So, our trip might not happen. I am holding out for a miracle for myself, my teammates but most of all for the people of Haiti who without proper shelter are going to be on their own during this storm. Hurricane Tomas is headed toward Haiti and Jamaica so at this point, the entire trip is on a bit of a holding pattern. First the equipment not getting released and now a storm.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Hoping & Praying
We're in the home stretch now, only 4 more sleeps and I am learning about the political side of Haiti. Every country has it's bureaucratic hoops but I have come to learn from Karen (our team's fearless leader) that all of the equipment that Air Canada Cargo shipped to Haiti is now sitting at the airport and we may not be able to get it released in time for us to take it to Ile-a-Vache. Most of the work my team members were going to do here involved wheelchairs and many of the chairs sent to Haiti were sent for specific children. The thought that a country's government would keep equipment that can help their own in a time of such need makes no sense to me. Karen explained a new term to me tonight that I think I'll be hearing a lot of in the coming weeks. The term is: "This is Haiti" or also known as (TIH).
Throughout all of the planning and preparations, I haven't had one single negative thought about going on this trip, but this information has taken the wind out of my sails. As I've never been to Haiti before I don't understand the "organized chaos" that I hear about but I suspect this is what everyone has been describing. Just release the wheelchairs already, we're taking them to children and young adults that have little else to support their physical needs!
I want to get rid of this feeling of angst and disappointment and get back all the feelings of excitement and anticipation of meeting my teammates and starting a dream trip. Call it wishful thinking or whatever you want, I have to believe there will be a happy ending for me to report back in the coming days.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Pictures Of My Progress
I have been glued to the television for the past few days waiting to hear as much information as possible about the Cholera outbreak in Haiti. I spoke to Karen yesterday, well rather typed on Facebook about what we may witness. We both agreed that this is going to be a difficult journey. I feel particularly saddened for our team members that have been to Haiti pre-quake and can truly comprehend the extent of destruction the country is in.
So, while I sit here staring at the television, I thought I'd post a few pictures that I took of the items donated for my silent auction last Friday. The total amount raised is $2,308.00. 47 people attended and had a wonderful evening. Considering I had a goal of $3000.00 which I figured was virtually impossible, I am very impressed with this total. I will post my total monies raised in donations as well as from the fundraiser just before I leave next week!
I have started trying to pack my personal items this past week. This has proven to be quite an ordeal. I think I have it all sorted out now, but I am quite pleased with myself that for two weeks, I have packed the following:
- 2 pairs of quick-dry capris
- bathing suit and cover-up
- 6 t-shirts
- 3 tank tops
- 1 pair of long pants
- 1 pair of shorts
- 1 long sleeved light hoodie
- 2 pairs of socks
- 1 pair of runners, croc shoes, and 1 pair of flip flops
- week's worth of undergarments
- 2 scarves to wear on my head and one hat
- 2 week's worth of snack/lunch foods
I can finally see my living room floor and my office is almost starting to resemble the room I remember. I have spent the last few days worrying that I'm going to get sick or hurt myself and won't be able to go. I'm not sure if this is normal for someone who has been awaiting this day for so long, but I hope these feelings end soon. I had horrible dreams last night about what I might see when I get to Haiti with the outbreak, but I think this is all due to the anxiety and excitement of the trip.
Just 9 more sleeps!
 |
| These were the larger items donated |
 |
| Some of the smaller items (32 items donated all together) |
 |
| From this............. |
- 2 pairs of quick-dry capris
- bathing suit and cover-up
- 6 t-shirts
- 3 tank tops
- 1 pair of long pants
- 1 pair of shorts
- 1 long sleeved light hoodie
- 2 pairs of socks
- 1 pair of runners, croc shoes, and 1 pair of flip flops
- week's worth of undergarments
- 2 scarves to wear on my head and one hat
- 2 week's worth of snack/lunch foods
 |
| And this................ |
 |
| To this.......... I am very proud of my accomplishmen |
Just 9 more sleeps!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Cholera Outbreak
As if the people of Haiti haven't been asked to deal with enough after the aftermath of a devastating earthquake, there is now a Cholera outbreak which has already killed 142 people. I'm glad I started my Dukoral 1st dose two nights ago which is an anti-cholera medicine. I have included a link that explains what Cholera is and it's deadly effects if not treated quickly.
I'm not sure what to think about what we all may see when we arrive in Haiti in a week. I'm sitting and wondering how many people I may see suffer needlessly because there isn't enough medicine or that treatment didn't come soon enough. In this moment, I hope for the strength to do good work when I'm there and to put my nursing skills to good use. More than ever, I feel like I'm wasting time and I just want to jump on a plane and start helping those who need it. Please keep the people of Haiti in your thoughts in the coming weeks.
Watch Cholera Video
I'm not sure what to think about what we all may see when we arrive in Haiti in a week. I'm sitting and wondering how many people I may see suffer needlessly because there isn't enough medicine or that treatment didn't come soon enough. In this moment, I hope for the strength to do good work when I'm there and to put my nursing skills to good use. More than ever, I feel like I'm wasting time and I just want to jump on a plane and start helping those who need it. Please keep the people of Haiti in your thoughts in the coming weeks.
Watch Cholera Video
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Packing Has Begun........
I think that this is payback for all of the trips where I overpacked! When I was first told that I had to get all of my clothes in a single carry-on bag, I thought "No problem". I have taken a few pictures which I will post in the next few days to show you what a big problem I am experiencing.
It seems I may have to decide to either be naked for the entire trip or not eat, as I need to fit shoes, clothing, toiletries and food/snacks for two weeks in a suitcase I could easily fill for an overnight excursion. I have purchased some Space Bags that are supposed to allow you to roll the air out of the bags, compressing your clothing so you can fit twice the amount in the same space. We'll see if it works, and I will indeed take photos.
I have packed both my hockey supply bags and can barely lift them as they each weigh in at JUST under 50 lbs. I have "anti" every medication known to man and hope that I can hide them well enough that they are still in the bag when we arrive in Haiti.
Stay tuned, less than two weeks!
It seems I may have to decide to either be naked for the entire trip or not eat, as I need to fit shoes, clothing, toiletries and food/snacks for two weeks in a suitcase I could easily fill for an overnight excursion. I have purchased some Space Bags that are supposed to allow you to roll the air out of the bags, compressing your clothing so you can fit twice the amount in the same space. We'll see if it works, and I will indeed take photos.
I have packed both my hockey supply bags and can barely lift them as they each weigh in at JUST under 50 lbs. I have "anti" every medication known to man and hope that I can hide them well enough that they are still in the bag when we arrive in Haiti.
Stay tuned, less than two weeks!
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Fundraiser Was A Success!
I can't begin to tell you all how overwhelmed I was last night by the support I received at the fundraiser. By the end of the night, 47 people came to support me and all but 4 of the 31 auction items sold. The money is still being totalled, but I think it will be around $2,500.00 raised. With my original goal of $3,000.00 I am very impressed with this achievement. I'm sorry I wasn't able to take photos of last night, I was so busy talking to everyone and enjoying the evening, I forgot to take pictures.
To everyone who supported me, thank you for a fabulous evening!
It's hard to believe that the time has almost arrived that I am leaving. I have spoken in the past about "getting to go" to Haiti and I honestly feel that this is an honour. Yes, it is not going to be the Four Seasons and I'll probably be dirty more than clean, but knowing I may help someone in some small way is more exciting than anything I have done or experienced!
I am more thankful now than I have been in a very long time. Having just spent a healthy Thanksgiving with a roof over my head, food in my refrigerator, a warm bed to sleep in, amazing friends nearby and to live in Canada will resonate loudly with me in the coming weeks when I am surrounded by people who have never known such comforts.
To everyone who supported me, thank you for a fabulous evening!
It's hard to believe that the time has almost arrived that I am leaving. I have spoken in the past about "getting to go" to Haiti and I honestly feel that this is an honour. Yes, it is not going to be the Four Seasons and I'll probably be dirty more than clean, but knowing I may help someone in some small way is more exciting than anything I have done or experienced!
I am more thankful now than I have been in a very long time. Having just spent a healthy Thanksgiving with a roof over my head, food in my refrigerator, a warm bed to sleep in, amazing friends nearby and to live in Canada will resonate loudly with me in the coming weeks when I am surrounded by people who have never known such comforts.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Fundraiser
I'm still feeling quite thankful for the people in my life. This Thanksgiving is particulary important as I get ready to leave to a country that currently doesn't have much to be thankful for. I hope that in some small way, I can help to change that for a few Haitians.
It's the night before my fundraiser, and I have received even more donations since my last post. There will be about 30 items for the silent auction and I think about 20-30 people will be attending. I am nervous that I am hosting this and want it to be an enjoyable evening for those who attend, but also very excited about seeing so many people I know in the same room. The potential to raise a significant amount of money is possible tomorrow and I hope that all of the auction items sell at great prices. I also hope they sell period... I don't want to have to load any of them back in my car and bring them home. One key lesson learned in all of this...... fundraising is hard work and very time consuming!
We had our first team teleconference last night which was very informative. I liked being able to hear the voices of the people that I have been sharing emails with for the past 3 months and to start to piece together a sense of each personality. We will be travelling over a great amount of the country and I am looking forward to seeing a great deal of Haiti. I've taken pictures tonight of my office and my living room which now has all of the auction items waiting to be loaded into my car. I will take pictures tomorrow evening and post as soon as possible. The countdown is on.......... so exciting!!
It's the night before my fundraiser, and I have received even more donations since my last post. There will be about 30 items for the silent auction and I think about 20-30 people will be attending. I am nervous that I am hosting this and want it to be an enjoyable evening for those who attend, but also very excited about seeing so many people I know in the same room. The potential to raise a significant amount of money is possible tomorrow and I hope that all of the auction items sell at great prices. I also hope they sell period... I don't want to have to load any of them back in my car and bring them home. One key lesson learned in all of this...... fundraising is hard work and very time consuming!
We had our first team teleconference last night which was very informative. I liked being able to hear the voices of the people that I have been sharing emails with for the past 3 months and to start to piece together a sense of each personality. We will be travelling over a great amount of the country and I am looking forward to seeing a great deal of Haiti. I've taken pictures tonight of my office and my living room which now has all of the auction items waiting to be loaded into my car. I will take pictures tomorrow evening and post as soon as possible. The countdown is on.......... so exciting!!
Monday, October 11, 2010
3 Weeks And Counting
Twenty three days and I'll be in Haiti! I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly. My work schedule has lightened considerably so I can now focus on last minute preparations. I'll have to re-pack my bags as there is a greater need for medical supplies than originally thought, so some items will have to go into storage until my next trip or the next Vancouver team is sent to Haiti.
A few updates. We are now going to be in Haiti from November 2-16th as there were a few scheduling issues so everything was shifted by a day. I will now be leaving on November 1st and flying the red-eye so that I can arrive in time to meet the rest of the team on the 2nd in Montreal. I've never been able to sleep on a plane so I'm not sure what sort of condition I'll be in when I arrive in Montreal.
The pub night fundraiser and silent auction is this Friday. I'm a bit worried, I haven't sold many tickets but I know some of my closest friends are coming so I hope that there will be a great crowd and people will open up their wallets. It will also be open to the general public, so as long as the pub is full I'll be happy. The bar said that if people are coming in to eat, they will encourage people to buy a ticket for my cause rather than ordering off the menu. Jack, the owner has been amazing! I have raised almost $3000 and if I could raise another $2000 on Friday, I would be thrilled! I originally thought this would be a great idea, and it hasn't been a ton of work, just a lot of time going around to businesses asking for donations . So far, I have the following donations.
-Arbonne International basket $50
-Italian food basket $100
-Choices Market basket $100
-Aru pedicure $90
-Babycheeks $50
-Just Jewellery necklace $300
-Yoga basket $100
-Bikram White Rock Yoga $149
-Westjet flight vouchers $3000
-Yapes Paints $290
-Knife gift basket $100
-Luxury blanket $50
-Cookie making basket $70
This totals about $4400... so if I can get half of that less the $300 that I put in to purchase some items then I would be thrilled! There are about 4 or 5 more vendors and 3 baskets coming but I haven't received their items yet. I think it will be a pretty good auction as it covers all price ranges. I'm excited for everyone to be in the same room having a nice evening, I just hope I can enjoy the night and not be too busy running around. I have almost all of the bidding sheets done and all but a few of the baskets wrapped, so I think I'm quite organized. My camera is still at work but I will try to remember to bring it home and take pictures of my office. It's currently quite a sight!! Between two huge hockey bags and all of the fundraiser items, I can barely walk. Honestly, I can't wait to get it cleaned out.
I heard from Karen tonight, and she is trying to coodinate a teleconference this coming Wednesday evening so we can all chat and start preparations. I don't know if we will be talking about the upcoming elections in Haiti and how that might affect where we go to work. Civil upset may occur while we are there depending on how the elections go, so how and where we travel may change considerably. I hope not, I really want to see as much of the country as possible and spend time with the locals.
I puchased my mosquito net yesterday from MEC. I wanted to buy mine from Mountain Magic, a local outdoor store, but they didn't have the right size I needed. I still have to buy a few items, but I'll show you my super tiny suitcase as I start packing so everyone will believe that I am going away for two weeks with only a carry-on bag.
That's all for now, but I'll post again soon.
A few updates. We are now going to be in Haiti from November 2-16th as there were a few scheduling issues so everything was shifted by a day. I will now be leaving on November 1st and flying the red-eye so that I can arrive in time to meet the rest of the team on the 2nd in Montreal. I've never been able to sleep on a plane so I'm not sure what sort of condition I'll be in when I arrive in Montreal.
The pub night fundraiser and silent auction is this Friday. I'm a bit worried, I haven't sold many tickets but I know some of my closest friends are coming so I hope that there will be a great crowd and people will open up their wallets. It will also be open to the general public, so as long as the pub is full I'll be happy. The bar said that if people are coming in to eat, they will encourage people to buy a ticket for my cause rather than ordering off the menu. Jack, the owner has been amazing! I have raised almost $3000 and if I could raise another $2000 on Friday, I would be thrilled! I originally thought this would be a great idea, and it hasn't been a ton of work, just a lot of time going around to businesses asking for donations . So far, I have the following donations.
-Arbonne International basket $50
-Italian food basket $100
-Choices Market basket $100
-Aru pedicure $90
-Babycheeks $50
-Just Jewellery necklace $300
-Yoga basket $100
-Bikram White Rock Yoga $149
-Westjet flight vouchers $3000
-Yapes Paints $290
-Knife gift basket $100
-Luxury blanket $50
-Cookie making basket $70
This totals about $4400... so if I can get half of that less the $300 that I put in to purchase some items then I would be thrilled! There are about 4 or 5 more vendors and 3 baskets coming but I haven't received their items yet. I think it will be a pretty good auction as it covers all price ranges. I'm excited for everyone to be in the same room having a nice evening, I just hope I can enjoy the night and not be too busy running around. I have almost all of the bidding sheets done and all but a few of the baskets wrapped, so I think I'm quite organized. My camera is still at work but I will try to remember to bring it home and take pictures of my office. It's currently quite a sight!! Between two huge hockey bags and all of the fundraiser items, I can barely walk. Honestly, I can't wait to get it cleaned out.
I heard from Karen tonight, and she is trying to coodinate a teleconference this coming Wednesday evening so we can all chat and start preparations. I don't know if we will be talking about the upcoming elections in Haiti and how that might affect where we go to work. Civil upset may occur while we are there depending on how the elections go, so how and where we travel may change considerably. I hope not, I really want to see as much of the country as possible and spend time with the locals.
I puchased my mosquito net yesterday from MEC. I wanted to buy mine from Mountain Magic, a local outdoor store, but they didn't have the right size I needed. I still have to buy a few items, but I'll show you my super tiny suitcase as I start packing so everyone will believe that I am going away for two weeks with only a carry-on bag.
That's all for now, but I'll post again soon.
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