Wow. I’ve been bad with my updates from Haiti even though I know there are a lot of people interested in what’s going on here. Sorry! It’s easy for the days blur into each other and I can’t believe I’ve been here a month. It’s crazy how fast time is flying by.
When I think back to what I’ve done in the past month I think of rubble. Shoveling, wheelbarrowing and sledge hammering endless amounts of rubble. The different sites I’ve worked on blend into one dusty, sweaty, dangerous mess of tangled rebar, toppled walls and smashed up cinder blocks. I wish I could explain how physically demanding the work we do here actually is but it’s impossible. Entire concrete roofs need to be sledge hammered piece by piece. Slabs where houses once stood will be shoveled clear of rubble piled higher than our heads. Then it needs to be put into a wheelbarrow and pushed over rough terrain and up mountains of more rubble over and over again.
The heat is unbearable and there’s no shade or clouds in the sky. People here work harder than any I’ve seen through some pretty gory injuries that never seem to heal and who knows what kind of scary dusty shit we’re breathing in. Ahh… but it’s so great.
I remember how apprehensive I was about returning to Haiti after such a massive disaster. Maybe I was afraid I would find a city without hope, I don’t know. What I have seen is completely the opposite… at least from an outsider with severely limited Creole speaking abilities. One thing I am sure of is how receptive Leogane has been to the work we’ve been doing. People stop me to tell me how appreciative they are and plenty of other volunteers have relayed stories of locals saying thanks with tears in their eyes.
I harp on and on about my experiences volunteering with HODR and especially in Haiti. Today I read a post on their website from a volunteer named Bruce which gives a different sort of take on what volunteering here has meant to him. I wanted to share his thoughts on volunteering in Haiti because he’s really speaking from his heart and I love what he has to say.
I’m having a fantastic time and even though I am due to take my 30-day break, I’m not cranky like I usually am. I’m learning more and more Creole each day and making friends in the community. We even have the guy who wrote the Lonely Planet for Haiti volunteering with us at the moment (follow him on Twitter) so it’ll be great to see what his experience is like and to pick his brain about Haiti.
One more thing! If anyone lives in or around London and wants to meet some great people and support Haiti at the same time, check out HODR’s Cocktails, Canapes and Concert event in Soho.
That’s all from me. I should be spending three days next week on holiday somewhere, hopefully with a net connection, hamburgers and icey cocktails. I will catch up on updates and speak to you all again soon.
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