02-15-2010 Returned From Haiti

When I arrived in San Domingo , Dominican Republic - I was confused because there were many lines and no formal signs indicating what they meant. I kept asking until I was sure which one to stand in. Then they okay ed my visit with out paying the $10.00 us since I said I was going into Haiti. I thought , maybe there felt sorry for me or that they knew that I would be going into the unknown. I kept going until we were hovered around this belt waiting for the luggage to fly out of this whole in the middle. Then I pushed to the line for clearance and finally arrived to the exit door of the airport. I was confused because Geoff said to get a hotel by the airport and from the way it looked even in the moon lite night that there was no hotel near the airport. I decided reluctantly to ask the police for help with no Spanish or french translator. It was quite an event. I over hear the others say they were staying at Hotel Lena, so I followed. In the taxi however, I started to get really nervous because he kept driving forever and I knew we were going far from the airport. My phone had no signal and Geoff did not know where I would be. So I began to worry..a lot.
I arrived at the hotel that looked like a larger level designed from the 60’s era . It had the look and feel of some old movie scene. But I was tired and all I wanted was to leave a message for Geoff and sleep. It turned into conversations with reporters, red cross, volunteers and church organizations. Then after using a few of the journalists phones I was able to let Geoff know how to find me.
After waiting for 2 hours at the bus station the following day in the hot dry air of Dominican Republic , we met up. The next day we went to the market and checked the prices of food , and later Geoff and nathian went back and purchased the food to bring to Port au Prince. We planned to leave in the morning and I was so nervous about the unknown trip and had a hard time sleeping. I walked over to the ocean and gazed over it until I could only see the horizon..but my mind was thinking back in December when I saw so much hope and development coming forth for Haiti. I was wondering what it would be like this time for me and the fact that what I saw before was so much need..now what?
There was a lot of tension at the bus stop in the morning of our departure. We were thankful when the food arrived then worried if it could go with us on the same bus. Geoff started to get really sick and I was just having heat stroke for the fast change in the culture from Alaska to Dominican Republic. The bus we were getting on looked a lot like the greyhound buses and I was relieved to discover this because I thought we were taking a tap-tap all the way to Port au Prince.
The ride was torturous and very rough, our first driver had been drunk and was driving like a crazy chicken all over the roads , in through construction sights and hit a latter on the side of a truck parked on the road. Then our second driver had a stroke before we even got close enough to the border. Geoff was starting to get a fever and was in and out of sleep. I watched over him and gave him food and water when ever he needed it. After we crossed the border , you could see the signs of the earth quake , detestation in the eyes of the locals, and the thick cloud of dust and cement in the air which made its own cloud .
We arrived very late into Port au Prince, it was pitch dark and people were grabbing bags left and right from the bus. I became so worried of the supplies I brought in Alaska and our belongings. We met Cajuste and some of Cajuste’s friends , then went to the office. Cajuste was talking about what had happened and Geoff was responding some. . all I was thinking about was we made it to Port au Prince alive. wow.
We slept at the office and Geoff kept getting sicker. I started to show signs of something but was able to look over him and take care of him. As the first days of my arrival passed by, I started the translation form from English to Creole, helped with the computer programs, and stocked all the special supplies I brought with me. I had not yet been any place to see the devastation and did not want to ask Geoff to show me since he was clearly not feeling himself at all. I took care of him until he flew back to America.
The day Cajuste and I took him to the airport, is when I was seeing for the first time the real destruction of what had happened. As anyone else , who had seen something a month ago would react- it shocked me. Imagine going to a place and spending two weeks there , coming back a month later to destruction- and how would you feel? I was overwhelmed and then Geoff took off on the plane, cajuste took me to downtown Port au Prince, took me by the apartments that I use to know, the bank which was ruins now...I was with out words. I was thinking over and over to myself, why hasn’t anyone taken a bulldozer to search this and why hasn’t anyone moved the soil over here..but no words spoken. Just looking and taking in all of it .
I thought night and day after that tour of destruction that cajuste took me on..and still could not come up with a solution for the problems I saw left and right, in front and behind me. It surrounds you in Haiti, almost consumes you - if it could.  You are not thinking about yourself when you are in something so tragic, you think to save, heal and rebuild and work every fiber of your being to come up with a constructed plan or method to all of what you see, hear and experience.  There is a huge cry for help every where you look or hear. and it echos not just verbally but in the eye of mankind. I saw many things under the same moon, same sky, and same sun as them.
I will write more later.
I am still sick and slowly recovering . Thank you for all you prayers, support and thoughts.
Sincerely
Love and Light
Jennifer
Head Coordination Director