Haiti

So, I've been here in the DR for a year.  In this time I have always wanted to visit our neighboring country of Haiti.  As poorest nation in the western hemisphere Haiti has been the subject of many photos and stories that share, at least in part,  the economic, social, political and historical challenges that have marked its identity.

It seems like it should be easy enough to get over to Haiti (only 3 hours from where I live) but I've always thought "you can't just head over to Haiti".  It just never seemed as  simple as the day trips we'd do in college from Vancouver to Seattle.  "Where would I go?"  "Who can go with me?"  "Can we take a vehicle through?"  Will there be bribes 'required' to get through or get back home?"  "Where will we stay?"  "Safety issues?"  Lots of questions that may have been mine in the making but nonetheless questions that made Haiti seem "so close yet so far away".

Funny enough a recent Thanksgiving dinner proved to be my green light into Haiti.  Over lunch I was talking with an American family that is involved with an orphanage and school in Haiti and they make the trip there once a week.  Perfecto!  With aforementioned questioned dissolved and camera in hand I finally made it to Haiti.

I spent the morning at the school/orphanage (578 students & 75 kids in orphanage) and then about 20 minutes walking through a market.  It was a weird mix of feeling like I was in another world (yet reminiscent of Kibera, Kenya) yet feeling like I was hardly there long enough to really "experience Haiti".  It's like flying through Heathrow and saying you've been to London.  Nonetheless, here are a few images from my brief excursion to Haiti.