haiti day two

getting my thoughts in order after today is not easy ...

i saw the 9/11 wreckage from 2 blocks away a couple of days after the attacks. that was staggering. driving through port au prince was like visiting hell. officials are now estimating the death toll will reach 300,000, but alot of locals think that's a low estimate. it's easy to understand why. the buildings are all made of concrete. when one falls, it tends to pancake. driving past dissolved buildings, you just know there are many more dead people trapped inside. i resisted taking photos. you can find it all over the web. entire city blocks flattened. schools. communities. hotels. hospitals. homes.

this day had many, many levels.

our trip to the orphanage in cabaret began early with ridiculous traffic in croix de bouquet and onward-- and i drive in nyc. the roads are narrow, made even narrower by rubble and the clearing of the giant roadside ditches in anticipation of the rainy season. one site that has become increasingly ominous to me over the last couple of days are giant dry river beds that snake through cities, towns, and villages. these are going to become raging waters in the months ahead, and with so much focus towards rubble removal and reconstruction, these could lead to flooding disasters.

we broke through the traffic and had an amazing open view of limestone cliffs on the right and the caribbean on the left ... until our host mentioned that the area between us and the sea was the site of mass graves of earthquake victims ... yeah, this is getting depressing.

we made our way to the orphanage outside cabaret around midday. we had met the co-proprietor earlier en route. over breakfast he explained to us the conditions. they weren't recognized officially by the state. they had no educational curriculum or schooling at all. their sleeping quarters had been destroyed by the earthquake and seven children had died after falling into a ravine. they existed on a meager budget strictly to feed and house the children. we came to this orphanage as my wife knows the co-proprietor through work. a man that in the less than 12 hours i've know him deserves adulation beyond belief (more later). as we toured the ... i can't call it a facility ... the area ... i couldn't believe what i saw. dilapidated buildings, destroyed beds, concrete rooms for some of the older children that resembled the set of papillon. utter squalor. the river bed that ran beside the orphanage is ill prepared for the rainy season and god knows what that's going to bring.

the proprietor had informed us earlier that the kids were now sleeping outside (in a giant tent i learned). as we walked toward the children, i could see the tent beyond a giant tarp full of holes over a makeshift set of long desks. sitting there waiting for our crew were 55 kids. the next 2 hours made for one of the most incredible days i've ever had. i won't bore you with cliches about anything kid related. yeah, they were amazing, cute, fun, etc, etc, etc, ... suffice, they were kids and they don't deserve this life.

we finally met our little girl ... and yeah, she was the bomb, but i'm not jinxing anything. we hope things work out. things look good. we meet with some lawyers tomorrow.

on our way home, we drove to the aforementioned destruction in port au prince. our host wanted us to see it and we felt the same way. it started kinda piecemeal. a building here, a building there. finally, the floodgates opened. it was a quiet ride. towards the end of the tour, i broke the cardinal mistake, don't give ANYONE money in public. we were standing outside the destroyed presidential palace in port au prince (one of a few times we left the car in crowded areas today --all bad experiences). the palace is surrounded by giant tent cities on all sides. as i crossed the road back to our car, i spied 2 boys hovering. i knew they were going to ask for "one american dollar". i had 2 in my pocket. i quietly handed the boys the money and got in the car. as i waited for the rest of our crew to get inside another group of kids began to surround our car. once everyone was inside, we attempted to quell the storm by telling the kids that if they stood back, we would give them money. this only made the situation worse. they stormed us. our stoic host was even screaming at them. an adult passing by started yelling and hitting the kids to leave us alone. the kids faces were taxed with desperation and hunger. for what seemed like an eternity, they would not let go of the car at any cost. as we finally pulled away, i wanted to gouge myself.