Arrival

Haiti! Here I am! It was a breeze! It was an early morning last Tuesday (flight left at 7am) but it was only a 5 hour flight. I remember waking up trying to prepare myself for the flight, subconsciously expecting the Africa flight, and then smiling with the realization that it wouldn’t take a fifth of that time! Diane (family friend who has had her heart here in Haiti for a long time and who agreed to come with me) and I flew through Raleigh and Miami with no problems but no extra time either. I had been warned many times by many people about the airport and the chaos on arrival. When we arrived it was a breeze. They have just opened the new arrival gate so everything was new and different, but not too crazy. When we tried to leave to get our ride we walked the wrong way but were caught in time to not get too far away. Haiti is hot (not sweltering yet) and green (though not many trees from deforestation and natural disasters). I hear Creole and French and try to respond but Chichewa comes automatically. That is changing some now as my first week is nearly over. The roads are terrible (bumps and potholes), nothing is signposted, the people are friendly, and I wonder what am I doing here…here's to the next adventure!