Always look on the bright side of life!

Julia, this one is especially for you! And of course for all other people I met somewhere on this planet (probably Australia), who’d prefer English. (For you as well Abdoulie, but you can read the Dutch version as well;))

Already from the moment I arrived in this country, it was clear: this is a country with beautiful, friendly people who will care about my well-being. At the airport a lot of people wanted to help me and make sure that there would be someone waiting for me. When my jacket fell, without me noticing it, a men came running at me and gave my jacket back.
I stay in the hills of Meyot, which is close to Port-au-Prince. Margot (a Dutch friend which I know from my previous trip to Haiti with World Servants) lives there in the house of one of her colleagues and his family. They are so friendly to let me stay there as well. We have a nice space in the basement, with the world’s most beautiful view!

I live here in a complete different world than I’m used to live... but thankfully I don’t have any problems with getting used to it: I don’t mind washing myself with cold water in a basket, I also don’t mind washing my clothes by hand, I don’t really mind the heat, I don’t mind the different food or the different ways of travelling. I also don’t mind the fact that things mostly don’t go the way you plan it. It makes it all a great adventure! I however do have a problem with the fact that I don’t speak the language. Not being able to hear what people around you say or why they laugh, makes you feel like an outsider. It is also hard not to be able to express your thankfulness and to show who you are. Very slowly I can understand a little bit more from the things people around me say and say some things myself, but I can’t express myself as the person I am. The fact that we speak mostly English in the office and that there’s a translator available, makes it easier in one way. But in another way this also causes that my Creole doesn’t improve very fast..

I used to travel everyday by taptap to my internship. This is a very interesting and exciting way of travelling as it is always a big adventure. A taptap is a very old pick-up car, where they’ve made seats on the back and a roof, so a lot of people can sit there and be (partly) protected against the sun and rain. When I say a lot of people, I also do mean a lot of people!! Everyone just squishes into these cars: I gave up looking if it was possible to sit on the place they made for me, but just lean backward and give it a go:) One time I also stood in the middle of these people as there was no seat left. Thankfully somebody took my bag, because it was already a challenge to keep standing with all my hands available as even when I bended forwards my back was still touching the roof. When somebody at the front had to get out, I needed to get out as well. The driver thought I was the one leaving, so already started to drive again...with my bag still on somebody else’s lap: Bye Bye bag!! Thankfully everyone started to scream he had to wait, so my bag and I were reunited again. Sometimes on my way back, the taptap also stopped and everyone had to get out. I never really found out how to make sure I had the right taptap which would bring me the whole way, but in the beginning I tried to just look stupid and keep seated... Well, looking stupid worked out quite well, but I was not allowed to stay seated;) At the moment I only go to work by taptap, but will be brought back by a driver from the organisation. This has its advantages as well, as this are always nice times with other international colleagues and the drivers!

I do my internship with the organisation World Concern, which already has been in Haiti for many years. My internship was also already planned a long time before the earthquake: the fact that two of the children who live at my parents place (as they work in youth care) originally are from Haiti made that I have a special connection with this country for a long time. The fact that I have been there with World Servants and that Margot already lives here for 2 years, made this connection even bigger. So it is for me a great experience to have the opportunity to stay here for 4 months and see more of the country where my “brothers” come from!
Before I arrived in Haiti the plans where that I would go to Port de Paix, a country in the north of Haiti. At the moment I’m still in Port au Prince however, with actually is even more interesting for me as the organisation operates in that part of village where my “brothers” used to live! I’m assisting at the Cash for Work program. This is an emergency program set up after the earthquake. Houses are repaired and rubbish is being cleared with the goal to get people as soon as possible back in their own neighbourhoods which is very important after a disaster like the earthquake. People are employed through the Cash for Work program to repair houses and clear rubble and in this way will be able to earn some money. It is a very interesting program and a lot of people are working very hard to improve people’s life!

Unfortunately there are still many people with no home and many people still live in camps. It’s unbelievable how much damage an earthquake from only a few second leaves behind! It was hard to imagine when I was still in Holland, but even now I see it with my own eyes it’s very hard to imagine how it really is. With the tropical storms coming up the situation those people live in will be even worse! And although there are many organisations from all over the world and local organisations and especially all Haitians themselves who are working hard, there are still so many people left out.. It’s hard to see this and knowing that in most countries the attention for this disaster have already been faded! Where it was a hype for a short time to raise money for the people here, it’s getting old news now. But please don’t forget that it’s still the daily life for many people and that it will take a long time to get back to the situation before the earthquake!

Besides my internship I also do have the great opportunity to see parts of the country and experience family life as Margot and the family she lives with are so kind to give me a home as well! And as probably most of you know as I’ll probably know you from Australia, nothing is more important than a place to be at home when your far away from your actual home! Last Saturday it was my birthday (thanks for all the congratulations on facebook and email) and it was a day not to forget! Margot, two people from the family in whose house we live and I went to the beach. The scenery was beautiful, the water really nice and refreshing, we had good food (even a pie!) and the nice people just really completed my day! At the end of the day we got stuck in the mud with the car. And ,although I should not say this as the car from Margot’s work was also damaged, this was just a new experience for me: standing in the rain between all those men pushing at the car...and then at the end we did get the car riding again!!:) I’m afraid that my pushing didn’t make a difference, but it at least gave me the feeling I did something as well. And I rescues two men who almost fell, so I did my part;)

It is hard to say everything I experience, see and do here in just some words. My Dutch blogs are a bit more explicit as they appear more often and it is easier to express myself in Dutch, but I’ll try to give an English update now and then.. (Although I realise that I’m already half way my internship and this is only my first English update).

Cheers!