Posted on by wrote in Haiti, Musings.


This year I travelled to Haiti with only 15 dollars in my wallet. Whether in the US or Haiti I’m usually a sucker for people in need.

“Before leaving for Haiti a lady approached me in the parking lot of the Edgewood Target in Atlanta. She told me she had breast cancer and was desperately in need of 40 dollars to put in her car to return to Macon. I gave her the 30 dollars in my pocket since that was all I had that wasn’t already budgeted to the Haiti trip”

I say that only to explain that whenever I fly into PAP I lose.  Last year everyone I was in contact with mercilessly made fun of me for giving almost 40 dollars to the porters at the airport. I committed myself to doing better.

Anyways landing in PAP is a blessing and a curse for me. A blessing because I’ve returned “home” and a curse because it reminds me I’ve yet to truly find a place to call HOME. A place to lay down my own roots, and build a foundation on which future generations can grow.

It may sound callous, but leaving in the Miami airport I took out 15 dollars and resigned myself to not spending a dollar more. I planned on immediately buying a phone after landing and calling my ride. As luck would have it they were out of SIM cards at the airport and I had to call on the help of strangers to allow me to get in touch with my ride. I ended up giving out $25 in tips, for which I was still laughed at…but all that matters is that I felt like I’d improved…on to the next one

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