Vaca That Needed a Vaca of Its Own

Recently we had a few days off for Mardi Gras, and decided to make the most out of it by getting out of Jeremie. We originally had planned to go to Jacmel for Mardi Gras, however it is just as devastated as Port-au-Prince since the earthquake. Instead, we looked at Devon's Lonely Planet book and decided on Port Salut, just outside of Les Cayes. It was a super quick decision to do it.. Ann called Hotel du Village in Port Salut to talk about rates, and we consulted friends on transportation.

Finally it was decided that we would take moto taxis to Les Cayes and catch a tap-tap from there to Port Salut. A good friend (and quite the gentleman!) organized our motos for us, and got one for himself as he too was headed out that way. You may or may not know, but Haiti is known for its deplorable roads. The road from Port-au-Prince to Jeremie is no exception, especially the Les Cayes to Jeremie portion. We opted for motos because it was either a 4 hour moto ride or a 10 hour bus ride, most likely leaving in the middle of the night.

The following morning we were up and ready for 10AM, equipped with water, sunblock, sunglasses, and hats. Motos arrived caravan style outside the front gate around 10:30 and we were on our way! Of course, I ended up choosing the trailblazer who was a good 3 minutes ahead of everybody, flying down the good parts of the road. One hour into the ride, I had blisters on my hands and a sore back. I could not have been happier by the time we arrived in Les Cayes (until our ride home, which I'll get to soon). We found a tap-tap to Port Salut and just waited for it to fill up, and they really do fill up! A tap-tap is usually a modified pick-up truck where you pay and then get on until you get to where you want to be. You tap the side of the truck when you want it to stop, and that's where the name comes from.

This was my first official tap-tap ride (we took one from Chambellan to Jeremie, but we rented it just for us and there were no other passengers) and it was a decent experience, considering it did not break down in any way. Two guys that were clearly from Port-au-Prince (trust me, you can pick these people out) were quite entertaining. And it turned out that one of them spoke excellent english, so he helped us find our way to the hotel in his hometown, Port Salut. I'm sure we could have managed, but it was still helpful. On the ride we stopped because there was a huge group of people in the road, and apparently the driver and others wanted to know what was going on. So we stopped and people went to find a huge snake that the people were killing! Well, I guess they had killed it just before we got there. Haitians are generally afraid of cold-skinned creatures such as snakes and frogs. The only other incident after that was when we couldn't make it up the hill. The truck was pretty packed and we were going up a long hill... so we all had to get out and walk up the hill and meet the truck at the top.

We passed right by our hotel, so we were dropped off right in front. The lady that runs the place is French and very nice, so she gave us a nice room and we went right in the water. The beach was long and clean, and the water is really calm. It's not quite as clear as our normal beach, Anse d'Azure, but it was still beautiful. The picture at the top is sunset the second night we were there.

I am trying so many new things here, and getting used to things as well. Since I got here I have become a firm believer that a person can get used to ANYTHING. I barely cry when I see a spider anymore, I eat bananas, I take cold showers every day, I never have cheese, and I can sleep even when dogs are barking and roosters are crowing at ridiculous times. But my latest improvement is that I ate a FISH. All by myself. Mum and Dad should be so proud! As a kid the closest I would get to a fish was jumping in the water my dad was trying to catch one in! Here's a pic:

Okay, so Ann had to cut the head off for me before I could eat it, but fish for me is a big step! And it was delicious, but nothing compared to the fish that I ate on the last night. AND Rachel shared the fish with me! She's a very very bad vegetarian :-P

So, our vacation basically consisted of lying on the beach and reading, playing euchre (a card game Ann taught us) and walking in the town. I finished reading Mercy by Jodi Picoult and picked up Tess of the d'Urbervilles where I left off before Christmas. (I still haven't decided how I feel about it... but I don't love it). In town we were able to find some delicious peanut brittle and Devon found some bread. But the beach was definitely the high point.

Apparently Port Salut and Taiwan have a cooperation project for tourism at Pointe Sable, so the people make a concerted effort to keep the beach clean and provide delicious food and the best part is, they don't ask us for things! In Jeremie the people are so used to whites coming and handing things out (not a good thing...) they expect it all the time. For volunteers such as myself, it is a big problem because I honestly have nothing to give them. But in Port Salut people were interested in their own lives and didn't come and try to speak english to us or ask us for presents or anything. When I couldn't finish my dinner I gave it to this young kid sitting behind us and he was grateful, but didn't ask for anything. It was just a casual thing and it was really nice.

After our 3 wonderful days in Port Salut it was time to come home to Jeremie. Our original plan was to come back in a private car with the same friend that brought us to Les Cayes, but the chauffeur lost the key so we had to make alternate plans. After arguing with moto drivers to get a ride to Les Cayes (they wanted wayyyy to much and tried taking advantage of us, but we know better) we ended up in Les Cayes looking for a bus. Well, we found a bus and paid, but we did NOT realize that it was already full. So, Ann and Devon got on the back door, and Rachel and I got on the front but there was NO WHERE TO GO. We ended up standing for 5 hours, and that is not even the worst part of the entire ride.

Standing, packed between people, made me more claustrophobic than I have ever been in my life. I am not a big fan of crowds, and that combined with the fact there was nowhere to go made me a little nervous. The road is terrible, as I mentioned before, and this forced us to go really slowly. About 2 hours into the ride, there was a huge rock in the road we could not get over, so we started to back up so we could get some momentum to make it over, but we were right on the edge of the cliff. The best part was looking over the cliff and seeing a bus down at the bottom from who knows how long ago. Well, the Haitians started FREAKING out and jumping out of the bus. They were screaming and climbing over each other to jump out the door. They broke the front door in order to get out. This scared me. Probably close to the top of my "Scariest Moments of my Life" list. Obviously we did not fall off the cliff, but it felt like we were going to and that was enough. I looked at Ann in the back of the bus and she mouthed to me "No wonder these people pray so much." Yeah, no kidding. I even contemplated getting off the bus at that point, but once we made it, we were back on our way.

The same thing happened about an hour later but it was less scary and more annoying. Because when all these people get off, they have to get back on and it takes time. Finally, about halfway to Jeremie, some people started to get off, and Rachel and I were able to sit. Slightly more comfortable. Until the time came when we stop and Ann says, that we should probably get off because there's a huge cutout in the road they are throwing rocks in to fill so we can pass without sliding off the cliff. At this point, everyone gets off the bus and walks a little ways ahead until we can get back on. I was never happier to see the Jeremie bus station. Even in the pouring rain.

Through the whole trip we told ourselves what we always tell ourselves (thanks to our friend Stet) especially when things aren't going quite the way we wish they would: N'ap fe eksperyans= we're experiencing.

When we got off the bus and looked back at it.. the name on the front? Experience.

Pinez!

Here is a quick picture of the pinez bites I received before Christmas. Pinez are like bed bugs but they live in the woven chairs here. I was out in the village of Campagne sitting in on a Responsible Sexuality session, and I didn't even know I was being bitten! But I sure felt them later. The only relief I had while I was out there was to go into the bedroom and scratch until I was satisfied! When I got back to Jeremie I was able to get some cortizone which provided relief, but they were nasty bites while they lasted! I had over 100 on the backs of my thighs!

Update

It is a beautiful, sunny day here in Jeremie today (though already a little hot for 9 AM) and I wanted to give you a quick update of what's going on here at HHF.

The last boat we received was a week ago, bringing with it another 1,500 people. Camions and tap-taps (buses) continue to come in with those leaving Port-au-Prince, though at a slower rate than in the beginning. Hopefully it will continue slowing down this way, as the town is already packed with people. As we drive and walk around, there are noticeably more cars and people in the streets. There is a Haitian proverb that says 'The streets are the living room of the people' so it's easy to notice the increased number around town as they are outside and not in their homes. It is also interesting because you can sometimes pick out those from Port-au-Prince, as you might be able to pick out someone from NYC in a rural area in the US.

The best recent news is that we have been able to get supplies into town. We received two large tractor trailers within the last week, and just yesterday 4 small airplanes arrived straight from Florida for us. The trucks came from Catholic Relief Services with food, and the airplanes were paid for by private HHF donors in the US, bringing food and supplies. In addition, we were able to help out our Haitian staff of 150 with earthquake relief donations given to HHF. On Friday of last week I helped our accountant count out $30,000 and divide it into packets of $200 to be given out to each member of staff--from laundresses to doctors. Passing out the cash brought out more smiles than we have seen in the last couple weeks combined.

Another volunteer like me, Rachel, did some research to see how the staff here in Jeremie have been affected by the earthquake, and the subsequent influx of people here in town. Her findings showed that 44 out of 114 houses were damaged, and an average of 5 people were coming to live in houses that already housed an average of 7 people--That is a lot of mouths to feed! So, it was great to actually see the money going out to our staff members as it is much needed just to feed the people in their homes right now.

In addition to these arrivals of food and supplies, we are working on getting our usual container from Port-au-Prince. The Connecticut office had packed it in October to be sent down by boat. We should have received it in December, but there was a delay in customs, followed by the earthquake, so we are lucky it is even intact. Hopefully this will arrive soon with much needed food and supplies!

Please continue to keep Haiti in your thoughts!