As I sit here, this Sunday morning on my day off, I tried to read a book by the pool. But between the circling helicopters and protesting march going on outside, it's kinda hard to concentrate. I'm now sitting on the roof of the hotel, the only real way that I feel outside the compound of our hotel. Far into the distance, up the sides of the mountains that surround me and all the shanty houses crowded up as far as I can see. Past the tent cities outside is the palace towers, the farthest of which is on the verge of collapsing completely. People today see to be going about business as usual, trash collectors stopped by to clean up the gutters full of the tent city's trash and the people are selling food, wooden statues, pretty much anything they have. I can see clothes hanging, probably drenched from last night's rainstorm... The humidity in the air won't let me forget where I am again today.
Overall it is both a sad and happy day. Sad because I am officially worn out of the depressing situation that a good majority of the people face here, present by small children dodging traffic with their water jugs, in search of someplace to fill them up; Sad because I can see dogs resting on the sidewalk after scrounging for a meal in the gutter, and probably sick and still hungry. I am trying to be hopeful for the future here but the need is so great, I'm not sure what can really be done to change this life that they seem to have always had.
On the other hand, I am happy because today, my good friend Caroline from back home has connected me up with her family here in Haiti. They are coming to get me this afternoon so that I can meet her mother, father and cousins who still live here in Port-au-Prince. It will be nice to be with my friend's family or just to be with a family in general. I have 31 days left here and my french and creole seem to be getting better. Since Caroline's family is fluent in English as well as french and creole, I hope they don't make me practice to much lol. Tomorrow I'll be back to work and my 5am wake-up calls but not today, today I'm with "family" (Sorry Caroline, I'm claiming them too) ; )
Overall it is both a sad and happy day. Sad because I am officially worn out of the depressing situation that a good majority of the people face here, present by small children dodging traffic with their water jugs, in search of someplace to fill them up; Sad because I can see dogs resting on the sidewalk after scrounging for a meal in the gutter, and probably sick and still hungry. I am trying to be hopeful for the future here but the need is so great, I'm not sure what can really be done to change this life that they seem to have always had.
On the other hand, I am happy because today, my good friend Caroline from back home has connected me up with her family here in Haiti. They are coming to get me this afternoon so that I can meet her mother, father and cousins who still live here in Port-au-Prince. It will be nice to be with my friend's family or just to be with a family in general. I have 31 days left here and my french and creole seem to be getting better. Since Caroline's family is fluent in English as well as french and creole, I hope they don't make me practice to much lol. Tomorrow I'll be back to work and my 5am wake-up calls but not today, today I'm with "family" (Sorry Caroline, I'm claiming them too) ; )
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