This is the day the Lord has made - Arrival, Day 2

I had a feeling our journey to Fermathe from the airport was along rich neighborhoods. We drive from Fermathe to PAP to Jacmel, a three hour van ride. We encounter the real ghettos. Trash piled up to create new islands separating traffic on the road, as we saw rubble do the day before. Interesting unique system I tell myself, works to be pragmatic and creative. These are the ghetto’s I think. Much is to come. We pass by makeshift housing. It is lined up in a row like a lego town. These people seem to be living this way pre earthquake. There is a line of houses, perhaps 5feet by 5feet with blue tarp held up by thin wood logs, and carpet and curtains for the doorway and no windows. A naked girl bathes right outside. She lathers herself in soap. We pass by heavy construction areas, UN dominates the road. I want to say thank you, you provided locals with jobs. I do not want to say thank you, I’m not sure why other patches have been neglected. Perhaps they haven’t made their way down south yet.

We arrive in Jacmel, I think the driver is just reversing yet he is going into the metal gates. We are greeted by the Haitian director. He hugs us and says welcome. We walk onto the house patio, the boys have lined up. We are told to wait. I think we are going to walk by and shake each of their hands and introduce ourselves to one another. They start clapping, the sing a song. I feel emotional. “This is the day the Lord has made, let us be rejoice … ” the rest is in Creole and French. The all come and hug us one by one. We are given a tour of the house. We see the tents outside where I will be teaching for the outreach school, free for town children in poverty, and a makeshift tent for the slave children. Two ladies take pictures of the children and wave a peace sign saying Merci. I don’t quite understand how we operate as Americans sometimes, we dislike our governmental policies, but we treat others as projects of our own. I feel the common bond in humanity has been loosened.

The icon painting class has started, I meet the other teacher/guest at the house. I awake to drums. The neighborhood girls have come by for dance class. The dance instructors move in very different ways, each muscle rapidly flexing, torso and back in different directions. One boy is shy, J, I feel he may become my favorite. We read on the second floor, it is cooler there. The second level for schooling is uninhabited; the school children who come Mon to Fri aren’t allowed to be in buildings post earthquake until approved by government for foundational support purposes. I read more of my book, Darfur Diaries. The director of the house takes us to the beach. We swore it would be two minutes away not half an hour walk. Each beach we see is a striking calming beauty. I want to bike here daily, pray, read and reflect. They want to take us swimming tomorrow. It starts to rain as we head back. We eat mangoes. I wash dishes outside with the boy in the raincoat. I have only learned 2 names today.