Leaving Haiti

 The Pearson Foundation and the International Rescue Committee have completed the on-the-ground information gathering and are now ready to fly home. These past two weeks have been sobering. Wendy flew home to Colombia yesterday, and Jake and I fly to New York on Sunday. These past two days we’ve been attending a Haiti ICT in Education Summit at what was once the premiere hotel in Haiti. The Montana Hotel was where most decision-makers in Haiti met to chat with the ex-pat community and get business done. It was the swankiest place in Port au Prince. Set atop a mountain with stunning views of the port and valley, it offered five-star service in a city crumbling under dire poverty.

When the event started, I saw a new friend Sergey standing in shock by the pool. He used to come to the Montana as a boy and this was his first time back to the hotel since the quake. Right above the pool stood a multi-story hotel that came crashing down in January 2010, killing many visitors from abroad. There was quite a bit of anger during the days immediately following the quake because people felt that too much effort was being placed on finding Americans in the rubble of the Montana at the expense of rescue efforts in the slums. This is something I encounter quite often. We have blinders on. We aren't the only people living on this planet. I'm reminded of an American astronaut who was viewing the earth for the first time in the early '70s (in July). He said, "Ah, Earth looks beautiful in the Summer." Sure, "Summer" for him, but the other half of the planet was experiencing Winter.

Anyway, this conference has been great because Jake and I know almost everyone. Wendy did an amazing job setting up our meetings over the past two weeks because we’ve obviously met with most of the key-players in education and ICT. So, now the assessment document will be created and we’ll see if we can help in any way. More on that when it is complete.

I am actually sad to leave Haiti. I’ve met so many wonderful people. I hope to come back soon and do whatever we can to assist the Haitians as they proudly move their country forward. Specifically, we will really miss our new friend Franklin who started out as our driver for the IRC and ended up a new member of the family. He is so smart and tons of fun. I've been teaching him how Photoshop and InDesign work and he's already mastered both. There are so many "Franklins" on the streets of Port au Prince who have the will and the brains, but just not the opportunity.

For now, I leave you with a photo tour through the countryside and the crazy, wicked, lively city of Port au Prince. Again, Franklin took most of the photos.   By Erik Gregory