Auberge au Picolet Cap-Haitien

... in getting to Haiti is not as bad as you would think. PAP, anyway, can be reached from Miami pretty easily. But since I was avoiding PAP, due to all kinds of very good reasons, there are limited other options. The one I chose was a connecting flight from Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands. It wasn't the cheapest, but it was the most available. I flew from DC, through Atlanta, and into TCI with little problem. From there, I stayed overnight and took an Air TCI ...

... runway driver where many people wandered. We even saw a little girl pooping on the side of the runway, reinforcing the need for SOIL's work.



Tonight we spent time at the Mont Joli with Nicholas basically discussing energy needs, the complex taxation and customs situation in Haiti and other topics. For the second time I've been mistaken as Sasha's brother, which is funny. The night concluded with pikliz and fried plantains from Lakay.

... little closer. We found parts of the tunnel caved in and filled with a foot of water. Above the tunnel was a structure which crumbled long ago. Before I got very far I heard my name being called and I had to turn back from my mission. On the way out, I looked at the wall and pillar which I noted before walking in. The locals confirmed that it was a gate built under Christophe as well. We decided to take a second ...

... to look at it. I should have known better. I escaped the chaos partially by walked away and partially by Sarah's impromptu game of hokey pokey. I was saved. Later that night we went out for a little bit. We were given a flat tire by someone at the bar who didn't like white people very much. After changing the flat (in front of the police station), we went back to the house. This morning we spent a good chunk ...

Walking up the steps this morning I first encountered Sasha with a bowl full of guts. We awoke early to head to Sans Souci and the Citadelle in Milot. In Milot we met the usual dozen people selling paintings, wood work, necklaces, etc. Just as many people attempt to guide you and sell horses for you to ride. We toured Sans Souci and saw the Tree of Justice next to Henri Christophe's palace. Henri Christophe was the first King of Haiti. After the Haitian Revolution ...

The whole morning we stayed in because of rain. By midafternoon we decided to head out since the rain was sporadic and fairly light. We headed to Shada to meet Madame Bwa (Bwa is wood in Kreyol). We met her on the outside of Shada where Rosemond and Wisnel (Rose's 20 year old brother) handed out Rose's new Pepsi calendars. There was a mini riot and a lot of shouting. Madame Bwa is part of a womens organization in Shada, a slum of Cap Haitien. She and ...

... people. Thus, the soggy wetland became basketball and soccer courts. Today we also began another photo project. Ten children receive digital cameras and instructions to photograph the answers to questions like: What makes you sad? What makes you happy? The images compiled often tie into the work SOIL and SOL are doing. They were given instructions and have two days to photograph. While the kids received instructions, we messed around ...

... gift giving abilities. Just before we left, a call Sun Oven (www.sunoven.com) and bought SOIL a Sun Oven with money raised through Better World Books (www.betterworld.com). We also donated $1,177.00, which will go to good use since SOIL is "scraping by" at the moment. If you feel like helping them, go to www.oursoil.org and click the "Donate" button or send a check to their address in New York. Sarah and Kevin handle donations and have noticed a ...

The morning began with a meeting between our group and the newly elected mayors of Milot. The night before I had met Nica and now I was meeting Telemaque and Paul. We went through lengthy introductions and discussed sanitation, politics, etc. Paul even offered to help me with USAID related research which is great. We then headed with Shalo up the mountain to the Citadelle! Henri Christoph built Sans Souci (see ...

¡Gente! Saludos desde Cabo Haitiano. Como algunos de ustedes saben, estoy trabajando en la Parroquia del Sagrado Corazón, en la Diócesis de Cabo Haitiano. Somos tres Misioneros Oblatos: el párroco, el vicario y el diácono (este último reportando). Estoy aprendiendo mucho sobre la historia de Haití. Por recomendación del Dr. R. Alvarado, rimero leí "Mountains Beyond Mountains", el interesantísimo libro de Tracy Kidder ...