Truth.

 Normal Security

It is Thursday and by this point I am beginning to understand that all of the warnings regarding travel and all of the hype in the States regarding safety in Haiti is a bunch of bullshit.

Yes the country in a horrible state and yes it is not an ideal situation for a vacation, but let's be realistic here. This is a nation that already had very little regulation of any kind (building or judicial), the people are in the midst of a political shift and the land just experienced the most devastating earthquake that the world has ever seen. Of course visiting Haiti doesn't meet the comfort criteria of the fattest, laziest most spoiled country in the world. But how many countries actually fall under the under the wing of the U.S.' "happy to visit" list? It is after all, a system based on leaders who are expected to lie, people who are afraid to speak their mind and a youth that is learning the world through screens and applications rather than personal experiences and inherited craft.

I came to Haiti to free myself of the American filter and I think that I am on my way to fulfilling my goal.

Where I left off, I was coming to terms with how the people on the streets are dealing with recovering from January 12. Today I was able to see what is going on behind the closed doors of the people who are planning a recovery. Everything keeps going back to the "Train The Trainers"; the people I knew so little about in Boston. The people that Dave played soccer with, the people that Alex and I escorted around Boston have turned out to be very important figures here in Haiti. Somehow (I'm still in shock), our friends arranged for us to visit the National Palace today, or at least what is left of the national palace. Click here to see what I am talking about. A meeting was arranged with various cabinet members to discuss the nature of our travels and the agenda of our committee.