Brochure Pages: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
DAY 1:
As much as we had read about, nothing could have prepared us for the reality of Haiti. My friends and family were anxious. The State Department warnings had infused both fear and concern. As we descended in the airplane, the heat and wind of this Caribbean nation beat down on us. From a distance, the mountains, the people, the sounds were an assault on my senses. Indeed it was a country of beautiful textures and bright colors, a vivid painting before my eyes. Lush green trees blew in the wind against a backdrop of dark, blue-gray clouds. Bright colors in fuchsia, teal, orange, yellow, kelly greens, and electric blues popped out in beautiful contrast. Market women displayed their wares: yellow, green, and red mangoes carefully nested in precise patterns were stacked within baskets expertly perched atop women's heads. Lavishly decorated, hand-painted tap-tap buses were moving in all directions. It was a vibrant visual feast, unlike any I had ever seen in America.
And yet against this background rose the contrast of reality. Poverty screamed back at the colors. The poverty was palpable — in their eyes, in their movements, and through the grasping outstretched arms insisting on taking my luggage. The roads of this Caribbean capital looked unattended, broken into slabs of jutting concrete and grave. Piles of trash lined the streets emitting a stench that overwhelmed me. Before I left the U.S., I asked myself, "How could a people survive in such difficult conditions?" Now, that I had arrived, in the midst of culture shock that divided my world from theirs, the questions poured forth.
As I looked into those faces, I thought, how could this happen? How could we, in our wealth and abundance—an hour's flight away from metropolitan Miami—ignore the plight of Haiti? How could America, the mother of democracy, not come to the aid of the first independent black republic in the world, the first nation to liberate itself from slavery and seek democratic refuge? How could we not assist a people who, in the midst of their own struggles for independence, contributed to ours by sending Haitian troops to fight in pivotal battles that determined the course of the American Revolution?
As I made my way toward the front of the airport, I was greeted by the Lambi team: Josette, Ferry, and Paul. Their warmth and reassuring manner calmed my initial sense of imbalance. We immediately engaged in conversation. It was clear within moments that these were people unlike any I had ever met. They spoke about harsh realities but with an unwavering dedication and determination to help cultivate the seeds of democracy that would change the course of Haiti—seed by seed, root by root, and bloom by bloom.
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