Apologies for the blogging silence. I was enjoying my family too much during a very brief break I had with them, on the way from Indonesia to Haiti.
And now, here I am. The country that has occupied the fancies and obsessions of the media over the last several months, the disaster which has harnessed more donations than can be counted, the tragedy whose stories have somehow touched each one of us in a personal way. And now I've joined the story.
Sitting on a balcony overlooking Atlantic flora to see the sun setting behind a hill up, about to enjoy a pricey and delicious meal at the hotel restaurant with its outdoor sofa seating and full-service bar, and taking advantage of the broadband Internet access to write this blog.
In the pre-arrival briefing I was warned to bring a sleeping mat and a mosquito net. What a contrast to the reality I now see. Our office here is lovely and we have a fleet of lush SUVs. I stopped in a supermarket at lunchtime today and saw pretty much whatever I'll need for cooking.
But then last night I had my security briefing. I was told of murders, rapes and kidnappings. I was warned of people's violent reactions to having their pictures taken. I was told that a delegation of American geologists predicts a 55-95% chance of another major earthquake here, within the next 3-12 months. If I prefer to sleep in a tent, one will be made available to me. Due to the is bits of information, it has been decided that we have a 9 o'clock curfew and, for now, I will never go out anywhere alone.
During my well-chaperoned and highly-secure rides through town, there are stretches in which easily 1/2 of the buildings are a pile of rubble. Favelas of tents fill just about every available public space. As I watch the people walking on the streets, I see figures who either do not eat, or eat too much of the wrong things, wearing tattered hand-me downs. I may be living on the other side of that fence, but reality is clearly there.
When I arrived in the airport, two images greeted me which I will try to keep with me:
- two men hugging each other warmly as if they hadn't seen each other since yesterday, and
- the airport staff passing around a guitar and occasionally playing a tune for us as we waited for our luggage.
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