Vassar Haiti Project

Day 2  3.17.15

As we prepared to leave Clairiola’s house, her family sent us off with a hearty breakfast, which included delicious coffee, peanut butter and bread, and fresh eggs. We couldn’t have asked for a better first day in Haiti, and we are truly grateful for their hospitality.

After saying our goodbyes, we traveled to Galerie Monnin, an art gallery in a cozy corner of Port au Prince. Everyone was in complete awe of the elegant art display, and we ended up buying multiple pieces for VHP. We also had the opportunity to meet one of the artists, Martelly. Immediately upon meeting him, you knew you were in the presence of a unique and creative mind.

After a calm perusal through the gallery, we took a short drive to our next location, which was a street bursting with art vendors, and very eager salesmen. The walls along the street were covered from top to bottom with vibrant and colorful paintings. The scene was made even more tremendous by the backdrop of homes dotting a large hill. It was as if the painting’s fictional contents spilled over into our own world. The energy, to say the least, was frenetic. All you had to do was set eyes on a piece of art or jewelry, and the vendor would rush up to you, and ask if you were interested in purchasing it. It only took a few seconds, though, before everyone started to crowd around Lila. She clearly knew exactly how to navigate this chaotic venue. She commanded each negotiation by grabbing a couple of paintings, stating her price, and moving onto the next person. With Lila at the helm, we managed to buy a number of beautiful paintings that will be a wonderful addition to VHP’s collection.

It took some prodding and a little fortitude, but after finally making our way back to the vehicles, we settled in for a long five-hour drive. We watched the topography gradually change from a bustling urban scene to a rural one. On one side was the sea, a shimmering blue reflecting off its surface, and on the right, tall, rolling mountains, which mimicked and moved like the waves to our left. Less comforting was the portion of the drive where we traveled on unpaved, very very (did I say very?) rocky roads. After that experience, we were quite relieved to arrive at our Hotel, and get a good night sleep before our long anticipated trip to Chermaitre.

This morning we are all packed and ready for our five-day stay at Chermaitre. We were so happy to be visited by Jimmy, a former student at the school in Chermaitre, and an incredibly talented artist, and Benoit, also a talented artist from Gros Morne with big dreams to have his own art school one day. We are very excited to have Benoit join us on our hike to Chermatire.

We won’t have Internet access for the next couple of days, but we hope to update everyone upon our return. Until next time!