Final Days and Final Thoughts

Every empty space is simply an opportunity :)

Haiti – final days and post-trip thoughts

After culture shock and business seminars and a few mosquito bites, I rounded out my time in Haiti with a trip to dream of more business as well as a snapshot of passionate worship.

First, we took a trip through Martissant and on the way passed on of the largest outdoor markets in Latin America. In Haiti, there are few retail opportunities, so imagine all the goods sold inside of a Walmart or Target instead being sold by individual vendors only inches apart from each other. They pack a lot of people into the equivalent of a city block. There are not really “aisles”, but more of a mentality where “an empty place is a place to sell”. Vendors of all ages, men and women, bus in from various parts of the city as well as the countryside to sell plantains, mangoes, sugarcane, clothes, and pieces of art.  If it gets really crowded, some vendors will set up in the street, blocking 1 lane of traffic, thus slowing down progression of vehicles. This slowdown then prompts additional vendors to come by to all the drivers to offer various goods and “concessions”, similar to a baseball game. Here you can see the “free market” at work, and it is quite a competitive atmosphere.

After passing through this part of Port-au-Prince, we proceeded to one of the micro-business incubators in Martesant. Here we got to see more small businesses that are successful at employing individuals and helping the families of the business owners. The business incubators give training and resources to these owners so that their businesses can have successful impact within their communities.

Beyond that, there is greater vision in Haiti to grow larger businesses, ones that can employ 10’s to 100’s of people. One such example was the solar panel business I described earlier in the week. By bringing in manufacturing business, these greater employment opportunities would have potential to transform whole communities, similar to what the car businesses first did for communities when they moved in to Michigan. There would be potential to require other supporting businesses to surround these manufacturers, both in raw materials as well as services. Restaurants would be established. Pharmacies would sell more conveniences. Print shops and financial firms would also provide support. HPCD (Haitian Partners for Christian Development) hopes to inspire business owners to dream a bit bigger and to ask investors and grant organizations to consider these development projects. It is a compelling argument to say that one decision to develop business in a given area can indeed provide hope and transform a community that once scared away all business due to political unrest within the past 10 years. With security being restored to Haiti, the tide may indeed be turning.

After doing a little bit more work for a growing hospitality business (and a few accompanying milkshakes), Drew decided to organize a leadership seminar/event for the youth within the local church. Drew asked all the Americans (interns and visitors) to give a statement, to share what was on their heart, and to inspire and encourage these young minds. Each of us had a different impact on the community, some as friends, some as mentors, some as advisors, others as demonstrators. We hope that we were able to bless them, but even this would only be a small gift compared to what they could share with us through their worship. There is passionate worship in contemporary rock settings. There is passionate worship in gospel settings. If you take those two setting and fuse them with beautiful voices and passion, you get a sound that is so beautiful to the world. The sounds spills out of the walls, into the streets that need a message of hope and inspiration, to carry forward what has already been done. My pictures are simply visual snapshot of an experience that was ultra-sensory. Hallelujah!

To summarize my experience, I will flatly say that we do not give the country of Haiti enough credit. I was told that their resources were depleted and there was little value that this little country could offer. I have found this to not be true as I see great opportunities in agriculture, fishing, and salt mining. They have an internationally recognized beer and rum (popular souvenirs for travelers). They have a few widely developed cell phone networks that have taken their influence and used it for advancement. And they have a readily available, hungry, and willing workforce.

Our viewpoint that Haiti is weak has hurt the country tremendously. Yes, they needed aid in times after natural disasters. Yes, they needed some international assistance during past political unrest. But the continued existence of organizations that pour in charitable donations is hurting the nation. We are not transitioning the country to self-sufficeincy but rather to further dependency, which goes against all models of sustainability.

The final point is the fact that Haiti is a beautiful country. It resides in the Carribean as an island, sharing land with the Dominican Republic. As such, it literally is just a mountain range that sticks out of the Atlantic Ocean. The mountains are beautiful, the sun shines constantly, and the ocean is very inviting. There is a hopeful spirit among the people, and with effective collaboration, Haiti can be the pearl of Latin America that it was once known for in its history.

For final photos: Gallery

Haiti: Day 3-4

Panel of speakers for business seminar (read below)

Started the day with a wonderful smile and well-made breakfast from fellow Penn Stater, Christina Jean Louis. She asked me how I want my eggs, and it's not an easy question for me to answer as I like so many. After much deliberation, "over-easy" was the answer.

Transportation is quite efficient, as it is very rare to find one individual inside of a large vehicle. Individuals usually prefer motorbikes, and even these often have 2-3 people. There are numerous covered pickup trucks that fit 8-15 people at one time. These tap-taps are quite colorfully hand painted and often reflect sayings that relate to Christianity: "The Power of God", "Thank You Jesus", and "Psalm 93:14". This is one area where I see efficiency, but improvements could be made with wireless service, road construction/repair, and electricity. However, all of these are opportunities to create jobs and demonstrate

Witnessed a near conflict just outside the office. I was safely perched in a 3rd-story balcony when I saw two men putting their hands on each other and reach for bricks. Numerous other men (I assume strangers based on my observations) immediately sprang into action to separate the two individuals. There were some tense words and exchanges, but after a few short angry bursts, these strangers were able to diffuse the situation. It was encouraging to see such protection, common concern, and action toward a situation of injustice.

That is only threatening experience I have had this week, thus far. In fact, because there are so many people about, I feel very safe around Port-au-Prince. The media in USA led me to think that this was an incredibly dangerous place. In fact, I find it no different than NYC, Philadelphia, or even New Brunswick.  There are risky parts, and much better parts. I spent some time on Tuesday in supposedly the poorest slum in the western hemisphere, but did not feel threatened while in Cite Soleil. I got to talk to some budding entrepreneurs and see the opportunity for redemption.

I spent significant time last night also talking through economics of Haiti with our host, who has incredible vision for Haiti and who feels that he is pursuing his calling by returning to Haiti once he completed his education and a few years of work in the US. He talked about the necessity for empowering classes such as computer proficiency and English skills. He talked about how certain donations and charity to the country have actually hurt business and sustainability. He talked about why the smartest intellect leaves the country. He talks about how Haitians are completely capable, with a little bit of empowerment. He tries to accomplish this through his church, as well as his various businesses. He talked about the miracles in his life, both spiritual and through business. Haiti is not hopeless. Haiti has incredible potential with the investment of a little bit of discipline and vision!

A few of us got the opportunity to take the 2 hour drive from Port-Au-Prince to Gonaive (see route). This trip took us from their busiest city, along the coast, and through the country-side, just within sight of numerous mountains, and finally arriving at their third largest city. It is here we were asked to lead a business and entrepreneurship seminar / conference. We talked much about business, vision, opportunity, discipline, and relationships. There was an appreciative reception from the audience and we only hope and pray that this inspires vision for redemption and change.

There have been many other stories about solar panels, tic-tacs, the Miami Heat, pick-up lines, and late-night karaoke with other house guests and a guitar. So many smiles, and so many opportunities to marvel at His Creation.

For photos to reflect these experiences: https://www.facebook.com/mikepstaub/media_set?set=a.10152902729710591.1073741825.845985590&type=3

Day 2: Idea Generation and Familiarity

Sporadic sleep followed by beautiful and quiet sunrise with devotional.

Said farewell to 4 individuals from Georgetown University staying with us, heading back to US

Staying at Eucalyptus Guest House is a big draw for outside consultants to come in from other countries. However, they are a start-up business themselves with great plans for expansion. As such, we were thinking through "best practices" and processes for the guest house. We know that if guests feel welcome and comfortable, they are much more productive in working through their own projects.  Additionally, they are more likely to return.
As such, we held a staff meeting to gather feedback from the local guest house workers as well as provide them the vision of what we want to accomplish before expansions that will double and triple their capacity.

Met 5 entrepreneurs who are making peanut butter, coffee, clothes, and recycled mattresses. All of these entrepreneurs are handpicked by the United Nations, all women (because they have proved to be more trustworthy with their profits, spending on families rather than personal pleasures). They are very proud of their work and were in very good spirit. HPCD partners with the UN as a sustainability measure to restore stability to the economy.

Went to the Iron Market, a tourist trap street fair where you can buy tourist gifts. These gifts are mostly oil paintings, woodwork, shoes, baskets, and hats. There are many messages like "Jesus Loves You" integrated into so many projects. A couple aisles over, you can see the voodoo artifacts, which are really just freaky with little significance without knowledge as to what they mean.

Drove through Cite Soleil, supposedly the poorest slum in the western hemisphere, but even here there was so much activity. Instead of the street being lined with Michael's, Kohl's, Ace Hardware, there were many, many, many local vendors selling everything from fruit to cell phone cables to bike tires. Water is also sold, but not in bottles. Picture 6-8oz packed into a plastic bag/pouch. You bite off a corner and drink. We stayed away from these, as we did not trust the cleanliness of the bags. You do see these empty bags blowing with the wind throughout the street. However, Cite Soleil is the site of much opportunity for redemption and also the location of the aforementioned entrepreneurs.

Played tennis with a man with much influence in his community and who supposedly was asked at one time to run for mayor. It was a great honor. While few words were exchanged, the experience and opportunity to share time together was enough.

photos: https://www.facebook.com/mikepstaub/media_set?set=a.10152902729710591.1073741825.845985590&type=3

Welcome to "the home of the earth": Ayiti

View from the HPCD office... you can see the mountains in the background!

Train from Bound Brook, NJ: 5:20am
Arrival at JFK airport via public transit: 7:30am
Check-in through security and arrival at gate: 8:00am
Boarding: 8:35am
Take-off: 9:30am
Arrival in Port-au-Prince: 1:10pm

I went from an airport with 8 terminals (JFK) to an airport with 2 runways and 1 gate.

I left rain and drizzle (I hear reports of monsoons in USA) to sunny and 90 degrees.

I flew over some of the most beautiful mountains where the elevation changed up to 5,000 feet. We then flew over the bay, where you could see the bright, blue Caribbean water and individual sailboats.

I went through customs where they only speak French, and they asked me additional details about my visit. I told them it was a pleasure trip (and I fully intend for that statement to be true).

The roads are paved yet dusty, and traffic is a bit of a free-for-all. No one ever collides with each other, but there are so many moments where we are keeping each other honest.

All cars are standard transmission, because they are easy to fix as the environments are tough on the motors and the transmissions.

There is a lot of commercialization: Coca-Cola, Goodyear, Kia, are just some of the brands that stick out in memory.

The people wear all colors of the rainbow. The buildings are more grey as most are made of cement, but the people wear their colors.

Mosquitoes are tame. Not much issue yet (let's wait until the evening).

First time in a nation where my language is not completely recognized. Thankful that most everyone knows at  least a few words. And I am learning the traditional greetings.

There are so many lizards. Small ones... reminds me of the Geico ads.

I am living here over the next few days: http://www.eucalyptusguesthouse.com/index.html
Yes, there is a pool, and we watched a thunderstorm roll through for over an hour! Great big nimbus clouds!

Tonight I learned how to properly eat a mango... kind of resembles drinking beer out of the bottom of a beer can.

Tomorrow, I will learn more about HPCD: http://www.hpcd.org/incubation-programs.html

Tonight, there is much fellowship with the Haitians and other guests, nearly all from USA, and a few from Penn State!

For today's photos, click here.