It is 6 p.m. and the sun has just set, leaving behind a gentle trail of pink and orange. We are on our way back to the office, driving on a road that takes us past the now very common picture of broken homes and mountains of rubble of Port-au-Prince.
Today is the last day of three days of official mourning, which explains the thousands of Haïtians we’ve encountered on the streets chanting hymns and calling out slogans of hope and gratitude.
Gratitude towards their survival and towards the second chance, they say, God has given them to life. “Thank you God for giving us life again,” they sing in multiple harmonies, walking solemnly yet joyfully along the road while large speakers mounted on the front of a transport truck blast religious hymns. Even the children are singing and waving their little hands, their faces showing a mixture of deep trauma and excitement.
These are the survivors or Haïti’s worst disaster in history. They have just lost not only their homes, but also many of their families and friends. How could they be singing about hope? And more astoundingly, how could they be thanking God for their survival?
“Je suis contente parce que Dieu nous a redonné la vie,” says 28-year-old Macline who lost many of her friends, her cousin and her house in the earthquake. “Si nous sommes là, c’est par la grâce de Dieu. Nous devons remercier Dieu.”
Translation: [I’m happy because God has given us life again. We are here because God is merciful. We need to thank God.]
For the rest of the way home, I think about how I would have reacted, and while it is difficult for me to put myself in their place, I find it hard to imagine that in a situation like theirs, I would sense gratitude. While the world has come together to help Haïtians, it might be good to stop for a moment and remind ourselves that these wonderful people, too, have something to give and teach us in return.
