Port au Prince, Haiti.
While in the Navy we did a community relations project. The only way to get off the ship was to help out. We painted and did other maintenance to a newly built elementary school. Ane when I say building, it was just all cinder blocks. No windows, no doors, just openings. There were desks but the table part was on the backside of the seat. The person behind you wrote on it. Not sure what the kids in the front row did since they didn't have anything to write on.
The US Army arrange our transportation to and from. We got on a bus and had an escort of 2 military vehicles, both sporting 50 cal machine guns and itchy fingered gunners. All the roads were dirt. Full of chuck holes. Our route took us by the market. It looked like something out of NATGEO. A blanket on the ground with a small pile of vegetables on it with the vendor close by. It smelled horrible, the entire area. It may not have been the worst thing I've ever smelled but it did qualify for at least a position in my top 3 places.
I ended up on the crew that ran the wire for the lights. Each classroom got a single light bulb in the middle of the room. We stapled around the wire into the cement block. It was hotter than blazes that day. I was drenched in sweat.
All the students wore clean uniforms. Those uniforms were the only clean thing I saw in the entire country. When we were done, they sang songs for us in French. The crew gave the kids a soccer ball. So at least they'd have that to play with instead of sticks and rocks. The Army provided drinks. There was a pallet of sodas, probably about 15-20 cases. I grabbed 1 out of the cooler. Took a big swig then spit it out. It was diet Slice soda. All the sodas were about 4 months past the expiration date. It tasted like a mouth full of chemicals. I bet the kiddos were happy to get a little piece of America.
The Army fed us on their base. We all had to wash up, outside, under the observant eye of some important looking Army person. I guess they have some weird tropical diseases that you have to scrub your hands for 3 minutes to prevent catching it.
Those kids today are in their mid 30s. I bet a few have tried the rubber raft cruise to Florida by now.
