Nous sommes ici! We are here...in Cange

Bonjour!  Off to a great start.  PWM to EWR to PAP all went without a hitch.  Teiga's French horn even got to ride in a first class seat from EWR to PAP!
The five new visitors will have much to say or write about their impressions of the airport in PAP and going through customs and baggage claim, all the way to the parking area where we did, indeed, meet up with our driver whom Pere David and Dr. John had arranged to drive all the campers from the airport.
Suffice it for me to say that we arrived right on time 1:37 p.m. at Toussaint Louverture Airport and ultimately reached our very nice digs in Cange at 11 p.m.  The students and Liz will probably have a lot to write about what transpired during that time.
We have been taking pictures on an assortment of cameras and iphones, so we hope to figure out how to coordinate them into one presentation for you.  Stephen


Alo!  Flights were as smooth as can be.  When we got off the airplane we were immediately hit with heat and wind.  Going through customs was chaotic and noisy.  This is not a complain but merely a description of the first impression.   We saw quite a bit of Earthquake destruction on our ride through Port-au-Prince (PAP).  It was humbling to say the least.  We did not realize how dusty the city was (still is from the Earthquake) until we got to Cange and saw how dirty we were.

There are no speed limits nor lane lines on the streets; though we were in very capable hands.  We stopped at Holy Trinity in Port-au-Prince, then on to Petionville to pick up other staff and supplies.  We got to Cange by 11:00 PM.  There are several American college students here working at this camp, as well.

We went to a two and a half our church service today.  The music was traditional church hymns with a great rhythm section playing along.  We hope to sit-in and play with them at next week's service.  The people here are gracious and kind.  They speak almost too fast for me in Creole, but are very patient and helpful as I try to learn.

Student campers come today and the camp schedule begins tomorrow with at 6:00 AM Reveille.  They breakfast and a day full of music after that.  Our students are doing wonderfully and have adapted quickly.  More to come!  Liz

I must say I struggled to really put my reaction into words.  I eventually decided to talk about a smaller topic, and make some comparisons between our place of arrival, Port-au-Prince, and where we are staying, Cange.  This came out in a free form poem...


The Concrete Jungle

Some say New York is a concrete jungle,
     but they haven't seen Haiti.
A concrete maze, more colorful than Time Square.
     Tin roofed huts, the building blocks of something more massive than you can think.
A busy city road slowly turns the concrete walls to,
     the natural walls of Mother Earth,
          Trees...
               Trees...
A lonely hut once made an attempt to reclaim the forest,
     but was forced into submission.
An eternity of bumps and horn blasts passes,
     and a new, more substantial, concrete maze emerges from the bush.
This one working with mother nature, and for the people of Haiti.
     Concrete walls holding up buildings, and holding back soil for,
          Trees...
               Trees...
Growing even as new concrete is poured,
     concrete walls, concrete stairs.
All of this looked over by a canopy of leaves,
     like protective hands creating a tunnel of safety.
A concrete maze of stairs,
     made to work with the trees, not against them.
At the top of these stairs a concrete grove,
     Surrounded by a grove of,
          Trees...
               Trees...
What can one see from this harmonious grove,
     Trees...
     Concrete...
Acting together to form a true...
Concrete Jungle

                     -Thomas Williams-

 Hello-

It is difficult to describe my first impression of Haiti and the city and Cange, mostly because our arrival has been fairly overwhelming. The flights in were very smooth, the trip from Port-au-Prince to Cange somewhat less smooth. The city is a great, swelling mass of people, and the poverty is difficult to ignore. After breaking through the porters at the airport, we were driven to the Episcopal cathedral in Port-au-Prince. The entire structure was destroyed in the earthquake, and the cathedral is being rebuilt. The beautiful, new tile work on the center aisle and around the altar in the large,  open-air room was especially noticeable.

After a lengthy bus ride we made it to Cange, at around 10:30 at night, so I saw very little of the compound until morning. The compound is build on tiers that move up the hillside, and everything is connected by staircases. There is some very beautiful stonework, and the buildings are well maintained. Cange was not affected by the earthquake.

The church service was perhaps our best experience so far. The Episcopal service was very similar to those that I have attended for most of my life, with a considerably larger amount of singing and a small band consisting of drums, guitars, and trumpet. Just at the moment the first busloads of campers are unloading, so the camp is beginning to fill and get very busy. More to come.

                   - Kevin Sandefur


Allo!
When we were flying over Haiti all that was around for miles was a sea of corrugated tin covering the land. Mountains rose up in the background, beautifully tall. They were covered with just shrubs and the occasional tree, and cut away in some places.
Everyone is so friendly here. There's a smile greeting you in any direction, and someone ready to help you if you need anything.The atmosphere is kind and loving, so different from the landscape and streets.
Unlike the US where everything happens at a scheduled time and place, almost nothing happens here on schedule. There may be a general time when something is going to happen, but that isn't always so. We waited for several hours in the cathedral in Port-Au-Prince for the bus to take us to Cange. No one was worried about when we would leave, or how we would get there. We left around 6 or 7 and finally arrived at 11.
The driving is crazy. Streets are just strips of stone, tar, or dirt where there aren't people or houses. Horns are blasted all the time to signal just about anything; passing, driving in the wrong lane or if a car is stopped to long.
On the drive to Cange our bus was practically doing the job of a mountain goat. The curves were so tight that they would double back on themselves. A guard rail or fence was the only thing separating us from falling off the edge of the mountain. Our driver didn't mind driving down the middle of the road the whole way up and down the mountain- after all, we were the only people on the road for miles.
While we were driving through the city there was so much to look at. Shacks, people and stores. There were tents with boards advertising banks, casinos, or loto. There was one road we passed that was full of people and heaps of shoes and other merchandise to be sold. Another street was simply filled with trash.
Cats and dogs run around wild here. They're so skinny and mangy, yet I still find that I want to pick them up and love them.
Well, it's entirely different here. It's hot, beautiful, sad, and exciting. I can't wait to begin playing with the other Haitian musicians.
- teiga




Bonjour from Haiti! Everything is crazy at the moment, a group of around 50 or more students arrived a little while ago. They are the people that we are going to be playing music with for the next week. At the moment, we are kind of just lingering on the wall, sort of waiting for lunch, sort of taking it all in.
This morning, we went to  a church service. It was probably the coolest thing I have ever attended. The Haitians are such beautiful singers. The sound comes from somewhere deep inside them and its beauty leaves you with goosebumps. Their entire service was conducted in Creole, but it made me happy to hear "Amazing Grace," albeit in Creole, but it was still nice to hear something familiar in all of our new and different surroundings.
The drive to Cange last night was very interesting. All of the drivers are very safe, but everything around us was in chaos. There are not set speed limits, yet people don't drive that fast, in town. People are constantly walking across the street, whether there is a car coming or not. The way people pass is by honking their honk repeatedly and then passing them. The oncoming cars are out of luck, and are usually forced to stop and wait for the car to pass.
During our drive, first to the Holy Trinity Church, the to Petion-Ville to pick up more people, and then Cange, the things I first noticed was the colors. Everything is so brightly colored, the stone buildings are painted bright yellows, deep reds, blues, greens, etc. It is absolutely gorgeous.
This morning when I woke up and walked to the balcony right near my room, the view took my breath away. We drove up in the dark, and I missed the view last night. All you can see are green, lush mountains and valleys and the big blue sky.
The last thing I want to touch upon are the people. The people here are the nicest people I have ever met. They are friendly, helpful, and when we tried to help them unload the bus full of our stuff last night, they thanked us profusely. They keep trying to teach me Creole, and I haven't succeeded yet; however, I hope to learn enough to get by for the rest of the week. Most of the staff here can speak some English, which is good, because my French is not enough here. I'm learning something every moment here.
I can't wait for the camp to officially begin tomorrow morning and I can't wait to play music with the Haitian people!
-Hanna