I step off the frigid air-conditioned airplane and step out onto the tarmac of the Port au Prince airport and into the hot Haitian sun.

Usually when I step off an airplane I am bursting with joy and anticipation. Not this time. I check myself internally and I am really nervous, even scared. This is my first trip to Haiti and I have no idea what to expect other than what I have read or seen in the media and from what people have told me— kidnappings, foreigners getting shot at the ATM, valleys of garbage and filth, starving people, malaria, cholera, gangs, total and utter devastation. When I mentioned to people that I was going to Haiti the general response was, “Oh my God, take care of yourself.” And “Why on earth would you want to go to Haiti?

I wanted to go to see Haiti with my own eyes. I wanted to try and understand what was going on over there, to talk to the Haitian people themselves to try on their perspective. I wanted to see what was in their hearts and to share that experience with the rest of the world. I wanted to help in the ways I know how. I wanted to throw myself into the unknown because that is how I learn the most about life and about myself.

While in Haiti I will host a Hearts of the World workshop and use the paintings to raise money to support the children that made them. Education is key. The best way I can think of to change the world is to educate and inspire the children; they are the future of this planet. If we can give them the tools to thrive, we can make change.

I walk off the tarmac and into the main building of the airport and to my surprise there is a live band serenading the travelers, welcoming us to Haiti. It helps my anxiety a little. I go to immigration and it is completely empty. No line. I think to myself, “No one is visiting this place.” 

I grab my bag and the turmoil inside of me swirls with queasy, unease. An added concern is that due to practically nonexistent Internet in Cuba, from where I’d just come, I wasn’t able to get a hold of my friend and project manager, Dan Bratman who is meeting me here in Haiti. So at this point I have no idea if I need to expect him at the airport or if he wants me to meet him at a hotel. I have just arrived and I already feel lost.

I walk outside and many people approach me and ask me in French if I need a taxi. I know very little French and all I can do to respond is say “No, regrets,” (“no, sorry”). I linger by the front door and there is no Dan in sight. My mind is swimming and I am about to ask for a cab to some hotel so I can try to access Internet when a young Haitian guy taps me on the shoulder. “Are you Nicolina?” A rush of relief followed by elation envelopes me. “Man am I glad to see you!”

Dan had sent him. His name is Johnny. A 21 year old Haitian guy with a flashy white grin who is going to be our translator for the week. We hopped in the back of a janky truck under a canopy of peeling paint and went to meet Dan at the guesthouse he had booked for us.

Haiti from the back of the truck 

Dan

Moments later I am surrounded by flashes of bright colors as we speed by walls of murals topped off with razor-wire. Navigating through bustling, chaotic traffic we pass stands of handi-crafts, myriads of motorcycles, women carrying baskets of goods on their heads, school girls in brown and white checkered uniforms with white ribbons in their hair, cinderblock villages, and ravines of garbage, stagnant water and raw sewage. We pass a woman sitting at a stand, selling woven bracelets, her eyes were closed and hands held up to the sky in prayer. I smile. Horns honk and people weave in and out of the colorful pile-up of cars, trucks, Tap Taps (Elaborately painted busses or trucks used as communal taxis. “Tap Tap” literally means “Quick, Quick!”), school busses and motorcycles. 

The streets of Port au Prince

Street market & cool dude on a motorcycle

Do you feel lucky? Mariage and Loto

The onslaught of visual stimuli is mind boggling. My inner struggle is replaced with elation and the overwhelming sense of being alive. And Haiti is so alive. Moving, bustling, people weaving in and out of traffic, kids running in the streets. It is beautiful chaos, full of a deep and wondrous sense of spirit.

I am so happy I came. I will be in Haiti for one week. Let the adventure begin!