Folks,
I am currently back in the US after a complicated trip and planning process. I had to travel overland to a more distant and minor Haitian airport because travel into the Port au Prince airport is not safe. Events in Haiti, as you have surely heard, are stressful and concerning. I can report that my trip was uneventful, and I appreciate the many “so-glad-you-are-safe” messages from friends and supporters. Truly appreciate them.
I find myself with complex feelings about being in the States. The roads are very smooth. Lights illuminate the night. My phone isn’t full of static and dropped connections. In the States we take those things for granted but coming from Haiti I find them almost jarring.
When I arrive in Florida I often order pizza as I miss eating cheese. I think to myself: “See. It’s all fine. You’re back in the US.” That doesn’t work, of course. After a Haitian diet I always get sick on the cheese. But, the real reason I can’t submerge myself back in America is that my phone NEVER STOPS. My WhatsApp account goes into overload as all sorts of people in Haiti contact me. People ask how I am. They want me to buy something and bring it back. They tell me about their families. They pass along the news and gossip.
It’s as if I get to the States, sink into a rocking chair on the porch, and suddenly 30 Haitians are also on the porch in rocking chairs all talking to me.
Haiti is always with me.
I hope Haiti is always with you as well.
Michael Anello
Executive Director
