MISSION TO HAITI: DAY 1

What would a trip to JFK be without stopped traffic on The Van Wyck Expressway. It was backed up just enough to get my heart racing. I knew I would make my plane (with 2 hours to spare) but getting nervous on the way to the airport is tradition. My grandfather always liked to leave the house 5 hours before his flight. The truth is he would have preferred to leave the night before! He had a point. After I checked in, I went straight to the Duty Free shop. One of the relief workers requested that I bring a bottle of Tequila and I don’t like to disappoint. While sitting at the gate a friend called and asked if I was nervous. I said “no....and that’s because I’m an idiot”. She told me not to take any chances. I told her it was too late for that! As always, the conversation led to discussing a movie; Ghost Writer. It’s really fabulous (I blogged it). Polanski – the things he could have done if only he was able to control himself.
     
If Haiti is a mess (and believe me, it is), you would never know it from the people who boarded the plane. They were all very well dressed and very well groomed.

Haiti is devastated. The people of Port-Au-Prince are homeless. The ride from the airport through the streets of Port Au Prince are an endless pile of rubble, twisted medal, and buildings lying on their side. Many streets are impassable and the air stinks. There are tents pitched in the middle of major roads and every open area is now jam-packed with makeshift tents. There are naked children sleeping on the sidewalk and their mothers plead for money. After dumping off my stuff and setting up camp in the back of an abandon hospital, it was back on the road. The first stop was to our (I’ve hooked up with 2 guys - more about them later) translators’ house. He wanted me to take a look at his nephew’s belly. Not earthquake related; this was a simple umbilical hernia that was ignored and is now infected and painful. We’ll go back tomorrow and try to get him to a hospital. From there we went to an orphanage. I’ll post the photos tomorrow. They speak volumes.

I am way out of my comfort zone but I’m dealing with it. I’ll stay as long as I can. There is very little drinkable water and the food situation is not great. My living conditions are deplorable.
I am utterly exhausted.