Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Day Two

Today was Water Truck day. After a breakfast of eggs, pancakes, mangos, oranges and avocados we prepared our shirts for the day. We were all in Healing Haiti t-shirts (easier to keep track of a group and help identify the group). But knowing it would be hot out, we cut the sleeves off the t-shirts and tied the shoulders with the hem of the sleeves (through the neck, under the shoulder of the tshirt and out the now cut-off sleeve then tied in a knot.)
We loaded into the tap-tap (a truck with bench seats running from front to back in the bed of the truck and surrounded by thick metal mesh with a locking door and a roof.)

City Soliel is our destination. The slums of the poorest country in the western hemisphere. The main streets are still there but peppered with potholes and road heaves. People are everywhere. The tent homes which crowd up to the road are augmented with metal, plastic and random boards. Women bathe in front of their tents right on the street. Young children run naked or wear a random assortment of clothing donated by various charity organizations. It is not unusual to see a Disney princess shirt or Old Navy shirts on the children or even the adults.

We go to where the water trucks fill up and wait. We sit on a dusty road by a barbed wire fence that circles a school. When the truck is full, we follow it to our first stop. #17. It is 10:00am and the sun is HOT. When people see the truck they come running with their buckets to get in line. The typical receptical is a five gallon bucket (ala Home Depot). Sometimes there are kiddy pools, plastic gas cans or barrels. They hook up a hose to the truck that is about six inches wide with large stiff ribs on the outside. Once they turn the water on full (and don't turn it off until the water is gone) ...the trick is to fill bucket after bucket and let as much water as possible get into the buckets and not on the ground. It takes two people to handle the hose and two people pulling buckets into position. The rest of the 11 member team are helping carry buckets to peoples tents or playing with the children. So often this is the only gentle touch these little ones will receive.

After 45 minutes the water runs out. There were still people in line who will not receive any water today.

We head back to the dusty road to wait for the water truck to fill. It takes about an hour.

We make a second and third run to different parts of the city.

The people in the first two stops are gentle, kind, grateful and polite to each other. The children are beautiful and smiling; the adults smile and wave...bon jour! They have nothing ....but what they do have are beautiful spirits. Humbling.

The third stop is totally different. The street is narrow and lined with tiny businesses housed in remnants of houses that have survived the earthquake and the hurricane. The people are beyond hope... all the way to angry. The men are home and stand around harrassing some of the team.."you don't bring money for me or jobs so what good are you".....and the team stays huddled close to the truck. It is hard to see this since the first two stops were so gentle. Kind of resets your emotions....It is getting towards evening in City Soleil and time to head quickly back to the Guest House.

There are personal stories of the team members that make us smile and cry.

Jan fell in love with little Reuben who was about 4 or 5. He had a malformed foot with which he struggled to walk. But he was such a little love and clung to Jan....soaking in her love.

Andy received a love letter from a young lady who wanted to experience his love and could he give her $25.

Larger women are obviously a rarity in Haiti but considered desirable...So Lynne got kudos on her Boote along with one marriage proposal.

Maureen and Heather looked like a climbing tree with a child in each arm and one riding piggyback.

It was a very difficult day...but we are now sitting in the Guest House grateful to have what we have back home and thankful that we could give (at least our time and our love) to the poorest of the poor.

Words of the Day: humbling, powerful, grateful, sadness, incredible, hope, making a difference, thankful.

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