Rainy Days – Haiti Day 1
Our trip to La Croix was mostly uneventful. Starting out in the capital city, we saw crowds of people, the mayhem of the market, the houses right on top of each other, but minimal traffic.
Slowly the throngs of people give way to the slower life of rural Haiti as we continue to head West. Less people in the street, much smaller markets, more space between homes. The team’s first look at life outside of Port-au-Prince, and the difference is hard to put into words.
For the Haitians, it is that difference that keeps so many of them in the big city. Access to markets, public transportation, etc. We start to get the picture of how convenient our own lives are. Personal vehicles, stores around every corner. Life is very different here.
The last couple of hours of the trip, we drove in a rain storm. And the differences are highlighted even more. Riding in the back of a pickup truck is the most popular form of public transportation, and we saw more people than we could count on the back of those “tap-taps”, covering up with anything they could. The streets that were once full of people and small roadside shops are now flooded, with little drainage available.
Another team was heading to Morency today, and our Haitian trip leader said he was not sure if they would be able to get up that road at all today. Six months ago we were not able to complete some of our projects due to lack of rain, and now too much rain is threatening to stop more of our plans.
We made it safely to our hotel, and were finally able to meet with the leadership council, although not all were able to make it due to the rain. They apologized that we would not be able to get out and tour the village, but the amount of rain was making the roads hard to travel on. Instead, we just sat with them and talked, asked questions, and laughed. A lot.
In so many ways we saw our differences: transportation, housing, availability of resources. But then, in just a few minutes of fellowship, we were laughing and sharing stories, and reminded once again just how alike we are as well.
– Dave Breaux, Haiti Mission Trip Leader
