We arrive in Haiti! Day One
March 11, 2013 by royzelman
From the very beginning, we knew that our trip to Haiti wasn’t going to be easy, but we also knew that no obstacle could stop us. Today is the first day of our trip, and it’s definitely been a long and special day. At 3:45 AM, trippers jumped off couches, sofas, and beds in Andrew & Lila’s house. After months of preparation and fundraising, it was finally the time to start the journey. Two vans came right on time. However, 10 minutes later, we were faced with our first challenge. While the first van was already heading toward JFK, our second van was stuck in the ice and mud in front of the Meades’ house. We tried everything (literally) to get it out, but our attempts were in vain. We were all anxious about missing the flight until another van arrived to get us at 7:00. Eventually, of course, we made the flight, otherwise I would not be writing a blog post now in our hotel in Port-Au-Prince.
Our first day in Haiti has been a whirlwind so far. We made it safely to our hotel, Hotel Oloffson, which is an oasis in the bustling, colorful, wild city of Port-au-Prince. It’s lush with tropical trees, the walls are filled with massive Haitian paintings (reminiscent of what you’ll find at our art sales back in the U.S.), and there are lizards, families of chickens, and a cat running around. The Oloffson was Graham Greene’s backdrop for his novel The Comedian, set in 1970s Haiti.
Pere David and Andrew discussing Les Petits Chanteurs
We got the chance to take a look at some outdoor Haitian art markets, we saw the leveled field where the Grand Palais (Haiti’s equivalent of the White House) used to stand before the earthquake, and we visited our friend Père David César at Trinite Ecole de Musique, home of Les Petits Chanteurs, a student music group that came on tour the East Coast– including Vassar’s campus!– two years ago.
Right now we’re writing from the balcony at the Oloffson. A Haitian band is playing live music in the background as we try to decipher the Creole menu.
Stay tuned for more updates throughout the week.
– Sida Fang ’15
Wow! Amazing that you made the plane, but obstacles are meant to be conquered!!! Double elation, I am sure, at reuniting at the airport. The Oloffson sounds like a wonderful venue from which to immerse yourselves in the sights and sounds of Haiti. Rest up. take in everything – lots of pics from PaP, please, and remember the art of the shpiel – how all those sights, sounds and even smells are interpreted onto the canvas in the beautiful artwork you will see and bring back!! Safe journey! Love to all!!
Bonjou ti moun! Glad you all made it safely. I’m looking forward to reading all your updates and following along the trip with you!