The ‘Let’s Get Rid of Tina and send her back to Haiti’ potluck last night was a blast- we laughed so hard for so long I think we were all crying. Curry, chili, fruit, raw veggies, homemade pumpkin pie, and a specially made & decorated Bon Voyage layer cake. I truly to have an amazing bunch of people in my life. Leslie & Karen were particularly troopers in their efforts to stay up with me until the wee hours of the morning so I wouldn’t miss my taxi. I’m pretty darned tired right now-I woke up yesterday morning at 4:30am, so I’ve been awake now for 29 hours. Boy, it’s going to be a loooonnnnnnnggggg day. I think when I arrive in PAP, a quick trip to the Hole in the Wall is in order, tent erection, and then a nice long sleep…and yes, I know, my sleep will be interrupted all night with the roosters- I’m almost looking forward to that!
First two legs of journey were with United Airways….and after spending about 20 minute lined up in the wrong line, I got to the proper line. They wanted me to pay $25 for the first bag I was checking, and $35 for the second- I exclaimed excitedly- what?! You’re going to charge for Haiti- all other airlines have waived the fees. She was defensive, and not particularly friendly, so I changed tactics and calmed down my tone, and asked if we could call her supervisor. She did, and of course, they waived the fees. Whew, another $60 would have been ridiculous. Some of the 'cheaper' airlines have these add-on fees that you might not expect.
First leg of the journey complete- check
Shuttle pick up at 3am, flight at 6:45 from Toronto to Philadelphia, stopover until 9:55am and no internet. No internet at an airport in 2011? What is that?
This airport is like a gigantic shopping mall- glistening floors, sparkling overpriced shops of things I’m not even interested in looking at. I do a pretty good job of avoiding malls in my current life, seeking out used book & clothing stores instead.
Folks I meet in line or at shared meals are soooo interested in Haiti, in knowing how things really are there, and they always tell me to be safe. It continues to kindle my belief in humanity, hearing the good wishes of strangers. They thank me for what I am doing, which really blows me away, as it doesn’t really feel like I’m doing much, especially compared with volunteers who have been in Haiti for months and months.
One couple in the line-up at the Toronto airport mentioned that they are celebrating their 25th anniversary, and are on their way to Hawaii. I said, ‘Oh, the ‘other’ H country. Needless to say, our experiences in our respective H countries are going to be at opposite ends of the spectrum.
Going to see if it’s time to board yet; next stop-over: Fort Lauderdale. Never been there before.
Whew! Made it, but just barely. Almost missed the connection in Fort Lauderdale, but rushed on last minute. Next time, I'll plan on a direct flight, or maybe just only one connection- three connections, followed by a middle of the night taxi ride, was just tooooo long.
Made it to PAP in good time, and get this- not only was all of my luggage intact, it was in the baggage claims area before I got there. Last time I had to wait an hour in the heat, with all kinds of people pushing & shoving.
Andy, Jean Louis and Samuel, our new crew member, met me at the airport, beer in hand, and we took a tap tap taxi home.
When walking down our street back to the base, we saw a truck go by laden with beets and two beautiful women sitting there amongst them (would have been an awesome photo, but hey, my camera was buried at that point!). Andy ran over & promptly bought 10 of these beauts- and there are mangoes sitting here on the table too. Mmmm, fruit & veggies!
The straw house looks FABULOUS! Can’t wait to tuck into some plaster with the boys. In the meantime, we’re enjoying some scotch here back in our office. I have had a warm welcome from everyone here at GRU- as good as the goodbye hugs I got at the other end. Have I mentioned that I feel really fortunate in my life?!
It’s now 7:34pm…so I’ve been awake for 39 hours or so…time to steal a sleeping spot in a vacant tent (because of course I went directly to the Hole in the Wall rather than obeying the rule about setting up your tent before dark!), have a cold bucket shower (I quite look forward to it- it’s only about 86 or 90º F here right now! Might try to make it an early night so I’m refreshed for a day of work tomorrow!
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