 

Change: One little, One less-little

In the past week or so there have been two changes in my little world here. One small, one less-small (not BIG and crazy drastic). I’ll let you decide which is which.

One: This year I have been teaching 7^th & 8^th grade History, P.E. and a computer class. I have really enjoyed teaching middle school and enjoyed the students, but I missed having my own class and my own classroom. I was hoping to transition into elementary again at some point. 

Well, my wish came true! Our sixth grade teacher is moving to another part of Haiti (which is very sad because she and her family are fabulous people), but that means her job has opened up! I will be teaching 6^th grade next year! 

I’m really excited to have my own class and classroom again. I have lots of fun ideas and have been browsing around Pinterest for fun teaching and organizational ideas. I’m excited to move over to the elementary side of campus and join the wonderful team over there. 

Two: I cut my hair! My hair wasn’t as long as it has ever been, but it had gotten pretty long. Unfortunately, it is approximately 12 jillion degrees here and it is just much too hot and humid for long hair. So, this weekend I got it cut off. Jill and I went to spend the weekend in the country at another teacher’s house. They live on a mission compound and a short term team was visiting for the week. One of the ladies on the team is a stylist in the states and she gave lots of haircuts to the blan (white people) in the area. 

So, you decide which is the big change and which is the not so big!

Finding a Mini-Adventure in our Misadventure

So, the whole Citadel thing wasn’t working out. We had had a great night’s sleep and a double dose of Starbucks coffee (I’m mildly obsessed), but were still itching for some sort of adventure. Our wonderfully amazing QCS mechanic left Port-au-Prince early on Friday and drove out to our truck to see if he could get it fixed. While he was working on the car Robbie and Irene walked to a nearby village while the rest of us played Uno on the porch. 

After about 463 rounds of Uno Jill and I decided to stretch our legs. I grabbed my camera and we walked outside the compound and were greeted with a medium-sized hill. It looked like a fairly easy climb that would reward you with a decent view of the surrounding countryside so we decided to give it a try. We walked back and told the others who put on their shoes and joined us. We left the compound and, after a short, maybe fifteen minute walk, we were at the top. 

There is a Haitian proverb “Dye mon gen mon”. “Beyond mountains there are mountains”. It means that there are problems after problems, but we experienced this is a very literal sense. After we reached our first goal, we saw it….another small hill beyond ours. It wasn’t far. We could get there quickly. So we headed for it.This walk only took us about seven or eight minutes. We were feeling quite proud of ourselves now. 

Confident in our walking ability (quite the feat, I know) we looked about for our next attempt. In the distance we saw several sizable mountains (not hills, mountains). We chose one and Nathaniel guessed it would take us about 25 minutes to get to it and get to the top. I didn’t see how that was possible, but it was either attempt this hike or go play round 464 of Uno so off we went. 

We walked to the edge of the ridge we were on and realized that we had been fooled by nature. What seemed so close a mere fifty yards before now seemed so much further when the perspective from which we were viewing it changed. This hike looked like it could take hours! However, we were too committed (and too proud) to back out now so we trudged on. The next hour(ish...we didn’t really time it. Let’s just say 25+ minutes) we stumbled over loose rocks, burrowed our way through thorny bushes that grabbed our clothes, and sweated...a lot.

It seemed as if we would never reach the base of the mountain, much less the top. I knew that every time I looked down that mountain hopped a few yards backwards away from us. I should also take a second to mention that a young Haitian girl had followed us on this entire journey wearing a long skirt and sandals, one of which was broken, and she kept pace with us all the way there and back. Feel free to call me a pansy, it’s okay.

After a couple of days hours we reached the top and surveyed our accomplishment. We had taken a day of potential boredom and frustration and used it to explore God’s beautiful creation. You may not think it’s beautiful, but I’m from Texas, West Texas to be a little more specific, and we appreciate a dry, dirty, dead desert sort of beauty. I felt at home amid the cacti and mesquite-type plants. 

After reaching the top I called Robbie and Irene. The truck was fixed and ready. We headed back to the compound and packed up our stuff. We knew we would not be able to make it to the Citadel this trip because of time constraints so we decided to head back to Port-au-Prince to get the most out of our long weekend. On the way back we stopped at a public beach and relaxed in the sand before heading back to the noise and smell of the city. 

Not the weekend we expected, but good nonetheless. 

Si Bondye Vle

Si Bondye Vle. A creole phrase that drives me nuts. Translated it means: “If God wants/wills.” Why does this phrase drive me nuts? Many reasons, but the main reason it bothers me is that it bothers me at all. This phrase is often tacked on to the end of many promises and plans made in Haiti. Si Bondye vle. If God wills. 

I will be there at 6….si Bondye vle. 

We will do that Saturday...si Bondye vle. 

I will help you with that….si Bondye vle. 

Bah! The big reason this phrase bothers me is that I feel it is often used as a cop-out for irresponsibility and unreliability. “I’ll be there at that time...unless it doesn’t work out.” In my mind, it should work out. You should be there on time. You should do what you promised. You should keep your word. 

But, before this phrase was used to compensate for a lack of responsibility, I imagine that these words were genuinely said. Yes, if God wills, this will happen. This is a biblical idea as well (James 4:13-17).

Despite how much the phrase seems at times to be nails on a chalkboard to me, I have experienced the reality of this phrase so many times in Haiti, most recently this weekend. Haiti is a fairly unpredictable place and all plans really do need to be made with “si Bondye vle” in mind. 

We had the plan. Leave Thursday around one. Arrive in Gonaives that evening. Leave early the next morning, see the Citadel, return to Gonaives, sleep, return to Port-au-Prince Saturday so that we could go to church and participate in our Easter potluck on Sunday. We had a car. We had a place to stay. We had directions. Good to go, we were going to the Citadel! This place had been on my list for a while and I was pumped.

Our (not so) trusty cage truck. 

Playing cards in the back of the truck on the way out of Port-au-Prince.

Trying to get some sleep on the way. 

But, it was not meant to be. Around 5pm on Thursday afternoon the car carrying our group of ten died. We pulled over to see if it could be easily mended, but it couldn’t. Now, we don’t have the most reliable cars at the school, so this isn’t a freak thing. We were actually surprised this hadn’t happened on any of our other adventures. Breaking down wasn’t so surprising….but where we did break down was. 

In all of Haiti, we broke down about 5 miles from a mission run by people that Robbie & Irene know from the states. This mission is where Robbie and Irene came on one of their first trips to Haiti. For missionaries who have been in Haiti a decade or two it wouldn’t be weird to wind up somewhere near someone you know, it isn’t a huge country. However, Robbie and Irene have only been here a few months. How amazing that the car would break down so near this mission.

As the sun was sinking lower in the sky and the hope of one of us (or the few curious Haitian men trying to help) fixing the truck that night sank as well, Nathaniel and Robbie hoped on a moto taxi and rode to the mission. They returned a few minutes later in the back of the mission’s truck. We loaded all of our bags in the back of the truck while we pushed our broken jalopy off the road until it could be looked at again the next morning. 

As we rode in the back of the truck the short drive to the mission we stopped to think about how fortunate we were. In all the places we could have broken down, we broke down here. Given the state of our vehicles, a break-down is an ever present possibility. It blows my mind how protected we were (are). We could have broken down in a dangerous town, a remote area near no one, anywhere but where we did. How blessed we are. 

We arrived at the mission and went up to the roof. There was a revival going on at the church on their compound so we listened to the sweet music and the preaching as Robbie cooked us a camp meal of rice, beans, and sausage. We sat in the cool evening air watching the full moon appear and disappear behind dark grey clouds, illuminating the sky when it peeked from behind. How blessed we are. 

Waiting for dinner on the roof. 

The mission was sweet! They have been on this compound for decades and the lodging was amazing. We were prepared to just sleep on the roof, but our hosts insisted we take a few of the many bedrooms available. Jill and I went into our bedroom and sat down on one of the beds and were in awe. In case you were wondering, the most comfortable bed in the world resides in La Croix, Haiti. This bed was like sleeping on one of the clouds we had just watched roll across the sky. It may seem like I’m being dramatic, but the bed I sleep in each night leaves much to be desired and this was a great change. The building also had multiple (very clean!) bathrooms and showers and after riding in a cage truck for 5 hours, nothing felt better than washing the grime and dust off our skin. And finally, as if the hospitality, soft-beds, and clean bathrooms weren’t enough, there was an ample supply of Starbucks coffee brewing when we woke up. So very blessed.

Best bed ever!

View from the roof of the mission the next morning. 

Our Next Adventure

With Easter approaching we have a four and a half day weekend starting tomorrow. When we get an extended amount of time off we like to use it to explore more of this country that we are beginning to call home. This weekend's adventure....The Citadel!

The Citadel or, Citadelle Laferriere, is the largest fortress in the Americas. It was commissioned in 1805 by Henri Christophe shortly after Haiti won its independence in 1804. You can read more about the history of The Citadel here. 

We are leaving tomorrow afternoon and hopefully returning Saturday afternoon. It will be a quick trip, but one that I'm sure will be full of fun and adventure. Check back to here to see how our trip went and, hopefully, to see some great pictures!