The story of my trip to Haiti really isn't complete without telling you about where we stayed while we were there. I have to admit, though, a little hesitation because I have mixed feelings about it. The first feeling is guilt. Why am I so privileged in this life to have a safe and secure home in the US, and be able to stay in a beautiful hotel in Haiti while so many Haitians (and other poor people around the world) don't have even decent basic housing? I have no answer for that other than to remember to thank God for what I have, and do what I can to help those who don't.
The other feeling, actually, a thought-- that I have about staying where we did was that at least the place provided quite a few jobs. I'm sure with the high unemployment in Haiti, everyone who worked there was thankful for the work.... from the front desk clerks, to the dining room staff, to the men who cleaned the pool and raked the grounds, to the room maids. They were all doing a wonderful job.
It was truly a beautiful place. We were told that 20 or so years ago it was actually a Club Med.
This was my room...
Which may not look like much, but the best part was outside! This was the view out my front window...
and this was the view out my door early in the morning.
Here's the lovely sunset from my window one evening.
My room was on the top floor of this section of rooms.
It was in the "old section" of the hotel. We were told after our first night that there had been a mistake and they had "double-booked" our group. So, if we wanted to, we could move into the newer, nicer section where the rooms had TVs. I was happy with my room (and didn't care about having a TV) and didn't want to bother packing and unpacking again, so I stayed where I was.
The beach was lovely and I went for a walk in the morning before breakfast.
I love to look for seashells whenever I'm at a beach and was happy to find these in Haiti.
The pool area was gorgeous!
Everywhere the grounds were lovely and well kept.
The dining room was very nice, with a large buffet and a variety of foods.
Still, after our visit with Mary on our first home visit, it was very emotional to think of her living with her little twin boys in her shack while we were staying in luxury. The night after we visited her, there was a storm. "Just" a storm, not a hurricane. But the winds were whipping outside my room and the waves were crashing furiously on the beach. I lay awake in my bed and thought of her. In my journal I wrote:
Stormy Night
Waves are crashing outside
A single bolt of lightening lights up the night
Like a child's smile in Haiti.
As I sit on my bed, with pillow to my back
And sturdy roof over my head
I think of Mary, in the middle of the night.
She sleeps (or is she wakened by the storm, too?)
On a dirty mat on the ground, not in a safe shelter
But in a hovel.
With two small hungry but cuddly boys
Only God's love to shelter them from the storm.
Who is more protected?
I had similar feelings about our accomodations in Peru. For a couple nights we stayed in a luxury resort and it felt so, so wrong. We had just spent 4 days seeing extreme poverty and now we were staying at a resort. BUT....it was pointed out that our staying there was actually helping the local economy, which had been devastated by a flood. Still - it's hard to wrap your head around what we are used to and what others live with (or without!)
ReplyDeleteThat's so true, Jill. Thanks for commenting. :-)
Delete