My last trip to Haiti was in May of 2013.  In so many ways returning feels to me like going home.  The people, the culture, the food, and my friends are always so welcoming—it was good to be back!  Haiti changes, it is good to see the progress—new street drainage, solar powered lighting near the airport, sewer systems in some areas, and the damage from the earthquake almost entirely removed.  The absence of earthquake damage was the hardest part for me in some ways.  In previous trips, earthquake recovery was paramount.  This time it was apparent that we were not responding to a natural disaster, but rather to the much more entrenched issues, internally and geo-politically, that have plagued Haiti for more than two centuries.

 

This was my first class in Haiti without my friend and international education mentor, Eric Eller.  Needless to say, I was a bit apprehensive—everything had to go right.  My fears were largely allayed shortly after reaching the airport in Miami.  At Miami International, John and Lynn Armstrong joined our group.  The Armstrongs, both with prior experience in Haiti, instantly put my mind at ease.  Lynn and John helped with day-to-day issues of organization, help coordinate travel to and from work sites and for excursion days, worked side-by-side with the students, and generally made the whole experience better for everyone.  Thank you Lynn and John for being a part of our group.

 

Few things bring me more joy than sharing this experience with people for the first time, and this trip was certainly no exception.  The students faced the challenges of Haiti with aplomb. It is truly rare to encounter an entire group with such open-mindedness, kindness, and generosity of spirit.  As usual, work at the construction site was hot and grueling.  The students’ efforts resulted in significant progress on three duplexes.  Hours were spent sifting construction aggregate to attain the talcum powder fine particles used to make plaster for the internal and external walls of one building.  Cement and mortar, mixed by hand on the ground, were moved from one person to the next to pour headers and secure blocks in homes for two more Haitian families.  Finally, on our last day, the hardest work of all—digging the hard, dry Haitian soil, we started a foundation for a third structure.  Now, with Wartburg’s first class May Term class in Haiti complete, six Haitian families—some of the poorest people on earth—will have safe, secure places to live.