Kalico Resort

Though I’ve come to Haiti to serve the Haitian people, every now and then I find myself without anything specific to do and I take a little break. Today one group from Westminster left and another came down. I could have gone down to the airport, but I decided to take a day off and go to the beach. There are nine people from Westminster who were staying here for two weeks so I had a nice group of people going with me. We went to a nice resort called Kalico Resort, located about half way between Port Au Prince and La Croix We went down half way to the airport with the departing group, and then met up with the arriving group as they came up from the airport.  

When Haiti appears in the news, the topics usually revolve around something bad- earthquake, political violence, massive corruption, etc. All this bad news misses the fact that Haiti is a Caribbean island with white sandy beaches and warm weather all year round. Haiti’s tourist industry has struggled as crime and political instability have increased, but Haiti used to be a tropical tourist destination to French and American tourists throughout much of the 20^th century. Bill and Hilary Clinton came to Haiti on their honeymoon in 1975, and the Mellon family also used to vacation in St. Marc, a small town about a half hour away from La Croix. Today Haiti’s tourist industry has shrunk significantly, but there are still a few resorts along the coast.

I don’t know what this says about me as a person, but I thought that I would feel really guilty going to a resort after having lived among the poorest of the poor for so long, but I had no trouble at all. Kalico is a classic tropical resort, with big open awnings and large winding pools, all looking on to the Caribbean Sea. I thought that I would have trouble with the luxury, but I oddly felt a sense of pride in Haiti. I’ve seen Haiti’s worse sides. I’ve driven through some of the scarier parts of Port Au Prince, sat in the thatched huts of the rural farmers in La Croix, and was almost part of a fight while trying to buy a pig in L’estere last Tuesday. The poverty seems to be endless, and it seems to be everywhere. Though the mission does such good work, I still feel overwhelmed with the poverty around me; is there anyway all of these big problems can be resolved?

Today I got to experience a place where all of those problems were solved. The water was safe to drink, the food was totally clean, and the electricity ran consistently. I was able to leave my wallet in my bag without fearing it would be stolen. I was at a place where Haiti worked and worked well. I was able to relax, sit by the pool, drink a Haitian beer, and even buy a small piece of Haitian art for just under $50. Everything was reasonably priced, and the scenery was breath taking. The resort was situated right in between the ocean and the mountains, showing off the most dramatic aspects of Haiti’s landscape. The best part of this was that it was Haitian through and through. Every staff member was Haitian, and every person was as accommodating as could be.

Haiti’s problems seem to be overwhelming, and after I study one problem I see in the community, I learn that it is just a small part of an even bigger systematic problem. As I don’t find very much hope when I study Haitian history and Haitian culture. But today I got to see a brighter side of Haiti, I got to see a side of Haiti that worked. Even though this success is just a small resort, it represents the potential of the Haitian people. Taking Haiti to its next level is going to take potable water, functioning roads, and reliable security, all of which was present in Kalico. Resorts won’t be the only piece of Haiti’s success, but they prove that Haiti can do it. Today Kalico Resort proved to me that Haitians are just as capable as any other people.