Cite Soleil

We have wanted to visit the notorious Cite Soleil for some time. Before the election, it was not considered safe to do so.










One sees the rows of tin housing from the plane as when you approach Port-au-Prince from the air. However, you get a different feel as you stroll amongst the houses on the ground - if indeed they can be called houses.
Six of us had the opportunity to meet some of the residents of this part of the city Sunday as we walked amongst the crowded shacks.







We met children and adults but as usual I enjoyed meeting the children the most. The children here do not have difficulty with childhood obesity like many in North American do.








This is the area closest to the water - usually the preferred location for real estate. Somehow in this city, it does not meet the criteria for most preferred housing.










Instead of playgrounds and yards, the children play on garbage remains. When it rains, all the garbage from regions higher in the city runs down to the water's edge and - you guessed it - right into this neighbourhood.










The children were curious about us - and those that knew some English tried to start conversations - we did not get asked for money once - they simply wanted to be our friend. I noticed runny noses and productive coughs - we heard that there is only one doctor for 1000's of residents.

The only animals that seem healthy are the pigs that you may notice in the water behind these children.



No doubt Janine is wondering just how to feel about everything she is seeing.

I know I am.









In the afternoon, we visited 2 friends further up the hill. One lives in a penthouse apartment and the other in a house along the ridge of the mountains much like this one.










The higher one goes up into the mountains the bigger the homes are. Security becomes more of an issue then as well.











This is an indoor garden that is common in many of the homes here.












This home is a spacious, multi-bedroomed 3 level home. One can't accuse the owners of not caring about their fellow Haitians - both are working to improve the standard of living for the less fortunate. One has a large school in Cite Soleil, one is working with peasants in rural Haiti.
The problem of poverty has never been simple.








On another note, I happened to come upon two scenes in the "staff lounge" (laundry room) this week that I thought were amusing. I peeked around the corner of the door one afternoon to catch Henri with a pile of feathers on the floor, calmly plucking a small bird clean. I gasped and hurried out but later returned to catch him on camera. He is always ready to laugh at my reactions.




The other time involved the women calling my
name as I walked by one morning. They wanted to show me their "new clothes" and the fashion show that they were having. So we took pictures and laughed at them strutting up and down the room in some of my clothes and shoes. You see, I am packing and giving away some things that I don't need. It's true - I am leaving tomorrow - back to Canada to resume my job in St. Catharines. Waldo will stay another month to carry on assisting at the Guest House and will keep us informed of his adventures here until the end of June.

The Way We Saw It

One last view of the remains of the former Toyota inferno in front of the guest house. This resting place is a few blocks away and it sits upside down with all the parts removed. However, recycling is never complete in Haiti so there may still be more plans for what's left.

Meet John, Gorman and Omega who have come to the guest house for the last few Tuesdays for a few hour cram session on English pronunciation, word meanings and idiom explanations. They are three keen young English teachers who are committed to teach the English language as expertly as possible.

Tony, one of our street vendors is busy staining and varnishing window slats from the guest house. We have employed him to refresh some of our wood surfaces which also include panels, doors and a bannister. Not only does his labour improve the look of the guest house but he hires his two sons to assist him plus another friend so the good fortune of a short term job is passed on to others.

Pedestrians beware on any Port au Prince street. You not only need to look both ways before you cross but also during as the guest house location is on a corner. (try this at home with 50 pounds on your head) Brakes are used to avoid collisions and open manholes but those on foot need to constantly listen for vehicle sounds and horns as any part of the road or even sidewalk is fair territory for a driver.

Our guest house driver, Tillus, is the proud father of three of these girls and two of them and their friends celebrated their first communion today. He rented a suit and we provided him with our truck for the day to shuttle his family between home, church and reception.

One of the girls was enthralled with Pam's white skin as she pinched and rubbed her arm to see how it would react. Whites are a definite minority in Haiti and many people would never have the opportunity to interact with a white skinned person up close. Pam didn't mind the scrutiny and made another new friend.

Inauguration Day and More

Today is a very important day in Haiti. President Rene Preval has been inaugurated (finally) and people are very interested in the political process. We rented a TV for the day so our guards and Sunday staff would be able to see the official proceedings at the palace and cathedral. There are high hopes for Preval and he had been meeting many world leaders in the past two months to prepare for a positive beginning to his second term as president. Some of his priorities appear to be electrical power, health care and road repair. In terms of the safety situation here it continues to be calm and peaceful. In a conversation with a guest today he mentioned that he had heard that warnings continue to be given in the world community advising against travel to Haiti. The reason given was that there was a lack of police in some areas of the country. As we discussed the situation we shook our heads as from our perspective the lack of police means that the situation does not warrent a police presence - rather than a reason for concern. Fortunately more North Americans are returning to Haiti for mission, service and tourist reasons and those I have met who stay at our guest house are often surprised and pleased at the positive situation they find in Haiti.

These are a few of our guests from this past week negotiating with the vendors outside our front gate. For those who saw a previous blog about a car fire in that same location, notice the small pile of garbage on the street. That was what was left of the car that I had swept into a pile that morning. We finally got tired of the eyesore after a week and towed it (scrapping along the road) a few blocks down the street with our truck. It was already missing all the wheels and front suspension and transmission as it was being scavenged daily. After two days in its new location all that is left is the floor of the car. Recycling here does not require a crusher!

More bartering for beautiful Haitian creations. Dan decided to take them all which made the choice simple.

This litte girl was the daughter of the street vendor and kept smiling and waving at me until I took her picture. Her obvious joy as well as innocent shyness translates the same in any culture.

Another location uptown is famous for artwork as a whole city block is one large gallery. Prices are cheaper when you buy in multiples so come with your cash in hand. Jennifer is trying to walk away from this sales pitch. The vendors often gather around the truck as I pull up with potential buyers.

These are two outstanding ladies, Maryann and Dorothy, who came to Port au Prince for a week along with family to work at an orphanage down the street from the guest house. They painted, built shelves, bought all new mattresses and pillows and much more. Hats off to them on behalf of the 31 children and support workers at the orphanage!

Worth Celebrating

We had an engagement at the GuestHouse last week! This is Greg who came to Haiti to visit Artooz whom he's been writing for the last 6 months. They decided after a week that they had enough in common to get married and he popped the question - through an interpreter!. She said yes - through the interpreter! The next 6-12 months will no doubt see them both busy learning each other's language as she applies to US immigration.

This is Ralph sitting in the middle of the picture - he was playing Santa Claus at an orphanage down the street - giving out toys and candy to the 30 some children who live there. It's fun for the person giving the presents and also for the kids getting them. However it adds to the notion many Haitian children have that the foreigner is just a source of hand-outs - be it money or otherwise. These children are not going to be adopted but rather are the first benefactors of a newly formed NGO called HaitianOrphan'sProject - which will help them to become healthy and productive citizens of their own country. The founders are also staying at the GuestHouse this week.


Our cook was 2 hours late for work one day this week. Turns out he was standing in one of these line-ups, which we saw all over the city - for new cellphones. There's a new company that has decided to get in on the market in Haiti and we saw banners and huge signs all over the city advertising it. This cellphone is newer, better and cheaper. Once again we notice the contrasts this country boasts - from donkeys and cooking on charcoal burners to SUV's and the latest technology - often all on the same street.

And finally, we celebrated Waldo's birthday today. (You may notice some white in his hair that you haven't seen before - it's actually paint as he took time out from painting to eat cake. The beard's natural though). The staff enjoyed singing Happy Birthday and wishing him Bon Fet.

Sunday Afternoon Car Fire

At one o'clock on Sunday afternoon I heard Pam shouting my name and knew it wasn't just a call for a leftover dessert. I rushed downstairs and saw a guest dipping a bucket into our pool to carry water to a car fire that had just started directly in front of our guest house. I grabbed the bucket but when I saw the flames reaching above our fence I knew that water was no match for this inferno. I told people to get back inside the gate due to the risk of explosions. Meanwhile I ran upstairs with my camera to capture the moment. This first picture was taken only about a minute after the fire started.


The second picture was looking down from the top of the roof but the heat was incredible even from the third storey. Fortunately the woman driving had stopped when she saw smoke rising from under her hood. Then when she saw the beginning of flames she ordered her 8 year old son out the passenger door while she jumped out without her shoes on and leaving her purse behind. She told us later it contained $1000. US plus Haitian money plus her passport and other documents. There was no time to retrieve it and although shaken, both her and her son were fine. Our guests all took protective cover as small explosions kept everyone on edge.

This is the front view as I put my hand with the camera through the razor wire. Just as I was holding it another explosion rang out and I was fortunate not to drop it on the sidewalk or rake my hand on the wire in my haste to bring it to safety.

The vehicle was a fairly late model Toyota. They apparently burn well but I suppose all models would perform equally in this scenerio. Meanwhile traffic on the street continued normally. This is the third car fire I've witnessed in the city so I suppose it becomes ho hum after awhile.

Twenty minutes after the beginning a firetruck arrived with siren blaring. I had never seen a firetruck in Port au Prince so I wasn't really expecting one. Notice that the fire is in it's latter stages.

I was struck by the lack of protective gear worn by the firefighters. The man with the coat was the only one I observed who had any covering. Notice the lack of gloves on the hands.

The water cooled the car quickly and the crowd moved in for a closer look. Not much salvageable but I'm sure the tin sculpters will make good use of the doors and hood for their excellent creations.

On the other hand, maybe it will just stay as a scupture unto itself outside the guest house for the next few months.

(remember to click on the pictures to enlarge)