Day 1 - An Unexpected Treat

The day started off a little shaky as I got stuck in back-to-back accidents on I-85 on the way to Charlotte-Douglas Airport. That was followed by security confiscating my only bottle of sunscreen; however, once in the air everything was pretty smooth. As the Boeing 767 landed at the Port-au-Prince airport, you could immediately see the effects of the quake. The terminal was too damaged to enter, so we were bussed from the tarmac to an old cargo hanger that has been make-shifted into an immigration and baggage claim building. It's upon exiting this building that you begin to get a feel of the people and conditions here. The locals insist on taking your bags to the point of ripping them out of your hands - not to be nice, but to charge you $20 for walking fifteen feet. Rundown pickup trucks full of passengers in the bed speed through the street obnoxiously honking their horns as they dangerously weave through traffic. There are no lines or rules on the road here; drive either direction on either side at any speed. Trash is scattered everywhere and the roads and sidewalks are cracked and sunken everywhere from the quake.

It was a 30 minute drive from the airport to the Samaritan's Purse compound just outside the city in a place called Titanyen. On the way, we passed through Cité Soleil (read here) which is regarded as one of the poorest, most dangerous cities in the western hemisphere. This is the area that Samaritan's Purse has been delegated to for food distribution. You see it on television, hear it on the radio, see pictures on the internet, but you cannot completely grasp just how horrible the conditions are here until you see it in person - the crime, the corruption, the lack of police and control, the extreme poverty.

By coming down on Good Friday/Easter weekend, the entire country is practically shut down, so there isn't much going on the next couple days, which should make getting into the groove a little easier. I was only on the compound for an hour before it was dinner time. Tonight members of Samaritan's Purse were invited to dinner by the Jordanian military stationed here in Haiti. The Jordanians and also the Brazilians have been handling security at our food distributions. Once we arrived at their location, we were guided through their barracks to the inner courtyard where chairs were set up around the perimeter, and there were three Jordanian men playing music on instruments. A fine dressed man made his way around us seated in the chairs with an urn of some type of beverage and two very small cups, which were being reused on every other person. For fear of being rude to their culture, I went against the cardinal rule from my doctor before leaving (drink only bottled drinks, don't share with anyone), and partook of the beverage. After some festivities we were led inside for a huge Mediterranean dinner, some of which included lamb, rice, and the biggest most delicious flat bread I ever ate. More festivities followed dinner. I made friends and spent the remainder of the evening with two of the Jordanian officers: Dr. Mohd Mhidat and Cpt. Mohammad Obeidat. We wound up trading emails and Facebook accounts. I was very impressed with the generosity, hospitality, and overall kindness of the Jordanian people. If I would have known this would be more than dinner, I would have brought my camera. I wish I could have some physical memories of this event. I had my picture taken several times with the Jordanians, but I doubt I will come into contact with those photos. Also at the ceremony were four Haitian orphan girls; they were dressed very pretty and were just adorable. They sat on the laps of Mohd, Mohammad, and myself. The same fine dressed man from before came around with an after dinner "beverage" and the girl on Mohammad's lap tried to take his drink but he did not let her have it because of what it was. So I opened my bottle of water and gave it to the girl, and the way she looked at me as she drank the rest of my water made me want to adopt her and take her home. There are so many orphan children down here that are just looking for love and affection and in need of a family that it just breaks your heart you can't help them all. This may turn out to be the most emotionally challenging thing I've gone through, but I'm ready for it.