So I've had a little more time to sort out my thoughts about our visit to downtown Port-au-Prince. I figured it would be easier to see downtown this time, but that surely wasn't the case. In some ways you could see progress, but in many ways it seemed much worse. Many of the streets have been cleared of most of the rubble so that you could get cars and such down them, but the rubble has been replaced with mounds of trash. I honestly couldn't believe how much trash was just laying around. People still were not living in the houses, but rather "tents" wherever they could find the space. The street vendors were out in full force which definitely wasn't the case back in January. I have to say I was pretty discouraged by it all. We all wondered where the billions of dollars in donations were, because there didn't seem to be much getting done here. Around every corner you had adults and children placing their hands over their stomachs to tell us they were hungry.
Or people bathing on a street corner. Tent camps seem to still be growing daily. We also just happened to be driving by the Haitian palace as a UN tank was stationed in front. An UN soldier with gun held in the air decided to perch himself on top of the tank with the palace in the background for a great photo op...or so he thought. We found it all rather disgusting, and made me realize why the Haitans aren't always so happy to see all the people here to "save them." Someone in our group said they had heard that the Haitian govt was not planning on fixing the palace because they wanted to use it to get sympathy from other nations. The palace was the one things the Haitians had to be truly proud of and now that too is laying in ruin. I'm honestly conflicted about everything I saw down there...and really not sure it will ever completely make sense in my mind. On one hand, I'm frustrated that the Haitians don't demand something better...they are content to build their lives around the rubble instead of it changing so it is better than before.
One the other hand, you have to respect the resiliency of the Haitian people. I'm not sure I could face day after day like they have with no end in sight. They have taken what they have been given and made the most of it. On our tour, the scenes of downtown were weighing heavy on many of us. Moe, our interpreter, came and looked at each of us and told us "you have to be strong" and that we "always have God." Here is a well educated man, who now lives in a tent village and makes his money by translating for visiting relief teams, instead of teaching at the university like he was pre-earthquake, and he is preaching at us to be strong and lean on God. This is just one of the many reasons I have fallen in love with Haiti, but more importantly its people. I hope on my next visit to be able to see a bigger change...but it doesn't end on a bad note...the good is yet to come. God saved the best for last for me (like he does for all of us..it doesn't end here)...stay tuned!
So I've had a little more time to sort out my thoughts about our visit to downtown Port-au-Prince. I figured it would be easier to see downtown this time, but that surely wasn't the case. In some ways you could see progress, but in many ways it seemed much worse. Many of the streets have been cleared of most of the rubble so that you could get cars and such down them, but the rubble has been replaced with mounds of trash. I honestly couldn't believe how much trash was just laying around. People still were not living in the houses, but rather "tents" wherever they could find the space. The street vendors were out in full force which definitely wasn't the case back in January. I have to say I was pretty discouraged by it all. We all wondered where the billions of dollars in donations were, because there didn't seem to be much getting done here. Around every corner you had adults and children placing their hands over their stomachs to tell us they were hungry. 
Or people bathing on a street corner. Tent camps seem to still be growing daily. We also just happened to be driving by the Haitian palace as a UN tank was stationed in front. An UN soldier with gun held in the air decided to perch himself on top of the tank with the palace in the background for a great photo op...or so he thought. We found it all rather disgusting, and made me realize why the Haitans aren't always so happy to see all the people here to "save them." Someone in our group said they had heard that the Haitian govt was not planning on fixing the palace because they wanted to use it to get sympathy from other nations. The palace was the one things the Haitians had to be truly proud of and now that too is laying in ruin. I'm honestly conflicted about everything I saw down there...and really not sure it will ever completely make sense in my mind. On one hand, I'm frustrated that the Haitians don't demand something better...they are content to build their lives around the rubble instead of it changing so it is better than before. 
One the other hand, you have to respect the resiliency of the Haitian people. I'm not sure I could face day after day like they have with no end in sight. They have taken what they have been given and made the most of it. On our tour, the scenes of downtown were weighing heavy on many of us. Moe, our interpreter, came and looked at each of us and told us "you have to be strong" and that we "always have God." Here is a well educated man, who now lives in a tent village and makes his money by translating for visiting relief teams, instead of teaching at the university like he was pre-earthquake, and he is preaching at us to be strong and lean on God. This is just one of the many reasons I have fallen in love with Haiti, but more importantly its people. I hope on my next visit to be able to see a bigger change...but it doesn't end on a bad note...the good is yet to come. God saved the best for last for me (like he does for all of us..it doesn't end here)...stay tuned!
Thank you Sheri, for sharing your heart and painting a vivid, honest picture of the reality down there. I have loved reading your updates.
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