Nearly a year ago, one of the most devastating earthquakes in recent history erupted directly in the center of the capital city of Haiti, Port Au Prince. Leaving over 100,000 dead in a matter of minutes, the earthquake injured millions more and continues to devastate the living inhabitants of the city even today, (most recently with the Cholera epidemic). I could go on and on about facts and statistics but I’d prefer you go to CNN.com if that is what you are looking for. What I am here to do is share with you my personal experience in Haiti; perhaps, if nothing else, to offer you incite into the lives of real people whose stories you won’t find on the news or elsewhere on the internet. Love it or Haiti it, the truth must be told and I am proud to be able to share with you a visual voyage of my time in Haiti.
Having been lucky enough to have traveled to some of the most compelling and remote destinations in the world (many of which clearly advise travelers NOT to go to unless absolutely necessary), I truly didn’t think twice about the advisory warnings against going to Haiti. Wings Over Haiti promised to look out for me, so it was an easy decision for me to spend my holiday vacation experience in a third world country. Having also recently been lucky enough to be asked to be a committee member for the Carma Foundation (another foundation committed to helping Haiti), I felt that in my opinion, it would be irresponsible and selfish to represent a foundation and speak about a country having really had no hands on knowledge of what I was putting my name on. To show up to a benefit in a lovely dress is one thing, but to sign your name to something as a featured member of the committee to me means that you must truly understand why, what, and whom you are representing. The answer was clear: if I was to accept this gracious title presented to me on behalf of Danae Cappelletto and Melky Jean (sister to Wyclef), there was no way I WASN’T going to Haiti.
