In Port-au-Prince

Hello again dear readers.


Before I start my 2nd blog, I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of you who provided comments and feed back on the Israel blog. It is very much appreciated.

When I was offered to go to Haiti, I tried to prepare myself psychologically. I really did. I spent hours on the Internet reading articles, watching news segments and looking at graphic images. I ask colleagues who went to Haiti days after the earthquake to tell me about their experience. I thought I had a grasp on things, I thought I could handle the scenes of the devastation, I really thought I was prepared. Then I arrived in Port au Prince....

When we left the airport, for the 1st 500 meters that we drove, there was nothing left standing except the airport building which in itself is very damaged. There is a few brick walls near it that are still standing but that is pretty much it. Every single dwelling was toppled. Floors stacked on top of each other like pancakes. Hoards of people walking in the streets going about their daily lives like nothing happened. The street vendors are lined up side-by-side selling fruits, vegetables and all sort of stuff, it was just surreal.

The condition of the roads is unexplainable. For the a few kilometers I thought we were driving in people's backyard (literally). The roads are not paved, there is no stop signs, no traffic signs of any kind, there are no policeman to direct traffic, no sidewalk, It’s total mayhem. People, rubble and debris everywhere, a lawless city really.

Once we got to my apartment on la montagne noir in Petionville, you cannot tell that just 6 months ago, a devastating earthquake destroyed the city a few hundred meters behind. The only visible sign, is the “Tents Camp" located at the bottom of la montagne. The houses and buildings are intact. A couple of buildings have a few visible cracks but they could have been there before?

The road (if I can call it that) to my apartment is so bad that some residents leave theit car at the start of the road and walk home. Only SUV’s and motorcycle drive on the road. The joke is, since the earthquake, the road improved because debris filled the potholes (I kid you not). After driving on this “thing” for a week it make potholes back home look like speed bumps. f I ever hear someone complaining about our potholes I will "bitch slap" you.

With that said, I want to tell you that I am here safe and sound. I am really enjoying myself in Haiti and do not worry I am in very good company.

I will do my best to update the blog. I ask you to please bear with me on the updates because this is Haiti after all and the infrastructures here are NOT all that reliable.

I apologise in advance for not being able to include photos in the blog like I did with the one on Israel because the Internet connection is very slow and I tried to upload a photo and it took hours so I gave up. I included a link at the beginning of the blog so you to access my personal album on Haiti on Picasa. I will try to update it regularly.

Take car of yourself and remember to stay hydrated.

Until the next entry

Luc