The Grand Marshal Blog

Thursday, 29.05.10.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh…………. It’s tough getting up today, the body aches, muscles are torn where I didn’t realize I had any, it was always going to be the toughest day, more than half way through the week, but not enough to see the finish line.
The heat continues to sap the energy but the ‘village’ we are creating on what feels like mountainous waste land is taking shape, the paint on the houses is giving a country Irish town feel to it, like a galvanized roof version of Killarney.
Leslie Buckley summons the crowd to start talking about issues that seem a million miles away, and very far from our obsessions with bending steel bars, shoveling ‘sand’, and lugging blocks around the place. Icelandic eruptions, he tells us have disrupted our return plans, everyone raises their hopes we can stay another week and get even more houses built, or maybe it’s to do with how well fed we are by the catering staff, that we’ll need another week to burn off the excess. The last trip to Haiti in October was incredible, but the trip home via Dominican Republic, New York JFK, Dublin and then finally Brussels was almost unbearable, I feared the worst… Instead we are to be going home a day earlier as Air Italy have messed up the return plans and not even stiff stern dirty looks from olive will dissuade them from changing their plans, we will be back in Ireland about 12 hours earlier. Everything will still go ahead but instead of sleeping off after our last night listening to local heroes RAM, it will be off on a bus to the airport. The spirit of everyone is to applaud Leslie and his crew, nothing can dampen the spirits of the Haven March 2010 gang.

Friday, 30.05.10
Now that Friday has become the 2nd last morning we will wake up in Haiti, it has special significance. Not only did I watch my mum’s team, the catering team, whip up a frenzy with ‘Tonight’s going to be a good night’ and win the Haven’s Got Talent yesterday evening, but it was time to begin celebrating the week’s work, and it now makes yesterday morning seem like a breeze. Nothing for it, a nice cold shower, and off to lug some bricks around and throw up a few scaffolds for the brickies.
We visited a school in Gonaives as my mum had some GAA jerseys from local lads at home from Castlelyons, Bride Rovers and a Cork jersey from a neighbour’s son. The school visit was made legendary by Bobby, who was accurately described as a pied piper with a guitar, he had learnt some songs and creole and God did the kids love him? The people I have met both local Haitian and Haven volunteers is what is making this trip memorable.
Off to bed for an early night, there’s still work to be done, although Declan, the foreman of overalls tells us we are in rapid flow having thrown up 14 full houses today. Is there nothing to stop this Haven team?

Saturday, 01.05.10
Last morning, last breakfast, last working in the searing heat, today it has become too much, my body has given up and burst out in prickly heat burn rash or something very un-medical sounding from the doctor in the medical tent, I take a pill, but I feel the drowsiness from it, myself and Nick head for the air conditioned buses around 11h00, I don’t wake up until well after 12h30 thanks to a call from Nick. Ross is not impressed when he sees we’ve gone off and left him in the heat, he is less impressed when he hurts his ankle as he walks off site for the last time. The day is almost done, the week’s work almost complete. There are painters still furiously throwing paint on walls to get the last house or two finished, a plaque has gone up on the side of the wall where I’d been painting the day before. The playground is a playground, all cleaned up and ready for hand over. We head for lunch for the last time and then it starts to rain, glorious, glorious rain, but not for long enough to even moisten the ground.
House 51 is handed over to the local family we had visited earlier in the week, who had been evicted from their house for not being able to pay the rent and had been living in a tent since. There are tears, from all round, there are strong speeches and words of encouragement. There is no one here who won’t come back that can. It is a great moment. The community school is handed over to the local committee, it is truly wonderful, I think this will be where the real success of the village takes place, there will be educational classes here, markets, schooling, drama, entertainment. This is what turns buildings into a community. The kids are allowed into the their playground, a group of local Haitian kids are running around wearing Waterford GAA jerseys, no need to explain what a day out in Croke Park is about there, to the donor I mean.
The afternoon is planned for taking down the tents, but due to the rain it has been shelved, it’s time to catch up on blogs and other non building related stuff. The band, RAM, perform to a delighted crowd after the speeches are made by Leslie and Co. There’s a few drinks and dancing to celebrate a great week. Personally I can’t wait to get back. I’d love to get out here on the advance party next time, but that’s all for another day. Tonight it’s about a job well done and an arduous bus trip to the airport.

Sunday, 02.05.10
We arrive in plenty of time in the Port-au-Prince airport, a bit of a fracas getting the boarding cards and passports, but as everything on this trip it all just works out fine. We re-board the bus as there’s no fire truck on stand-by during the re fueling of the delayed plane. Leslie B is sitting across the seat from me on the bus, he’s not a happy camper. He has put a huge effort into the trip running smoothly and an Italian crew not sharing his ambitions aren’t tolerated lightly, as we later find out on the plane before we take off. The flight home is grand, bad news on the Munster front, and Liverpool have lost any hope of Champions League football next year, but it does mean Utd are less likey to win the league which is small compensation. We land in Dublin before midnight and a very merry band are bussed off to the Clarion Hotel where…. This blog ends….
Thank you for reading and hope to see you in Haiti in October
The Grand Marshal.