Getting to Haiti!

Here is part of the letter I sent soon after we arrived at the mission house and figured out how to use their internet connection:

 

Just thought I should write to let you know we arrived safely in Haiti yesterday! The traveling went very well, despite me only getting an hour of sleep before we left, and Jere getting none. He slept quite a bit while traveling, though, so that helped. The children did extremely well, the only real incident being after we touched down in Miami and had to wake Eliott and make him walk as our hands were FULL. He was tired and needed to be carried himself, poor little fellah! The boys got tired of toting backpacks and the fun of pulling the rolling carry-ons got old rather fast, but we were allowed to check a few of the bulkier carry-ons at the first gate, so that helped tremendously!

Arriving in Haiti was rather interesting. We got our first taste of Haitianisms before we ever landed. Eliott's "neighbor" spilled his beverage all over Eliott, his tray, and toys. Not a single word of apology, as if he didn't care in the least. So much for that! However after all the stories of the dirt and traffic and poverty and crowds, it was a pleasant surprise to discover that it really didn't seem all that odd. The only thing that really got to me was I couldn't communicate! I almost spoke Spanish (out of habit) to the one man who wouldn't leave us alone, but he evidently understood "no" once I spoke firmly enough! But really it didn't seem that different. Enough of their written words look close enough to English or Spanish I can make out a lot of the signs, etc. We got through customs, etc, without a problem, and picked up our baggage with the help of one of the "bosses". Between us and Rhoda, our traveling companion we picked up in Miami, we had enough stuff that we ended up with 3 native helpers. Once they realized Steve was the one waiting for us they were pretty disappointed! One shook his head sadly and said with a sigh, "Steve. Not good, not good." They knew he wouldn't pay them more than they were worth! Steve and Anita were there waiting for us, having left the others of their group back at a restaurant. We loaded our boxes and bags onto the new Land Rover/ambulance, and headed out into Haiti! We were bound up in traffic for a little bit, but I didn't think it was just too bad. Though it was rather hot and sticky. Even Anita said she was hot! We went to the restaurant and had some supper. Haitian spaghetti and sandwiches and french fries! I got to taste some goat and crepe as well. It was mostly very yummy, though the crepe wasn't exactly my favorite. :-) At least all I had to eat was one little bite to try it. ;-) Then we drove some more to the CAM guesthouse where we spent the night. Dear little Leanna was way overtired from getting less than half her normal sleep for a 24 hour period, and when she realized we were going to be sleeping in a strange place and she was supposed to go down in a pack'n'play all by herself she started screaming. The only way to calm her was for me to hold her and walk--she wouldn't have anything to do with Jere either! So I walked her till around 11 when she was finally sleeping soundly enough that I could lay her down. Then she was up bright and early at 6:30! But in between I slept like a rock. I'm hoping she does OK and can get into a good schedule before too long here. She napped for only a couple of minutes so far this morning.

The guesthouse we're at is very, very nice and relaxing. The house reminds me a lot of the one we lived in in Nicaragua, and so does the heat and humidity! We can see the ocean from the porch, and there are lovely trees and tropical flowers all around. Everyone else took off this morning to an English Bible study, leaving us here to try catch up on some rest and let the children unwind. The plan is to head back up the mountains later this afternoon, or possibly tomorrow if things get too late today. I'm looking forward to being able to settle in!

Ok, I should go for now. For those who get the blog posts, you might get this twice. :-)

Elissa

PS Since we didn't end up with WIFI till now that we're here at the mission, I'm adding to this letter! We traveled back into the mountains Sunday (yesterday) afternoon. It was an interesting ride! Driving through Port we came across one scene where we quickly turned around--there were too many people and police milling around to bode good for those who traveled through there. After all the stories, I didn't think the traffic was any too bad. But we were packed fairly tight, and till we got to Ti Guove (the last "real" town on the ride in) I was ready to get out and stretch! Then came the bumpy trail, the part Jaron was begging to be on! Not too far out of town we got to a spot where there was a steep valley on one side, and it made me catch my breath a little! I don't like heights. But then somehow I just got used to it and really enjoyed it most of the rest of the way. Ok, yes, it was bumpy and muddy and steep and all, but really, what else do you expect? I was pretty sore till we got "home" from hanging on to my littles to keep them from rapping a head against anything hard. So, oh well. We made it safe and sound! This morning we had breakfast with Steve and Shana and visited with them for awhile. Now I'm at "our" house watching Leanna while Eliott naps and I can hopefully get a bit settled in. :-) Jere's off and running already, helping Steve haul some stuff. I'll hopefully be able to introduce the other inmates of the missions one of these days, but for now I should get this letter off and get finished with the unpacking.

By the way, if you send pictures, please downsize them greatly or wait till we're back Stateside! The internet is pretty limited!