It's hard to believe today was our last day in Hinche! However we are thankful for the fact that we will be going home tomorrow. Both David and I didn't sleep very well, and woke up feeling like we'd been hit by a bus. Just so exhausted, emotionally and physically.
We enjoyed what might be our last authentic Haitian meal for breakfast, complete with local coffee and fresh papaya juice, before venturing onto our shooting locations today. The plan for today was to visit a school, do some interviews, and then capture footage of some of their water installations on our way out of town, back to Port Au Prince.
We drove about 45 minutes to the school only to find that the person we would be interviewing would not be making it out to the school. So we got some footage and changed plans (which was the theme of this trip- flexibility is key when working in Haiti). We headed back into town to one of their water installations, where community members can access clean water.
We then made our way to a community that was on our way out of town, where WV has worked with the community to install a great water access system. The water system installed is multi-faceted and pretty impressive! Basically, water is pumped to multiple water points amongst the community so that people can have multiple points of "easy" access to water. These water stations look like a rectangular concrete pillar with an outside water faucet. We interviewed the Director of WV's WaSH (their initiatives: water, sanitation and hygiene) programs about the importance of and lack of access to clean water, and what WV is doing in communities like these to make clean water accessible. We were also able to see a lake that WV created for the community to have for their crops. Quite the difference from community water source we experienced yesterday. We wrapped up the interview, shot a few last b-roll shots, and packed our gear up. Hot, sweaty, tired and hungry, we were ready to make the 3-4 hour trek back to Port Au Prince.
We made it back to Port Au Prince in the early evening, arriving at the hotel where WV had arranged for us to stay. WV has a number hotels that they partner with in Port Au Prince so that their guests can have a safe and clean place to stay. We stayed at the Marriott in Petionville (a community within Port Au Prince). The hotel was so nice and such a stark contrast from the rest of the buildings, and really anything, in Haiti. We enjoyed an actual shower with warm water, and it was amazing. A hot shower, a warm meal, and resting on the bed was all amazing after a long day of work and travel.
