Day Deux!

Wow, what a day....up early (not something I enjoy partaking in!!) for some coffee...it is certainly not Green Mountain, but caffeine is caffeine!  We enjoyed a breakfast outside, and then headed into church.  While in our van on the way over, I had my hand out the window (something I would get a hand tapping for).  I was taken back when a little boy who was walking by (we were driving very slow because of all the traffic).  He put his hand on mine and rubbed it.  I looked at him and he smiled.  When I looked through the back window, he was still looking and gave me a gentle wave.  THESE are the times that I fall in love with this country and its people....It was wonderful seeing new faces at the church, but especially reconnecting with old friends.  Pouchon, whom I met during our last trip, was there with his new wife, and gorgeous baby boy!!!  Pouchon has kept in touch with me in the States and has been giving me French lessons either via phone or email, with the promise that I will teach him English.  I think I mentioned the last time that he probably speaks it better than me.  The other woman I saw was Madame St. Jean.  She is just the epitome of beautiful...inside her soul and out.  I would think she is in her 80s and is tiny with gray hair all pulled up in a bun.  When we were last here, she would pack a wheelbarrow full of Coke (HUGE glass bottled Coke!) and sell them to us for $1 each.  She mentioned she would be at our site tomorrow, so be sure to have our dollar bills. 

The Haitians at first always seem weary of us, but a smile and bonjour, and their arms open up.  The church was packed as usual.  They have long wooden benches that we sit on - and let me tell you - you have no room to put your purse or scarf next to you, as we are/were one on top of the other.  Which can make things extremely HOT.  Nehemy's brother, Stevenson, who is a musician, arrived with his keyboard so that he could play our songs.  Stevenson was a music teacher at one of the local schools, but the school was destroyed in the earthquake, and now he has no job.  He has been traveling around to the different tent cities to play for the children, which amongst all the chaos, makes their day.  He is a pretty special guy.  He will actually be bringing us to one of the larger tent cities in Port au Prince later this week, so we can witness firsthand the devastation of this impoverished nation.  Our hope is when we see it, we have a better understanding, and are able to return to share what it was like - and how we need, need, need to get involved and help these people.

It was like I remembered last time, shouting, singing, clapping.  When we received communion, it was like nothing I have experienced before.  We were lined up to kneel in front - about 12 of us at a time, where we were given bread and wine.  The church sang loudly while the preacher prayed in Creole.  The energy was truly palpable.

Church lasted about three hours - can you imagine this back home??? But here, it goes by in an instant.  Oh, and there was this beautiful little girl in front of me - about 8 years old.  She moved her hand slowly back and back and back, until her hand was on my leg.  She kept it there and held my leg, and eventually started to rub it up and down with her finger.  My guess was the stubble. :-) 

Then to lunch for a burger that was like nothing I have ever tasted before.  SPICY and dense.  Perhaps chewy.  I ate it quickly.

Once we arrived back at the Guest House, I finally took my first shower since Boston on Friday night.  Yuck.  And, as I also remembered, NO hot water, and a huge lack of cold.  It drip, drip, drips down.  And as I lathered my hair, the water turned off completely.  AAAAAGGGGRRHHHH.  I managed to get most of it out, but sans conditioner, coupled with the humidity, dust, and pollution, you can just imagine what I look like.

This afternoon we created an agenda for tomorrow, the work site, and then opened all the suitcases and seperated all of the items we brought - From YOU - thank you!!!!  Tomorrow we will work with the children in Croix des Mission on some arts/craft projects, and teach the adults.  I canNOT wait. 

You will all be proud (Those of you who know me) that I am taking TONS of photos!!!!!!!  I tried to upload them this evening, but am having difficulty (technologically challenged as most of you also know!)  I will work on it one more time tomorrow, but it may have to wait until I return.  While here, I am really trying to disconnect from this mainstream media and focus on being present HERE.  There is so much to take in and checking email etc., takes away from the experience.  I will be back tomorrow, however, to debrief on the day.

Again, please forgive any misspellings or grammatical errors/issues.  Too tired to edit and not sure I could if I wanted to!!
Thanks so much for following -  Namaste.

ARRIVED!

Wow, what a day.....up at 3am, flight to NYC, then directly down to Port au Prince.  It was nice landing and feeling a bit more at ease since I have been here once before.  The old airport was pretty much destroyed in the earthquake, so what they had was pretty new, but as before chaotic.  You walk out of the plane, take a shuttle bus to your bags which are piled up in the middle of a huge room, not unlike a small gymnasiam.  People one on top of the other all in search of their belongings.  Of course, I froze (being a Vermonter/NHerite, I am not at ALL used to the chaos, crowds, sounds, and smells).  We made our way through customs and outside where we waited for two hours for another team member to arrive from Texas.  It was hot, smelly, and just filled with Haitians trying to take our bags - and some enjoying a little bit of harassment.  I am at least clued into the "petite blanc" from last time - little/short white, so knew they were talking to me. 

Once Andrew arrived from Texas, Bob was also there to greet us and we made our way to the house in a tap tap (bus-like vehicle in Haiti).  This one was EXACTLY like a paddy wagon (sp?) with caged sides etc.  NOT that I know what one of those things i like, but you get the picture. :-)  It took us over an hour to drive 10 miles.  So many tent cities, so many homeless people, so much dirt, smoke, and NOISE.  At one point the UN was behind us complete with artillary - a gun pointing right toward us.  A bit nervewracking to say the least.  We all agreed that our hope was the van didn't hit an unexpected bump...we would be in trouble.  Lots of police and armed soldiers in the streets.  We were told not to take pictures of them, or they would seize our cameras. 

We passed several cemetaries as well - they are a lot like the ones in New Orleans (above ground) but what was shocking is seeing a human skull on one of them.  Its surreal, really........then onto cock fighting, and fires down the alleyways.

When we arrived at the guest house, we were so warmly greeted.  The folks here who run it are somewhat new, and from the States.  One guy is from NYC and I can't remember where the woman is from.  I was able to venture out and see the three puppies they took in - so beautiful and sweet - but with razor-like teeth!!  I am marked up.  Then saw some baby chicks/pigeons (whatever!!) underneath the stair, and a couple of kittens.  We have guard dogs here, which we don't ever get to see. They allow them out at 11pm each night, and they are back in their cages by 6am.  Our location is in a pretty run-down part of PoP, but behind these cement walls, it is like a little haven.

Ate a great dinner - pumpkin soup!!!! And some other yummy Haitian fare.  We practiced our French songs for church tomorrow, which I am really looking forward to.  I am hoping to see all of my old friends from two years ago there.

The plan right now is church tomorrow (which lasts 1/2 the day!) then to the work site on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  Thursday we will spend time at a children's hospital to give out dolls and hold the babies (Tray, you may have a brother/sister when I return!!) We will also visit the neighborhood in Croix des Mission to see how progress is being made with their homes.  Many of them were destroyed in the earthquake - we will be helping to rebuild some of these as well. 

There is a journalist and photographer down here who will follow us on Thursday or Friday to do a story on our work (they are also down here following  the Dartmouth-Hitchcock clinicans who are down here this week as well - they are working in Cange.  Keep on the lookout for the story in the paper!!

This evening, I spotted a beautiful young girl near the fence (she had been watching us sing), and she waved me over.  She is probably 10 years old and adorable.  I went over and she asked what my names was.  I said, "je appel robin" (have no clue how to spell it) and asked for hers.  Sara it was/is...she then asked, are we friends?  And I said, "oui, oui, tu es mon bon amie!!!"  She laughed and  hugged me and like the grinch, my heart grew 4 sizes.

Now I am off to bed, as I am about to collapse from this very long day.  Will report in tomorrow..OH - and I will also try to post pictures!!!  That will be a task for a time other than tonight.

So, bon soir, and Tray, Je t'aime beaucoup!!!!

Peace.

En Route!

In NYC on our way to Port au Prince....and man, I am TIRED.  Up at 3 and should be at the house by 4pm.  Will try to blog this evening.  Excited, nervous, worried, happy, scared....

Au revoir!

One more day....

I managed to be up much of the night remembering bits and pieces of my 2009 trip to Port au Prince and wondering how different it will be in Haiti after the earthquake that was experienced last year...... and with the cholera outbreak......and now the political unrest.  And I begin to worry.  But I try not to for long, because I also remember the beautiful community we will be with, and how much they filled my heart the last time we were there. 

This past week, I was fortunate to be invited to sit in on a meeting with Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Medical Director and a group of clinicians who will also be traveling to Haiti while our group is there.  It's an awesome feeling being a part of something bigger than us - something that will make a difference for/to others.  It is also a reality check of what we are heading down to: the continuation of tent cities, disease, hunger, and ongoing crime.  From what I heard at this meeting, the United Nations is in full force (a good thing!)  And although a good thing, it is quite the "odd" feeling when you are driving to your work site, and you witness armed men in the streets, guns, helicopters....you are not in the US anymore.

I think an awful lot about my son Tray, and how much he means to me, and how I want to be the best person I can for him.  And how important it is to give back, and quite frankly, how much I am given through such a trip. I would love for Tray to learn about this other culture, how we as humans can do good, and from it all, to remember how lucky we are.

One day before we leave, and there is still sooooo much to do.  Getting projects wrapped up at work, running around picking up donations, and still needing to pick up my DEET, sunscreen, and water (weird to think that I will need these things in less than 48 hours with our temps here in VT/NH!) 

Anyhow, I am rambling as usual, and will close for now.  I hope to post here each night that we are in Port au Prince - and even have a camera this time around (thank you Pete!) so will also try to post a few pics each day.

Thanks for following....peace.

Robin

*please excuse any typos this week....merci!

Last Post

It will NOT be my last post as I had mentioned earlier.   It "will" be until I begin traveling South to Haiti....then I will pick it up again.  Stay tuned!!!!! <3

Last Post

Please continue to send good wishes and love to those families we will be working with in Port au Prince.  We hope that in our small way, we will make their lives lighter and happier...funny  that no matter how hard of a place we are in personally in life, this "hard place" tends to take on a much lesser roll when our lives get lighter and happier for whatever reason:  you were given socks when you couldn't find them, you were helped across a road or street to get to your doctor, your children have happy faces, smiling, cheering, as they play with their new toys, balls, writing materials, clay.....  This is my goal.  To make it better, lighter, happier for those who were never given a chance.  Namaste.

Check out daily entries on:  http://haititales2010.blogspot.com/

Tick, tick, tick....

Eight more days...