Michelle May

Happy New Year! I meant to write copious amounts the past few weeks- but surprisingly I never had enough energy to read or write.  I was in Gonaives Haiti, working with a group called Hands on Disaster Response (www.hodr.org) doing hurricane relief work over the holidays.  In a nutshell, the work involved shoveling mud out of homes that had literally filled with mud following the September 2008 hurricanes.  Although I just returned stateside (temporarily let’s hope) I finally have the time & energy to write about Gonaives… hopefully I can offer a glimpse into what life was like there- for me at least.  What life is like for most Hatians- I can only begin to imagine…..

So: Haiti- Why Haiti?  As many of you know, I am drawn to places that many do not see as tourist destinations.  Haiti fits the profile.  When most people think of the Caribbean they think of anywhere but Haiti…  yet there is this incredibly historic (1st Caribbean nation to gain it’s independance from colonizing powers, etc-) part of the Caribbean which although so close to us, is so unknown.  Last year I rode in a bus along the southeastern coast of Cuba, stopping in towns, drinking mojitos, doing my best to learn the Rumba (yes, my version is rudimentary at best)… there was a distinct flavor there which felt very Haitian to me.  We were so close you could actually taste it.  It was powerful.  At the time I had no idea what it even meant, but in my mind that was how it worked- my curiosity was peaked & I knew I had to go.  I don’t expect you to follow my thinking there… Even before that I had looked at visiting Haiti but was put off by reports of riots, looting, food crises, and kidnappings.  All of these true, but usually it is not as pervasive as the news says. 

With the recent food crisis, riots, poverty, and history of sketchy politicians, you would think this country- the poorest country in the western hemisphere– would finally get a break.  Sadly, not yet- In September (08) Haiti was hit by not one but three hurricanes: Gustav, Hanna, and Ike.  The city of Gonaives- about 150 kilometers north of the capitol Port au Prince was particularly vulnerable.  The region is surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the Caribbean ocean to the west.   Because Haiti has been deforested, when heavy rains/storms/hurricanes occur the dirt on the hills and mountains turns to mud, sliding down into Gonaives- flooding it with both mud and water.  That would be hard enough to handle in place like the US, hence it is incredibly paralyzing in a place like Haiti.  Sadly, the inundation of mud and flood also happened in 2004- killing thousands (total population of Gonaives is around 300,000).  When it happened again in September 2008, thousands again perished.  Those who survived had to revert to living on their rooftops, since their homes were literally filled with mud.  Can you imagine?  80% were left without food or clean water.  Again, can you imagine?

Since September many in Gonaives have resiliently carried on living on their rooftops, most of their few possessions lost or ruined.  Oxfam temporarily erected camps to house some- like refugee camps, except for “Internally displaced” people.  Enter Hands on Disaster Response (HODR).   Until November I did not know of HODR, which is a crying shame.  Basically HODR goes into areas that have suffered great devastation at the hands of natural disasters, such as Katrina, the Tsunami, earthquake in Pisco, Peru, flooding in Iowa & Bangladesh, etc-& then let volunteers join them to do manual “hands on” labor… Anyone can do it & it is no fuss as far as you do not need training to know how to shovel mud or pick up rubble.  There is no cost to volunteer with them (that is a rarity, actually!) but you need to get yourself there & provide your own work gear, blow up matress & sheets (easy).  They do not have any religious or political motives either: more points in their favor!  I had also heard good things on HODR online; they were on NPR’s All Things Considered, NBC Nightly News, and there was even a big buzz about them on my trusty travel forum Lonely Planet’s Thorn Tree.  After visiting their website I felt drawn to HODR’s cause and helping in Haiti, inparticular. 

Though not a princess of any sort, in contrast to most on this planet I lead an extravagently charmed life.  Though I knew it would be hard work, and very different from my current lifestyle, I knew it would remind me of what is truly important in life.  There is much to learn by giving yourself to others wanting nothing in return.  In the US we are rarely encouraged to do that, except for in yoga classes (how ironic).  So while there it was my yoga- to break the engrained habit of looking out for myself first- even if that means sacrificing rest, doing work that makes me uncomfortable, not getting enough food (am vegetarian), and not having a bathroom at my disposal.  All of these things most others on the globe do not have- yet sometimes back home people treat these things like birthrights.  I am lucky that I am in the position to even notice or miss such things.  Add to that the only reason I am where I am in life & the people of Gonaives are where they are is because of where we were both born.  Chance.  I can certainly afford to give more of myself.  I am fortunate to be in the right circumstance to do so. 

So, what does a day look like working with HODR in Gonaives?  Each morning we wake to have something simple for b-fast like cold oatmeal & instant milk (which I skipped).  Then at 7.30 AM sharp you are with your team on a tap tap (open bed truck/taxi) with wheel barrows, shovels, pick ax, buckets (when watery) on your way to your work site.  There is a team leader but in reality it is a collaborative effort.  Different mud sites (homes) had different sorts of mud.  Some mud was 6 feet high, while others was 2 feet high but a very dense 2 feet.  Some mud was filled with all sorts of random treats like firehoses and bicycles, which when buried and filled with mud become extremely heavy & hard to deal with.  At sites volunteers are divided into “shovelers”  and “wheel barrowers” …who are most impressive as they wheel pounds of mud with not very good wheel barrows through a sort of deranged adventure course ending in whichever spot we were actually permited to dump the mud (usually up some sort of ungodly steep hill of already existant mud).  I was not a good wheel barrower.  I think I accpeted my role as shoveler (& “dive & puller” of hidden treasures– like auto carburetors & music stands) after my first day.  I grew up in the Northeast- so the best way i can describe the mud up the hills outside, was that it was stacked up high like the snow banks are during blizzards.  Unbelievable mountians and hills of mud- everywhere.   Most of it has dried giving way to a dust which is everywhere in the town (and in my nose, computer, food, etc-.).  Once in while i saw a bulldozer taking some of the mud away- to where, I do not know.  Most homes took a few days to clear out.  Some of the trickier ones took over a week.  So far HODR has cleared out well over 50 homes, and a school- letting over 50 families move from their roofs back into their homes & kids get back to school : )    I cannot recall exactly but I think so far HODR-folk have moved 1.6 million pounds of mud so far.  That is impressive.  Believe me.

Of course, you do not need to be a body builder to work with HODR.  Look at me- not a very sturdy build.  I was one of the weaker “mudders” there, however other duties also needed to be managed, which let me shine a bit more ; ).  One day I cooked both lunch and dinner for approximately 25 people…  I scrubbed many a toilet, and mopped many a floor…  I also worked on a project collecting well water samples for Oxfam.  A fellow HODR-er & I walked various neighborhoods with a beer cooler; collecting water samples from Oxfam built water wells to be sure the water coming from them was good.  Another fun “job” was going to the Oxfam camp for internally displaced people and playing games with the kids.  I know that sounds light, but believe you me, it was actually very hard word.  I work with many emotionally impoverished kids at home, so I am at one with emotional and physical clinginess but this was at a whole other level.  I thought I was doing the right thing in starting a Conga line there after the kids started chanting for it—little did I know I would come close to death from a giggling enthusiastic swarm of adorable kids.  A stampede of love broke out, but it was a stampede nonetheless.  My fellow volunteers helplessly watched as I struggled in slow-motion to stay upright.   Each day volunteers return home at 4.30 to wash up (can take a while, many times baked in mud), eat at 5.30 (oft a plate of rice with bean juice with maybe 3 beans ; ) & then attend a meeting with the group to discuss what went on that day.    Most days I was knackered but some days I went out to the auto parts store/pharmacy which turned into a bar at night.  My favorite memory there was when a few of us took part in a dance off with a local 19 year old volunteer- we quickly attracted a crowd of 40 but were promptly crucified by the competition.  In other words, my robot dance needs a few more bells & whistles to keep up in Haiti.   

I cannot finish this up without talking about the wonderful of people I worked with there- fellow foreigners & Haitian volunteers alike.   As you can imagine after working with people in this way, and sharing close living space and toilet (no door), you really do get close very fast.  I never imagined that I would have so much fun there & meet so many amazing new friends- but I truly did.  I was not in Haiti that long… there are many who were there since the project started on October 10, 2008… what I contributed was nothing in contrast.  I am so impressed by the HODR peeps- extremely self-less people (not to mention bad-ass, uber strong, buff, incredible-hulk-like, etc-). 

The only thing more impressive than my fellow volunteers were the citizens of Gonaives.  Considering all of the horrific things they have had to endure (violence, child slavery, rape, intense poverty, starvation– the flooding & mud seems like the least of the worries) they were amazingly welcoming, cheerful and gracious to a random foreigner who could not speak a stitch of Creole.  Their resiliency in the face of unbelievable obstacles deeply moved me.  There are no words to describe how strong and inspiring these people are.  I wish there was more I- or someone- could do to make life their situation less harsh.  

If you are interested in doing volunteer work, i highly highly highly recommend working with HODR.  They will be in Haiti until the end of February- then they are moving on to wherever the next disaster is/was.  Not sure where that will be as of now.  Check their website (www.hodr.org) as they will make an announcement. Also, if you are looking for a charity to donate to- i can atest that they make noble and wise use of every penny.  Feel free to contact me with any questions about them.  If your interests are purely in helping with Haiti I can put you in contact with people who do work there- a dear Hatian friend who now lives in Florida is launching a environmental education and tree planting project there in March.  His name is Jude Papaloko & can be reached at (www.JakmelArtGallery.com)   Peace…

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