As you have discovered, I never did get my signal last night, but after many attempts this morning, I gave up until after clinic when I ventured back up the hill, and with my good luck entourage in tow, finally success! Read More
After leaving the building site yesterday, we returned to Grace for a bite before diving into the inventory sorting, bagging and packing. We have definitely accumulated lots of “stuff” over the years – we are looking forward to having designated and locked storage rooms at the clinic site where we won’t have to open crates and rummage through supplies.
After dinner yesterday it didn’t take long for the entire team to retire for the night. And in 9 years, I don’t think I have ever had as restful a night…in any of the places we have stayed…and this was Port au Prince! The night was cool, there was a slight breeze and the generator kept the fans going until about 3am. How do I know? Well, when the fans shut off, the silence was deafening…it woke me up. I listened for a time and heard nothing – no roosters, no dogs, no cats, no music or crying babies…just silence! Eventually, the generator came back on and the fans restored the white noise which drowned out the inevitable soft rumble of someone’s slumber.
The good news was we still had another hour or more to sleep…or so most of us thought. You see, we were informed that Haiti would not be setting their clocks ahead, as in the States, and it appeared to be true – I checked my phone’s clock a few times once awakened and confirmed we were still 1 hour behind the US. But, as we are in Haiti, apparently they decided to advance the clocks after all…at about 5:15, or rather now 6:15! So all of a sudden we were late for breakfast and Garry arrived with our van in the next half hour. We all rallied well though and our original departure was only delayed by 30minutes. In Haiti, one must always be prepared to adapt and adjust…a good lesson for life in general.
Once we met up with our friend Boaz, on the main road, for the journey to Les Cayes, we made a quick stop at a pharmacy for some medication needed for our clinics. Then we headed out in earnest for our destination. Garry did his best to make up the lost time but traffic and stalled vehicles in downtown Port au Prince as well as an impromptu musical parade in Leogane conspired against him.
Despite all this, we still made our customary stop at the Mango market where Garry once again braved the barrage of vendors insisting he purchase their produce. Like a pro, he settled on his favorite, depleted her supply substantially for us…and again off at breakneck speed for Les Cayes – bound and determined to get us there safely AND on time! And on time we were…even with our stops and starts and traffic delays, we made it to the boat in under 5 hours and we even beat Big Boss and Big Boss Lady. Must have had a great tailwind!!
Once at the pier, we realized the seas would be rough and the ride over damp and long…and so it was. Everyone fared well though and since the supplies went ahead, we had less to unload and the trek up the hill was more manageable. We quickly unpacked and hung nets and immediately marched over to the building site.
Here goes:
Covered porch all around.
View from Exam Room 2 (same as 1, 3 & 4).
Check out the size of your pharmacy Jenn…and your view!!
View from the future Birthing Room.
As you can see, the site has come a long way. The 1st floor walls are complete, the cap laid and iron framing in place. Just waiting for the forms to go up and the ceiling/floor to be laid…The Peter Y. Whitehead Memorial Clinic is going up! And anyone wishing to know exactly where we are…Tom has marked and named the site on the Maps.me app and we intend to mark it on Google maps as soon as we figure out how.
For now, we will head back to our current lodgings, unpack supplies and await a delicious meal. Tonight we will dream of dining on the 2nd floor of the new clinic and enjoying the ocean breeze on its roof deck. The Dream is indeed becoming Reality. We are Bound and Determined to be sure!
That is all for today…it has been long, warm and damp for all. We will have most certainly have much more to share after clinic tomorrow.
Love to All,
The Team
….and now, finally Bound for Haiti & Ile a Vache!! From the start, this trip has been a challenge. Since it is Spring Break on many college campuses, we were challenged to obtain flights at a reasonable cost and schedule. As such, it was also a bit more difficult to assemble a full team; and due to some unforeseen circumstances, we lost 3 of our team members as we were preparing for the trip…and this doesn’t even take into account the ongoing turmoil in Haiti which resulted in our State Dept issuing heightened travel warnings, causing other teams to cancel in previous weeks and nearly causing us to do the same. But just like “The Little Engine That Could”, we perservered and are now 7 strong Bound for the tropics!!
Our team is divided between Virginia and NYC this trip and for the first time going into Haiti we were on different flights, but we successfully united in the airport in Port au Prince before running the familiar Baggage Claim, Immigration and Customs gauntlet. As always, they lightened our load a bit. Once past the usual shakedown though, we were reunited with Garry – our ever dependable, gracious and smiling driver/navigator…what a relief! Luggage was quickly loaded and we made our way to our Urban Oasis for tonight – St Joseph’s guesthouse – where we always have the pleasure of meeting up with our friends and hosts Bill and Walnes. It is so nice to see them on our travels – just like “coming home”!
Shortly after our arrival we had another pleasant excursion. Since we arrived earlier than usual, Bill was able to arrange for all of us to make a side trip to visit Josi and Ruth at their thriving business. The two of them never cease to amaze me – Josi is working on his final thesis to become certified as a Haitian attorney while working at their business, Ruth is in charge of the business while finishing school, they are raising 2 young children and at the same time they are providing work and housing for multiple family members in their 2 room home….work ethic second to none and an inspiration to all!
After our all too short visit, we made our way home through the busy streets of Port au Prince and grabbed a cold beverage before heading to the roof to catch the breeze and watch the sun slowly set as we awaited the bell calling us to our first delicious dinner in Haiti.
As the day began at 3:30am, I feel certain it will be an early night and it is shaping up to be a cool, breezy one…perfect for a good night’s sleep…which is great because we have a 7:00am start to our travels tomorrow. We hope to be on Ile a Vache early! Here’s hoping for an uneventful road trip and a great reunion with our friends on the island.
That is all for tonight…more tomorrow with updates and photos of the progress on the clinic.
Love to All,
The Team
After ten or more days of being unsure whether we could go on this trip or not because of the unrest in Haiti, we are finally resolved to go on our original schedule. It is Haiti so things could change, but all seems well today.
We have our scheduled “packing party” this Saturday (March 2) so all the donated supplies for this trip need to be ready by then.
In addition, we are excited to announce that Dr. Jessie Pierce, through Staunton Baptist Church of Huddleston, VA, has generously donated vitamins and other supplies to Project Starfish. They will be well received in Haiti.
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