I'm actually here. (6.1.08)

The reality that I'm in Haiti finally hit me as I walked out of the airplane. The sudden heat, humidity, and scent of burning trash slapped me in the face and I was suddenly alert. I had kept Haiti on the back burner because I had been so busy trying to finish various things and meet different deadlines at work. Even the day before I left, I sat on my sofa wondering if I was actually going to Haiti, if I'd ever finish packing, and when I'd be able to get more than 4 hours of sleep. But finally, I was here and the adrenaline, finally flowing.

It was weird though, stepping off that plane, and it's even harder to describe. In the third person, here's a boy who's got a pretty severe case of wanderlust yet at the same time savors the peace of his room and the presence of his family. I still can't seem to grasp the fact that I'll be here for the next month.

Haiti hasn't changed a bit. Walking off the plane, you see the smoke of the burning trash. Men come up to you and grab your luggage, trying desperately to carry your bags in return for a tip. The streets are littered with trash. Dogs everywhere. Street vendors everywhere. Diesel fuel burning your eyes. If only I could show you what I see here.

Today (Sunday), we woke at 6am to go to a church that is located 2.5 hours away. It was quite an experience. We had to take 3 different buses (pickup trucks with roofs over the back) to get there (plus all of the walking in between). The service itself was 3 hours long.

What was more astounding though, was walking through the clinic that the missionaries had set up next to the church. Having worked a year in a NYC orthopedic hospital, I was completely blown away by the condition of this clinic. It was like that scene in "Outbreak" where the scientists first walk into the hospital with the patients who had Ebola. Just like that. Maybe not as bad.

Anyways, since my time on the internet is limited, I will leave you with one last reflection. Through all of the destitution, chaos, kidnappings (I had lunch with a few Haitians who talked about their experience with kidnappings - how the kidnappings are well coordinated, and how the kidnappers are everywhere - even in the church we went to today) and heat of this country, I am at complete peace here. It is both strange and incredible. I've never felt so rested. I've never experienced this kind of peace in NJ. I feel very complete.