A Beautiful Haiti

I am trying to remember now my first impression of Haiti.  I guess the first thing I felt was how awfully hot is was.  Not thinking, I put on an extra pair of pants to stay warm on the plane (which wasn't even cold) and once I stepped off the plane in Haiti I was overwhelmed by the heat.  I guess my next impression was that the roads were less than desirable for traveling on but that the food was fantastic!  You've never had a banana or a mango until you've been to Haiti.  I've never tasted pineapple juice before either that was sweet without artificial flavoring.

At Blanchard in Port-au-Prince, we had a wonderful time playing with the children who go to school there, visiting the Mother Theresa Home for the Destitute and Dying, and traveling to the artisan district called Croix-des-Bouquets.  At Croix-des-Bouquets I was amazed by the art.  Beautiful metalwork lined the streets often propped up in the dirt in front of small huts and shops.  Croix-des-Bouquets was the first place I had been to in Haiti were I actually felt like the people could make a sustainable living.  The metal they used from their artwork was from massive oil drums and squatting in the dirt you would see men pounding on the metal.  It amazed me that from an oil drum they could create such intricate delicate pieces of metalwork.  The beauty of the artwork astounded me.

Today was a little bit harder.  Our accommodations and food have been sparse but we did get the chance to journey to the orphanage at Fondwa.  It took about 40 minutes walking downhill a trecherous path, and over an hour to get back.  However, there was something beautiful about today besides the breath taking scenery.  We had been talking this week about how frustrated we are by all the the walls around us, well today those walls came down.  I've said before how I believe beauty comes from unfulfilled expectations being met in new "beautiful" ways.  I still find that to be true, especially for me in Haiti.  All my expectations came crashing down and instead I found a beautiful inside and out Haiti.  We saw dog fights, massive "tap-taps" zooming around curves, wild cows and bulls, lots and lots of children, a suitcase rolling down the side of a mountain, people saying "bonswa!" everywhere you go, no breakfast or dinner, an hour long walk UP a mountain, valleys like I've never seen before, sick friends, doors that won't close, smell of trash burning, cold colas, thin beds, and a donkey neighing.  Today was nothing like I expected, but today I saw a beautiful Haiti.