Welcome to Haiti

So, of course, the trip here didn't exactly go as planned.  The "short" layover that I was supposed to have in Miami, turned into a long layover.  My plane was delayed two hours.  Finally, I arrived in Port au Prince.  I had no way to contact Jan to tell him that I was going to be late.  So, I waited for my bags, and waited, and waited, and they never came.  Come to find out, all of the luggage from the flight originating in Chicago never made it to Haiti.  Lovely.  Here I am in Haiti for one year with no bags.  Nothing really but the one pair of clothes I am wearing and a few personal items.  I reported my bags missing at the airport counter, and luckily, I was able to find Jan.  He had been waiting for me for almost three hours...oooppps.  Sorry Jan!  We made the two hour trip to St. Helene.  The trip went well.  I stayed in the retreat house the first night.  It is not really supposed to serve as permanent living quarters, but that I where Jan stays when he is here.  Then, yesterday, we went back into Port Au Prince to run errands.  We went back to the airport and suprisingly enough, I was able to get my luggage without any hassle.  Thank God.  I feel much better knowing that I least have a change of clothes!  We travelled all over Port Au Prince.  I had my first experience shopping in a Haitian supermarket in Petionville.  Believe it or not, you can buy pretty much anything there.  They had oreos, chips ahoy, cereal, pop, beer, all the stuff you can buy in the states.  But, it is on the expensive side.  It's nice to know that it's available though when I start to get really homesick!  For dinner last night, we stopped at a roadside vendor to buy an authentic Haitian meal.  We got chicken, fried plantains, cabbage salad, and another unidentifiable fried vegetable of some sort.  It was really good!  Last night, I stayed in the retreat house again.  The plan is for me to move into the clinic today.  I met the two nurses that I will be working with.  Their names are Clorette and Elaine.  Clorette lives in the clinic and Elaine lives in town, but comes to the clinic almost everyday to work.  The clinic is located in a two story building.  Downstairs is the actual clinic, a treament room, a medication room, and a small kitchen and dining room.  Upstairs is three bedrooms and two bathrooms.  I will probably be sharing a room with Clorette and we will probably each have our own bathroom.  But, who knows.  Everything is still kind of up in the air.  The other bedrooms are supposed to be used as "inpatient" rooms.  If we have a really sick child who needs to be isolated or observed closely, then the intention is that the child would stay in one of the bedrooms upstairs for close observation.  The one thing that I need to keep in mind is:   This is Haiti.  Nothing is done quickly.  Everything takes time and effort, and lots of it.  Welcome to Haiti!

Awaiting Departure!

Only a few days remaining before the adventure begins! My plane is scheduled to depart O’Hare International Airport at 8:25 am on Tuesday September 22^nd. After a quick layover in Miami, I will arrive at 3:10 pm in Port au Prince, Haiti. From there, I will meet up with Jan Weber, a nurse from Germany and the NPH Medical Volunteer Coordinator. Then we will travel together to St. Helene Orphanage in Kenscoff. I really don’t know what to expect. I am a little nervous, a little anxious, but mostly excited. I know that the upcoming year will be full of challenges and difficulties. But, I also know that it will probably be one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. This is God’s plan for me. I am ready. Haiti, here I come!