Yes, I'm still alive.

So. It’s been a while. I apologize, it’s just when things get crazy, I’m not the kind of person who’s immediate compulsion is to write about it, but instead, rather unfortunately, writing becomes a chore that isn’t the first choice of action whenever I get a spare moment.
That being said, I am happy to be writing now, but as always when it’s been a while, the question is - where to start???
I feel like so much has happened, but when thinking about it, most of it has probably been in terms of internal struggles, questions and battles that get brought up when living and working closely with a small team in a place of extremes, where there is no shortage of needs and opportunities for service.
The rains have become more regular now, as it will pour down almost every night, turning the little trickle that runs by our house into a raging river full of rattling bottles and other trash. Haiti didn’t have much of a waste management system before the earthquake, let alone now, so people just throw their garbage in the river beds or in piles on the street that then in some cases will get burnt at night.
The camps in which we work are all along the river bed in the Bourdon valley, and many, or parts of them, were identified as the most high risk zones of the city in danger of flash flooding of the river and landslides as soon as it rains heavily. And as a matter of fact, a man was killed last week when his shack on the river was crushed by the hill side above coming down on top of him.
For this reason, they were amongst the first to be considered for a relocation process to a new camp site on the outskirts of town, so for about a month there was a lot of commotion going, meetings with the camp committees to inform people of their options, trying to identify the most vulnerable, get people registered etc , and then finally moving those that were interested and managed to get a place. In the end 500 out of maybe 3000 people got to go, and whether they were really the most vulnerable is highly questionable.
Now, although this is an area the government wants to clear out entirely, it is unclear how long these people will have to wait before they get any other options presented to them. To give you a bigger picture, there are some 1,300 IDP camps in Port au Prince, with populations varying from 50-45000, that is an estimated 1,5 million people without proper homes, and for now the government has identified one more site for.
It is all going so very slowly, in terms of finding more long term solutions and places for people to relocate and rebuild their lives, both from the side of the government as well as the UN agencies and partners such as the IOM. You want a reality check on how the international community and well esteemed humanitarian agencies fail on a massive scale? Come to Haiti.
Okay, on to more cheerful things. The house I am staying in is a lively place. It is a children’s home, with 6 small kids and 3 teenagers, out of which the two youngest babies came to us malnourished and orphaned after the earthquake and are now thriving, beautiful and cheerful little beings!
It is also a school/child friendly space during the day, a center for collective meditation and seminars in the weekend, a sort of go to point for any needs of the community, and AMURTEL’s headquarters all in one. During the first emergency relief efforts, as well as throughout the relocation process mentioned above, when there would constantly be meetings with the IOM, community committees, individuals seeking information etc it was pretty hectic around the house, but luckily now things have calmed down.
Now, another thing about living in a house with 9 little munchkins, is that things get lost. It was only a matter of weeks before I lost the cable for uploading pictures from my camera, so I’m afraid I don’t have any images to share with y’all. Sorry. I’ll be getting a memory card reader sent over from home in a couple of weeks though, but hopefully I’ll have sorted something out even before then, it would be such a nice addition and different way to transmit my experience beyond these words.

But for now, beyond the words, I send you all my loving thoughts.