#3362: Clements shares letter and comments

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From: Rosann Clements <rosann@onemain.com>

I just got a letter today from my Son in Petit Goave Haïti ...and thought
I'd type up a quote or two from it. It's from April 10, 2000
"Well here I am laying on the white sand beach, in the shade of palms...I
just woke up from a nap...the cool ocean breeze is quite lovely. Ahh! I'm in
paradise! I have a bunch of little kids around me asking me for
money...these kids want to sell me some seashells. I might buy them just
cause they are so poor and a couple of bucks to them would be the world! "
"Some people threw rocks at me the other day. None of them hit me...some hit
my bike but none actually hit me. I was riding by when they just started
swearing, telling me to go home and stuff. Then they just started throwing
BIG rocks at me. One of 'em messed up my tire on my bike...Oh well...The
trials of Haiti!

I just wanted to share the latest stories from my son in Haïti! I think it
shows he has compassion for the kids and is loving being in Haiti....Then he
tells about riding his bike home...and how he is treated!
I was thinking...This is quite more violent than just kids having some fun.
Not something to laugh about or say being white is asking for that type of
treatment...
 Karen wrote
"So I do not hate these words, but understand them--I would almost certainly
be hollering them myself in their place."
Karen

It's hard for me to excuse and accept this type of behavior as normal...or
even try put myself in their place and picture myself acting that way! I
agree many cruel things in their past history...is cause for much alarm and
sadness...but I don't think we should excuse such behavior because of it...I
think it's a warning sign of a much bigger problem...in the country...than
just being annoyed that a white boy is in town...
My 2 cents
Rosann :)