Today was a little frustrating as our travel difficulties spilled over from Saturday to Sunday. We got up plenty early and made it to the airport at the prearranged time, taking the shuttle from the hotel to the airport. From then on everything slowed down to a crawl. We loaded a little late and took off really late. Since it was raining really hard, some carpet in the rear of the plane got wet and had to be vacuumed out (I have never heard of that one before). That was only one of the problems. I think we ended up getting off a couple hours later than we were supposed to, and the whole affair included upset passengers and panicky stewardesses. The passengers broke out in applause when we lifted off, and after a non-eventful flight, broke out in applause again once we landed in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Customs and luggage acquisition went off without a hitch. Up to 10 helpers, eagerly hoping for a tip, helped us with our luggage, even arguing over who was the “head helper.” Phil Snyder calmed them down by yelling at them a bit.
We were transported as a group in Phil’s pickup with bench seats in the back. A metal cage-like frame surrounded the rear area, and you felt a bit like you were in a cage, but safe, nonetheless. Phil took a short cut he called “ambush-alley” to get out of Port-au-Prince quickly since we were late already. We wondered why he called it that. Surprises along the way included out of control traffic flow (at least to our standards) with busses ruling the roads, passing on both hills and curves. Pedestrians carrying various goods for bartering dotted the shoulders of the road and most seemed unperturbed by the racing traffic at times inches away from their bodies. Smells of exhaust, burning rubbish, and dust trumped out any natural smells that may have approach us.
Phil let us take showers and relax a bit at our lodgings, the Kalico Inn, before embarking on our day’s journey. Highlights of the day include a visit to a small village and playing games with the kids and a visit of a Haitian Museum. In particular, the village visit struck me as significant. I got a good glimpse of what kind of group I was traveling with in a short time. Robin, Belinda, Sue, Sarah, and Emily had all kinds of activities going on with the kids. Others in our group were involved in conversations using our translation books (very limited choices of words to use, but still useful). We visited some homes that had roof damage from the recent strong winds and watched Phil assess what needed to be done. I sense that Phil takes care of a lot of needs for these people. By the time we left, we felt like friends with many of the adults and children. It was a great experience.
At the museum a iron cross had the words “The Crucifixion of Haiti” printed across the top with the years 1492 to 1804 listed also. This represented the enslavement time of the Haitians, starting with Columbus and the Spanish/French and ending with the Independence Day (from France). This country has had a sad history overall.
Our teachers did not hesitate getting to know the children in this village.
Later that evening we had what we called a “secret” meeting. I am not sure how that started, but it stuck. Basically, we talked about the next day’s summit and made decisions about what we planned to do, and what we would do with all the supplies we brought along.
Everyone is doing well, with a little sickness, but not enough to curtail any activities. Pray that the summit goes well on Tuesday and Wednesday.
We are going to travel in that?
