I was up before dawn again, and spent my early morning under a palm tree
and watching the ocean. Life goes on, and I watch the trickle of
Haitians pass by on the beach and the fishermen go about their daily
rituals. And I think about my experiences and the people I have met...
and I don't want to go home. I don't want to talk to people, I don't
want to write this blog or a journal, I don't want to eat... I just want
to sit and pray. And cry, since that goes hand-in-hand with praying in
Haiti.
Eventually the others got up, breakfast was eaten, and we discussed our
options for this, our last day in Haiti. The decision is made to spend
some time clearing and organizing the quonset hut at M.P.C.A. that
mission possible uses to store supplies. I was against this, as I wanted
to spend every possible minute I had left in quiet... but the majority
wanted to do work (and it was, of course, the best option). No one took
any "before" photos, but I had a tour on a previous day and can show a
video walk-through.
The
quonset hut was filthy, crowded, and disorganized when we started into
it... and incredibly warm. The construction team was in a rush towards
the end, so they were forced to leave the construction supplies in a
terrible state. As well, a lot of material was left on the floor, and
signs (like rotting boxes and very rusted metal) were that the floor was
not dry or safe for them.
After several hours of cleaning, organizing, and throwing out of junk we
were able to make a huge difference! It was hot, dirty work, but I
definitely was glad that we had done it. For my part, I mainly organized
the construction counters, sorting nails, screws, bolts, electrical
components, and whatever else was located there.
North side of the supply hut after cleaning,. Photo courtesy of Scott Cantelo.
The west end of the hut, were the entrance was located, was left clear
all the way to the centre. The north side, as seen above, contained
wooden furniture, lumber, some partially assembled motors, etc. The back
of the hut, to the east, orginally contains skids of water, lumber, and
other large items. We consolidated them a bit to take up less space.
The south side of the hut, as seen below, was left with the work benches
(containing all manner of small items from wood screws and breakers to
drill bits and lightbulbs), construction materials. When we were
finished, everything that could be moved to skids was off the floor.
South side of the supply hut after cleaning,. Photo courtesy of Scott Cantelo.
Hopefully, the organizing we did will help the medical team (I believe
they arrive in January or February 2011), and any future construction
teams.
After organizing the hut, we returned to the Mission Possible compound
for our last few hours in Haiti. After showering, and eating lunch, we
spent some time swimming and wandering on the beach. Ever since arriving
in Haiti, I had an increasing need for solitude, so after some
socializing I got away for some alone time on the beach to think and
pray.
For me, it is hard to leave. I've never felt closer to God, or more torn
inside than I have felt in Haiti. Live-changing, a trip like this. In
the video above, I was alone on the beach with my thoughts, and I wanted
to capture a moment so I would never forget how it looked and
sounded... even if I forget how it felt and smelled.
Eventually it was time to go. We carefully packed (I had several
painting I had purchased, plus Haitian vanilla and coffee), loaded into a
pickup truck and headed back to Port-au-Prince. The trip was uneventful
after a week in Haiti, but I did take some video which included refugee
camps near the capital.
When we would drive past a refugee camp, I would smell the burning
garbage and sewage and see the squallor... but I never encountered it
directly. Visiting a couple of village homes was an experience I'll
never forget... but those homes and those people are infinitely better
off than the masses of hopeless people in these camps. Just seeing the
toilet facilities, 45 gallon drums under elevated outhouses, makes me
wonder what will eventually become of these people. Reconstruction is
slow or stopped, and only international handouts appears to be keeping
these people alive.
We finished our day in Haiti at the airport, passing through security
and spending only a few minutes in a waiting area before boarding our
flight. A few in-flight movies later, I was back in Canada.
After arriving back in Canada. Photograph by Stephen Hermer.