The Olympic Village

So, this first post was kind of jacked by the slow internet connection at my parents' house. I uploaded a few photos and then it stopped working, and I couldn't really fix it until today, between there being no electricity and Mom grabbing me to go visit the neighbors. I was going to write a big introduction but I think I'll just caption these photos...

My cup of cafe con leche for breakfast at Sabor Latino, a small restaurant by the airport Mariott Hotel in Miami where I spent Friday night, sharing a room with Hannah. I had to take a photo of this because I've been craving me some Cuban coffee since I last went through Miami. It's the highlight of the long trip, let me tell you. I woke up an hour earlier than Hannah and walked over just to get a taste before we had to
catch the shuttle back to the airport for the last leg of the trip, into Port-au-Prince.


We went directly to the MINUSTAH (UN) compound from the airport. Hannah had hired a driver, Olga, who drove us over to the UN compound, which is actually right next to the airport. Mom had some trouble coming to get me so I tagged along with Hannah. They were going to attend a cluster socio-psyche ngo meeting, and then go up to Gwo Jan.
This is Hannah Hoover walking with psychologist Gary and anthropologist John, the two professors from her college in Chicago.


Where Hannah and profs had a cluster meeting with the social-psyche ngos. I sat in for a little bit but then decided to wander around until they were done. I was a little nervous that someone would stop me and ask what I was doing taking photos of the compound, but no one did. Maybe it's because I have ninja-like skills in creeping around places from my newspaper days.


This is the cafe for the ngo relief workers, soldiers, etc, that live and work in the UN compound. Hannah very cynically called this area the "Olympic Village."


A crane lifts a modular shelter into place in the MINUSTAH compound. It will serve as an office or dwelling for an NGO.


The UN soldiers' tents.


A sign listing methods of dealing with post-trauma. These posters were up all over the place.


On one side, Haiti, the other side, MINUSTAH. Barbed wire in between.


The United Nations flag, which Gary and I thought was very symbolically caught on the barbed wire that lines the wall surrounding the compound.


We didn't stop again until we reached Gwo Jan after we left the UN compound. I sniped this photo from the car of a building wrecked by the earthquake.


Another completely destroyed building.


A tent city. Everywhere people are afraid to sleep in their houses, especially if their roofs are made of cement. Even if their house is still standing, no one wants to take the chance.