Fort Jacques

Today one of the volunteers was sick (yes, another one bites the dust.)  So, I took her place in the truck with two other ladies .  We went to Fort Jacques, about a 30 minute car ride on really rough roads.  As soon as we got through the gate, I noticed two guards armed with rifles sitting on chairs just inside.  Of course, I had to get my photo with the security guards!

We spend the day working in the garage / shed cleaning out boxes of supplies and taking inventory of what was there.  It is an amazingly beautiful place, about 6 miles from the orphanage.  It is high up in the mountains, and several times the clouds and mist floated just above our heads.  We were able to enjoy the day, sorting and counting boxes of work gloves, tents, tarps, latex gloves, LED lanterns and other supplies.  The view was amazing!  You could see the city of Port Au Prince below, sprawled out across the valley.  At one point, the clouds cleared just enough to get a glimpse of the ocean beyond.

We ate a delicious Creole lunch of rice, red sauce and meatballs.  Then Holli, our hostess took Karen (another volunteer) and I down to see the actual fort.  It was built around 1800, and most of it is still in tack.  A Haitian gentleman appointed himself our tour guide and walked around the perimeter of the fort with us, telling the history of the place.  (I felt terrible that we had not brought any cash with us to tip him.) The fort was rebuilt around 1984 – apparently there were significant renovations done around that time.  However, when the earthquake hit, two sections (at least there were two sections you could see from where we were) toppled and the limestone rocks are still in piles around the sides of the fort.

When we were there, there was at least one school group on a field trip, and many, many other people.  We were the only three white people there, but there were a bunch of tourists walking around and taking photos of the place.  Just outside, on the road that leads to the fort, there were vendors selling fruits and vegetables and roasted chicken.  We saw several donkeys with packs carrying goods to sell to and from the street market.  The roads were dirt and rock, and there was some standing water from a recent rain.  We saw a tap-tap (a “bus” of sorts that is open air – kind of like a beefed up truck with bench seats for people to ride in), a school bus, and lots of motorcycles. 

At one point, a group of ladies were walking the opposite direction from us, but close to us along the path.  They were staring at me, and talking really loudly and fast in Creole.  I didn’t know what they were saying, but the next thing I knew they grabbed my hair and started rubbing my hair all around.  One of them grabbed my arm and felt my skin.  I stopped in my tracks.  What in the world?  I looked for Holli who had stopped right in front of me.  As soon as it started, it stopped and the ladies walked on, smiling at me.  “They said your hair is pretty,” Holli told me.  I am flattered, I guess!

After our work day, we stopped at the Baptist Mission to get a scoop of ice cream and buy some souveniers.  There was street shopping, but that would require bartering (which my brave dad thinks is awesome, but I think it horrific!  NOT in my comfort zone!)  So, I stopped in the mission store which carries many items that are made by the mountain people.  I chose a Father’s Day gift for my dad, something for me and Rob, and something for Carmen.  They didn’t have trucks there, so Miles’ gift will have to wait! 

After shopping we piled back in the truck to head back to the Main House.  Along the way, there were tons of people shopping and talking.  I love watching the ladies carrying huge packs on their heads here – they don’t even bat an eye, and of course they never drop their load.  I could people watch here all day long…

I will be heading home in four days.  Tomorrow is cleaning day at the Toddler House, and we also have plans for the kids that should be really fun!  (More about that soon.)  Then Sunday we will have Haitian church and English church before taking a hike to the waterfall.  After that, two more short days of working with the children and then I will be heading home.  I can’t wait to see my family, but I can also see how Haiti gets under your skin.  I know I will be thinking about the people and this place long after I am home.