Day One
Continuing #GabsGlobalMission
Our mission team arrives at the airport, in Atlanta, hours before the flight leaves. Every year, our team brings various supplies and items with us to Haiti. This year we had 80 supply bags, and each person checked an extra bag, so two total. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to afford all of the baggage fees, so we left about 20 bags behind. One of the downfalls to this was that we kind of just picked up bags while checking them in without noting which supply bags we were actually taking. So everything we took to Haiti was a complete surprise.
As I go through the TSA check, my bag had to be checked. I thought for sure that it was the Poptarts, like last year, but the agent ended up taking some shea butter — which I have packed in a carry-on several times before. As a matter of fact, I got the idea from a packing list on another girl’s mission trip blog. They just don’t want me to be moisturized and great!
This year’s flight was in the evening, unlike last year’s which was in the early afternoon. Last year, we landed in Port-au-Prince during the day, this year it was nighttime.
One thing I love about flying down there is the fact that we fly down the eastern Florida coast. My home state is so beautiful. Yay, for picking window seats!
Hey, Florida, hey!
We arrive in Port-au-Prince, and it’s been raining. I want to give their airport a huge shout out for their come-up. Last year, there was no gate, so after the plane taxied, they put stairs next to the plane and we exited Obama style. This year they had a gate! Praise Him for increase! We get off the plane and go through customs. It is $10 USD/100 Gourdes (does that even mathematically make sense?) to enter the country. (I feel the same way about that as I did last year, but oh well). I hand the lady a 100 Gourdes bill note because I’m just balling in international currency like that, and she’s all, “No! Ten dollars U.S.” Ma’am, that is not what your sign reads though (thus why I feel some type of way). The next lady, who stamped my passport was nice, thank goodness. Like some other countries I’ve been to, she reads my name and assumes that I know french due to the origin of my name. We have a brief conversation en francaise.
We then get all of our bags, and of course the airport bag boys are there to try to assist for a fee. We make our way to exit the airport, and we are stopped to have our supply bags checked. This is one of the hardest things to come to terms with each trip. We bring into your third-world country to give away as a means to help your people, but you guys want to tax us to bring it in — which is illegal. It’s these type of corrupt people within the country that keep it from being great.
Our trip leader ends up getting into an argument with the Haitian officers; this allows us to sneak bags past them and, finally, exit the airport. The officers threaten to detain our leader and hold is passport. He tells him what they’re doing is illegal, but do they care? Of course not. This goes on for quite a while. We ended up having to leave some of our supply bags at the airport (again). However, they did allow us to come pick them up the next day for $250.
We finally leave and make our way to the Haitian Christian Mission (HCM) compound where we live during our time in Haiti. It took maybe an hour to get from Port-au-Prince to Fonds Parisien, Ouest Department, and even though it was dark, I could tell that the roads were paved better, or less bumpy, than last year. On that come-up again!
My room.
Even though it is late, the staff at HCM has dinner ready for us when we arrive. We unload the truck with our bags after we eat and then go to our rooms. I picked the same room that I had last year, which is on the top floor, so I have an excellent view of the nearby lake.
The time zone that Haiti is in is EST, but when we arrived, the local time was an hour behind. This is because in 2016 they decided not to participate in Daylight Savings Time, like many other countries. I couldn’t find a reason why they decided to change things, and I’m, honestly, confused as to how they changed things considering they don’t have a president at the moment. They had presidential elections in late 2015, but they were apparently rigged, so they are re-doing them.
The living room area at the apartments where the women stay.
The kitchen area.
Miss Gabrielle Bellamy 