Haitian Traffic Rules

On our first drive through Port-au-Prince, we were so busy taking in our surroundings that some aspects of the driving experience were lost on us. The drive back to the airport yesterday was a different story - our focus was completely on the road. And what a ride!

Here are a few unwritten driving rules we discovered in those few hours.

1. He who has the largest vehicle has the right of way.
2. The exception to rule #1 is: He who is least worried about the condition of his vehicle has the right of way.
3. Two short blasts on the horn means “Hello” or “Bonjou.”
4. Several short blasts on the horn means “Small vehicle coming through.”
5. One long horn blast means “Large vehicle coming through – get out of the way!”
6. It is perfectly acceptable to drive into oncoming traffic, on the wrong side of a divided road, as long as the correct lanes are congested and you turn on your hazard lights.
7. Pedestrians do NOT have the right of way. Nor do livestock animals, children, or motorcycles.
8. The middle finger is not used for traffic violations; however, stare downs and the occasional shouted exchange are acceptable.
9. The taxi (also known as a small pickup truck with a colorfully painted canopy and ‘benches’ in the box) will continue to accept passengers to the point the front tires lifting off the ground in transit.
10. Should a taxi be unavailable, other vehicles will gladly accept passengers in the truck box, on top of cargo loads, or riding on bumpers.

Pretty much everyone is home now. Or at least on home soil. So now we ask for your prayers as we emotionally process returning to North American culture. We also ask you to lift up Jim & Dolores these next couple of weeks - Jim has stayed on at Haiti Arise to complete some welding projects and will return home on Feb. 23.

Personally Speaking

I wrote a long post today about my Haiti experience. Because it's more personal in nature, and speaking only for myself and not at all on behalf of the team, I put it up on my personal blog.

My time in Haiti has been marked by roller-coaster emotions. There have been tears of sorrow, tears of joy, moments of laughter, and vents of frustration – all squashed together into a big melting pot covered by prayer.

I hope you’ll indulge me as I share some of those experiences…

Click to continue reading.

Alex's Journal

(Today's post is courtesy of Alex.)

Wow.  What can I say about my experience in Haiti so far?  I joined this team without any expectations hoping to embrace each moment with complete authenticity and allow God to break my heart and move me in ways I couldn’t imagine.  The people of Haiti are indescribable and I am so thankful for having the opportunity to meet them.

I have never witnessed such joy and excitement before coming to Haiti.  From spending time with the children and the teachers at Haiti Arise School to walking through the community, the Haitians overwhelm me with their loving nature and passion for the gospel.  The people here in Grand-Goave have little in the way of material possessions, yet few appear bitter or resentful.  Instead, the expressions on their faces are filled with joy and excitement.  The children are so excited to see visitors (to the point where every shirt I wore was stretched two sizes from little hands pulling at me).

One of my favourite experiences has been the opportunity to be a part of delivering a seminar to the teachers at Haiti Arise. We shared ideas for incorporating hands-on learning and the importance of a student centered teaching approach.  It was such a blessing to be able to share my passion for teaching with our talented and gracious hosts.   

I am so thankful for the way God has moved me and changed my heart.  He has inspired me to strengthen my relationship with Him as well as others and to live a life of graciousness and appreciation.  What an amazing gift it has been to witness faith in such a broken yet beautiful nation.  My eyes have been opened to the power of our Saviour and His ability to save. 

A (Lazy) Day in the Life

Sunday's Timetable:

7:00 am - Breakfast

8:00 am - Team Devotions

9:00 - Church

11:30 am - Rice Distribution

12:30 - Hanging out as a Team (and eating lunch)

3:00 pm - Children's Church

5:00 pm - Dinner and games by candelight

7:00 pm - Team Debrief by candelight

9:00 pm - More games with electricity!

A Day Off

A Day Off

Apologies for the ‘dead air’ on the blog – we ran out of bandwidth and couldn’t get online. Welcome to Haiti!

Today’s post is a hodgepodge of brief comments from team members…

Melissa:

Today was our first day off. We went to the market in Grand-Goave in the morning. It was CRAZY busy!

Imagine a one-way street. Then put booths on each side of the street so that the walkway is just about wide enough for one person. Next, add hundreds of people walking the path – many with large bunches of bananas on their heads and other large packages in arms. Finally, insert a few people pushing wheelbarrows full of purchases, a few others leading donkeys carrying their loads, and even more riding their loaded-down motorcycles in the lane.

Later, we swam in the Caribbean Sea. It was so refreshing after the stifling heat of the market! We snorkelled, we ate lobster cooked on the beach, we got sunburned, we purchased some baubles. What a great afternoon!

On a funny note (that Melissa doesn’t want me to share) – the beach was crawling with teeny-tiny little ants. Melissa discovered that they bite when she got out of the shower today and found her hind-quarters itching!

Alan:

A mass amount of green soccer balls were donated for our team to distribute, so Alan planned a soccer game. Well, planned is a relative term in Haiti. Basically, Alan suggested it, so we packed up and headed out. With no word out in the community, we were found by dozens of children.

The game commenced, and a fun time was had by all. At the conclusion of the game, we handed out a few balls. One boy who spoke English said, over and over, “I am so blessed to meet you today!” Another young fellow said “Mesi,” and walked away with tears rolling down his cheeks.

Next, we’ll figure out what to do with all the basketballs that were donated!

Gerald:

While we were on the beach today, a young man’s chain (aka necklace) caught Gerald’s eye. Gerald asked him where he might find a similar chain. The Haitian man removed his own chain and passed it to Gerald. Gerald offered to pay him for the chain and was refused. Then he offered to trade for the one around his neck – again, refused. The young man said, “It is a gift for you. See you at church tomorrow.”

Until today at the market, we hadn’t seen many older people. It was interesting to observe their manner… Unlike the very outgoing children, the older adults do not make eye contact. However, when we greet them with a “Salut!” or a “Bonswa!” they light up and respond in kind. Perhaps this is tied to the mentality of days gone by, when the Haitians were treated as inferior to whites.

Our Day in Photos