In Haiti baby food is an urgently needed, but still scarce good. Photo: humedica/Ruth Bücker
Diary from Haiti: grateful people and Mister Cockadoodledoo
by Ruth Bücker, 2010/02/12
Ruth Bücker works in the Public Relations Department at the humedica headquarters in Kaufbeuren. She has been coordinating PR and media work in Haiti for some days now and she has passed on highly interesting material and has been writing a diary.
This has been an eventful day for me, which has followed an eventful night. There is an unpopular and uninvited guest at our compound: Mister Cockadoodledoo. Mr Cockadoodledoo does have no sense of time – or rather a wrong or at least strange one, since he starts crowing at three o’clock at night.
Used to his waking call, I ignored him and had just gone back to sleep, when it started raining. But it is surprising how fast such things seem not to matter at all. I think the reason for this attitude is that I am very aware of the miserable situation of the people here. And compared to this situation a crowing cock and rain are simply insignificant problems.
But well, today in the morning Christian and Simon have driven to Leogane, our medical team went to treat patients at the hospital and I had the opportunity of accompanying Florian.
Florian works for humedica as logistical coordinator in Haiti. The fact that we have a chauffeur in a country where people lack the most basic provisions seems strange. But I soon realised that it is absolutely inevitable. Traffic rules here are simple: those who hoot loudest have priority. Even though I only was a passenger on the front seat, I needed the entire day to get used to this rule.
Today we have met with employees of the relief organisation GAiN in order to distribute baby food together. Even before my departure in Germany I had read and heard a lot of reports telling that the situation here in Port au Prince had aggravated and that people often resorted to anger and aggressiveness driven by their desperation.
No nervousness or aggressiveness: people are patiently waiting for the food distribution to begin. Photo: humedica/Ruth Bücker
Unfortunately, I have hardly ever heard, read or seen any reports telling how peaceful people here can be, and how open-minded and friendly. Those who were waiting for food today were families with their children.
They waited patiently and without haste for their turn of a basic examination and their glass of baby food. The children admired me – the strange white woman with sunglasses – curiously.
When they caught sight of my camera, they posed for a photograph, smiled into the camera and were enthusiastic about seeing themselves on the display. Despite all their misery, their loss and all the destruction, they were happy about a photo – that was simply a wonderful experience for me.
And also the fathers and mothers showed no signs of anger or aggressiveness towards us at all. They cheerfully accepted my offer of taking Photos of them with their children and they were smiling most of the time.
The children in particular made this a wonderful day for me. They were laughing, standing at the side of the road and waving to me and they were happy about small things. And I am already looking forward to tomorrow. We are planning to distribute more of the urgently needed baby food at a football stadium in Carrefour in the afternoon.
Reports for humedica from Haiti: PR assistant Ruth Bücker. Photo: humedica/Joachim Panhans
The answer to the question whether we will be able to realise the plans we have made today for tomorrow always comes as a surprise. There are so many things that happen and cause confusion for everyone: the driver does not show up, the car breaks down, fixed appointments are postponed… Here in Haiti it is always the next day that decides whether plans are realistic or not.
But I think this is an experience which will mark my personality to a large extent and of which I will be able to learn a lot. And with this attitude I will now go to bed in my mosquito tent and sleep, in order to be roused once more, at three o’clock sharp in the morning, by our friend Mr Cockadoodledoo.
Kind regards from Port au Prince,
Yours
Ruth Bücker
PS: Thank you for your support. Being able to see how your support reaches Haiti is very impressive.
