I have a bit of catch up to get everyone up to speed. The 1st part of my travels from Vancouver to Montreal overall went smoothly. It was so great to meet up with the rest of the team in Montreal and finally meet everyone that we have been teleconferencing with. The flight was packed to Haiti as it normally is and the overhead bins filled up quickly. I learned from last year if you pass a bin and it has a space for your carry on, take it, even if it is nowhere close to your seat becuase you might not find another one later.
Arrivals at Haiti was generally uneventful, no chaos, quite orderly for Haitian standards and even at the baggage claim area, things went quite smoothly. We had a few minor challenges obtaining and counting all the bags and some were inspected by security but overall, no major issues. Hero, our driver who we have come to know well over the years, was there to greet us with his huge smile and giggled as he gave each of us a hug. We even heard him utter a few words in English which NEVER happens.
It took quite a long time to get to our hotel after leaving the airport as it was rush hour traffic, but once we arrived and got all the bags off the van and sorted we got our rooms. Karen and I are roomies, and our relationship on this trip has gone to a whole new level! Our bathroom was in the corner of the room with a semi half wall so you basically were using the toilet in front of each other. We giggled and had quite a laugh about it. We had a fantastic dinner at Montana and saw Gail, Andy and Damian again! So wonderful to see the faces of friends each time we return. The night ended around 10pm and my head was sleepy from a few Rhum Sours.
The next morning we were up bright and early and watched Hero pack all of our bags on top of the van only to find out that the security gate at the hotel was much shorter than the stack of bags on top of the van, so we could not fit through. He had to take them all down and repack the van in the street which took an extra 2 hours. We made it to the coast without running into the expected manifestations we were told might occur during our 4 hour drive. There has been many killings in the streets of police officers and manifestations over the cost of food so we were lucky that we didn't have any issue. Crossed the sea in record time and watched the men at Port Morgan carry our bags up the big hill. We were so greatful that they were here as it would have been a big job.
Yesterday was day 1 at the orphange and it was fantastic to see the kids. Some have grown so much since last year and there are a few new faces and a few faces that aren't there anymore. A new addition arrived not long ago, Nelson an infant who's mother died during childbirth. He was a twin and his brother didn't survive as he died shortly after birth from breathing difficulties. He was a sweetheart, and needs some work done on his lungs to clear them, so he's going to be a priortity for me. We spent the better part of the afternoon playing with the kids after school got out. Overall, it wasn't a super productive day for me, but helped me see which children need assessments tomorrow. I was able to diagnose a rash on a few of the kids that was confirmed to be Herpes, so our team is making efforts to be cognizant of good hand hygiene as much as possible so we come home healthy. Tomrrow, Rosy and \I are going to sit with the ladies that wash the kids clothes to see if we can establish some infection control practices.
We were all exhausted yesterday. After a swim in the ocean, a beer and dinner we were all ready for bed by 8pm. I have had a difficult time on this trip aclimating and yesterday I fought through a migrane all day. I think it was a combination of fatigue, dehydration and lack of caffiene. Today is the first day I feel myself and am ready to work. Hopefully, the sea will calm and we will be able to take the boat to the orphanage. It rained very hard last night after an excruciatingly hot day. The sun is trying to come out now but I am enjoying sitting with the breeze and not sweating.
I've feel very emotional on this trip. Things are continuing to get cleaned up, the streets are being well maintained and builing is starting again all over the city. I don't know why I feel this way, except to say that its hard to describe the absolute poverty Haitians live in each day and perhaps becuase I have friends here it makes it feel more like home.
I will keep in touch as much as I can, the internet has been unreliable the past few days. I won't be able to post pictures for a while as it takes far too long to load them, but I can't wait to share them all with you when I get home. Off I go to start writing reports on the kiddos I saw yesterday. The sky is blue, birds are chirping, roosters are letting us know they are nearby and the faint sound of Kompa music is playing nearby. Life is good.
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