Ted’s Trip To Haiti

Last update before Miami

Wed, 7 Apr 2010 10:41:18 -0400

i'm not really great with skinny mountain roads with clear views over the edge...but, i survived the 2.5 hour trip to jacmel and back.
we traveled with valris (one of my favorite flag makers) with the hopes of teaching some of the older kids the voudou flag making process. when we arrived at the foundation it was packed, noisy and full of life...hugs for everyone. some even remembered me from the last time and called me mr. magician because of the tricks we did. the place looked great with tons of new murals and paper mache trucks, bowls and fish drying in the sunny courtyard. about 9 of the older boys 12-16 had prepared drawings on cloth for their flags and they were really good. we found an outdoor carpenter that managed to make stretchers from recycled wood from destroyed buildings...all by hand...no electricity or modern equipment.
valris showed the boys how to stretch the cloth and back it with a rice bag for stability and then how to sequin and bead their designs. i was surprised to see how focused they were.
maybe a couple may even become self sufficient artist...which would be wonderful.
after a long day of travel and work...the only hotel left standing was a "luxury" place with most of the guests from the un,unicef, salvation army and the likes...what a different world. the view from our balcony was the bay with seas to the horizon. water is calming to me...so, what a wonderful treat.
before the ride home, we ventured int the back forty with dirt pathways to little shacks. this was my first visit to one of my favorite painters...destin domond. he was there and greeted us with open arms and an open house stuffed with his work....of course some are coming back to baltimore.
the closer we got to the epicenter of the quake...the more we got rocked back into that sad reality.
i realize that i can't solve or fix haiti's problems.
i hope that i can live a life that i believe in and that my coming to haiti will be as a pebble dropped into the pond...affecting a few close by and having a chance of affecting a few far away.
i can't wait to share my experiences and purchases...
be back soon...
signing off from port au prince, haiti 2010

Choices

Tue, 6 Apr 2010 10:11:10 -0400

it seems that haiti holds and shows many lessons...complex and seemingly unsolvable. knowledge and education are the keys which aren't available to the vast majority of the population...but at this moment...distance and strength seem to be the pain reliever for the eyes and mind.
we're lucky...we have a car and can drive into the beautiful mountains surrounding the epicenter of destruction and can enjoy the cool mountain breezes and still erect homes and tropical vistas. it was a cleansing of our choice. people in the midst of the visuals of ruin have the harder choice...acknowledgment of the situation and putting the distance in their mind and life...going on with the strength from within.
the spirit is the rescuer.
today we are making the trip over the mountain to jacmel to visit the art creation foundation. this is the organization that nancy and i sit on the board.
through an art based environment we have provided 65 street kids the opportunity of education and daily meals. some of you have seen the paper mache bowls and wall hangings they produce at sideshow. the drive will be worth it...
it's time for a shot of kid power...
all my best from haiti

Travel does open your eyes

Sun, 4 Apr 2010 12:26:29 -0400

driving down the roads of port au prince is sad and confusing. normal life seems to have returned with the streets filled with vendors under umbrellas selling their wares joined by the haitian city chaos...then right in the middle of the next block is a store, home, or school which has completely collapsed.
no one seems to be paying attention to the wreckage. in fact, the family next door takes advantage of the shade provided by the ruined building's top floor which has crashed down and now hangs over their property. it's a survival puzzle that hasn't come together in my head yet.
the tourist walls of art are stocked again around the city. not only have we seen the typical market scenes...quake art has now joined the mix with the destroyed palace and torn haitian flag a popular image. jacques pointed out that artists no longer have to paint straight lines.
we continued on to visit the recycled metal workers in croix des bouquet where the damage in the tiny village was not as bad. all the studios buildings seemed to have survived goudou goudou (what the locals call the quake immitating the horrific sound that was heard). all our favorite artists were happy to see us and we bought a great supply of new work.
oh, i forgot the best sight...you know how hot it is here and most of the military aid are in full gear complete with guns...not the french. no, no...they were in camoflauge short shorts, no shirts and vest tops...i think they were the village people.
what was totally shocking before is morphing into...it is what it is...this country needs a ton of help.
all my best from haiti

What else can happen to Haiti

Sat, 3 Apr 2010 10:01:33 -0400

on past trips i've always commented on the strength and beauty of the haitian people...and this trip is no exception.
there are millions of people who had nothing and that has now been taken away and replaced with food lines and tight communal living in vast tent cities.
i feel that this may go on for years to come...the people seem to be adjusting to the systems put in place by foreigners and survival for families must happen in any way possible.
we visited st. elois, an artist we always looked forward to seeing. his funky attitude and quirky four story house ontop of the hill were always a highpoint. today his house is in ruin. we met him at his tent surrounded by hundreds in the same situation. the few pieces of his work hung with him in a tent that had to be at least 120 degrees and were still fabulous... but the impish charisma was replaced with a flat distant look...empty. he is working outside. my hope is that he continues and that time and distance may help in the healing process and that his spirit will be strengthened by the faces and antics of the many children in the neighborhood.
all my best from haiti...ted

Childhood fantasies turn into adult nightmares

Fri, 2 Apr 2010 11:15:48 -0400

it's four o'clock in the morning from within my mosquito netted bed.
the innocent cock a doodle does from which childhood stories are made no longer announce the dawn.
the call is heard every few seconds during the blackest night, answered by the entire cock population of haiti...so much so that because of my surroundings this innocent banter between friends has been morphed by my mind into the screams and callings of the souls trapped in the darkness....mind tricks and deep thoughts.
they say that if your not dead...you survive.