Getting Ready

What is thoroughly amazing, is how consistently difficult it is to work in Haiti, and I’m not even there yet! Not only are there physical road blocks (piles of rubble everywhere); there are the other kind of road blocks as well. Everybody wants to be in charge. Everybody has answers and very little gets done. “Be patient” is something you hear a lot. I wonder how patient any of us would be if we or someone we love, was suffering. I’m going to answer that with one of my mother’s most famous retorts, “We’ll see”. We'll see how patient I can be. I consider myself a very patient woman but there are certain things I have no patience for. I’ll clarify that statement within the next few weeks. In the mean time, I am getting ready to go.

Stacy and I have a few things planned for when we get to Haiti (anyone who has been to Haiti is already laughing hysterically). Never-the-less, I have 3 suitcases full of donated supplies and the first order of the day will be to get them distributed. I have clothing, art supplies (“thank you Mrs. Flamm”) and the tools of my trade. But the most important thing Stacy and I are bringing - our hearts. Both of us feel the same way: If we can make one child smile, if we can make the day better for just one child, it will all be worth it. It’s impossible to know how far-reaching one act of kindness can be but we believe it can move mountains.
One of our long term objectives will be figuring out how to provide shelter for the kids. Haitian orphanages are not enclosed. They are, most often, walled in, but the area is open, exposed to all the elements and nothing is covering the ground. Look at the photo above. That’s how it is. In that particular orphanage, Kola, an enclosure was built but it is simply a frame made of 4X4’s covered with a tarp. It is not weather proof and it is not animal-proof. In this country, the U.S. of A., we build better houses for our dogs and that is the honest to God truth. As the founder of The Haiti Hut says in his mission statement:

A man must have a home. The place that is safe, secure and nurturing for his family. In this environment he can start to reach for his untapped potential by removing the stresses created by surviving without shelter. From here all things become possible, dreams can come true and a dignified life contributes to society.

While there, I also want to be sure the wheels that are turning to get Ralph back to the United States (see My Mission to Haiti Blog, Day 5), stay in motion. I’m bringing down a G-28 form (Notice of Entry of Appearance) for him to sign. The very excellent and exciting news about this situation is that a prominent immigration law firm has taken on his case, pro bono. What a lucky break.

This trip to Haiti has its challenges but they are different from the first. When I went the first time I did not know, with any degree of certainty, that I would be met at the airport and I had no idea where I would be staying. I was taking a big chance. This time, I know someone will meet me and I know they are committed to my safety – a very big deal. I am also prepared for the airport chaos and I will not be dumbfounded by the sights and smells of Port-Au-Prince. In addition, I know I can live without: a shower (most people would argue that point), a bed, sleep, a suitable place to go to the bathroom, order, good food, electricity, clean running water and thousands of dollars worth of beauty products. What I can live with: mosquitoes, chain smokers, bad language, oppressive heat and humidity, filth, dirty clothes and endless frustration. It’s nice to know because until I went to Haiti I always thought of myself as 5 star, all the way, all the time. But low and behold, I can rough it.