It's good to be back

So I made it to Haiti.  I’m so happy to be back here, even though the heat is far more intense than I was expecting or am used to.  As we were descending onto the runway in Port Au Prince, I looked out the windows and saw endless shanty towns.  It was this that reminded me why I love this.  All of it.  Being thrust into a reality so different from my everyday life.  Driving from the airport to the site where we are staying and seeing Haiti through the window of our van was a stark reminder that I am out of my element.  And that is a good thing. I love interacting with the locals and seeing more of this country.  As we were touring the landsite today, I waved at a little girl who came up and grabbed my hand.  Here they speak mostly Creole and much less French than in Port Au Prince.  That pretty much limits my interactions to hello and goodbye.  Language didn’t matter to this little girl.  She just wanted to hold my hand.  She grabbed her friend and motioned for me to take her picture, and then took great delight in looking at them on the display at my camera.  As much as I am here to design water and wastewater systems, these are the moments that stay with me, the reason that I do this.  As we toured an orphanage this afternoon, one of the little boys motioned for me to take his picture, and then took great delight in running away every time I would try to do so, laughing without abandon at the apparent hilarity of the moment.

Another thing, that surprised me so far this visit, was the things I now notice that I have travelled to other countries.  For instance, the first time I came here, I thought the traffic was crazy.  After being in India, the traffic seemed rather calm and orderly for a country outside North America.  I also thought the streets were quiet.  Compared to the blaring horns and blasting music present on the streets in Uganda, I was surprised and the relative quietness on the average street.  Although still present, the horns and the music were much less overwhelming. Damage from the earthquake is evident, however, I thought it would be much more so.  They have done an amazing amount of work to start cleaning and restoring this country.  While there is still so much more to do, most of the rubble is gone and rebuilding has started.  I’m looking forward to other cultural observations over the next week.  I look forward to getting to work, and I look forward to playing with more kids.