Everyone is asleep on Easter Sunday at 8:23pm. So not everyone, but a lot of people, including those at my house-...like my roommate… I’m typing on my computer in the dark… I usually use my computer at the office, which is about a three minute walk, but it was lonely tonight and I was a little impatient about uploading new photos. I think it’s really early to go to sleep, even the kids at the village are still awake- I can hear them. I’m already tired so it’s good that I stay up even a little more- I will be even more tired when I fall asleep. Getting a good night sleep has not been that easy. My struggle last night was with my pillow. They gave me a really thick pillow, I’m usually not picky with places where I sleep etc, but I do know that I like thin pillows. During the first nights I just put some clothes inside of the pillow case and this helped.. last night this wasn’t working so I went back to the pillow. Then that was uncomfortable and I ended up waking up at different points to switch back and forth. There’s been only night in which I have slept extremely comfortable and right now I can’t remember which night it was. Most of the time some kind of noise wakes me up. But, I’m getting used to things.
Please don’t be fooled by the beach photos I am uploading. We went to the beach today and if it looks like paradise- that’s because it was paradise. Am I in paradise? No. Does any part of my daily life here consist of this kind of scenery? Not at all. It was a break for all of us, for me it was a complete disconnection to the past week, my first full week in Haiti, and I must say… the hours we spent at the beach, Obama Beach (yes, that is the name), were probably the most relaxing and nicest hours I have spent since I arrived. It was absolutely beautiful… another world compared to what I’ve been seeing this week. I didn’t get to see a lot of the real Haiti today. During the car ride there – or should I say bus ride, because we had to take the SOS bus to fit all +20 volunteers/SOS staff from different countries – I sat next to Lourdes, a woman from Honduras who is very nice… we talked during the whole one hour and a half trip. I didn’t look out the window very much (and there wasn’t that much to look at), we were really into our conversation (which I will get into later). We arrived at Obama Beach Hotel, swam, took a boat ride, swam in the deep water (amazing), listened to my music on my ipod while I fried under the sun, met some Brazilians from the Brazilian army, forgot I was in Haiti or what I’m doing here, felt in paradise, ate two sandwiches (this part not so great, wish we could get good, fresh food), got back on the bus, listened to music and passed out. I woke up back at the village. I felt like I got back a new person- full of energy for the week. It was a good Sunday to re energize myself for what is coming this week- Nadine, the Jamaican woman from my team, is leaving on Thursday.. so I have four more days of “our team”. After that, I’m in charge. I would love to share about the work I will be doing this week but honestly, just writing about it and thinking about it begins to stress me out. I am enjoying these last few moments of my Sunday, I’m still thinking of Obama beach. Tomorrow at whatever time I wake up, probably around 6am, my brain will begin functioning mostly for my SOS position as a “logistic coordinator” for donations and etc. We have a lot of things we are trying to work out now, so I should be full of work…. which is another reason I am writing now. Tomorrow, when I have time, I can just post this online and the photos and that’ it, I probably won’t have time to write.
So I’ve been talking to some people about how strongly I feel about the trash situation I saw in Port-au-Prince. I mentioned it before here and I am still thinking about it. That might be- so far- what has had the biggest impact on me. I am amazed at how these people are walking as if they were walking through Paris. Most others who I talked to here are agreeing that it is pretty horrible. Some people here are saying, well, there is nowhere to put the trash. Nadine kind of opened my eyes a bit the other day when I told her that I am about to do something about it. What can I do? I am not sure… but I want to do something. Is there an NGO dealing with this trash situation? Is the government talking about it? I don’t know. Is there a meeting I can go to? I am not even an environmentalist, but I am very, very concerned.
So I was telling Nadine and she said she doesn’t think I understand the magnitude of the earthquake. I thought why wouldn’t I understand if it’s right here in front of me. Then she said basically this “these people are not concerned with the trash. They are thinking of where they are going to sleep tonight. They could care less about the trash. Walking through it should be the last of their concerns. They have too much on their mind to truly mind walking through it.” So then I thought about this and I thought, well, she has a point. If I had lost my family and my home during the earthquake, I’d definitely be spending my time worried about other things besides trash.
But… I thought about it some more and I am not sure I agree with Nadine anymore. It’s not just me who thinks this way- I’ve talked about it with Tomy, one of the Spanish volunteers, and I talked about it with Lourdes during the bus ride today. And, if you’ve been to Haiti at one point or another- you might agree. The mentality here… it’s very, very different to what we’re used to. I mean, I imagine an earthquake in San Jose, and I know we can’t compare the poverty, but let’s say it affected some of the poorest areas of my city, I am sure SOMEONE (might be from out of that area) would take some charge and AT LEAST the trash would be removed to one place, AT LEAST there would be an attempt, a concern. Am I right or wrong?
Tomy says the people here are only thinking about tomorrow, they would be fine sleeping in these tents for the rest of their lives, their concern is about whether they will have food and water for the following day. Of course not everyone in this country has this mentality and I hope I am not judging, I am just sharing my thoughts, I am not around Haitians that much (unfortunately). Lourdes is in charge of hiring new staff for SOS here. Basically, we all form part of an emergency relief team. The long-term goal is to have all Hatian staff working. Lourdes, who uses a translator for the interviews, was telling me stories about these interviews and how most people she interviewed, not all, but most, seem like they don’t want to succeed, get better, aim higher, become better professionals, think about their future, what they want, where they want to be, carreer wise, family wise, etc. She said a woman came in saying she had three children and had been working for the past two years to take care of her children. Her husband doesn’t work and hasn’t worked during these two years. She told Lourdes she understand because “he’s not good at anything” (literally that is what she said) so she decided she should just work. Lourdes asked her if she was going to have another child and she says she doesn’t think about it. Lourdes is impressed with these stories. Fortunately, she says she has found exceptions.
I need to really learn the history of Haiti to really understand what brought them to this state… but for now I am just thinking of what is happening now, and it goes way beyond the earthquake. We, all the people here who think like me, who are really trying to help out in a way, make the any difference we can make, whether small or not, whether it is here at SOS Village where the kids are in “heaven”, need to work with those Haitians that are different.