Trip to the Big City

Last week I travelled to Port au Prince with Pere Kesner on a "shopping trip".  He wanted me to see what was available for use in the children's home, "Kay La Pou Timoun Yo."  We will need a refrigerator, a stove, a few plumbing fixtures, and paint for the walls.  All of the items are there in the stores but, much to my surprise, are much more expensive than in Florida. The only item I bought was a waste basket for the kitchen here at the guest house, plus a water melon sold by a street merchant, which I shared with the staff here so everyone could enjoy the bright red sweet fruit.

While in Port au Prince, I visited with Sisters of St. Margaret, Sister Marie Margaret and Sister Sarah Randall.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch together, real Haitian style red snapper with all the trimmings.  Fresh seasonal fruit, always a favorite, was served for dessert.  After lunch, Sister Sarah and I enjoyed conversation on a shady second floor terrace, peacefully nestled among tall trees, and began planning a retreat for women in Bondeau.  It was an enjoyable and peaceful afternoon for me.  (Thank you, sisters !)

Life in the city is so much different than life in the country side.  Port au Prince is filled with people walking here and there, everyone looking to be in hurry to get somewhere.  Where are they all going, I wonder.  Traffic moves at a slow crawl.  Cars clog the streets. Many are vehicles of the NGOs who are there helping to rebuild.  Tent camps still fill what were once public areas, two years after the earthquake.  The conditions of living in the camps are abominable.

In contrast to the city, life in Bondeau is quiet most of the time.  People live a very simple life, living in one or two room houses with no running water and no electricity.  Women cook outside, using three large rocks to support their cooking pot.  Children walk every day, carrying a big plastic jug, to a water source, and then carry the water home for the family's use.  Women and children wash clothes outside using big basins, one for washing, one for rinse.  They lay the clothes over bushes to dry.

Life in Haiti is difficult, whether in the city or the country.  There is not enough money for even the necessities of life.  Hunger is an on going problem.  There are no government programs to help the poor.  People here in Bondeau appreciate South Florida Haiti Project and all that SFHP has done over the years.  Check out the website, www.southfloridahaitiproject.org.