Hello everyone! I finally made it to Haiti .
. . it was a much longer journey than I thought it would be. I arrived at
O’Hare on Saturday morning (thanks to by good friend Susan who was willing to
get up at 4:00 A.M. to play chauffeur) and was at the gate ready to go in plenty
of time. Unfortunately, 30 minutes before we were to start boarding, they
announced that the flight had been canceled. I guess there was a fire at the
gas farm at Miami International a couple of days earlier, and flights had to be
canceled because it was taking so long to refuel planes. After spending 40
minutes on hold I talked with an American Airlines rep. who was able to rebook
me on a flight today. As much as she tried, there was no way to get flights out
that could get me to Port-au-Prince on Saturday. So . . . I called Susan back
and she drove back in to get me.
Instead of making Susan get up again at 4:00 in the morning, I had a limo service pick me up this morning at 5:00. We made good time, and I again arrived in plenty of time. I’m glad that I checked in online last night so that when I arrived at O’Hare all I had to do was check my bags at a self-serve kiosk. The first security check I went to was closed because so many people were in line. The next one wasn’t much better, but I lucked out! I hadn’t looked at my new ticket super closely, but I discovered when I entered the security line that I had been bumped up to FIRST CLASS! I was one of those lucky people who gets to go straight to the front of the line! I also was served delicious hot breakfast of hash browns, a cheese and spinach omelet, and fresh fruit . . . who knew first class was so luxurious. Not to mention the extra leg room and a blanket.
Upon landing I quickly discovered that I do not like Fort Lauderdale International Airport. Lots of people and very little space. And, I had to spend more time there than I wanted to. We boarded the plan, and as soon as everyone was settled the captain came on to tell us that we would all have to get off because the plane’s breaks weren’t working so well. It would be about an hour for them to either fix the breaks or find us a new plane (they found us a new plane . . . I like that choice!). While I waited, I had to find ways to let Gertrude know that I would be late . . . hard to do when you don’t have an international phone to call from and you can’t get the internet access to work. Thanks to Joanna (whom I met on my first trip to Haiti) Gertrude got the message that I would be late, and then Susan e-mailed my ETA when I knew our departure time.
The smoothest part of the whole trip occurred in Haiti . . . customs not an issue, knew to rent a cart for my bags, was able to let the attendant know (in French) which bags were mine, found my good friend Oriole outside waiting for me, and I managed to do all that while keeping the many eager “helpers” from touching my bags (because the attitude is that if someone even touches a bag then you should pay them for their “help”).
I’ve settled into the guesthouse, hugged lots of kids, been peed on once, eaten supper, and now I hope to sketch out plans for the rest of the week. I’ll stay in touch and let you know how my time goes.
Love,
Jamie
Instead of making Susan get up again at 4:00 in the morning, I had a limo service pick me up this morning at 5:00. We made good time, and I again arrived in plenty of time. I’m glad that I checked in online last night so that when I arrived at O’Hare all I had to do was check my bags at a self-serve kiosk. The first security check I went to was closed because so many people were in line. The next one wasn’t much better, but I lucked out! I hadn’t looked at my new ticket super closely, but I discovered when I entered the security line that I had been bumped up to FIRST CLASS! I was one of those lucky people who gets to go straight to the front of the line! I also was served delicious hot breakfast of hash browns, a cheese and spinach omelet, and fresh fruit . . . who knew first class was so luxurious. Not to mention the extra leg room and a blanket.
Upon landing I quickly discovered that I do not like Fort Lauderdale International Airport. Lots of people and very little space. And, I had to spend more time there than I wanted to. We boarded the plan, and as soon as everyone was settled the captain came on to tell us that we would all have to get off because the plane’s breaks weren’t working so well. It would be about an hour for them to either fix the breaks or find us a new plane (they found us a new plane . . . I like that choice!). While I waited, I had to find ways to let Gertrude know that I would be late . . . hard to do when you don’t have an international phone to call from and you can’t get the internet access to work. Thanks to Joanna (whom I met on my first trip to Haiti) Gertrude got the message that I would be late, and then Susan e-mailed my ETA when I knew our departure time.
The smoothest part of the whole trip occurred in Haiti . . . customs not an issue, knew to rent a cart for my bags, was able to let the attendant know (in French) which bags were mine, found my good friend Oriole outside waiting for me, and I managed to do all that while keeping the many eager “helpers” from touching my bags (because the attitude is that if someone even touches a bag then you should pay them for their “help”).
I’ve settled into the guesthouse, hugged lots of kids, been peed on once, eaten supper, and now I hope to sketch out plans for the rest of the week. I’ll stay in touch and let you know how my time goes.
Love,
Jamie
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