Into the rabbit hole

Sitting on the front porch of the Peace Inn, inside the Shalom Zone of Mizak, Haiti, it feels like I am experiencing a very strange dream.   The generator is running, providing a few lights and powering four laptops.  We are all trying to access the satellite internet before the gas runs out and we are plunged into total darkness.

There is absolutely no way to fully explain our introduction to Haiti today.  It was complete and total sensory overload.  My brain can not stopped spinning, even though we have been up since 3AM. 

Our flight left Detroit at 6AM. A minor issue set our flight back more than 30 minutes.  This is  typically not a problem, unless your next flight leaves at the time you arrive.  We found ourselves running through Miami airport as our names were paged for final boarding.  Valerie had warned us to fill our water bottles before we left.  We had to call our translator Ulrick.  We needed food.  Most of that would have to wait. We jumped on the plane and arrived in Haiti a short 90 minutes later.  Thankfully, Ulrick had everything arranged and after a frenzied period of getting through customs we were loaded into a van.  Then our adventure really began.

For those of you who have not been to Haiti, the drive through Port-au-Prince is a bit difficult to describe.  It is kind of like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride mixed with a Mad Max movie.  The entire experience is complete chaos.  Bumper-to-bumper traffic, excessive speeds, no rules, narrow streets and wall-to-wall people sitting on the edge of the road.  The driver honks his horn constantly, forcing his way around slower traffic.  You are always one dump truck from disaster.  Colorful tap-taps, Haiti’s form of public transportation, has people  hanging literally from every square inch. The air is choked with smog, dirt and the smell of burning garbage.  The sounds of Porta Prince are deafening.  You get the idea.  It’s overwhelming and at the same time fascinating.

Soon we moved into the countryside.  Haiti is beautiful.  A richly green country.  We climbed into the mountains, and were provided stunning views of the ocean and hillside farms.  You can not help but think Haiti would be one of the world’s most sought after travel destinations except for the total lack of infrastructure and breathtaking poverty.  Roads suddenly disappear into rock piles or are washed away by rivers. Even hours outside of the city, there are people sitting under primitive shelters selling whatever they have.  Thousands of minature dollar stores. We keep climbing, so high in fact that I joke,"Any minute now were going to see a sign that says 'Pearly Gates 5 Miles.' "

We eventually arrived around 4:00PM, relieved to see the colorful outer gates of the Shalom Center. We entered the compound to the peaceful calm of a thriving mission. Tomorrow, I will describe this amazing place in detail and bring you pictures.  For now, sleep calls. I expect to wake again to this dream.  God bless.