Finally On Our Way to Haiti... I Think.

(This was written 1/19/08 but entered late due to lack of internet)

So I’m pretty sure we’re going to get to Haiti for real this time. We just took off from Miami on the 7:00AM flight. It has been quite a challenge to get to this point, so we are all very excited and relieved that it’s finally happening.

Last night American Airlines put us up at the Mikkonukee Hotel and Casino. After spending the night there, I think their focus is more on the casino end of things. Either way, the place had a shower and a bed, which is pretty much all we needed. It also had a lot of lovely (or obnoxious) neon lights and colorful light beams all over the sky surrounding the place. It was all a little overstimulating at the end of a very long day. It seemed like we were in a movie or something… it felt surreal. None of us were quite sure how we ended up at this random and somewhat bizarre place for the night, but whatever. We were too exhausted to ask many questions at that point.

We had our wakeup call at 3:00AM sharp, which came all too soon after we turned out the lights. I feel like a walking zombie and I can only imagine what I must look like. It can’t be good. I was surprised to find the casino still hopping with activity at 3:15 in the morning. The casino lifestyle is quite different from what we’re about to see in Haiti.

When we pulled up to the Miami Airport this morning (personally, I consider 3:45AM smack dab in the middle of the night… there’s nothing “morning” about it) someone in my group said, “Well guys, welcome home!” It sure does feel like we’ve lived in the airport, having been there at all hours of the day and night. I have had enough airport food to last me a lifetime. I am definitely looking forward to the mangos and papaya that Haiti has to offer, among other things. When I put my fleece on this morning, it had the odor of an airport/plane. Gross.

I think we are going to take it pretty easy today after we arrive in Haiti. Getting through Customs and out of the airport is quite the undertaking in itself and tends to be overwhelming and a little stressful. We think we have transportation from Healing Hands picking us up at the airport when we arrive, but communication isn’t always easy. We are pretty sure they understood our phone call, but it’s never guaranteed.

The plan is to save the unpacking of all the bins and hockey bags until tomorrow. This afternoon after we get settled at the Guesthouse, we are going to drive up to Kenscoff, which has a Baptist Mission and people selling art on the streets. There’s also a great view of all of Port-au-Prince from Kenscoff, which is up in the mountains.

I was supposed to go with one of my teammates to a rural orphanage today to meet with someone about adoption from Haiti (my teammate is considering adopting a child from Haiti), but we missed our 9:00AM appointment due to the cancelled flight last night, so I’m hoping it can be rescheduled. Maybe we will end up doing it tomorrow instead. We’ll see what happens.

I'll write more soon...

Bye!