IN HAITI – Day 9 & 10

I moved to the Inn @ Villa Bambou. It was the most beautiful luxurious place I ever experienced. Later I would discover Villa Bambou was the favorite spot for the likes of President Clinton and Donna Karen. Although, not far from the Le Plaza Hotel, Villa Bambou was an extreme opposite experience.  In daily conversations with the owner Monica Ansald, a 4th generation Haitian of Brazilian decent, I learned her perspective of Haiti, its condition and culture.  The Villa which used to be the private home where she was raised her two USA college-bound children, was converted years ago to The Inn at Villa Bambou – a bed and breakfast.  Monica studied at the US schools in Haiti and thereafter received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the US.   The “Villa”, a serene, well-secured and gated land, nestled on a more than an acre of beautifully manicured green grounds.  Although not far away you could still feel the energy of the residents selling their wares around the corner.  If it was not for the bountiful gardens and trees you would see the people at the end of the property line walking up and down the street.

The “Villa’s” staff members, I estimated about 10 full-time people, including the security guards who cover the grounds, and main gate, along with the kitchen support, general garden and house managers. During our afternoon and dinner chats, Monica shared her stories of Haiti.  Most striking was the story of Monica and her family being targeted years ago.  This was one of the main reasons she hired a bodyguard who at one-time was heavily armed.  Today, the circumstances has changed, although he still travels with her to the grocery store and daily errands.  She reminisced the stories about her family dinner time in their open air terrace dining area – where we were sitting at the time – that bullets would fly up from the bottom of her property.  Shockingly, I asked why would you want to live under such dangerous predicaments.  She explained that being a fourth generation Haitian and the colorism that took place.  And shared that she thought it would be absurd to run from the place she loved so deeply just because of her skin color was white.  During those years, many of her friends and people she knew were  kidnapped, tortured and held for ransom.  All I could think about to myself was “where am I”?  There were a few nights at the Villa, I did not sleep sound.  The energy in the city was high and the people were upset due to the President’s decision to hold the official Carnaval in Les Cayes. Carnaval, since inception had always been held in Port Au Prince. The people were ready for Carnaval. There had been pre-celebrations the weekend prior and small community celebrations in preparation for the official Carnaval. The residents and even the Port Au Prince Mayor held tight to the belief that the President would come through with some monies. But it did not happen. During celebratory remarks by the President in the Champ Mars Plaza, right in front of my previous Le Plaza Hotel, gunshots started with several innocent people injured and sent to the hospital. I reflected I was so happy I left that neighborhood area. I believe if I had not been traveling alone, my visit would have not been so scary. At least moving to the Villa I was able to relax some, but not much. When my host representatives would pick me up daily I would find myself clinched and tighten. I do not think I could ever get used to seeing so many thousands of people in dire straits everyday all day long. I noticed it did not seem to bother my hosts, the Villa owners, no one. From the “Villa” I was able to see the other side of the world of the very resourced. In Haiti it was either you were extremely poor or not.

Although I enjoyed and appreciated my most comfortable stay at the Villa, I could not help to feel for all those thousands of people I would see everyday on every street struggling to make ends meet selling live chickens, charcoal, clothes, food, etc. How could there be such an extreme division? It did not appear to be a middle or upper middle class – just poor and upper class.