So Friday was a pretty special day – it was my first birthday spent in Haiti. I went out to do rubble at the school site with a really fantastic team. In the afternoon it absolutely poured so we took refuge for a while under a tarp. The problem was that both our paths where we were wheel barrowing on were completely flooded. After some deliberation we decided we’d work through it. I was slightly disappointed about the prospect of having wet feet and shoes all day again but I sucked it up. We did a fair bit of work. At the evening meeting one of our translators, Berlyn, who I’ve become friends with, announced that it was my birthday. So I had to stand up while everyone sang to me. It was embarrassing but really sweet of them at the same time. I got a couple packs of Chops Ahoy to pass around, too. It was really amazing getting all these birthday wishes from all over. I have my friends from Singapore, my friends and family in the States, and all my new friends here in Haiti (both local and international). I really never use this word, but I think it describes how I felt quite well – blessed. It was really a special birthday. That evening we went to Joe’s next door and got pizza and Joe even gave me and some friends free ice cream.
Yesterday was also a good day. I went out to the school site again in the morning with another really good team. In the afternoon most people didn’t go out to work but instead were allowed to go out and watch the soccer match between the US and Ghana. I walked around town for a bit with a few people looking for a place to watch, but all the local places were jam-packed. I headed back to base and ended up playing with some kids at Plaza Playtime in the back for a while. The game didn’t end well, anyway. Afterwards I lounged and watched some episodes of Criminal Minds on my computer. Last night I wanted to go out and have fun but was feeling really tired so I ended up crashing early.
Today was a really nice day off. Me and 15 or so other volunteers went to a beach in a town called Grand-Guave, about an hour away. We rented a tap-tap for the day ($50 split among all of us). The ride was really cramped but totally worth it. The beach is absolutely amazing. This is the first beach I’ve been to in Haiti that has had sand! It was a gorgeous day. The beach is a bit weird because it’s essentially an NGO beach in that almost everyone there is part of an NGO and is non-Haitian. There is a really expensive restaurant and everything. Something that was very apparent today (but I’ve been thinking about for a while) is how other NGO’s spend their money. Compared to every single other NGO I’ve seen, HODR is the most cost-efficient. All other organizations drive fancy four-wheel drive cars and spend money on non-necessities. At HODR we have everything we could possibly need and more but still don’t spend donated money on the most frivolous things. In comparison our living conditions are modest, our means of transportation is nearly identical to that of the locals, our food is delicious but by no means fancy – this list goes on and on. I’m not putting down other organizations as much as I am pointing out how impressed I am with HODR and their sensibilities. So anyways, it was a bit odd driving up to this beach where there were ONLY nice cars in the parking lot and we pull up, crowded in the back of a tap-tap. But, as I said, the beach was wonderful. The water was lovely, and we spend all day hanging out in the water and I managed to find a lady who was selling fried plantains for super cheap. One of the guys I was with did splurge and got a local fisherman to catch him and BBQ him up a lobster. It was really tasty. So we headed back to Leogane late afternoon and had the tap-tap drop us off at Masaje, the western-style restaurant in town. I got a burger and fries. The occasional comfort food can go a long way. So now I’m back at base, digesting my dinner and writing this blog. It looks like it’s about to pour so I’d better post this blog before the internet goes out.
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.
Love,
Daniel
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