Photos, and Sunday in "Port"

Caleb- most needy of the four.  Can't do anything for himself as of yet, but we have hope for him- he's more alert, and seems to be trying to look at us now.  He has trouble seeing and hearing because he received no stimulation when he was younger.  These senses seem to have deteriorated because they haven't been used for so long.



Maurice- quite thin, loves to eat, and has trouble holding his head up.  Is now reaching for items and grabbing things though.




Public transportation... oh, I almost forgot, there are also busses, and these usually are not only packed, but people ride on top or hang off the sides too.



Jason

Sunday, December 26

We went to church today. Honestly, I was a bit disapointed with it.  The Schmidts don't usually go there. The drive is rather prohibitive, as I discovered today, and they are still trying to get organized. 1 ½ hours doesn't sound too bad, that's what my family drives to church, but an hour and a half drive in Haiti (about 45 min. of which is in Port Au Prince) is entirely different. For one thing, one feels as if one is moving really fast at 40- 60 mph on a “good” road. (Meaning one that is paved, and doesn't have too many or too big potholes.) Then there is the danger of big trucks running into you, of people, goats, cows, dogs, children, etc. etc, running out in front of you, and the road is full of bumps and potholes. It is also very dusty. In other words, it's pretty tough.

The drive through Port-Au-Prince was most interesting. Once more, we saw any number of goats, cows, and horses as we drove, while people lined the streets buying and selling. There are also great numbers of public conveyances all over the place. These look quite unusual. They are converted pickup trucks, having a sort of roof over the bed. I have a few photos of them. Most of them are very ornate. People cram into them, and there are two seats at the end on the tailgate. Usually there are about seven or eight people sitting on benches along the sides of the truck bed, and two more on the seats on the tailgate. Then of course, there are usually some live chickens, turkeys, or other kind of produce that the people take along with them. Of course, this is a rather full truck, but I've seen quite a few like this. Naturally, it looks like a tight fit.

Mr. Schmidt says that what I saw today is actually a comparatively small amount of commerce going on. If that's small, I wonder what big looks like- it must be crazy! Really it was crazy today, just it's usually crazier. So far, I haven't really seen anything real surprising so far. I suppose this is because I've seen so much footage (mainly in documentaries) of third-world countries, that I was expecting to see things like this.

This has definitely been a learning experience, and will continue to be so. It does take a little while to get used to taking “showers” with a bucket and cup, having to be careful not to get the water in one's mouth as it could carry disease, and brushing one's teeth with a cup of drinking water. There are other things I could think of really easily, but this is certainly showing how good we have it in America.