Park Hotel Port-au-Prince

... maison de blocs de ciment ont changé le vert des pentes des montagnes pour un gris somme toute assez terne et triste. Bon, y'a toujours eu des plus riches qui auront su se faire domicile en montagne aussi, au frais, à l'ombre, et à l'écart "du peuple", mais maintenant, ce dernier a rejoint en territoire les premiers à vivre "en haut". Dans ces amoncellements de maisonnettes de fortune, point de rue, mais de petites ruelles où on ne peut que grimper à pied. Pas d'eau de la ville non ...

... de pastèques et de melons, parfois de poissons et de crabes, le long des grandes routes de campagnes, à la tombée du jour<br><br>· Les haïtiens sont très diversifiés en fait de couleur de peau. Cela va du noir impossible-à-prendre-en-photo, jusqu'au blanc comme moi, avec toutes les nuances entre les 2. Je ne les sais pas, mais ils ont un nom pour un 100% noir, 75%, 50%, 25%,et ainsi de suite...<br><br>· Là o ...

... hot dog bun. Although it's easy to complain about the food, we must remember we truly eat like kings compared to the rest of the Haitians.<br><br>Church starts around 9:00. We dress up, long pants for the men, dresses for the ladies. We get the honor of sitting in the front row. Despite the poverty and conditions, everyone dresses very nicely! The youth group arrives dressed in their uniforms. The choir ...

Mike sits down next to me and grins, "It's that warm fuzzy feeling, right here, do you feel it?" His remark interrupted thoughts about how much my feet hurt and how tired I was feeling. I looked up at his large frame and couldn't help but smile back. He is a big teddy bear with a<br>huge heart. He flies from Pittsburgh to Haiti to work with clinics and schools and has been volunteering on the ship for more than a week now, doing everything from swabbing the deck to gathering translators ...

... top five in the world, this is truly a land of the haves and the have nots. Over 90 percent of Haitians are forced to operate in a black market economy and as a foreigner I am finding it harder to operate in the street economy. It is usually very easy to tap into that. The country's street market economy is essentially subsisting with the support of a network of foreign influences. Large professional NGOs, a UN peacekeeping mission, and large economic ...

These are photos taken from the mountain-sides on Sunday October 28th, along the route back to Port-au-prince airport from Jacmel (approx. 3 hour drive). Deforestation explains the browned landscape at higher elevations, a likely contributing factor for mudslides during rain storms.

... the middle of nowhere, with people we barely know. Yet we all get along and share openly. It is very freeing, you can get out of your box and not only survive, but thrive. Of course being mixed (male and female) the conversations turn to "what do women really expect from men". I don't think we solved this ancient dilemna though! Travel Tip: Don't apologize when you leave the bathroom. Pretend it wasn't you.

... bastante buena: petit comité, intercambio de regalos, sonido sencillo (con grabadora y cd y música bailable pero a un volumen agradable para conversar). SIMULTANEAMENTE teníamos el merger-reveillón de los coros ENSEMBLE 7 y JEUNESSE EN FLEUR (puesto que ya ha habido varios comentarios en torno al nombre del grupo "Juventud en Flor", vuelo directo y sin escalas) y el de la PRE GRANDE CHORALE ("pre" porque son como "los chiquitos"). Y junto con uno de ...

... me ayudó a traducirla al creol. ¿Predicar de memoria, sin leer, solo con alguna "referenskard"? A pesar de ser lo más adecuado desde el punto de vista oratorio, retórico, homilético, litúrgico y comunicoloquequieras, por ahora ni pensarlo. TRAS LA PREDICACIóN... parece que la homilía salió bien: la gente quedó contenta y agradecida. Parece que mi pronunciación del creol no es tan mala. Estoy muy entusiasmado, con la idea de continuar predicando cada ...

... more. Julie said the thing that hit her the most was imagining if she were in the position of one of those women. Absolutely heartbreaking. I can't do that for myself, because I know I'd lose too much hope. Mary said when she massaged one woman, she kept an eye on her chest to make sure she kept breathing. I don't know how the Sisters do this everyday; you must become either blocked to suffering, or filled with unbelievable compassion. Are we all filled with a strength that ...