My first day feels like a months worth of activity. . .

I don't even know where to begin, where did I leave off?  I'm just gonna throw words up all over the page and see what happens.  So actually having my flight cancelled on Saturday really worked out to my benefit.  I got a free night in a very nice hotel and just relaxed which I needed.  So the next morning as I was waiting for my shuttle, I hooked up with a church group of college co-eds who were going to Haiti to work in an orphanage.  So the airport and flight experience was totally different this time.  I no longer felt alone, I was part of a group that would kind of watch out for me.  The gate no longer felt alien to me.  When I landed in Haiti, I did not have to experience the airport alone which was my only true fear anyway.  For good reason, cuz it was crazy!!!  Also, since I arrived on a Sunday, the "traffic" was not bad. 

I met Natalie, the Haiti Project rep at the airport, our "chauffeur" drove us to the Project Hope compound.  Chauffeur may sound fancy, but trust me, you need a very aggressive, fearless, but safe and mindful driver to maneuver the "streets" of Haiti.  We pulled up outside the gate and honked the horn.  The gate opened by an armed guard.  The compound is actually a house that Project Hope rented from former inhabitants following the earthquake.  The house is large, likely belongs to an affluent family, but is pretty dilapidated.  And there is no such thing as hot water here, but I was expecting that.  The other volunteers have already arrived of course since there flights arrived on time.  There are only two other volunteers in the same boat as me; Kristen is an occupational therapist and Joan is a nurse practitioner.  We spent the evening getting acquainted and comparing notes.

We never really know what's going to happen, when it's going to happen, or what's expected of us.  It's a must in this situation to just keep an open mind and go with the flow.  We are wisked away the next morning to Diquini which is merely 7 miles from the Compound but takes an hour and a half to get there.  That's right, I said an hour and a half to go 7 miles!  There were 5 of us in the car and let me tell you that we did not talk very much for several reasons;  we were taking it all in.  There were Haitians everywhere walking and I just wanted to know what their purposes were, where exactly were they going?  I saw a woman carrying 4 boxes on her head, others carrying large baskets filled with food. Perfectly balanced on streets that were nothing but gravel pits and potholes.  Absolutely amazing.  I saw buildings that used to be 4 stories high that had collapsed and pancaked.  I saw sewage along the side of the road, filled with garbage like a landfill.  I saw the tent cities.  I saw my life flash before my eyes as there are absolutely no traffic laws here.  Cars everywhere, any side of the street, anywhere there was empty road space, is where the cars would go.  On top of that,  there were people on motorcycles weaving between cars when there was barely any room to get by.  And these people don't flinch.  There really is no road rage, because it just is.  It's what they're used to. . .absolute chaos. 

I don't know if I have the time or energy to go into the hospital experience right now.  It's about 10:00 before we arrive at the hospital.  Again, people everywhere.  How many people are in this country?  There are only 2 stories to this hospital.  People are lining the hallways on the first floor.  They just take a number and wait to be seen in the clinic.  And they wait patiently, and they are very grateful for the attention they receive when they receive it.  We are given a haphazard tour.  There are some levels of organization, but still very disorganized.  And at this point it's very difficult to be organized because you have so many volunteers rotating in and out of the hospital constantly.  We were oriented and introduced to the people we would be working with.  The goal is to educate the local staff so that they are able to maintain and continue with care as the volunteers leave the country for good.  I meet 4 rehab techs.  They are Haitian men.  One has been a tech for 3 years.  The one I got to talk with the most was Samuel.  He has been a tech for less than 6 mos.  He has no formal education.  What happened is that after the earthquake he was a translator for the volunteers coming in.  There was a huge need for PT's.  He said they put a request out for PT's in Haiti, and there were only 15 in the entire country.  He became interested and asked to be trained to do what we do.  So, in essence, my primary job is to educate them so they can rehabilitate Haiti.   I did see several patients this afternoon, and after only one day, I can see so many differences between Haitian and American cultures.  I will get into that tomorrow as I feel I have thrown up enough words for the day, and I know other volunteers are waiting to use the computer.  So, see you tomorrow.  Oh, and for the record, Creole is an extremely difficult language to understand.  It's like a bunch of words slurred together.  Good night!  Enjoy your airconditioning and bed as I will be sleeping on a cot with the mosquitos and no air.

Hugs!