Haiti - July 2011

I have wanted to go to Haiti for a number of years to do some kind of work there.  After the earthquake in January 2010, my desire was even more so.  As you probably remember, the country wasn't taking any volunteers for some time because they wanted professional help like doctors and foreign aid.  But a year later, I saw a small little flyer for a mission trip to Haiti while we were at a church for a funeral.  I emailed the church to see if we could possibly join in on their trip but I never heard back from them, which in the end worked out fine.  One night Jace and I went for a walk.  It was very cold and like most cold night walks we take, we were discussing our future summer plans.  We had a whole other trip in mind, but I said, "You know, I feel like we should do some type of mission trip, maybe to Haiti..." Jace said that he thought that would be neat and we said we'd think about it but never mentioned it to anyone.  About two weeks later, Jace's dad called one night and out of the blue said, "I've been thinking that it would be really neat if some of the older kids and I did a mission trip together.  I was thinking Haiti would be a good trip."  Wow!  So as fate would have it, we were headed to Haiti.

After spending time in the Florida Keys and tromping through the Everglades, Jace and I drove back to Miami where we met up with the other people on our team, including Jace's dad Dennis and two sisters Amy and Lexie.  We were going with an organization called Love A Child (LAC) that has been in Haiti for 20 years.  We met at a hotel, had a Q and A, and headed to bed. We met in the lobby at 4:00 am (EST mind you) the next morning.

LAC wants women travelers to dress modestly because as they put it, "Some women in Haiti who wear pants there are thought to be... not very nice..." so Amy, Lexie, and I had some beautiful skirts and our team shirt. 

Who knew we could look so good at 5am?

We flew into Port au Prince, the nation's capital.  The airport had been reconstructed since the earthquake.  There was a new section that we used but the old section still is there, too. Most of the destroyed buildings in Haiti remain because they have no where to clear them out to or no money to do it.  So they just leave them and build around it if they can. 

The airport was pure chaos. There's no rhyme or reason for anything - no lines, no order - hense us wearing bright yellow shirts so we can all stay together.  The one baggage claim was just a mass of bodies and luggage.  We finally got all our bags, were lead out through the mob, to a truck that looked more like a steel cage.  "This is for our protection as we drive through Port au Prince," they told us.  The goal of LAC is to get through the city as fast as they can so there was no driving us around showing us different things, which was a bit disappointing.  But it was safer that way. 

 Loading bags into truck

 Making the hour and a half drive

People are doing anything and everything in the ciy

Through the grate is one of many tent cities that still house

millions of people in Port au Prince

 

We arrived at the LAC 60 acre "compound" as they call it. It was truly a compound since it had a concrete wall all the way around it and was guarded by guards with semi-automatic rifles. As hard core as this sounds, I felt safe the whole time and never felt in any danger inside the walls. We stayed in army tents - a boys tent and a girls tent.

 Our home away from home

After we set up our sleeping bags on our cots, we got a quick tour of the compound which housed an orphanage, medical clinic, school, church, the missionaries' homes, the warehouse of supplies, and a few other buildings. 

A little baby at the orphange who came right up to me and wanted to be held.  All the other older kids were at school so we'd see them later.

We ate a quick lunch before we hit the ground running, or building I should say.  LAC has a plot of land that they are building a "subdivision" for lack of a better word called Miracle Village.  The 500 houses were located about a mile away so we'd drive there as it wasn't safe for a bunch of naive white Americans to be walking on the road.  Plus we had all the tools to take back and forth from the compound to the job site because it wasn't safe to leave anything there.  They warned us, "If you put anything down while you are working, it will be gone in 5 minutes." My hat was taken the second day because I took it off and set it down, which I wasn't too upset about, but it was a good reminder to keep my camera on me at all times, which I did. 

 This was a local business on the road in Fond Parisien

 The fronts of the houses in Miracle Village

With an 80% unemployment rate before the earthquake, most people have nothing to do so they just hung out on the front porch of their new homes.  They were living like kings!



We started with a blank foundation. LAC told our team, "Our goal is to get started on a house and hopefully finish it by the end of the week."  Well, they obviously had no idea what the Widmers are capable of.  All in all, we finished three houses in four and a half days. Woo hoo!

 Us girls were in charge of cutting all the lumber. LAC repeatedly told us we were the best team of women they've ever had!!

 Jace putting in the frames

 First house up, starting on the second house. Along with volunteers, LAC also employs a crew of about 10 Haitian workers who work every day.  LAC pays them $200 a month, which is 4x the national average.  They were hard workers and construction is a great opportunity because not only were they employed, but they were also learning a skill. One of the three houses that we were building would become one of the worker's home, which they told him about while we were there. He was happy beyond words. 

 Once we got the frame of the first house up, we could split the work among both houses, and eventually on the third house.

 Lexie, the power swinger

Taking measurements to install the windows

 One, two, three

 Working on putting the siding up on the inside. Each house was 400 square feet which was two rooms and a larger "living room".  The houses did not have kitchens or bathrooms as their is no plumbing or electricity.  They cooked on cookstoves outside and LAC was also building community latrines.

The Amy Widmers

Right before we left on the last day of working. The Haitian work crew would finish with the metal sheeting of the roofs and paint the outside.

The front of an unfinished house

The front of a finished house.  The family must paint the inside of the house before they get their keys. This is considered their sweat equity.  They are also able to decorate their porch and their "yard." For many, this was the first house they have ever lived in.  LAC also provides them with furniture for the inside and for some of them, the first real bed they've ever slept in.

This was our friend Tommy who came to work with us every day. He was mentally challenged and didn't have a family.  In the Haitian culture, anyone with a disability (physical or mental) is considered to be "less than human." He liked us because we would talk to him and let him help us.

Some people have asked where we went to the bathroom when we were on the job site... 

 The first day we used the community bathroom, which was behind this wall.  It was beyond words to think that this was the normal condition that people used every day.  Oh, and many of the people don't have shoes.  Those latrines would be much appreciated!

For the rest of the week, we got special treatment and were allowed to use

the facilities that belonged to the medical clinic.

Yep, you read that right - medical clinic.

One day, we went to a nearby village. Though it was only a few miles away, it took about 25 minutes to drive there because the road conditions were so terrible.  This was a village that many of the families who lived in Miracle Village came from.

 Some people ask, "If the people are starving why don't they eat the chickens and goats that are everywhere?" These animals are either scavengers or they are the family's only resource for eggs or milk.  The animals are also used as collateral for trading. Temporary elimination of hunger would not outweigh what they would lose if they ate these animals.

 We learned a family of 18 people lived in one hut.  They would take turns and sleep in shifts because they couldn't all fit inside at once.

This lake sits in the middle of Haiti and Dominican Republic. Fishing was a way of life and a source of food, though the lake is overfished so there's not much to catch.  This lake had brackish water so the people were not able to drink it. 

This little guy kept following us and wanted his picture taken.

At Miracle Village there is a playground and soccer field.  I read on the LAC blog that when the American team came and built the playground, they had a big opening ceremony.  The kids wore their Sunday best to celebrate!

The kids loved being able to see their picture on my camera.

One night we attended a church service at the orphanage. It was led 100% by the kids.  It was like a big party! There was singing and dancing, we even had a congo line!

The Haitian people are so incredibly beautiful, inside and out.  They are so grateful for anything. It is amazing how resilient they are.  Most live their entire lives in complete poverty, yet their smiles have a true richness about them. 

The last picture is one of my favorite I've ever taken.  It symbolizes Haiti perfectly - the rough ground and the water well is the harsh reality of the landscape and what the people must do to survive; the homes in the background is the hope that the country holds that one day the people may be able to have their basic needs met, be self-sustaining, and provide for their families; and the precious girl shows the innocence and simplicity of the lives of the children. 

There will always be a special spot in my heart for the country and the people of Haiti.  There is no way someone could go there and not take a piece of it home.  I know I sure did.

Florida Keys - 2011

The Florida Keys isn't a place many people from the West Coast travel to, however it's only a little bit farther than Hawaii from Oregon. We were very excited to go to a destination that we didn't know much about!

The Florida Keys are made up of little islands that are connected by bridges. Most of the islands are not even a mile wide. Every address is marked by the closest mile marker. For example, the address of our hotel in Key Largo was 104300 Overseas Highway. 104300 refers to milepost 104. That was really hard to figure out in the dark.

We flew into Miami, got our rental car, and immediately headed south to Key Largo. We kept up with the sunset for awhile but by the time we made it to Casa Azul, the sun had set but we could still see over the water a bit. We put our bags away and then did a little relaxing by the water.

First night in Key Largo

The next morning, we woke up at noon thanks to the time change. We ate our breakfast under the little hut overlooking the water.

Oatmeal, fruit, and coffee. Mmmmm....

We decided to explore a little bit. We came across an amaaaaaaaaaaazing private beach so we hung around there for awhile until the workers started giving us the stink eye.  The difference between the keys and Hawaii is that in the keys there are very few public beaches. Most are private - either by a homeowner or a hotel - so sneaking onto them is the only way to enjoy them with our budget.  And that's just what we did with the next beach we found. Just act like you belong there - including using their lawn chairs - and it all works out for a wonderful afternoon.

Private beach #1. It lasted about 15 minutes.

Private beach #2. It lasted a few hours.

That afternoon we also visited a bird rehabilitation center that turned out to be a lot cooler than it sounded, and it was free!  We also found this little marina where kayak and boat trips go out from. There, they also have tourist trap where you can pay $2 for a bucket of little fish and try to feed the hungry tarpon. Or if you are us, you can pay $0 but still watch others do it, which is just as fun.  These fish were about five or six feet long and they would jump out of the water so high most people dropped the bait when they snatched their hand back. We ate lunch at the outdoor restaurant where we saw a white sting ray in the water and some other guys saw a dolphin. We also watched the newbies who paid their $2 and really bent down, inches from the water, not realizing the tarpon can jump more than a foot out of water. That was awesome to see them scream in surprise the first time it happened!



Watch those fingers.

This is a fishing charter in the keys where these guys caught a giant tarpon.

How can you go to the keys and not eat seafood? For lunch we had the BEST fish tacos and for dinner we found a restaurant where we had the BEST conch (pronounced konk). It had won a bunch of awards for best food and the food network had been there a few weeks prior to tape a show about it, which was airing the night we were there so the wait staff were really excited. Delish!!

Mmmmmm.....

The next morning, our plan was to get up, take our time driving south, stopping along the way at various beaches and whatever else we found along the way. Instead we awoke to a torenchial downpour. We asked the front desk if this was normal, and she said, "Oh no, we haven't had any rain since October!" So for 8 solid months, it had been sunny and hot and OF COURSE when the Widmers arrive it is rainy!  But we put on our happy faces and pretended it didn't bother us. (The amazing thing about Florida is that when it rains, it is still HOT!)

 A fun outdoor market we found

 Our first taste of Florida keylime pie

Anne Beach

This was our view while driving over the famous seven mile bridge. I think it was at this point that my smile I had been forcing all day finally turned upside down and I shed some tears...

We finally made it to Key West. It wasn't the sunny arrival we had imagined. All the tourists were wearing bright yellow parkas (obviously they weren't from Oregon) that they bought in the shops. The true Oregonians (us) had brought our rain jackets. The B & B we checked into offered umbrellas. So we grabbed some as we headed out for our walk. It was so windy that immediately the umbrellas turned inside out (classic) and I was screaming and we were laughing and then a whole bicycle tour group (all wearing bright yellow parkas) rode by and were video taping the whole ordeal. It was awesome!  The only place that would truly make us feel better was the original Margaritaville, which we hightailed it to.

 Just before the wind ordeal

 The thing I love about tourists is NOTHING is going to stop them from enjoying their vacation!



That rainy day we just walked around exploring Key West.  Key West is very small with a total area of a little under 7.5 miles. It is easy to walk around and site see.  It is surprisingly very historical with connections to slavery, the American Revolution, the civil war, immigration from Cuba and the Bahamas, pirates, Native Americans, vacation homes of U.S. presidents and famous writers (most famous was Ernest Hemingway), and a still active Naval Air Station.

 

 This is pretty much what I imagined Key West would be like.

 Jace in front of President Harry Truman's vacation home.

As you drive down the keys, Florida has definitly monopolized on the phrase "Southern Most _____" and insert the type of store you have.  You will see advertisements that say, "Southern Most Gas Station," "Southern Most Mattress Store," "Southern Most Coffee Shop" and so on.  This is the famous "Southern Most Hotel" that was across from our B & B.

 

 

 You can't go any farther even if you wanted to.

Ernest Hemingway's house.  Since we weren't willing to pay the $16.00 per person admission, we tried to look over the wall to see one of his six-toed cats but we didn't see any.  We heard they're there, though.

 A nice way to start each day. Thank you, Avalon B & B!

The beaches in Florida are not public, though there are a few but they are very crowded. Here is a rare moment of nature where there's no one in view.

 

 

Half of the main hub of activities lie along Duval St., Key West's main drag.  By day it's a family spot with a lot of entertainment. By night, well, the children go to bed and there's A LOT of entertainment.... At the end of Duval St. is Mallory Square, where every night there's vendors, entertainers, and anyone who's anyone goes to watch the famous sunset.

 

 This guy charged $1 to get your picture taken with them. I just waited until this girl paid $1 and then I snapped the photo - ha!

 Apparently this guy thought pants were optional.

 Famous place where Ernest Hemingway wrote one of his books.

 You held out a dollar and the dog (who was wearing surf shorts) came and took it out of your hand and put it in the jar.

 A night isn't complete without a tight-rope walking juggler.

 I can see why the sunset is famous.

 Now the night is REALLY complete with a unicycling juggler with flames.

 Enjoying the show

Salsa dancing in the square

 

 

 

The other half of the main hub of attractions is anything to do with water.  Since we skimp and stretch our dollars, we decided to have one big splurge. We took a day long trip on a catamaran to go snorkling and kayaking. It was awesome!! Unfortunately, I only have a few pictures since we spent most of the day in the water. It was a great way to spend our last day in Key West!

 

 View from the front

This is what we look like after a full day in the sun on the water in 100 degrees. HOT!!!!

 

I guess you could say we are the "Southern Most People"

 

 

All in all, the Florida Keys is a great place to visit!  If you've been to Hawaii and/or California, it has a totally different vibe and culture with plenty of fun in the sun!

 

 

Since we were supposed to get to Miami by the late afternoon the next day, we decided to head to Everglades National Park since it was "on the way." We only had about 2 1/2 hours to be there so it was drive, look fast, quick picture, drive some more, look fast, quick picture, repeat. My dad has told many stories about the Everglades as he was stationed there in the 60's, so I wanted to see what it was like.  Even though it was a short adventure, it was well worth it and very memorable!

 

 Jace taking a break in the shade

 Looking for crocodiles. It was so hot they wouldn't even come out.

 This was the notorious 1/4 mile loop called "The Gumbo Limbo Trail" that the guidebook says, "Not recommended for summer months due to large amounts of mosquitos," so naturally I said, "Come on Jace, we're doing it!" We've never walked so fast in our lives!

 The Everglades were much more grassy and a lot less marshy than I had imagined, though the whole thing is swampland.

 

 

The Everglades was a great experience!  Most people probably don't suggest going in July. It was definitly the hottest I have ever been in my life and the most I have ever sweated!!  It was even hotter than where we were headed next............