Haiti: Day 1
The day began with a three hour nap, from 11pm-2:30am. When you prepare to go to a foreign country and you know that you will be entering chaos, it doesn't matter how much sleep you get. Our adrenaline was pulling us through on this day.
We arrived at the airport at 3:30, and were confronted by a very long line of people who had been dealing with cancelled flights due to hurricane Sandy. However, by some grace, a lady saw us and waved us up front to be checked in, bypassing the line. She then proceeded to wave $400 worth of bag fees. Why? We don't know, an act of kindness, an act of God?
There is a present calm that what we are doing is right, yet I myself have a growing anxiety knowing that there is no gentle entry point into Haiti, you step into chaos directly off the plane. For my personality type, who supposedly can know the general outcome of most events given the circumstances, I'm at a complete loss. I have no context, hence my anxiety.
We landed in Port Au Prince, went through customs, got our ten bags and then entered "the gauntlet." It's a myriad of men who want to help you for a tip, they don't take know for N answer and not even your elbow to keep them off your bags. We had three guys help us.
Once loaded in the van, I experienced my first taste of Haitian driving and traffic. No lines, earthquake ridden, Ill repaired, trashed covered streets: no rules was the only rule of the road.
We arrived athe guest house, and then rushed to make it to IBESR before the office closed and hope was lost for the KKO adoptions. With need for speed like driving from Rudy, our driver, we made it.
From there we went to KKO and met the kids, especially Andy. He was shy, but the younger kids call him "papa Andy" because be takes care of them. We dropped off donations and had to leave before nightfall.
We were joined for dinner by a group of Haitian teenage boys. Stephon, Shelove, Wendell, and Marcus. They were hilarious and began to let me into the life and culture of Haitian teenagers. It was a blessed evening.
Day 1 was full of exhaustion. The magnitude of what I saw today had not sunk in, because even as I was watching all of it for the first time, it seems unreal or even strangely calm to observe these people in there own cultural environment. It's chaos, but there is so much joy. The country and city are devastated yet I saw so much life. I focus on the positives, but will surely be confronted with the depressingly unavoidable present reality for many Haitians. Not a life in poverty, but a life without hope.
We arrived at the airport at 3:30, and were confronted by a very long line of people who had been dealing with cancelled flights due to hurricane Sandy. However, by some grace, a lady saw us and waved us up front to be checked in, bypassing the line. She then proceeded to wave $400 worth of bag fees. Why? We don't know, an act of kindness, an act of God?
There is a present calm that what we are doing is right, yet I myself have a growing anxiety knowing that there is no gentle entry point into Haiti, you step into chaos directly off the plane. For my personality type, who supposedly can know the general outcome of most events given the circumstances, I'm at a complete loss. I have no context, hence my anxiety.
We landed in Port Au Prince, went through customs, got our ten bags and then entered "the gauntlet." It's a myriad of men who want to help you for a tip, they don't take know for N answer and not even your elbow to keep them off your bags. We had three guys help us.
Once loaded in the van, I experienced my first taste of Haitian driving and traffic. No lines, earthquake ridden, Ill repaired, trashed covered streets: no rules was the only rule of the road.
We arrived athe guest house, and then rushed to make it to IBESR before the office closed and hope was lost for the KKO adoptions. With need for speed like driving from Rudy, our driver, we made it.
From there we went to KKO and met the kids, especially Andy. He was shy, but the younger kids call him "papa Andy" because be takes care of them. We dropped off donations and had to leave before nightfall.
We were joined for dinner by a group of Haitian teenage boys. Stephon, Shelove, Wendell, and Marcus. They were hilarious and began to let me into the life and culture of Haitian teenagers. It was a blessed evening.
Day 1 was full of exhaustion. The magnitude of what I saw today had not sunk in, because even as I was watching all of it for the first time, it seems unreal or even strangely calm to observe these people in there own cultural environment. It's chaos, but there is so much joy. The country and city are devastated yet I saw so much life. I focus on the positives, but will surely be confronted with the depressingly unavoidable present reality for many Haitians. Not a life in poverty, but a life without hope.
posted by Levi at
5:59 PM
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