Technology

Thinking about my first solo trip to Haiti and the many trips before that, we had very little communication with the outside world! We had very little of anything period!

I can remember setting up a schedule of who called home and when! It was so, so hot and we didn't even have fans! But Teleco across the street had air conditioning! The best part of our day was when someone was calling home and we ALL had to go with that person so we could have those few minutes of cool! Never mind the fact that It was a VERY small room and by the time you put 20 of us and at least 20 Haitians in room there was no AC to be found!

We also had no clue what was going on in the world! We would get bits and pieces of news every time someone called home. We didn't even have radios. We didn't even have steady phone lines to call within Haiti or right there in Gonaives. It was nice in a sense but we also felt totally cut off from the rest of the world.. At times it was a pain and we were uncomfortable, but what memories!

Eventually, unbeknownst to me, Elias, our trusty hotel owner,  bought a TV and had CNN. He kept it hidden in his room! Elias was a short, pot bellied, Lebanese man. He had a thick Lebanese/Kreyol accent and never moved very quickly! I has in Haiti in 1992 with Clyde and Leona Brooker. My Dad and Aunt were also in Haiti but they were at another part of the island. At that time a coup or riots were happening every other day in Haiti. I pulled into our hotel courtyard and Elias came running towards me, throwing up his arms and screaming, "Russo has fallen! Russo has fallen!" Elias' actions scared me for one and I automatically thought we were in the middle of a coup! Of course I wondered if my Dad was safe and if we were going to be able to meet up! I started asking Elias if we needed to leave, if we were in danger, what we needed to do. He looked at me like I was crazy and kept repeating "Russo! Russo!" Finally out of frustration he led me to his room to show me his secret! Ha!  Communism had fallen in Russia! I think he was sorry he showed me because we were addicted to the story! Especially when my dad arrived!

These days, tonight in fact, as I am writing this blog, I am talking to 3 of my Haitian friends, in Haiti. It amazes me the cell phones and the internet! Granted the internet is still sketchy and have to hit timing just right but we have it! I have my own cell phone in Haiti and can reach any number of people locally, country wide or word wide in the matter of seconds.  In a few minutes Junior is going to skyoe me so I can see my kids and talk to them! I look forward to that because I miss them so much!

I miss the days past when there were no distractions from the modern world but I sure do love hearing from