Blogs from Haiti, Central America Caribbean - page 3

Derniers jours à Port-au-Prince Jeudi matin, 6.15AM, il fait chaud. Vous l’aurez deviné, je suis de retour à Jacmel, dans ce petit appartement que j’apprécie de plus en plus, au-dessus de la pharmacie de Mme Jaquet, qui m’a généreusement donné un ventilateur plus performant hier soir. Mais revenons quelques jours en arrière, pour que je vous conte la fin de mon séjour dans la capitale, Port-au-Prince. La dernière fois où je vous ai écrit, je vous mentionnais qu’il pleuvait. Finalement, ce fut une journée complète de pluie intense qui martèle les toits de tôle, mettant leur solidité à l’épreuve. Ce fut une pluie qui n’en finissait plus, comme si les nuages se retenaient depuis longtemps jusqu’à ce qu’ils débordent et se relâchent enfin. Pour nous, au Montana, ces averses étaient la bienvenue, donnant un peu de ... read more

Bonjour d'Haïti! Maintenant que j'ai enfin accès à Internet, je me suis dit que je débuterais en vous donnant quelques nouvelles! Mon arrivée en Haïti a été un peu improvisée au tout départ, mais les choses se sont placées relativement rapidement. J'étais supposé rencontrer l'équipe qui organisait mon accueil avant de partir, mais coup de théâtre, j'ai fait un petit tour à l'hôpital pour une pierre au rein gauche quelques jours avant mon départ, manquant du même fait cette rencontre. Après un échange téléphonique (où j'étais sous l'effet de la morphine... je vous laisse imaginer la cohérence que j'avais...!), on s'est dit qu'on s'arrangerait sur place. Par pur hasard, je voyageais avec la Directrice par intérim de l'Unité de santé internationale, avec qui je réalise un de mes stages. Celle-ci m'a donc donné un coup de ... read more

Cap Hatien, on the north coast, is our last stop in Haiti. It is a small town but has a big place in the country's history. It was where Haitians and African slaves started the revolution that over threw their French rulers. The town is backed by high and very steep limestone hills. On the top of one of these is the Citadelle, a huge castle towering over the landscape, 900 metre up. Before visiting the Citadelle, we walk up to the Sans Souci palace. Built by the self proclaimed King Christophe, it was modeled on a Prussian palace. A sweeping double staircase leads up to what once was a complex of regal buildings and military barracks. Sans Souci is now reduced to an impressive ruin of arches, doorways, fountains and four storey high walls open ... read more

As we prepared for our flights to Haiti, CNN informed us that there were riots in the capital, Port-au-Prince. We knew Haiti was going to be tricky but political riots are more than we had bargained for. Haitians are annoyed and frustrated because, after years of electoral fraud and corruption, the Electoral Commission has decided to postpone the presidential elections. Some groups had decided to riot to show just how annoyed they were. Rioting has been a favourite way to make a political point here ever since it worked in the 1800s to get rid of the Spanish. As we board our plane bound for Haiti, we scan for any war correspondents. Luckily, none spotted. We arrive to a peaceful city - well, noisy, busy, even frantic but no sign of any rioters. Our hotel is ... read more

The drive back to the village was uneventful. Intermittent bouts of sleep and wakefulness, intermingled with observing the scenery whizzing by...that was the three hour drive back. By the time we were dropped off at the top of the hill, it was getting dark. We had at least an hour trek. We gathered all our things, including groceries, and began our descent/ascent. The evening was cool and the breeze evaporated the moisture on our skin. It was refreshing. It was dark enough that we needed our headlamps. The silence from artificial noise was meditative. The insects and birds chirping was the soundtrack playing to the rhythm of our feet, the inhalations and exhalations of our breath. I would do my best not to drop the bag of eggs. The home we were staying at was a ... read more