Haiti: What I Want You to Know

Eight years ago, as newlyweds, Mr. Frick and I traveled to Haiti.  I went first, spending a couple of days in Port au Prince preparing for the arrival of the rest of our group- students and teachers from the school where I teach, which maintains a relationship with the rural mountain community of Buteau. My "hotel" was close to the airport and the massive slum called the Cite-Soleil. As there is hardly any regular trash removal and Port au Prince is built on a mountainside, everything washes down.  I've also never seen such mosquitoes. I would jump in the shower with my 99.9% DEET, and as soon as the water went off, slap that stuff on like crazy. Those suckers were hovering there like hummingbirds, just outside of the spray.

This is a tap-tap. This one is actually pretty nice (a Daihatsu!). Tap-taps are the transport of choice in Haiti, as most folks don't have cars of their own. They're bright and loud and dangerous (apparently folks fall off of the tops of them all the time) and they have names and slogans painted on them like "Full Love, Full Life" and "Sexy Girl" and "Merci Eternel."  To read these slogans, you wouldn't know that the people here were citizens of the most impoverished country in the Northern Hemisphere...but that's because our notion of what makes a hopeful life are very, very different from the Haitians'.

When Mr. Frick and the rest of our group arrived we headed into the mountains to Buteau. Mr. Frick, lover of languages, devoted himself to trying to learn Creole, much to the amusement of local kids who flocked to him to engage in "conversation." I told the story long ago here.  The people in rural Haiti are subsistence farmers. They are not starving and they do not lack for clean water, which they gather in cisterns. Their homes are incredibly sparse and they live miles away from medical help. Women walk down the mountain to give birth in Leogane.  The kids of Buteau kicked our kids' collective ass in soccer.  They also led us on a totally terrifying tarantula hunt one night.

I spent a LOT of time putting Band-Aids on kids.  As you can tell by the look of this kiddo's leg (and bare feet), living on a mountainside in a hut isn't easy on you.  I never heard a single complaint, though. The boy whose eyesight I swear was saved by foaming disinfectant and daily application of Band-Aids had fallen while running after a ball.  His big brother brought him to me twice a day- what I'd asked him to do in my halfassed French.  When we first arrived, the kids flocked around us repeating "Give me my shoes, give me my shirt," tugging at everything we wore. After a time, it got irritating. I'm not apologizing for the fact that, before we left, I taught a bunch of them to say, "Please give me your shoes, please give me your shirt." I said, "The whites will give you anything if you say please." (We had an African-American student with us. No matter. We were all as white as Santa Claus there.)

Eight years ago we left everything we had-sleeping bags, mosquito nets, toiletries, shoes- except the clothes on our backs with this little girl and her family. They lived right below the church where we slept.  It's gone now, as is the school we built desks for. I can't imagine her house stands.

Please, please, PLEASE. Act. Give to the Red Cross.  Give to Doctors without Borders. Buy patterns on Ravelry that are specially tagged as part of the Haiti relief effort.

But also...please...learn something about Haiti. Not just the statistics that become part of every disaster relief plea, every news article tied to this tragedy. Learn something about this neighbor of ours.  Knowledge is power, but knowledge is also responsibility.  We can be the people who care, who know, and who understand, but only if we read and educate ourselves.  Giving is good.  Giving is NECESSARY.  But giving will not be enough in the long term.  Haiti needs to become part of our national consciousness, not just because of its current heartrending circumstance, but because it is the only right way to go.

Thanks for indulging me.

Comments

[Rachel]

what happened is so heartbreaking. you are right, we need to educate ourselves. yesterday i hosted a baby shower for my cousin and was stressing about getting a crap dip recipe right and then i looked up at cnn and felt disgusted with myself and my first world problems. i donated to the red cross and then logged onto ravelry and saw what so many awesome designers have done by donating their proceeds. pattern purchasing commenced! the generosity is amazing and i'm glad to be part of this creative community!

[Specs]

Once again, I am crying about this. And you've hit the nail on the head about information, responsibility, and privilege. It's what I try to teach my students when they do their research. I hope some of it sinks in.

[nuttnbunny]

Thank you.
xo.

[Kirsten]

Thank you for this post Julia.

[Guinifer]

Megan sent me. Thank you for sharing.

[Maritza]

Excellent post. Thank you.

[Jennifer]

Thank you for sharing about your experience traveling to Haiti. Beautifully written. I had no idea about the pattern proceeds donation on ravelry and that makes me so happy to be a knitter and part of such a caring community of people.

[Laura]

I made a donation to MSF/DWB and bought a bunch of Rav patterns tagged for Haiti relief tonight. When I lived in Silver Spring, Maryland, I was good friends with a woman who had emigrated from Haiti. (She was the first person to call my younger son by his nickname, John-John -- before he was born.) I know that even on a good day, things are very, very hard for most Haitians. I couldn't begin to imagine the devastating effect that a quake would have on them. Thanks for this post, and for reminding us all to be more aware of and caring for our neighbors.

[Kathy]

You're right (like you needed me to tell you that). Donate now, but civic responsibility is an ongoing act.

[Rani]

Guinifer lead me over here. These are WONDEFUL pictures of Haiti. I was there 20 years ago with a medical mission - we stayed at St. Josephs Boys Home.

I remember the horrific poverty, but what I remember best is the smiling, laughing and singing of almost everyone we met. Such joy and happiness even when they didn't have running water, pants to wear - food to eat.

You posted gorgeous pictures! Thanks for sharing that.

[mamie]

thank you for this. it makes such a real face to the place. my friend has a friend who has a family that has lost everything...that seems to make such a real connection for me too. it is a place i can put my energy for their lives to be rebuilt.

[Val]

Thank you for these smiling faces & sparkling eyes, reminding us of the humanity behind the statistics and of the need for civic responsibility long after the news reports subside.

[Molly]

i am grateful for this post as well. this is an impt message.

[Donna]

Thanks so much for this.

[Miss Scarlett]

Beautiful post.
Thank you for sharing.

And thank you for the Rav info - I didn't know.

[Monica]

Thank you for sharing your important message and beautiful pictures. Let's get to it.

[KathleenC]

Thank YOU.
My BIL is Haitian (born in Port-au-Prince). He came over as a child with his parents, and the rest of his siblings were born here. Most of their family, aunts and uncles, are here now too. But not all. And they're still trying to contact with some of them.
Mano (BIL's father) would tell us stories about his days growing up there. Always the poverty showed, but also the determination and strength of will. And the joy and laughter and strong belief in family.
I sent to DWB the day I heard about it. I get paid next week and will be giving to the Red Cross. And I called my sister's home to tell them I was thinking of them and hoping the best for their family there.
I am hoping the best for all families and all people there.

[knitxcore]

*sniffle*

[Silverilix]

Thank you.
It's time to give blood again. I should go.

[Kathleen]

Thank you for sharing this, Julie. I had already joined the Ravelry movement. Money is good, but, you're right, knowledge is so important, too.

[Jennifer]

Thank you for this post!

[Fulay]

What a lovely post, your sincere words touched my heart.

[Homeowner Insurance]

Beautiful post. Thank you for sharing about your experience traveling to Haiti.