Weather Permitting

Pretty much everything thing in Haiti is weather permitting. If you wake up and it is raining it is usually safe to role over and catch another hour of shut eye. Plans get pushed backed easily when it rains, especially when your line of work requires you to be out doors pouring and build with cement. When it rains in Haiti all the roads turn into a muddy mess which either seizes or greatly hinders travel. The SOIL crew said they have gone a month when it rains everyday and their schedules and work just get pushed back. The weather is definitely something you cannot control and can become extremely frustrating at times. I have observed through Sasha, Kevin and Sarah that patience has become a virtue in Haiti. Things get done, but usually not when expected. Dates are almost always penciled in. If the sky is clear and the sun is shining, you cross you fingers that truck will start and that you can get from A to B without breaking down or puncturing a tire.

Example: One of the days we planned to leave the house at 10:30a.m. to see the progress of the toilet that was being built in Doug’s Village. After awaking we soon found out that Doug, who was suppose to come and pick us up, got his car stuck in a hole/ditch, one of the many obstacles to avoid while driving in Haiti. With the help of 20 people the car was removed from the hole. The same morning the SOIL truck got a flat while Marcorel was driving in town. A couple nights prior we forgot to remove the spare from the bed of the truck, in the morning the tire was gone. The SOIL team never became angry or upset with the set backs we encountered. No one person is blamed for any problem. It was clear to me that SOIL/SOL work as a team, one single unit with the same visions; improving lives.

Schedule flexibility is a way of life in Haiti. You cannot get angry or frustrated if something is not going as it should, you have to role with the punches. It is not a matter of being lazy or unmotivated when work is not being completed Haiti; you can only do so much depending on the given situation. Adaptation to the changing environment and finding a way to always remain productive is a skill SOIL members have that I greatly respect.