In
a long line of cabs in Princeton Junction, Josue Lajeunesse -exhausted and
sleepy- waits for passengers in his cab. His drowsy oblong face and half closed
intense black eyes are reflected in side view mirror of his cab in dim midnight
floodlight. “Almost every day I am out all night. I get home probably at 1.30
or 2.30 in the morning, sleep a couple of hours, and go back to work in
morning”, says Josue in typical Haitian accent with mixed reactions: one of
satisfaction, and another of exhaustion. Driving is a second job for Haitian
Josue who has been working as a custodian at Princeton University for the last
fourteen years.
Dust bag and motor hood attached at his back and extension tube
in his hands, Josue moves vacuum cleaner on the floors of Princeton University
with a serious expression in his swarthy face. He works in two different
positions with tremendous effort not only to look after his children, but also
to look after his brothers, sisters, aunt, nephews, and niece back in Haiti. “My
older brother died like four years ago. But his kids, I have to take
responsibility of them”, Josue stretches his voice as he says so, implying a
huge responsibility he holds of them. On top of that, Josue is involved in some
social projects to help poor people in his hometown-Lasource. Josue works so
hard to improve the life standard of his family and society.
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| Photo Courtesy: Zimbio |
Josue
with his brother started a clean drinking water project in Lasource in
2005. As a result, twenty to twenty five
families in Lasource have access to clean drinking water, for which they
previously had to walk twenty to twenty five miles. Josue plans to visit his
family in Haiti, for whom he has been working so hard. “I do not have
opportunity to travel, but definitely this year in summer time I will try and
go visit them”, says forty four year old Josue who has a weak chin and a loose
jaw line, a broad nose with large nostril and small ears with attached
earlobes. On his return to Haiti, Josue compares Haiti as being a small country
with different system as compared to the United States of America. As a matter
of fact, Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas; thus, a number of people
cannot even afford a daily plate of rice. Those people are forced to eat
cookies made out of yellow dirt. Emaciated torso, thin legs and hands and huge
head define the body structure of most of the Haitian people, people of
Lasoucre being no exceptions. Their miserable life is reflected in the contour
of their body, but not in their looks, for those people have apathy in their
face for their situation.
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| Photo Courtesy: Examiner |
Josue
is disappointed with the condition of Lasource, which, he says, is very
different than what it used to be when he lived there. “When I come back, their
face look so different. People get old very easy when they have not aged”, he
says with an air of disapproval in his voice. Moreover, Josue speaks of the
ineffectiveness of the Haitian government, but in the meantime, speaks of his
concern for his family and society where he spent more than first two decades
of his life. “This is terrible. There are so many things that the government
has not done that it is supposed to do. I do so much, but that is only me”, says
Josue with disappointment in the voice. He takes a deep sigh, hits the car in
frustration, covers half of face with a hand and cries with his head held low. “I
hope I can do something better; I am very concerned about it. I believe
everybody deserves to live right, and have food to eat”, he continues with
reconciliation of emotions, but cries again in agony of dissatisfaction.
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| Photo Courtesy:NetoGritim |
Despite
the ineffectiveness of the Haitian government to solve the basic problems of
people of Lasource, Josue has not given up his hopes. “Over here they never had
any water. Never”, Josue says, stressing the fact. “They had to go all the way
to the mountain to have clean water to drink. That is from where this water
comes”, he continues in a satiated tone, pointing towards the adjacent green hill
with sparse trees. He emphasizes on building at least two big reservoirs that
can hold millions of gallons of water for the rest of the people. He believes
that will be a benchmark for local people to function all the time. “My dream
is to change this whole town, and I pray that my dream will get through,” he
says confidently.
Video Link: http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S25/98/60O34/