Haiti Day 1!

                Upon arrival to Haiti, the chaotic airport traffic and "Bonjou, mwen rele.."'s left the 10 of us in a dream like state, questioning the reality of finally having arrived to the country which we had been eagerly studying about for so long. AS we weaved through the many other student volunteer groups and made our way to the exit, we were met by Carla, our tour guide and host for the night. She was able to give us in-depth details and history about every landmark and market that we passed.
                 On the street, women, children, and men sold everything from fresh mangos and fried snacks to medicine for the common cold. En route, Carla discussed the tent cities which were now beginning to be dismantled in an effort by the government. Not only did Carla point these out, she knew and worked with a man named Mona who was the head leader and educator of a tent city. This specific tent city was constantly forgotten and overlooked by the UN and other aid organisations. Mona explained his tribulations with these organisations , and his efforts to educate the parents living in the tent city that violence is not a way to discipline children. Mona also shared his love and talent for music. He then told us a story of how his band recorded their music on a CD, which was never aired despite it winning 1st place in a UN music competition. They also never received the 10,000 copies of the CD promised by the UN. Mona then kindly answered our many questions , and we left the tent city in awe of his accomplishments.
                 Back in the bus, we left with a better sense of the urgency of the problems within the government and foreign organisations have failed to provide for these forgotten people. AS we passed graffiti displaying leaders of Haiti and the Haitian sense of national pride, we also noticed the enticing smell of the food being cooked in the street, and eventually stopped at a local grocery store to try some of these Haitian delicacies.  Little did we know that that night we would be fed an array of Haitian food such as rice and peas, plantains, griot, chicken and an eggplant dish!
              As we made it up the mountain rocking back and forth  with the movement of the rocks beneath us, we caught our first glimpse at an expanse of beauty of the likes of national geographic. It was strange to think of such a paradise as a country with so much inequality and social injustice.
             We walked the last 10min to Carla's house , where we would be staying that night , and were instantly wrapped up in the warm welcoming of neighbours , not to mention the secret garden-esque landscape surrounding the beautiful cottage style houses. After settling in and devouring the delicious meal, we were treated by a ceromony conducted by Carla and 3 of her neighbours. Candles were lit, and in matching white t-shirts, the 4 began and interpretive theatrical representation of Haiti's history and struggle for independence. The History , presented in a interesting story-like manner, was also told with the use of objects, such as the silver key and matching lock. We were left with the question of what is still needed for the key to be able to unlock Haiti and the troubles experienced by this resilient country. As Carla put it, this was our "gift for the week," to be able to take back to our families and friends in the USA. As seen through the eyes of the struggling  Haitians, I hope to be able to let myself remain open minded to this beautiful culture, and give a part of myself to the community.
 -Gulia