Memoirs of Haiti

I was FINALLY able to go back to Haiti after like 18 years! It was awesome! I was able to see my grandma, cousins, uncles and friends! It was fantastic!

We stayed in both Arcahaie and Port au Prince. We ate roasted conch almost EVERY day!!! Fried plantains, rice, rice & beans, more rice! Boiled plantains, stewed conch, legume, wine and juice!! The hospitality there is beyond fantastic!

When returning from any vacation...I'm usually saddened...but coming back from Haiti brought on this deep depression :-( Its unexplainable...well, it can probably be explained with the image of my mom dragging me through Toussaint L'Ouverture airport on our way back home :-(
I dont want God to think that I'm being ungrateful, but I love Haiti so much...I absolutely love it!

I hate bugs and extreme heat ...and not having electricity...however, there's something different about being in Haiti. When the big cicada looking things came into the house (or VonVon's as they call them LOL), the guys killed them. When the tarantula came, my cousin killed it, and when the lights went out.....we all sat on the porch and talked in the dark!!! It was still so much fun!

Another thing that I realized...people back home seem to have this fire for God....that I almost NEVER see here :-( At my grandma's house, we would have a mini prayer/worship service before going to bed. The 10 of us sang louder than an entire congregation!
Not all of the churches in Haiti have high-tech audio/sound systems...yet you can hear the people in the churches singing from several blocks away. This aspect of Haiti amazed me! All this talk of voodoo.....yet there seems to be Christian influence everywhere. I love that so much about Haiti...the fact that Jesus hasn't been banished from it's society.

Life is simple there...and good! As bad as I thought it would be there....it wasn't. There was a lot of devastation from the quake, no doubt about it. In many parts of the city, every other home had fallen. However, everyone's spirits were still up. I looked around and realized, after all these people -my people, had been through, look at them....life still continued. It was incredible.

Everyone there has a story. Our "9-11" is the equivalent of Haiti's "1-12" or "douze janvier". Everyone remembers where they were when the quake occurred. My cousin Tamara was in school. The school collapsed on her and her friends. She made it out alive -thank God, however, all of the skin on one of her feet had been torn off. She didn't even realize it until hours later, when the adrenaline wore off :-(

I had a camera with pictures of the devastation, the collapsed palace, and many other landmarks. However, I lost it at the airport. It's a bittersweet feeling. However, I dont think I want to remember the fallen buildings....the three to four story structures -sandwiched into one story....with unclaimed body's still beneath the rubble :-(

The only bad smells that I remember, were around the tent cities (because of the port-o-potty's everywhere), and the occasional armpit lol (not everyone has deodorant to use after they bathe). Its amazing what I take for granted here...

I'd like to remember Haiti for the beautiful country that it is. The beautiful picturesque beaches....ridden by foreigners who wouldn't even leave room for us lol. The wonderful food, the endless supply of mangoes falling from the trees, the innumerable stars that fill the sky each night, the sound of kompa and zouk on each street corner in the city, chasing after empty tap-tap's lolol! It was simply perfect!

All in all, its so easy for me to love Haiti....when in fact, I was only on vacation. There are so many tent cities....everywhere :-( I think that the number of people in tents, is a better portrayal of the extent of the quake. These people still have to live in the tents...they dont get to "go home"...that is their home...

There are so many children that I came across...without birthdays :-( Many without parents, shoes, clothing and no access to education. I want to help them all, but I cant.
My friend (more like dad!!) Pierre Audain, started a foundation by the name of KADINA. He started by building a school and a church over in Arcahaie, Haiti. He is currently in need of sponsors. I want you guys to help! $20.00 US per month goes a LOOONNNG WAAY. Ive chosen to sponsor a few of the girls. Its not a long term commitment (because I'm not good with those LOL), but I'm going to try it for a year, and then continue -God willing. My girls will have the opportunity to go to school each day with clean uniforms, eat and drink!
If anyone can find it in their heart to help, simply in-box me. I'll be posting more information on KADINA soon.

P.S.
If you guys haven't already guessed, I'm DEFINITELY moving back to Haiti someday! Only God knows when. There are so many people to be helped....and so little time before Jesus comes back! Ive finally found my calling!