First Impressions

I am coming to the end of my first day back in Haiti. It is important for me to pay attention to my first impressions. The airport is functioning, although it is easy to see the damage that the earthquake caused. The terminal building has many cracked walls, and they have moved passport control, baggage claim and customs to a building I don’t remember ever seeing previously. And we had to get on a bus to get to that building.

Upon leaving the airport the car made its way through many back streets and along some routes I have never seen before. Many of the buildings didn’t show any damage, while others right next door were totally destroyed. I was impressed by the way people seemed to be getting on with their lives, as if the quake never happened. But it did happen, and now these people must cope with living in the midst of the rubble, as yet another challenge.

We passed several tent cities. They are found in large open spaces. All kinds of tents from an assortment of materials. And the tents are snuggled close together, with no more than a small space between the tents for people to move about. The tent cities do not provide much personal or private space. And with the advent of the rainy season, the tents are wet, the personal items inside the tents are moist, and mud is everywhere.

Before leaving Ft. Lauderdale on the last leg of the trip to Haiti, I sat next to a young Haitian man in the airport.. His left arm was in a sling. I assumed he had been injured in the quake. He was returning to Port-au-Prince, even though he has a green card that would allow him to move to the US. He couldn’t find a job, and although he prefers to live in the US, he was returning to Haiti, to live in a tent, because he has a job here. This is his home. And this experience in the US helped to confirm that his place to be is in his home, working for the good of his country, his people.

Throughout my first day back in Haiti, I was struck by the sense of optimism and hope I kept bumping into, against the overwhelming odds. And tonight, as I pen this reflection, I too have a sense of hope for Haiti.