Four Days in Haiti

By Videographer Sean Marin  

At the end of November I got an email asking if I was interested in going to Haiti to film a two year earthquake anniversary piece for a NGO called Three Angels. Like any person with a bone for adventure I immediately agreed to it. But there was a bit of a catch. There would be very little time to actually get the project done. We would only have a window of about eight full days to get everything shot and edited to be launched by January 12^th, the anniversary date. Four of those days would be in Haiti.

It’s December 31^st ,11:45pm.

Spencer Wright, my assistant, and I board a flight to Haiti and spend New Years in the close company of awkward unenthusiastic strangers.  This was my first time to Haiti and the only information I had was that from the news and a little studying I did on Vimeo watching clips. I didn’t even know what language Haitians spoke. Coming out of my sleep I opened the plane window and looked out to a large feild of shimmering, reflecting light with something that looked like a few winding roads in between. As we got closer to the ground I realized I was looking at Port au Prince’s largest and most dangerous slum community. The sun reflected off the seemingly endless tin-roofed shacks and what I thought were roads were actually wide, grey rivers filled with mass amounts of trash and sewage.

Getting off the plane the heat, smells and sounds hit me. Our instructions from the organization were to ask for a Haitian named “Big…And he is Big”. Big was suppose to help us carry bags and escort us out of the airport, but we didn’t find him. We stuck out like a sore thumb.  We were being stared down and spoken to in a language that resembled French and were a little unsure as to what would happen. We reached the dirt parking lot, all of 100 yards away from the front doors of the airport and we scanned the crowds looking for someone, something, a sign…literally. Anything that would get us in the right direction. Seconds later Eric Helgemo, President of Three Angels, found us by our obvious film gear and my, somewhat more obvious, very white assistant.

We jumped into a truck and started heading up towards Petionville, on a good day about 35 minutes outside of Port Au Prince. On a bad day, 2 hours. Lucky for us, it was a good day! As we drove through Port Au Prince, the sun warmed everything with its gold light. So many different colors canvassed the sight outside the truck window. Along the roadside and infront of buildings were little business stands that resembled a swapmeet. People selling shoes, food, old electronic parts and numerous other things. Trash sat on every roadside. A man and a small black pig found one alley that looked like the local dumping spot to rummage through. Round barbwire dressed almost every fence top and wall and every few blocks there would be crumbled building as a reminder of the 2010 earthquake.

Over the next couple days we had to run to get everything covered. We spent time interviewing various staff and seeing how the organization was being run. My favorite part was meeting the kids from Three Angels Christian Academy. All the kids were on winter break, but the teachers asked if they would come in for a few hours so we could meet them.  Thirty to forty kids of all ages showed up.  Wow! These kids were cute! I think what hits the heart is knowing the circumstances of the children and seeing their faces light up, regardless. Many of these kids have already experienced personal loss and poverty that most of us will never know. In the following days I would come to see their light was their faith and community.

 One of the local men, Obenson, who was working on the construction of the new orphanage, asked Spencer and I if we wanted to go and see where he lived. We were warned to be careful and respectful of people when taking photos and filming. Over the last couple years Haiti has had so many journalists and film crews come in and exploit their situation that seeing Americans with cameras brought a lot of mixed emotions. We were just happy to be able to really see how the majority of Haitians actually lived. We started walking down steep gravel roads into tight walkways with people sitting on every side. Everyone was talking with friends and family, kids were playing on the stairs, and some of the elderly were weaving baskets next to sewage run off in the middle of the paths.

Obenson took us to a look-out where we could see the stacking structure of all the homes. The first thing he said when we got there was “Many people died in here during the earthquake. Many.” I was looking through the viewfinder of my camera when I realized I was already beginning to disconnect from the situation. What was actually in front of me was nothing more than a picture inside my camera. I literally had to tell myself. “Sean, this is real, Put down the camera. Look.” I think its easy for people to see the clips on T.V. and simply see pictures of Haiti.  It is easy to disconnect or be desensitized from what is actually happening elsewhere. I don’t think that makes us evil. Just human. But the sobering sight reminded me how fortunate we are. Even as a “starving artist” living off of bagels and condiments for weeks, I am still way better off then the majority of our global population.

After four days and very little sleep, Spencer and I headed back to the U.S.  I hope our trip will stick with us and spark something greater inside causing us to reflect a bit more on what’s important and how we should live our lives. Deep down I think every person knows what really matters, and I have a nudging feeling that its not what year my car is or what designer clothes I can’t afford.