arbor day

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Today was a special day for Haiti and especially for our project. Arbor day had come once again and parties were in order throughout the country. Within the CODEP project, two parties were transpiring. At one point, an idea had been discussed where the Carlin family and I would be attending both. We were to be the honored guests. We did go to one of the parties, but for reasons I still don't understand we did not travel on to the next one.

Joyful celebrating announced the festivities as the people in the mountain gathered together. Silhoe, where we helped erect the tents a while ago, was the chosen location for the day's events. People lined all the available space up the hill and congregated under every shaded space until they were forced to stand in the sun. Straw hats, some with various shades of brown, pink, and green, were being sold and purchased by many. Vendors established "corners" to sell snack treats, which indicated the morning started well before we arrived.

In past years, we would have walked through portions of the project and people would have worked to plant some trees. However this year, the rains haven't come and it was decided that it would be wasteful to plant the little trees from the nurseries until the grounds were truly saturated. Instead we moved right to the welcome speeches and meal. Various community/project leaders addressed the crowd. The school children performed some songs and marches for everyone. The blans were presented and thanked. A band including a guitar, trombone, trumpet, and drums among other instruments played select pieces. As people were dismissed, they danced in progression seemingly to designated areas.

The Carlins and I, along with the staff we brought and a few other prominent community members, were seated under one of the larger tents to await food. We were served first. Nicole was expected to serve for the group there. I was introduced to "Haitian portions" which is literally a mound of food covering the plate. An authentic meal of diri kole, poul, pickliz, and legime yo were served (rice with beans, chicken, hot cabbage relish, and vegetables which we don't eat off the compound because chances are they have not been treated for us).

The morning for us was mostly sitting under this tent observing the gaiety around us. I was surprised by the amount of chatting that occurred during the welcome speeches. I enjoyed seeing the smiling faces of all. Being an honored guest when only a handful of the people had even met me was uncomfortable. Eating in front of the Haitians, especially the children, was difficult despite the knowledge that they would be served lunch in short time (the large group had to served in shifts).

One man I saw at the party was moving around using his hands. At first I thought he must have been injured in the earthquake, but then I saw his deformed feet and realized he was likely born without the ability to use his feet and therefore legs. He was probably in his 50s, but he got around as well as anyone else I know. His feet curled underneath his body as a chair. His arms practically acted as legs while his knees seemed to offer some assistance in propelling forward motion. Once again, I was struck by the many blessings I have as an American and as a person with a fully functioning body. There's a joke that Haiti is not handicap accessible. Either that is only true for people coming from other nations or people in Haiti aren't handicap due to a basic need to survive.

I almost experienced riding in a Tap-Tap today (the "public" transportation system). On our way up to the party, we had quite a truck full of people... 12 people in a crew cab pickup. You might think that's a lot, but on the way down the mountain I believe the number reached 17 total. I honestly believe we would have found a little more space for another individual had the need existed. Tap-taps operate the same way.