This last week our plans to travel fell through but we are still planning on visiting clients sometime in the next couple weeks. However, I was able to make two day trip Sunday-Tuesday to a city of about 125,000 people 120 miles north of Port-au-Prince called Gwomon (translates to "big mountain") to inspect several schools, a church, and a dispensary. The damage there was considerably less as they were much further from the epicenter, but there were still some major cracks in buildings I looked at.

My method of transportation to Gwomon was an old school bus. There is a bus station near a slum called Site Soley (Sun City) with old school buses waiting to embark to villages across the country. Luckily my boss gave me a ride to the station because even Haitians are scared about traveling to this area alone because of its proximity to Site Soley. The ride cost 300 gourdes (roughly $7.5 USD) which seems high for a country where 80% of the population lives on an average of $2 USD a day or less. I was expecting a rough ride as from previous experiences I had learned how few Haitian roads are paved outside of PAP. In addition, we sat three per seat in the bus which is not ideal on a long bus ride. I tried to get a good picture of how crowded the bus was but the below picture did capture the scene well. I didn't want to take too many pictures because many Haitians do not like their picture taken without asking them.Luckily, about half the route was paved and the whole route was flat (rare in Haiti). I know 4 hours still seems like a long time for a 120 mile trip, but considering it took us 6 hours to go 40 km to Baudin last year, it seemed to go by quite quickly. I was surprised to see construction crews out working on the road. On my trip back I could see and smell the freshly laid tar along the new stretch of pavement. It was nice to see some signs of improved infrastructure in a country where it doesn't seem like the government is doing much. Because one of the priests at the church I stayed at in Gwomon had to make an emergency trip to PAP, I had the luxury of traveling back in a private car (much more comfortable).

One thing I struggle with is people's requests for money or help. Because there are not many Americans in Haiti (at least I don't see many besides the ones at work) and Haitians know America is richer than Haiti, I am an easy target. Walking out of church reminds me of leaving Blackhawks/Bulls games at home because there is a line of older people, often physically impared, waiting for donations. When they see me exit, some of them yell "blan" ("white") with their hands out. In Gwomon, as I was inspecting a school, several school girls came up to me and asked me 1) how to say "give me 10 dollars" in English and 2) to give them 10 dollars! Up until now, I have not given in often because I do not want to send the message that begging is the right thing to do. I have come to the conclusion that to raise oneself out of poverty, charity is not the solution. Also, I am already working to help people raise themselves out of poverty through business loans. But at the same time, I know deep down that they would have better use for the money than me. How I can best help the people I meet is something I will continue to toy with throughout my stay.

In the last few days, the delayed gas shipment finally arrived at the port in PAP and gas is no longer as difficult to find. I appreciate days where I don't have to catch a taxi to work as I usually am drenched in sweat due to the long walk and the overcrowded ride in the taxi. Another bit of good news is the electricity poles to our neighborhood have finally been rebuilt. This does not mean we get consistent electricity, however. For example, in the last 24 hours my apartment only had electricity from maybe 3-5:30 in the morning. This is common with a few people that live in different areas than me. However, I have heard electricity is more stable in wealthier parts of PAP (no surprise). My boss shared with me that since "Baby Doc" Duvalier left power in the 80's, PAP has never had enough electricity for a whole day. I am hoping that this situation will be improved the funds are appropriated to rebuild Haiti. Also, I am waiting to see if, as many people claim, that electricity will all of a sudden be plentiful during the World Cup.