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Description
February 16th 2011; Wednesday
We're all ready to leave, but I'm not completely ready yet. All my bags are packed and I think of home and want to go there, but a part doesn't want to go. A part of me loves this place and never wants to leave, but I know that I must go home.
This country has so many sights and I haven't seen off of them. So today in an effort to remember everything about this amazing country called Haiti.
Okay first of all is the city of Haiti. Every house is made of concrete with ether metal or concrete roofs, with rebar for supports. Rubble and garbage line the streets as people drive slowly down the road on their motorcycles and Tap-taps. Any water found flowing usually has garbage in it and it usually smells bad. There are no rules of the road other than don't get hit. I think the fastest I've seen anyone go is twenty-five miles and hour.
Second is the air and sky. Must of the time the sky is clear. Clouds occasionally fill the sky in the evening and usually clear once the sun rises. Large mountains are on either sides of us and peak up over the horizon making you fell like you are in a bowl.
Thirdly in the compound we live in at the moment. The structures are concrete with rebar frames inside painted yellow. The whole thing centers around a courtyard where three trees stand. Three levels make up the school and each room is marked by the grade and section the students are assigned to. Words in Krel are printed for all to see on the second level.
In the mornings the kids come in to the courtyard. They sing a few songs including their anthem and a few American songs. Then they go up to their rooms to learn. Each classroom is no larger than my living room. Rebar gratings cover the windows, but allow sights though square. Tables line up in the room in different ways. Younger students sat around round tables in chairs that were made of ply wood. Older children had desks and their own area to keep their stuff underneath their desk. If the desks are connected they can seat three of them. A chalkboard at the fount of the room was where the teacher's desk sat and there was always writing on the board.
Lastly I will tell of the people who very clearly deserve a whole paragraph if not a whole entry. Everyday they set out from their homes to make whatever they could for their family whether that was begging or to work in a factory or small store on the side of the road. Anytime they are happy or relieved they sing. Singing here is a pastime. There is not "I can't sing". They dress in whatever they have, but everyone seems to have nice cloths for when they go to church. School children are dressed in nice shirts of one color or another according to their school. Most wear pink, but there are a few that ware blue from down at preschool.
Another thing is all the animals. None of them seem to have a home since they live on the streets, but they always return to once person or another. They don't seem to care about people and the people don't seem to care about them. Goats, pigs, rosters, dogs, and cat are found roaming the street and they eat whatever they can get, which is usually garbage. They have cows too, but they only exist in pastors and are usually really thin. Any animal you see is usually skinny and itchy, so I don't think most people pet them.
This country is also highly religious. No one seems to steal too much and everyone sings during church. You'll see Jesus all the way down the road on everything from cars to signs. Anyone who sees Tom thinks that He is Jesus, especially the kids. They also praise the Lord fro everything, including that rain last night. However they are deeply rooted in tradition. So tradition is their religion. When a church of God came to Haiti more than fifty years ago they brought with them certain beliefs with them. Jim and Bill had a problem when the people didn't want them in church because they were smokers, but I don't think anyone was going to tell Jim to leave. They still dush over here with Clorox. Also the women vial themselves in white coverings before coming to church. Leon has tried to break them of some of these traditions, but to no avail.
We set out to an orphanage before we got ready to go out. As we went out we saw a few people bathing outside. There were only a few kids there, but the house holds nearly eighty kids. Most are adopted, but the parents can't take care of the kids because they have to go to their job.
Nathan told us about Leon's wife's abduction. Evidently four guys thought Leon had money so they hijacked her car and put a ransom up for her return. The wife however never lost faith in God while this happened. She even told them that she wasn't afraid of them and that they would die for what they did.
Two of them ending up converting because of here and the other two let her go after getting her ransom. Almost tow weeks later the tow got killed by local Haitians after hearing what happened. That's probably why Leon didn't talk about his daughter who worked at the compound.
At ten we took our last rid in a tap-tap to the airport. I had almost forgotten how busy it was there. One man fallowed us from a stop we made to try and get us to buy his paintings. Bonny bought some necklaces, but no paintings.
The flight back didn't last long. Before I knew it we were already on our descent. Soon I was sitting in the airport in Miami for our eight o'clock flight. While I was waiting I started to play with this girl Nola. She was so cute with her bland hair and competitive nature. After a few runs around the rows of chairs she found out that I was no adult yet.
We must have played for a good half hour. We jumped and skipped and even played a little with her horses and dragon. She had me play rescue as we sat underneath the chairs of the airport. I was sad that we had to leave, but everyone got their pictures before we left.
To my surprise as I was sitting writing Nola came up to us. I turned my head to find she had my hat. By accident I had left it underneath the chairs. Everyone said their as ahs as she told me I left it and handed it to me. I was quite embarrassed when I couldn't remember her name and had to go down to find out what it was.
She reminded me an awful lot of the children from Haiti. They always wanted your attention. Touching you or talking to you came easy as their curiosities got the better of them. I sure will miss all the attention of being an American in Haiti. I guess that's what happens when you finally end your journey and go home. This is my last journal of Haiti.

Description
February 16th 2011; Wednesday
We're all ready to leave, but I'm not completely ready yet. All my bags are packed and I think of home and want to go there, but a part doesn't want to go. A part of me loves this place and never wants to leave, but I know that I must go home.
This country has so many sights and I haven't seen off of them. So today in an effort to remember everything about this amazing country called Haiti.
Okay first of all is the city of Haiti. Every house is made of concrete with ether metal or concrete roofs, with rebar for supports. Rubble and garbage line the streets as people drive slowly down the road on their motorcycles and Tap-taps. Any water found flowing usually has garbage in it and it usually smells bad. There are no rules of the road other than don't get hit. I think the fastest I've seen anyone go is twenty-five miles and hour.
Second is the air and sky. Must of the time the sky is clear. Clouds occasionally fill the sky in the evening and usually clear once the sun rises. Large mountains are on either sides of us and peak up over the horizon making you fell like you are in a bowl.
Thirdly in the compound we live in at the moment. The structures are concrete with rebar frames inside painted yellow. The whole thing centers around a courtyard where three trees stand. Three levels make up the school and each room is marked by the grade and section the students are assigned to. Words in Krel are printed for all to see on the second level.
In the mornings the kids come in to the courtyard. They sing a few songs including their anthem and a few American songs. Then they go up to their rooms to learn. Each classroom is no larger than my living room. Rebar gratings cover the windows, but allow sights though square. Tables line up in the room in different ways. Younger students sat around round tables in chairs that were made of ply wood. Older children had desks and their own area to keep their stuff underneath their desk. If the desks are connected they can seat three of them. A chalkboard at the fount of the room was where the teacher's desk sat and there was always writing on the board.
Lastly I will tell of the people who very clearly deserve a whole paragraph if not a whole entry. Everyday they set out from their homes to make whatever they could for their family whether that was begging or to work in a factory or small store on the side of the road. Anytime they are happy or relieved they sing. Singing here is a pastime. There is not "I can't sing". They dress in whatever they have, but everyone seems to have nice cloths for when they go to church. School children are dressed in nice shirts of one color or another according to their school. Most wear pink, but there are a few that ware blue from down at preschool.
Another thing is all the animals. None of them seem to have a home since they live on the streets, but they always return to once person or another. They don't seem to care about people and the people don't seem to care about them. Goats, pigs, rosters, dogs, and cat are found roaming the street and they eat whatever they can get, which is usually garbage. They have cows too, but they only exist in pastors and are usually really thin. Any animal you see is usually skinny and itchy, so I don't think most people pet them.
This country is also highly religious. No one seems to steal too much and everyone sings during church. You'll see Jesus all the way down the road on everything from cars to signs. Anyone who sees Tom thinks that He is Jesus, especially the kids. They also praise the Lord fro everything, including that rain last night. However they are deeply rooted in tradition. So tradition is their religion. When a church of God came to Haiti more than fifty years ago they brought with them certain beliefs with them. Jim and Bill had a problem when the people didn't want them in church because they were smokers, but I don't think anyone was going to tell Jim to leave. They still dush over here with Clorox. Also the women vial themselves in white coverings before coming to church. Leon has tried to break them of some of these traditions, but to no avail.
We set out to an orphanage before we got ready to go out. As we went out we saw a few people bathing outside. There were only a few kids there, but the house holds nearly eighty kids. Most are adopted, but the parents can't take care of the kids because they have to go to their job.
Nathan told us about Leon's wife's abduction. Evidently four guys thought Leon had money so they hijacked her car and put a ransom up for her return. The wife however never lost faith in God while this happened. She even told them that she wasn't afraid of them and that they would die for what they did.
Two of them ending up converting because of here and the other two let her go after getting her ransom. Almost tow weeks later the tow got killed by local Haitians after hearing what happened. That's probably why Leon didn't talk about his daughter who worked at the compound.
At ten we took our last rid in a tap-tap to the airport. I had almost forgotten how busy it was there. One man fallowed us from a stop we made to try and get us to buy his paintings. Bonny bought some necklaces, but no paintings.
The flight back didn't last long. Before I knew it we were already on our descent. Soon I was sitting in the airport in Miami for our eight o'clock flight. While I was waiting I started to play with this girl Nola. She was so cute with her bland hair and competitive nature. After a few runs around the rows of chairs she found out that I was no adult yet.
We must have played for a good half hour. We jumped and skipped and even played a little with her horses and dragon. She had me play rescue as we sat underneath the chairs of the airport. I was sad that we had to leave, but everyone got their pictures before we left.
To my surprise as I was sitting writing Nola came up to us. I turned my head to find she had my hat. By accident I had left it underneath the chairs. Everyone said their as ahs as she told me I left it and handed it to me. I was quite embarrassed when I couldn't remember her name and had to go down to find out what it was.
She reminded me an awful lot of the children from Haiti. They always wanted your attention. Touching you or talking to you came easy as their curiosities got the better of them. I sure will miss all the attention of being an American in Haiti. I guess that's what happens when you finally end your journey and go home. This is my last journal of Haiti.