Reuse!

I’ve often heard the slogan of “Reduce…Reuse…Recycle”, the various ways we are called upon to be good stewards of our precious Earth. After living here for over a month I’ve come to the realization that Haiti is a land of “reuse”. Recently I tried to name all the various things that I pass every day that are being “used” in a manner for which they were not originally intended. The list was quite long, so I’ll just share a few.

In our parish there in a shipping container that serves as the sacristy. Mass is celebrated under canopies, but everything we need for mass is stored in a “double size” shipping container. From where I sit before mass I can see into the container and witness the priest and altar servers offering their prayers before they leave the container and process to the altar. In Baltimore I use to watch these shipping containers being loaded on and off ships with large cranes; moving goods around the world. At Sacré Coeur our shipping container has a higher calling.

As we drive around Port au Prince I see many US school buses that now serve as public transportation in Haiti. It has become a bit of a game for me to try to determine the city of origin of these busses; some if not all of the original markings are often visible. I was pleasantly surprised the other day to come upon a “Lower Cape May Regional School District” bus, Cape May being one of the places I feel quite at home. Although I’m rarely in Cape May when school is in session, I can easily imagine the faces of the children that rode this bus to school …and the flat, winding roads that they traveled passing green fields and seascapes. This bus’ current riders and its route stands in high contrast to those it first served. Now the bus carries Haitians of all ages and their belongings to various destinations around Port au Prince…along congested, steep, city streets.

Finally, most surprising item to me being “reused” are old refrigerators and chest freezers. I am amazed by the number of old refrigerators and freezers that now serve as “ice chests” and “air-tight” “lock boxes” for the various sidewalk vendors. As we drive down the street it is strange to see refrigerators, laying on the ground, hasps having been welded on the doors, padlocked …from which just about anything may be dispensed. Again, it is the stark contrast of what I imagine to be the refrigerators first tour of duty versus its current use. The image of a bright white refrigerator standing in a kitchen compared to the battered and broken hulks pressed into service laying by the side of the road in Port au Prince. Surprisingly, regardless of their horizontal status the sustenance of life continues to be dispensed from these refrigerators.

So …”reuse” seems to be the operative work in Haiti. Another sign of the ingenuity and resilience of the Haitian people.