Photos from Leogane / Final Reflections

I've been back in the States for about two weeks now -- sorry for the gap in posts (again!), but I've been busy decompressing, processing my experiences, and enjoying the comforts of the developed world that I'd previously taken for granted.  Potable water! Flushing toilets! Refrigeration! Climate control! Several varities of cheese!  We've got it pretty good here in the United States.

Anyway, this big honkin' post is chock full o' photos to make up for having not posted any in the last couple of months due to bandwidth restrictions.  These pretty well capture what I was up to in Haiti between March and June, and yet there's still so much that can't be captured on film or put into words.

This second trip was really intense -- way hotter, many more people to work with and hence many different personalities, new conflicts, new problems, new perspectives.

Volunteering with Hands On in Leogane has been by far the most powerful and eye-opening experience that I've ever had.  If you ever have the opportunity or the notion to do something similar, go for it!  It's kind of scary and intimidating at first, but soon this turns into something beautiful, something bigger than just a person.

Haiti is a powerful place -- not in an economic or military sense, but in a spiritual way.  The people & the land have faced so much hardship -- exploitation, slavery, rebellion, hunger, hurricanes, earthquakes -- yet life goes on.  I'll admit, it's hard to keep a positive attitude about the country when you see so many sad things every day, and there is no easy solution to the myriad of problems that Haiti faces.

Whatever the solutions may be, they lie in the hands not of foreign NGOs, but of the Haitian people themselves.  I met enough passionate & driven Haitians to believe that there's a better future in store.

Sustainability, a buzzword of the 21st century, is the key, in many senses of the term.  In a nutshell, the people must be able to support themselves without relying upon foreign aid.  It's easier said than done, of course.  Any difference has to start at the individual level, and then the community level -- from there trends, ideas, methods will gain momentum.

I'm not done in Haiti.  The rainy season has started, and the hurricane season will soon hit the island -- since I don't have to be there, I'd rather not be there during this time.  However, I do plan to return to Haiti come October or November -- I want to travel around and record Haitian musicians, and I'll probably also wind up working with Hands On as well.

Thanks so much for reading!  I'm glad to answer any questions or address any comments you might have.

See you around!

--Geoff

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