When we landed, there was a wonderful Trubador band playing and then we stepped outside and hit a "wall" of heat. It was in the high 90's and abut 100% humidity! The airport is an experience! First you have to get into a line to get a declaration form which you need to keep safe until the day you leave as you need to present it when you leave. Then, you have to get in a line to show your declaration form that you got on the plane and your passport, then (and this is where it gets exciting) it is each man for themselves. I can't describe the chaos of the baggage claim area except to say that you could easily lose luggage if you aren't quick enough to locate and retrieve your stuff.
We had to walk a fair distance from the airport arrivals to where the van was parked and along the way there were many young boys yelling: "Canadianne" to get your attention to ask for money. I also learned that you don't let anyone touch your luggage unless it is someone that the organization has hired. If they touch your bag, they will want money to return it. We got to ride in the new fan which has been nicknamed "Choo Choo" which loosely means cutie!
Getting in the van, we headed for the guesthouse and I was overwhelmed with both the beauty of the countryside as well as the amount of povery that is undescribable. The roads are off-roading and there are no traffic lights, stop signs or rules of the road other than you honk your horn when you are passing someone. The drivers know the vehicles and the space they consume down to the millimeter. I have learned not to look out the front window!
We arrived at the guesthouse and it is rustic but comfortable and were greated by Gracie, a cute lab mix that lives at the guesthouse. She is very friendly and likes to nip at your ankles! There are 6 girls staying in a room. You have your own single bed, covered by a bug net and a clothesline that runs down the centre of the room for you to hang your wet clothes. The bathroom has a flush toilet but this is the rule of the guesthouse. If it is yellow, let it mellow and if it's brown flush it down. No toilet paper gets flushed down the toilet, it all goes in a large plastic bucket. You don't leave the shower running, only cold water but you get wet, turn it off, wash your bits and then rinse. I slept very well the first night here. There is something comforting about having your bedroom open to the outdoors and being "cuccooned" in a mosquito net. The guesthouse is a few acres and has an in-ground pool and 2 guards (with large guns) that provide security 24 hours a day. I have never felt safer! The people here are so wonderful and have your safety always in mind and take very good care of the team. We need to always tell someone on the team when you are leaving the guesthouse and we understand that leaving the property alone is out of the question. There are UN officers everywhere so I have not yet felt that my safety has been in jeapordy. Last night, we went to a grocery store in Petition-Ville, a affluent part of Port-au-Prince. It had elevators and a large selection of many North American foods that we would purchase at home. It was very odd to be in such a modern grocery store. I have learned that a US dollar is equal to 40 gourdes. After dinner, we went to an outside venue to see a band called Zen Glen. They are a very popular Haitian band that was amazing. We were the only non-Haitians there of a few hundred people. We were ushered in and out via a back door (which also had armed security) and enjoyed a wonderful first night of music and Presige beer. Noel, our driver tried to teach me how to dance, but I need far more practice. Haitian men are very forward, they will just start dancing with you but lovely and are fabulous dancers. Coming home we all joked by saying: "Just for fun, why don't we wear out seatbelts". It was an amazing first night.
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