We started at 1:30am when our group met up at the Holiday Inn in Sarnia.
We loaded ourselves and our luggage into 4 cars and we're off to Detroit. A few
hours later and we were through security and at our gate with McDonalds in hand.
Next stop Atlanta! A short hour and a half flight later and we were there, we
had a three hour layover and some of the girls took advantage and had a little
snooze on the floor. Then it was time to board our final plane, next stop Port
au Prince!!
Once we landed the fist thing we all noticed was the wall of heat.
Coming from a Canadian winter to a very hot tropical climate was quite the shock
to our bodies, and this was just inside. Through a very busy customs and baggage
claim we kept our group close. As we approached the last set of doors, the
excitement rose and so did the temperature. Walking out we got our first real
glimpse of Haiti. Through a crowd of other Haitians, we found Michellet who lead
us through a parking lot (where we had to dodge many cars) to our colourful bus.
On leaving the airport parking lot we entered quite the traffic jam. "Sidewalks"
turned into an extra 2 lanes and motor bikes weaved in and out. After the long
journey to Le Xaragua Hotel, just outside of St. Marc, we were given our room
keys. 4 flights of stairs with our suitcases in hand, if we weren't ready for a
nap before we certainly were now. Before dinner we all watched a beautiful
sunset and then got our plates for our first Haitian meal. Following dinner, we
had a quick reflection to recap the day. 8:30 and we were all off to bed for
some well deserved rest!
Written by Patrica Gladwish-Maloney
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