The Journey Home

The Journey Home

It was difficult to sleep Monday night. I had a fun evening with Shar and Vern reminiscing about our time in Haiti. Vern will remain in Haiti two more weeks and then the Hanger Clinic will close down over the holidays. The technicians will remain. After the first of the year, the Hanger prosthetists will return with a head prosthetist remaining for 3 months at a time while others rotate through for two weeks of service. Shar will remain until Sunday when she will return to northern California. It will be a tricky road home for Shar as she must dodge Hurricane Tomas . . .

Nevertheless, it was difficult to sleep Monday night with the wonderful memories of my time in Haiti racing through my head. The thought of the two and a half hour drive to Port Au Prince was enough to make me wonder if I would safely arrive at the airport in time. The trip can take 2.5 – 3 hours or more depending on weather and road conditions. I woke up at 4:00 am and pulled a few things together. The van arrived at 6:00 as we left Dechapelles with a car load of folks from Dechapelles who had business in Port Au Prince. The sun was barely up and we were off. It wasn’t dark so the driving was fine. The only challenge we had was the glare of the sun as we headed eastward down the mountain.

Just after passing through the neighboring town of Verette, we noticed the road was clogged with people. On the right hand side of the road and ditch, we could see a horrible scene. A tap tap had just overturned and was lying on its right side. There were people, chickens, bags of rice, and other things strewn about. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt. People at the scene appeared to have things under control so our driver proceeded around the scene. A patient in the cholera ward once told us that to be well in Haiti you need medicine and God! How true. A safe tap tap and driver are also a must! A quick prayer was said for those on the road and for our continued safety on our journey to Port Au Prince. The rest of the trip was uneventful but beautiful as we continued to watch the sun rise and enjoyed the beautiful mountainous scenery. The road down into Port Au Prince was spectacular as we saw mist rise from the huge salt water lake and the vision of Port Au Prince in the distance.

As we drove into Port Au Prince, the city and people were coming back to life. People, cars, and tap taps were everywhere. We made several stops to pick up or drop off items or people. Finally, the driver and I were the only ones left in the van and we were on our way to the airport. I had plenty of time before my plane would leave! I reached the airport around 8:30 and was able to enjoy some last minute sunshine and live music from an area across from the airport. I waited in line at American Airlines, checked in for my flight, and was ready to cross over through immigration when my friend Giulio arrived to say goodbye. Giulio is a member of the Italian Carabinieri peace keeping forces here in Haiti. He has been stationed in Haiti for the last year and will be heading to Kenya in January or February. It was fun to visit and see each other even if it was for a short time. We had hoped to get together a couple of times but a huge mountain range, limited transportation, and a cholera outbreak prevented any other visits! The airport visits at the beginning and end of this trip were short but fun. Then it was time to go . . .

Although it is wonderful to return home, it is always hard to leave Haiti because of the beautiful people and friendships that are made here. I will miss the goats and roosters outside my window, the beauty of the mountain top, the moon and the stars at night, and most of all the wonderful people I was able to meet and work with during my time in Dechapelles and Haiti. A huge piece of my heart will always remain in Haiti! It is true. My suitcase will be heavy as one of my patients had previously warned me and that is just fine. I am carrying home the hearts of my patients and the people I had the privilege to meet and work with once again. I have been able to serve and be served by amazing and brilliant people here in Haiti. These souls are a bright light over Haiti – like the sun, the moon, and the stars. We are all made better – like a light filling a house - because of the challenges we face and encounters we experience working together with each other.

Piti piti plen kay: A little lamp (or light) can fill the whole house.