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THE HAITI JOURNAL

Saturday, 6 February, 2:40 p.m. - Arriving at Cape Haitien
I arrived to Cape Haitien (pronounced “Cap-ay-shun”) this morning. A driver was there to meet me, thank God! I had not actually received confirmation that I would be received, so that was a pleasant event. The airport looked like the sort of thing that Indiana Jones would be running to, from the jungles. There were youths racing their motorcycles alongside the runway, trying to outrun the airplane.

First stop at Cape Haitien

The driver had to make a stop in the town of Cape Haitien, and while I know that the appropriate term is “developing nation,” still this place is 3rd world. The poverty and filth was overwhelming. I hesitate to call it degradation, only because I think all these folks have always lived like this—you can’t degrade if you are already at the bottom.
It struck me that if I were robbed of my belongings here, it would be hard to drum up any sense of injustice about it.

Read more about Fr. Pat's experience in Haiti