By a Hair

So I'm officially at the All Hands base in Leogane, Haiti. I got up this morning around 5, after an hour or so of sleep. My mom drove me to the airport to catch my 7 o'clock flight. I was a little nervous from the get-go about the fact that I had less than an hour between the time my flight landed in Miami and the flight for Port-au-Prince (PauP) took off, but I figured that as long as we got in the air without too much delay, I'd be fine. But, of course, there were two separate mechanical issues that caused delay. So we took off nearly an hour late from Raleigh and I figured missing my connecting flight was a pretty real possibility. When we finally did take off I heard the man sitting behind me talking about his being worried he was going to miss his connecting flight, also to Haiti. I mentioned that I was in the same situation so we decided we'd haul ass together to make the flight. And we did. We ran across Miami Airport's concourse "D" and made it just in the nick of time (as in, had we been a minute later, we probably wouldn't have gotten on the plane).

I got a little sleep on the flight and woke up just before landing. The airport in the capital is pretty hectic but I managed to get through customs, get my checked bag (checked luggage doesn't have a baggage claim per-se, it's more of a free-for-all where all the bags are strewn about an airplane hangar), and find my driver without too much trouble. The ride from PauP to Leogane is under 20 miles but still manages to take hours. We hit some serious traffic, but there is so much to see that I had no trouble keeping myself occupied. Once you get past the city and its traffic and closer to Leogane, you're able to see (and feel) huge cracks on the roads that resulted from the earthquake. Commuting between PauP to Leogane provides ample opportunity to see the poverty and devastation, some of it caused by the earthquake, some of it not. Huge tent cities are still a primary means of housing for those displaced by the quake. One thing I did notice was an increase in the prevalence of political graffiti (or at least it seemed that way), which makes sense because the country is in the midst of "elections".

Though the ride was interesting, I was relieved and excited when we finally got into Leogane. Things looked similar to how I remember (which is comforting but somewhat disconcerting). Once I stepped inside the base I really did feel right back at home. Some things have changed around base, but mostly it's the same, with some improvements. There is more wooden furniture, much of which, I am told, was made while the volunteers here were on lockdown at the base when the election situation was more heated. Small maintenance details, such as putting real doors on the shower stalls and having more shelving space, have really helped make the base come together. One thing that is significantly different than when I was here during the summer months is the number of volunteers on base. There were often 120+ people staying on base when I was last here but now there are maybe 50 or so of us. As it turns out, it was the election violence significantly impacted the numbers, as many people decided not to come, were unable to come, left early, or rescheduled. I can already tell that the group dynamic is really different with the smaller numbers, and it seems to generally be a good thing. But of the people that are here, I know a whole bunch of them from my last trip, which is really nice. I've gotten and given my fair share of hugs today, which made me happy. Oh and one amazing difference is that in the temperature. It is considerably cooler than it was during my last visit, and that fills me with nothing but joy. To be able to wake up not drenched in my own sweat (or even drenched in less sweat) is going to be such a treat in the mornings. Speaking of treats, the internet connection has improved so, so, so much. For better or worse, being connected is a comfort so I'm very pleased with the internet situation.

Today is a Sunday, which means it's a non-work day. I think coming today was good timing; I got to have a whole free afternoon to set my living area up (once again, in the bunks) and schmooze with friends, old and new. I walked around, handing out some of the candy I brought (thanks Brandi!), which led to many new friendships. I met a woman who graduated from UNC in '07, so we spent some time arguing about basketball and talking about how much we love Carrboro! Sunday is the one day of the week we don't get fed, so I ended up munching on the remains of my plane snacks. But I can't wait for some Haitian food tomorrow!

From what I've heard, tomorrow is an "All Hands Day", which means all volunteers are going to work on one of two school projects together. I'm looking forward to seeing how efficient this organization has become at school-building. Though, I must admit, I'm seriously craving some time with my old friend, the sledge hammer. For the rest of tonight, I'm going to just enjoy the weather and relax. Maybe I'll get in a round or two of Bananagrams, who knows? I just had my first bucket shower of the trip. I was actually a little chilly, but I'm definitely not complaining. I think I'm looking at a good night of sleep ahead of me!

Hope everyone is well. Don't forget to keep in touch!

Love,

Daniel