Another Day In Haiti . . .
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Sunday means dressing up for church in Haiti
Young Haitian children on their way to church on Sunday.
(Editor's Note: This is the 2nd of a three-part series relating the experiences of Randy Wackerle during a recent trip to Haiti. Wackerle, a retired Bangor John Glenn teacher, accompanied a 'work team', headed by Bay City's Dean Pashak and his wife Connie on a mission of work and love to this poorest of poor Latin American countries. Wackerle was kind enough to share his thoughts and experiences.)
By Randy Wackerle
Saturday, January 15, 2005 - "You know you're in Haiti when you use a diehard battery for house lights"
Breakfast at 6:30. Leave at 7:00. This journey takes us to Les Anglais four hours to the Southwest. A heavy duty four wheel drive Chevrolet pick-up pulling a trailer and a Toyota land rover carry 13 workers to the building site. The men will build a truss roof over a 30 x 50 cement block building. The women will build ten school benches and paint them.
At one point in the journey, we cross a bridge with missing floorpanels. The locals stole all the steel panels on one side of the bridge. That means it was narrowed to a dangerous one lane. Further down the road some Haitians had dug up the road and created a speed bump. When traffic stops for the bump, they demand a fee to drive over it. Ron paid the fee in the first vehicle. Dean was driving the 2nd vehicle. When Dean approached the bump in the road, the Haitian held his hand out for a 2nd fee. Dean pointed at Ron up ahead and told them in English that Ron paid for both vehicles. English didn't work, so Dean rolled up his window and drove off.
Those weren't friendly waves in the rear view mirror. Haitians have never heard of animal rights. The movie Dead Man Walking could be renamed to Dead Dog Walking. The pet dog at this site was so thin that when he turned side ways he completely disappeared. It was pathetic to look at! We also saw our breakfast, a pet goat, being dragged by a rope reluctantly toward the old lady with a throat-cuttingknife. It doesn't pay to be a pet around this place.
We have photos of the goat being skinned. They take a long reed (straw) and blow air between the skin and body. The goat begins to look like a balloon. A pig in the back yard was tied to a tree. He was tangled and couldn't move.
I felt sorry for the little guy and reached down to untangle him. The squeal that came out of that little pig made me jump about a foot in the air. All because of Dean! He told me to go untangle that little pig. Thanks Dean! Animal rights?
It is common practice to tie goats upside down on the front bumper and sides of the truck on their way to market. Did I mention the poor goats are still alive on these trips? I didn't once see compassion for any animal. Two children had climbed a tree and robbed baby birds from their nest. They were carrying them upside down by squeezing their feet. The birds would soon become their meal.
Boy, does my dog have it made compared to the animals in Haiti. I remember one night in Bay City, I came to bed and my dog was laying on my pillow. When I bent down to move him, I was greeted with a low growl. I said, "OK be that way. I'll be back in 15 minutes and you better be gone."
I think my dog would have met a machete in Haiti.
We start working at noon and all the trusses are in place by evening. Shower with a 5-gallon bucket on a filthy floor while spiders and cockroaches watch. I never use earplugs, but I should have this night. Roosters, dogs, car horns, and loud talking make it rough to sleep on the army cots. Harvey has a unique plan for his earplugs. Chris asked Harvey why only one earplug was in. He said the other one was in his shorts. This answer brought lots of laughter.
When you pack and re-pack throughout the trip it is hard to find items. For example, I looked for two days for my measuring tape. Found it on the third day hidden in a sock. I had blamed it on thecustoms guys for stealing it. Harvey had an even worse problem. Julie had asked Harvey if she could borrow his comb. Harvey said "sure thing" it was in yesterday's pants and that he would get it for her. Five minutes later he sticks his head out the door (curtain) and tells Julie that he can't find his pants. More laughter!
Sunday, January 16, 2005 - "You know you're in Haiti when you see a motorbike carrying five people"
White shirt and tie in this 80-degree heat makes 4 hours of Church a little sweaty. Ron and Kevin were the only two without ties. Ron said he refused to wear one of those hang-knots. We all agree not to attempt a second shower on this night. Kevin said you couldn't drag him back in there.
Cold spaghetti for breakfast doesn't do anything for me either. Just before Church started, I witnessed four Voodoo characters jogging by on the road. They were cracking whips, and snapping leather belts with a wild chant. Their tall dunce like hats and painted faces was a frightening sight.
A group of small children followed behind. I snapped a quick picture after they had passed. It didn't turn out that well.
Sundays must bring out these Voodoo crazies. Later in the day, we had a confrontation with four more painted men. This time their bodies are covered with black, black charcoal and ugly masks. They are waving machetes in the air and approaching us fast. The pastor jumps off the porch of the small hut and hands them $20 in Haitian. They retreat.
Inside the church, every bench is full. We are all called to the pulpit. Each one takes a turn at the microphone to give a self introduction to the congregation. I tell them I have been married for 32 years. When Ron repeats it in Creole, I receive a hearty applause.
Chris Huber then gives an inspirational message which is interpreted to the congregation by Ron. The singing is like nothing I've ever heard before. Singing fromthe heart, with their eyes closed, bodies swaying, hands waving, and looking heavenward was described by Evelyn as "Christian Aerobics." Kevin leaned my way and said, "This spirited worship is like a homemade birthday card to God." Not like something you would buy at Hallmark.
This beautiful singing is like a homemade card sent directly to God. It's like a sweet aroma in God's nostrils. Well put Kevin "No work on the Lord's day".
We visit some home-bound church members in theafternoon and sing hymns for them. The whole community lines up along the path to watch us pass by. We felt like we were in a parade. I learned a lesson about bringing up the rear on our walk. I was approached by an elderly woman that was trying totell me she was hungry. (I think) She opened her blouse to show me her flat stomach and out plopped "everything."
She wasn't body beautiful and I just said, "bone schwa"(good afternoon). Earlier in the day, Harvey and I witnessed a disturbing event. We saw a elderly woman being chased by young boys wielding sticks. She ran toward us and fell at our feet with the top of her dress completely off. The young boys were still beating her with sticks. Harvey and I tried to shake our heads and tell them "No" and "Don't do that" but Ron motioned us to walk away. Stay out of it! It was a hard thing to ignore. Harvey mentioned on the final night discussion that the stick beating bothered him more than anything else on the trip did. Me too!
Monday, January 17, 2005 - "You know you're are in Haiti when a man and his dog share the same post"
I hear a buzzing noise in my carry-on and unzip the bag. What I find is my shaver running. I forgot to lock the "on button." One section of my bag is shaved pretty smooth. The same thing happened to my flashlight. I think the bumpy ride turned the switch on. When I needed light at the top of the mountain, the batteries were dead!
Breakfast saw cold goat meat for the umpteenth time, fried plantain, cold pumpkin soup, and cold spaghetti. Yuk! We sheeted the 30 x 50 steel roof in 51 minutes. I think that must be a Haitian record of some kind!
The Haitians were working bare foot on the hot steel roof. I think Dean is right when he says they have skin on the bottom of their feet like old leather, ½ inch thick. Kevin, Ed, and I rode on top of the pick-up on the way back to the compound. We saw ocean beauty, a casket maker, aman carving a boat out of a huge log, vertical rear axle as a gate post, boy playing with a five gallon bucket lid for a wheel with two long stick handles, naked children, uniformed children, a little boy tumble down some rocks trying to wave at us, anda mom offering her baby for sale. Just the usual stuff!
There was a broken down truck in the middle of the road and Dean said that it has been there a couple of years. We rode on top until the rain came. After 20 minutes in the rain and soaked to my underwear, we gave in and rode inside. When we dropped off Elcana on the side of the road the truck parked to close to a vendor's steel roof. When we pulled away the truck ripped some of the tin roof loose. I think I heard my first swear word in Creole being yelled at us.
Back at the compound, Kevin said he hadn't gone to the bathroom in a couple of days. I told him if he doesn't go soon that he could cause another tsunami. We met two surgeons sharing the compound with us. One surgeon from Alto area went to high school with Aaron Steffen's sister. Small world! They do about four to five surgeries a day. He said he removed an arrow from one man that had a dispute with his neighbor. No anesthesiologist down here. Doctors work twice as hard here than in the States.
Third and Final Chapter - Next Time
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