First Experiences: Miami to Deschapelles

Hi Everyone!

Today was a stunning experience for all of us. We flew from Miami to Port au Prince (the capital of Haiti) this morning. Did you know that the PAP airport is the only airport in the world that collects baggage tags? On the way out, it was crazy. A lot of people try to help with your luggage. You can’t really tell them no when they grab it, so you let them carry it through the little parking lot. We split into two cars and drove to a little restaurant to eat a lunch of rice and beans and pork. When we drove through the city, it was very different from Pittsburgh. Boys come up to the windows when your car stops. They tap on the glass asking for money, or selling random things. The roads are a little hectic; there are no lines and people drive all over. A lot of people were crowded into the back of covered station wagons with benches attached. Apparently they’re called tap-taps. These are the Haitian version of buses. They had school buses too – they were painted a multitude of colors and driven around town. All the cars were either station wagons or SUVs (they need those to get through the rough terrain). Everything in Haiti is so colorful. People paint ads onto walls, and everything else from cars to houses to fences is painted using many colors. It’s really neat. We then drove three hours to the house in Deschapelles. Here in Haiti, it’s always in the high 80s. Haiti is flat, with high mountain ranges passing through it. Along the drive the lack of order was surprising. It was common to see people swerving through traffic on roller blades or bikes. Villages were scattered along the roadside, with people walking along, carrying water and food on their heads. People weave along the roads, sitting on the top of other people’s cars. The people in Haiti dress almost the same as people in Pittsburgh but better in some ways. In fact, it was a bit disconcerting, since their living conditions were so vastly different. The average house was composed of four pillars, a tin roof, and four, or sometimes three brick, cement, or wooden walls. All houses were crowded together, and the only way to differentiate stores from them was their colorful painted signs. Another thing that we noticed were all of the animals. There were many goats, pigs, and dogs running wild along the roadside. Cows, chickens, and horses are abundant here. Driving through Haiti has given us an interesting view of what it’s like here, but it is obvious that we have barely scratched the surface of Haitian life. We are excited to explore Haitian culture even further. Enjoy the pictures! Keep reading tomorrow!

-Lily, Erin, Emily, and Julia