Two accidents and a wedding, but we weren’t involved in either! But I have to ‘back up’ to our arrival at the airport to tell the story.
I was pretty proud of myself flying into Port Au Prince alone this year, even though my HATS partner, Beate, would be arriving less than an hour after me. But as soon as I got off the plane into the airport, I heard the comforting Caribbean sounds of a Haitian 5 man band, followed by the very kind, smiling face of the man at customs. I was prepared for chaos downstairs at the rather small baggage carousel, but I was again pleasantly surprised at myself for navigating the crowd and sounds of Haitian Creole, to get my own cart from the kiosk, and eventually load it with the 3 stuffed suitcases and duffle bag. There is no greater feeling than seeing ALL your bags survive the day and a half of traveling on two different airlines through 3 countries! #nosmallfeat
That feeling of accomplishment and joy was only heightened when I saw the tall, blond, smiley face that is Beate! “Old friends” from one week spent at HATS together last year, Beate and I gathered ourselves and our bags of donations to find Daniel and his welcoming, friendly police officer face, who would get us through the maze of people outside the airport to our ‘wheels’ for the ride to HATS, just over 2 hours away.
Driving in Haiti is not for the faint of heart. Get in, sit down, hold on, and keep your eyes open, because the ride never disappoints, and this year was no exception. Not far outside of the congested streets of Port Au Prince, I saw a parade of people, led by a trombone player, only to discover he was leading a wedding party over the rocky paths on the side of the road to a chapel nearby. Except for the trombone player and the background, this looked like any other bridal party–smiling faces wearing their finest dress, off to celebrate a happy occasion. I wondered if this was a sign of hope and happiness emerging in this struggling country…you have to have hope…
Continuing along, it wasn’t far before the celebratory mood of the wedding party we saw was replaced with the look of despair on the faces of two fairly young Haitian men, whose car was in a mangled state by a pole on the side of the road. Thankful we didn’t come along moments earlier, we were also glad to see the boys had no obvious injuries, but the same could not be said for their Volkswagen sized car–demolished windshield and enormous dent in the driver’s side. But less than 10 minutes later, we were again thankful for having to have slowed down going by the first accident, so that we missed the second one. This time, 2 vehicles, a small crowd of people, and a huge amount of damage–if you can imagine what happens when a school bus of people t-bones a small truck! People were standing at the side of the road, waiting for help, as other roadside ‘entrepreneurs’ rushed to ‘help’ with their bottles of water.
Thankfully, the rest of the drive was much less eventful. Beate and I noticed some small progress being made along the route, where more some more stable houses seemed to be in the construction phase. People were still building on the mountainsides, but it was encouraging to see some homes that looked like they might better withstand unsettling weather. Still a lONG way to go, but you have to have hope…
Finally, we crossed the last bridge over the familiar brown water of the canal that runs outside the orphanage. I was so excited to see the children and how they’ve grown, hoping they hadn’t forgotten me completely. I was not disappointed, although Karen changed things up this year. There were no children in the yard singing songs waiting for us. Not trying to be disappointed, we followed Karen in to her office, totally oblivious to the little bodies hiding in every possible empty space they could find. They were SO patient and quiet–so many children and not a peep out of one until together they yelled,”surprise!” Then the giggles and hugs followed, and they were so proud they ‘got us’! Thank goodness they’re huggers–some of the best I’ve met, and I’m so thankful to be here. My heart is full again, and I already feel the blessings of having the privilege to be part of such an amazing second home. Here’s to hugs and smiling faces! 🙂
Well, Beate doesn’t have anything to add…I just am so happy to be here again. My 6th year!!!!! Heather captured everything perfectly, and I’m so thrilled that we are working together again. Let the fun begin 🙂
~Heather & Beate
