"Thank you for visiting my country"

I think that when most people come here, most white people that is, they stay in their cars and fear the people. They are afraid of people begging or stealing or afraid of the filth and the chaos.
We visited the church on Sunday morning. Everyone was beautifully dressed and clean and pressed, even though some of them came across the street from the tent city. The church was packed because it was first communion for the kids so we couldn't find a seat.
So we went across the street to another fancy hotel and I had pumpkin soup for breakfast. Much better than the pumpkin soup I tried to make. The hotel was another gorgeous building and had a pristine landscape. Again, with a tent city right outside its windows. Every inch of public landscape that was free is being used now for tents. There are no public spaces left for gathering, playing soccer, no parks or statues or fields. In the tent city we visited, people were using a public sculpture representing the Haitian freedom from slavery to do their laundry and tie up their tents.
We visited the Caribe hotel- where we were supposed to stay- and it would be a fancy hotel by US standards. It was super nice, pool, tennis courts, spa. We sat in the shade and talked for hours.
In the afternoon, Antonio, Cheryl, Ray and I went for a walk. People stared. They aren't used to people walking their streets and sharing their space with them. We were never in danger, the only thing uncomfortable about the walk was maybe the smell and the heat. My favorite part of the experience was the joy on the kids faces when we would wave at them. We acknowledged them- that's all. We talked to a few different people (Ray speaks Creole) and one group of guys asked us if we felt safe walking and if we were comfortable and they were happy that we were. One man actually said to us in english, "Thank you for visiting my country" We walked into a soccer stadium- inside the teams were warming up for a game and right outside there was another tent city. We went into a cemetery and a hospital. We saw a pile of rubble with a teddy bear and a little shoe. But everywhere we went if we said Bon Swa (I'm sure that's not how it's spelled but it means Good afternoon) they'd respond happily and in a friendly manner. I think that hour and a half walk has been the most impactful time on this trip for me, to see how the people know they are perceived in a negative way and to try to break down those barriers.