Yelé
Today I found this organization set up by Wyclef Jean: Yelé.
I just want to say . . . My mother took me to Haiti for a vacation when I was in the 6th grade. This was 1986. People said we were crazy, but in fact Baby Doc had just been ousted and the Tonton Macoute was no longer said to be as much of a threat. Also, frankly, it was a last-minute vacation, we were on a budget, and my mom has an adventurous streak. Haiti may be a poor country, of course, but it’s a beautiful one. I recall being pleasantly overwhelmed by the rich history, the mountains, the warm-hearted people and the precious architecture. I was studying French in school, and we spoke French with people at our hotel and in town. We went to a church with a mural of the last supper, commissioned by missionaries but painted by native Haitians. Judas was the only person painted as a white man. We saw Tap Taps, the colorful buses, and my parents still have a paper mache Tap Tap on their wall. We ate a sea urchin so fresh out of the water it moved with my fork in it. We went snorkeling and I got a bad sunburn and took a bath with vinegar to heal it. I ate papaya and mango for the first time. My mother and I swam in the sea and met musicians at a beach. We had the eye-opening experience of poor children surrounding our car in town. We could see houses upon houses, colorfully painted, from the hill where our hotel sat . . .
I know these are just petty little rememberances but they’re on my mind. I will always have a heart in that country. I will do what I can.
Wow, you remember a lot. There is one correction. We didn’t go because of a budget. Dad was doing a show in Hawaii (earlier) and as a surprise for you, we used miles to get tickets for you and me to join him. When it was all set, we told you and said you’d have to miss a couple of days’ school. Your face clouded over and you said you couldn’t because the teacher said if the girls missed an exam because of a vacation they would get a failing grade. What’s a mother to do? I wanted to go to Hawaii, but how could I say to hell with school? So…. we had this coupon for Eastern Airlines that we had to use. At Eastern, they didn’t let you accumulate miles, they just sent a voucher with an expiration date. So I called and asked where we could go in the Caribbean during your spring break–it was very late to make reservations. The very nice woman checked every island for me and Haiti was the only one. The rest is history.
The hotel and its grounds were beautiful, but I remember flying in. You could see the whole island, but the Domincan Republic was lush and green. Haiti was brown and just about treeless. That’s because the people had to cut down the trees for charcoal, which caused erosion, which made agriculture not viable, which meant not enough food and so on. Things haven’t changed, since the commentators on TV talked about the lack of vegetation for the same reason.
I’m so glad we went. I still remember Georges, the nice driver and the lovely people in the hotel. I’m glad we were there together.
Mom