Back to the Crazy That We Call Normal

After about two and a half weeks of vacation in the states (and Germany) I arrived back in Haiti on Sunday morning. I had an early morning flight from Miami. For those who have never been to Haiti, the craziness begins in the Miami airport. The boarding time for this flight is 20 minutes earlier than any other flight, domestic or international, that I have ever been on. People are shoving the largest carry-ons I've ever seen into overhead bins. Women with large woven bags full of who-knows-what are trying to shove them under the seat in front of them without breaking anything. The ones taking their time shoving stuff places don't seem to understand the flight attendants asking them to please hurry along. After the first few times I took this flight it became less frustrating and more comical. Knowing what to expect makes it a little funnier...a little.

The Haiti airport used to terrify me. It was a lot jankier than it is now. They've done some wonderful renovations in the last few months making it seem like a legitimate airport, but it used to be the scariest place in Haiti for me. You used to have to walk down this long sidewalk without knowing for sure if someone would be waiting for you at the end. If there wasn't anyone you would have to sit on your bags outside the airport where dozens and dozens of people were milling about. Your mind begins to play tricks on you and all the "Dangers of the Third World" portrayed by certain American news channels begin to roll around in your mind. When I arrive back in Haiti now I am not nearly as nervous as I used to be. I have a phone and know multiple people to call if my ride was delayed. If that fails, I know enough Creole to get a ride to my school and I know the area well enough to know if my driver is taking me there or someplace else.

Thankfully, I have always had a ride and Jill was there right on time to pick me up. We drove over the potholes, down the crazy roads, past the women selling their wares on the street, beside the pig eating from the pile of trash in the middle of the road, along the roads, every one of which is lined with walls of all shapes and sizes....walls everywhere.

It felt like home. This is normal. Driving 20 miles an hour because any faster will take off your wheels when you hit a pot hole (not "if," "when"). The sights, smells, and sounds assault your senses, but after 18 months it isn't new, exciting, or scary, it is familiar. The quiet I heard in America, the smooth roads and the clean air, while refreshing, was unfamiliar. It didn't feel like I was home. I was visiting. I was on vacation.

I've never lived in a place so different from my "normal" for so long. It's a weird feeling that is difficult to explain. It's strange that I am weirdly comforted by the horns and yelling on the street....unless it's after 9 pm of course.  This all makes the transitions from Haiti to America and back again difficult and unsettling. Its almost like having two homes and it's weird.

Those are my musings for the current moment, thanks for reading. We've had two days of the new semester. The students seem ready to be back, albeit a little groggy from the break. It's nice to see them and nice to get back into the routine of the school week. It should be an exciting semester so check back for (hopefully) more frequent updates.

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!

Schlepping to Seguin with Several Seniors

(did you like my attempt at alliteration...nice huh?)

Striking a pose on the hike back home.

Weekend before last 6 teachers (myself included) and all 23 members of the QCS Senior class participated in the annual senior hike up to Seguin. This was the same hike that a few of us participated in over Spring Break....with a few differences.

Fun girls!

Difference one: distance. When we did our hike, the tap tap that took us to the start of the trail dropped us off a teensy bit early....about 6-8 miles early. Also, on this trip we were stopping in Seguin, not continuing on to Jacmel. This made all the difference in out attitude and our feet. (I chose to wear tennis shoes instead of my trusty Chacos which also made quite the difference).

Katie and I along the trail!

Difference two: luggage. Spring Break hike = we had to take everything with us. Everything. Tent/hammock, food, water, clothes, all on our backs. Senior Hike: instead of camping in the woods, we were staying at a cabin; a marvelous cabin where they set up tents for us, provided us with ample drinking water, cooked all our meals for us. Without sleeping gear, cooking stuff, and food on our backs our packs were much much lighter than the other trip.

Difference three: Rain. Lots. And. Lots. Of. Rain. About halfway up the mountain on the way up the skies opened up and a rain of apocalyptic proportions fell down upon us for the next 2-3 hours. Our group of 29 was scattered over a couple of miles along the trail. Some students took shelter under moto stands or abandoned buildings while others had to suffer the relentless rain while walking along the trail.

We sought shelter from the rain in an old, abandoned building.

Difference four: no camping...well, different camping. We slept in tents, but that was the extent of the "camping." An interesting man named Winnie has a cabin settled on the outskirts of the Pine Forest near Seguin. His cabin has a dining area, kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a cute living area and a large yard perfect for setting up several tents.

The first afternoon as students were trickling into the cabin area, drenched with rain and shivering from the cold (yes, cold, in Haiti. It was quite chilly up in the mountains all weekend. I loved it!), our hosts were grilling up chicken that smelled as if it was sent down from heaven. We spent the evening talking, laughing, warming up, and having fun. The next day our group walked to a waterfall near by and explored for a bit before being chased back to the cabin by the rain that came down.

We played games in the woods on our way to the waterfall. 

A group followed the little river to find some more falls.

On Sunday our group rose early, dined on a delicious and carb-filled breakfast of spaghetti (seriously) and headed back down the mountain. Racing the rain, our pace was much quicker than on the way up to Seguin. The trail was mostly downhill with the exception of a few very nasty, very steep mountains. We arrived back at our starting point and waited on the vans to pick us up. Sore, dirty, and successful in our hike. I was glad to have the chance to get to know these students better and to revisit such a beautiful part of Haiti.

The QCS Senior class of 2012!

Hiking in Haiti (Part 3)

This isn’t so much hiking, but more about our visit to Jacmel. We had been to Jacmel before and knew where we wanted to go first….the beach! After walking for two days our feet were tired, and we were sweaty and dirty. We got a taptap to the beach and within minutes we were swimming in the cool, salty water and burying our feet in the soft sand. We spent a few hours relaxing in the shade, swimming, and eating some fresh seafood. 

Bumming around before heading to the beach. 

Beach at Jacmel!

Lobster!

The beach wore us out....

The next day we decided to venture out to Bassin Bleu again. Three members of our group hadn’t been so we thought it would be good to go. After an hour of wandering around we were able to find a taptap willing to take us up the mountain and then wait for us to give us a ride back down. We arrived at Bassin Bleu, took a swim, enjoyed the beauty and clean water for a while then hopped back in the taptap to return to Jacmel. 

Captain (our host for the week) and Irene on the way to the beach. (Notice the shirt dad, I took this pic for you!)

One of the pools at Bassin Bleu.

I didn't get a photo of the big falls because I didn't want to drop my camera in the water.

That night we took our hosts out for dinner and went to bed early (after a few rounds of Uno) to prepare for our trip home the next day.

That next morning we were able to secure a van with enough room for us all and in record time our driver got us back home where we spent the rest of the day showering and relaxing. All in all it was an amazing trip with amazing people in an amazing place. 

Hiking in Haiti (Part 2)

Our second day started off fairly normal...well, normal enough considering we woke up in hammocks in the middle of a pine forest in Haiti surrounded by trees and fresh air instead of the usual cloud of smog, dust, urine scent, and noise of Port-au-Prince. The sun was peeking through the trees, the air was clean and chilly and smelled of pine. We rolled out of our hammocks, rubbed our eyes and were ready to greet the new day. Then, a man began walking out of the trees towards our campsite. We were the only ones around, and my heart started to beat a little faster as he walked toward us. He greeted us and began to talk with Irene, who is fluent in Creole. I picked up a word here and there, but couldn’t put it together. Irene thanked him and he walked away. She told us what he had communicated to her. He said that if we were staying another night we needed to move our campsite further from the road. He said that we were visible from the road and that, back in December a group of people who were camping had been robbed and murdered at night. We don’t know if that is true or not, there is no way to tell, but needless to say, we were both alarmed and thankful at the same time. Grateful to have made it through the night, we settled in for a breakfast of coffee, granola, and other snacks to fuel up for our hike that day. We didn’t know how big of a hike we were in for though…

Stretching out their sore muscles and getting ready for day two.

Stopping to check the map and figure out where we were and were we needed to go. 

After packing up camp and refilling and treating our water we were off. The day before we had hiked about 14 miles, but the nights sleep had refreshed and rejuvenated our tired bodies. The scenery of the second day was even more beautiful than the day before. For hours we wandered, mostly downhill, through fields covered in mist and fog. Green, lush farmland where crops were growing and farm animals were grazing was everywhere. Just after the town of Seguin, we entered an area that didn’t quite seem like Haiti at all. Throughout the misty farmland were rocks...not just any rocks, dark rocks that seemed to jut up from the earth like teeth, and they were everywhere! How did they get here? 

Crazy rocks!

They were everywhere.

Outside Seguin.

We had gotten a late start and were slow moving for most of the morning, but we stopped around 1pm for a quick lunch before getting going again. We picked up the pace in the afternoon and got faster and faster each time we checked the map. We were far from our destination and night was closing in. I don’t know how the other felt, but I wasn’t too interested in camping out again after the warning we had received that morning and with the attention we received as we walked through villages. 

Early in the hike, still in good spirits.

These ladies put us to shame walking in sandals with heavy baskets on their heads. 

Nathaniel & Josiah feeling victorious after finding a lake!

It isn’t a rare thing for us to get hit up for money and stuff in Port-au-Prince, but in the countryside it was a completely different story. Everywhere we went we heard people as small as one to as old as 60 or 70 shouting at us “blan blan!” (Means “foreigner” or “white person”) and then saying “Ban m ti kado.” (means “give me a little gift”). It was frustrating to see decades and decades of “white Santa Claus” played out in front of us. These people wouldn’t have been asking us for stuff if white people hadn’t been giving it to them before. We’ve all seen it, the North Americans come into the third world all “high, white, and mighty” and begin to make it rain on the poor of the third world with no regard for the harm it might cause to local businesses or harm to the dignity of those they are “blessing.” But that is another topic for a different day….

We all wanted to quit at this point in the trail....

The ocean in the distance was our destination...this photo was taken about 4 pm...Still a ways to go.

Later in the day we had picked up the pace significantly and felt as if we were “racing the clock.” We reached the bottom of the mountain and began a slightly easier walk on level ground heading for Jacmel all the while looking for taptaps (Haitian version of a taxi) to take us all the way into Jacmel. We wouldn’t be able to walk the whole way and were counting on a taptap to be there. Right about then, God totally provided. We looked up to see a taptap reversing at a frightening speed down the road to pick us up. We negotiated a price, climbed in, and he began driving us to Jacmel.

I should mention here that the reason we had our spring break last week was to celebrate Karnaval break. Karnaval is supposed to be like Mardi Gras on steroids. Drunken rowdy people doing drunken rowdy things with some (or a lot) of voodoo influence on the purpose and celebrations. One popular part of Karnaval are the Rah Rah bands. Essentially a Rah Rah band is drums and other marching band instruments, people, and a whole lot of rum (and potentially drugs as well). It can get rowdy. It can get really rowdy if you are in the middle of one, in a tap tap with white skin and a whole lot of bags. On our taptap ride from the town where we were picked up to Jacmel we drove through about 6-7 of these bands. After the first one someone wisely said we should lean forward and try and show as little white skin as possible. This was good advice and we were clearly protected because nothing happened as we drove through each of these crowds. (We have heard of people driving through these crowds and their cars being shaken back and forth.)

Our sleeping quarters in Jacmel. 

We made it through the crowds, through the little villages, and into the cute town of Jacmel. We were staying at a Salvation Army church and, after a tour around the town looking for it, pulled up and unloaded our belongings. We set up camp on the roof and settled in for a loud night. The church was having a camp and this was the last night. So we had church camp + Mardi Gras + normal Haitian night sounds (roosters, dogs, car horns) all mixed together. We were able to piece together a few hours of sleep, thankful to have arrived at our destination safe and sound. Thank you God for your protection. 

Hiking in Haiti (Day 1)

When discussing what we would do during spring break (here it is called Karnaval break and coincides with Mardi Gras) we decided that we would attempt a hike we had heard a lot about. We wanted to go to Cap Haitien or the Dominican Republic, but those trips were too complicated or too expensive or both. So, we opted to save some money and have a bit more of an adventure and hike from Port au Prince (well, we started significantly south of the city) to Jacmel (the place we drove to earlier this school year). We had heard many different guesses on how long the hike would take and how difficult it was, but we assumed it would take about two days to get to Jacmel and we would camp just outside the small mountain town of Seguin. 

On Monday morning nine of us began the journey. Katie, her friend Lauri, myself, Jill, Josiah, Nathaniel, Damon, Robbie and Irene all loaded up into a taptap to begin the climb up the mountain to begin the journey. An employee at the school owns a taptap and graciously agreed to give up a few hours of sleep on Monday morning to drive us an hour up a mountain. Each minute we drove uphill was less that we would have to climb….or so we thought. We began the hike in the small suburb of Port au Prince known as Kenscoff. The air was noticeably cooler and some of us put on jackets to begin the hike. For the next few hours we hiked uphill and then downhill with the views getting better and better the longer we walked. We talked, we snacked, we stopped to use the natural restroom, we shouted “bonjou” at people we passed by who returned the greeting with a look of confusion on what these nine blan were doing walking up a mountain with huge bags on their backs. 

Around the Kenscoff/Furcy area.

Ayiti bel!

The long hike uphill...

Beautiful view from the top.

This plant looks like something from Dr. Seuss.

Walking on the edge of the pine forest.

The first day we hiked a total of 14 miles with a total increase of 3,300 feet in elevation. After hiking up and up and up and up a hill, we reached the top and were greeted with a site you wouldn’t expect to see in Haiti….a pine forest. We had heard of the pine forest, but it wasn’t what we had expected. I expected a small grove of pine trees but instead saw a forest stretching far and wide filled with tall pines, their needles scattered along the ground. A dirt road cut through the forest and the cool, piney air was all around. What a refreshing site, but one problem stood out...we were almost out of water. It was getting around the time when we would need to set up camp but we hadn’t found a good water source. We had heard of a pump near where we were, but hadn’t found it yet. We stopped for a break and saw a small structure a few yards up the trail. Katie and I went to check it out and yippee, water!! A cement structure was pumping water from a nearby river and we were able to fill up our water bottles. We found a campsite nearby, hidden in the woods and set up camp. 5 hammocks, 2 tents, and a small camp stove later we were ready for the night. I’ll take a second and note the blessing that the Pruitts were on this trip. They are experienced hikers and backpackers and we honestly might not have survived the trip (at least not well) if we hadn’t had them. Robbie doctored our feet along the trail when we were developing “hot spots” on our feet from ill-chosen shoes (ahem, me…), they had water purification drops, camp stove, trail mix, and many other fabulous camping supplies that made our trip much more enjoyable.

We found water!!!

The hammock set up.

Robbie in his cooking chair.

Delicious dinner.

Jill and I stacked our hammocks...she was very close to me.

After a great dinner made by Robbie, some tea, and some laughter, we climbed into our hammocks and tents at the early hour of 7:45 and settled in for the night. After hearing that the air was much cooler in the mountains we were prepared with sweats and socks and other warm clothes, but I still spent much of the night curled up in fetal position trying to stay warm. The night was fairly quite in the woods compared to the bustling noise of the city that we are all used to. No cars, no horns, no people, fewer roosters. Sleeping soundly, no major injuries, all nine of us still accounted for….our first day was a success.