Category Archives: Uncategorized

The journey to base camp — all of about 20 miles away from Port Au Prince — was, indeed, a journey. It started with the usual chaos of the Toussaint airport, where an oversized garage serves as baggage claim. The … Continue reading →

I have more to write and post, but that will have to wait. Very early Sunday, hours before I left, there was a horrible accident on base. Chris Zahuta, an international volunteer from California, fell from the roof living quarters … Continue reading →

- Used a roofing nail to dig out about three pounds of dirt from under my fingernails. – Hosed a shirtless friend’s back off using a backpack water sprayer (used to keep newly-rendered walls wet to prevent cracking) because he … Continue reading →

That same Sunday, I accompanied Dann on a quest for lunch. (I’m a little wary of eating out, thanks to my sick “incident” last year, and most Haitian places aren’t veg-friendly, so I was just in it for the scenery … Continue reading →

Two kinda unrelated blurbs about two Haitians I met this weekend. Fritz A new hotel opened in Leogane this weekend. In celebration, the owner held what was billed as a block party, no invitation needed. Word spread around the base … Continue reading →

With an hour left in the workday and our rendering completed, a group of three volunteers — including yours truly — set out to build some scaffolding to help our team reach the high parts of the school’s walls later … Continue reading →

Cholera has raged in Haiti for the better part of a year. Aided by a nonexistent sanitation system, crippled government and widespread poverty, cholera has killed thousands (and afflicted hundreds of thousands) of Haitians, even though it is a totally treatable … Continue reading →

On Tuesday, volunteer teams worked on constructing four schools, each in various stages of formation. I joined the workteam of School 11, a structure which is nearing completion. Our task for that day, and probably the rest of the week, … Continue reading →

While waiting for our end-of-day ride back to camp this afternoon, it started to rain. The Haitians on our rubble crew bolted from our seats near the fence of the homesite we were clearing and took cover under a tree … Continue reading →