Cap-Haitien: A City With Great Potential

This week we are providing English as a Foreign Language classes at the Public University of the North at Cap-Haitien (UPNCH) and at local high schools. The city of Cap-Haitien is Haiti's second largest city, located in the northern part of the country. As we've experienced, it takes approximately 6 hours to drive to Cap from Port-au-Prince. On Sunday, we will fly back to PAP in about 30 minutes.

Cap is a lovely, colonial city. It is surrounded by mountains and has a fairly deep port. It has a rich history dating back more than 500 years. It was actually the place that the revolution, which overthrew the French in 1804, began. There are some beautiful sites such as the Cathedral in the core of the city and a nice walking path along the Caribbean. Probably the most famous landmark is the Citadel which sits on a mountain perch a few miles from town. The Citadel is a UN World Heritage Site.

This city has tremendous potential. Not only are there local industries which are taking advantage of its port and the fact that it is far from the challenges of Port au Prince, but there are some excellent opportunities to develop it as a tourist hub for Haiti. Carnival Cruise lines actually owns a stretch of beach close to Cap (that's another story for another post!). It is a beautiful setting with beaches, the Citadel, and an interesting culture/history. Part of the reason we are doing English classes here is to help students learn English so that they can be part of this tourist industry.

Here is a picture of what the harbour looks like at 7 am today - gorgeous!