Today is the first full day in Haiti, and I want to paint a picture of where we are. Haiti may be located in the tropics but it is far from a tropical vacation. The days are very warm and muggy, and the nights are exactly the same. We are fortunate we are not here in July and August when it is even hotter and muggier! There is a prevailing breeze, and it is a welcomed breeze for sure, but everyone pretty much moves around the school compound with a constant coating of perspiration looking for places in the shade where you can get some breeze and be out of the sun.
The school itself is located in a compound in the heart of a very congested area of downtown Port-au-Prince. The buildings in the compound are made of heavily reinforced concrete, which really absorbs the heat from the sun. Fans help a bit, but the power in this area of downtown is sporadic. On the ground floor level where there is a small courtyard with a basketball goal and an very old and dirty Tyco play set, the heat pretty much settles and sits on you. There are just a few places where you can get out of the sun and still get a whiff of breeze.
The nights are as warm and muggy as the days, just without the sun. The concrete walls hold a great deal of residual heat, so even very late at night the dorm style rooms where we are sleeping are very stuffy. The mosquito nets we sleep under are certainly needed where we are, but they only add to the stuffiness when you are trying to sleep.
As everyone gathered for breakfast this morning, it was clear that even as tired as the group was from the long day Thursday, sleep was a precious commodity that all but a few were able to enjoy. We had a few grumpy youths from the lack of sleep, but that soon wore off as the day got started and we prepared for what the day would offer our team.
I will break down our Friday’s activities in the next blog post later today.
Good morning from Haiti!
No comments:
Post a Comment