As I already shared in an earlier post, there was a lot of joy and life on this trip, but I must also tell about the other side of the emotional coin.
Even just flying into Port-au-Prince, I was struck by the beauty of the country, but sad at the same time from looking down and seeing all the earthquake devastation that has yet to be repaired and the blue tarps and shacks that are homes for so many.
It was heart wrenching from the time we came out of the airport and saw young boys reaching through the fence calling out, "Mademoiselle!" asking for handouts. Then there was the boy who jumped on the back of our truck and said both his parents had died and was asking for money.
But the hardest day for me emotionally was Saturday, our third day there. Perhaps it took three days of all the emotions to build up in order for me to totally break down. That morning, we visited a second orphanage that had about 30 children. We had the chance to hear them sing, which was beautiful, and were also able to do some crafts and activities with them.
For some reason, I really broke down for the first time after we left those children and were on the truck. I don't even know what all got me started, but once the tears came, I couldn't stop them. One emotion was feeling sad about the uncertain future of the orphans we had just met. But the biggest feeling was one of helplessness as far as wanting to help all the orphans and the people of Haiti as a whole, but being unsure of what I can do, especially with all of my responsibilities at home.
The second time I broke down on that same day was when we visited the hospital. It was sad enough seeing such despondent looks on some of the parents' faces who were with their sick children. Then there was being in the room with malnourished children. However, what really got me was the room where we were told all the children were abandoned. At that point, I just teared up, but when we went into a second large room with abandoned children, I lost it and had to leave the room. I suppose it was being so close to abandoned children in the flesh, looking into their faces - it was almost too much to bear.
The man who gave us the tour of the hospital told the people from Global Orphan Hope (the Nebraska ministry that is building an orphanage in Port-au-Prince) that once the orphanage is finished, they can take as many of those abandoned children as they want. Wow. How much more important for that orphanage to be built as quickly as possible so those children have a home and can know they are loved?
We had a tour of Port-au-Prince on Sunday, which was also depressing as one can imagine because we saw the poverty up close. Just the thought of all those people living in those tent cities since the earthquake is a lot to absorb. Can you imagine living in a tent for almost two years with no end in sight? What about all of the crime and violent things happening in those tent cities because it is impossible for the police to monitor everything?
Dan also told us disturbing stories on our tour. After we saw one woman bathing naked in the mud in broad daylight, he shared that some people are demon possessed and women have been seen slithering on the ground like snakes. Voodoo is a major religion in Haiti which opens doors for all kinds of evil spirits. One of my teammates was advised to throw away some beads she had bought on the roadside because there could be voodoo curses placed on them.
Something else to add that is so frustrating about the cycle of poverty in Haiti is the fact that things are so expensive there due to most goods being imported. As I noted in an earlier post, we would pay about $5-6 for a container of JIF peanut butter that costs $10 in Haiti! So not only do the people make very little money there, but they have to pay almost double for things compared to the U.S. How sad?!?
There's much more to share on the heavy side, but for now, I recommend watching documentaries on Haiti for more information, including "The Quake" from PBS.
Below is a slideshow of pictures taken around the city. You will see some of the devastation from the 2010 earthquake, the poverty of the country as well as the beauty of it. Click on the slideshow to see a larger version of the pictures with captions (a new window will open).
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