Haiti - Day 1

Day 1: 

A view of Port-au-Prince from the plane window

Elise Massie and Ella Gunn

(Editor's Note: Today's post will be updated with further pictures when they are available).

Not really knowing what to expect and having an idea in our head of what we thought Haiti was going to be like, driving away from the airport was eye opening and unbelievable. We saw people on the streets around garbage, selling things or just sitting around. Watching the women selling goods from iron storehouses on the side of the road brought tears to our eyes and was almost surreal to us. The other thing we weren't expecting was the lack of lush greenery and the poor infrastructure. After reading an article today on the history of Haiti, I realized how correct the author was when talking the constant cycle of deforestation and the lack of infrastructure development. I was so shocked by how few trees we saw.

On the road to Montrouis

While Haiti is so different from where we all live, it is obvious from our observations on our way to the resort that while they live differently they seem to be living happily. What would not be "normal" to us is completely different from what is not "normal" to them. Driving through the different parts of Haiti, we gained insight into how resourceful they really are. It was shocking to me that I saw women and men walking around carrying produce/water/anything they were selling or bringing back to their homes on their heads. We saw beautiful things like murals painted on walls and painted cars and stands on the sides of the road. We saw painted houses and even the cows strolled into the road at their own leisure.


Poverty is a factor yes, but more importantly, the presence of life and willingness to make a living with what they have available to them is truly inspiring. We have so much opportunity at our fingertips that not many people have, we have things that we think that we cannot live without when people all over the world are doing fine without them. As cliche as it sounds, it is important to be grateful for everything we have, and be mindful of the people that do not have as much.

At Moulin-Sur-Mer in Montrouis

We may have lost a few people during the van ride over...