A Whirlwind of a Day

Friday, March 14, 2008

It's been a whirlwind since 7:30 am. I'm still having a hard time sleeping. Susy offered me an Ambian (sleeping medication from her doc) but I was too afraid to take it since I had heard that people can get up in the middle of the night and wonder around, stuff like that. NOT on this trip!
We got to the airport, had an easy check in via a kiosk computer, Susy upgraded us to Business class (something I had never done) and our bags were at the Port au Prince Airport. MIRACLE! We waited in the customs line but were recognized instantly by 3 different people. We were pulled out of the crowded and busy baggage area and taken straight upstairs, offered a seat in a fancy sitting area and given a cup of esspresso while waiting for someone else to find our bags that were left there the day before when we didn't make it.

They security and our private chaperone got our bags in the car and sealed us up quickly in an armored vehicle. A UN vehicle escorted us all the way up into the hills, where we were staying at Le Ville Creole.

The ride from the airport to the hotel was amazing, scary, overwhelming. It's two separate places - the streets and the sides of the streets.
As we moved like quick little rats through an insane amount of cars, people and tap taps (their local transportation), the sidewalks, the dirt alleys and the two and three story cinderblock structures on every side had men, women and children selling their wares, used clothing and refurbishing shoes for resale. All of them underneath small beach umbrellas to shade themslves from the hot dry sun as sit still and unmoving watching the world pass by. It seemed as if these people, families had been sitting there all their lives.

And now, I understood WHY the doctor at the Travel Center wanted to prescribe motion sickness medication. This ride to the hotel made me SO sick! I really felt it coming on.

As soon as we sat down in the restaurant, I had heard that the clowns (Patch Adams, John Glik and their posse) were giving the kids at the orphanage an ice cream party! I HAD to be there. So the Security took me alone BACK down the mountain and to the facility.
Dirt roads, pot holes, goats, wild dogs and dust and another kick in the ass for not taking the motion sickness medication.

We beeped the horn and the guards opened the gates and inside, not much different from the out, were children, clowns and even more Security. I just started touching the kids, they began touching me, asking me questions in French, begging me to take their picture.
"Photo! Photo!" They were behind me, in front of me, grabbing the camera and my arms. There were others. The shy ones looked on and watched from beneath a tree and waited for me to come to them. They were already excited and silly. They were all playing with the clowns - running and laughing and happy. Music was coming from a boom box and a few of us were dancing in the dirt below our feet and damp from sweat and heat.
The Feed the Children showed up. They didn't touch the kids. They were visiting, observing Susy's program, but they weren't touching, laughing, playing. While Patch scooped ice cream and fed the children - they were doing business.
Weird.

I held some babies while I shot the festivities. Less than an hour went by and the Security had to get me back.
I came back just in time to get to my room, unpack a bit, sit on the bed and cry. I was felling sick from the drive. I was tired. And I was scared.
How was I going to do this?
I laid down for a minute and wished I could call Peter. I had SO much to tell him!

Got dressed and washed my feet (everything is dirt and everything is dusty) and went back out to the poolside where everyone was going to meet up. We met John Glick formerly (he was one of the clowns who made this trip possible) and spoke to him for a while about what his experience was. Susie was afraid that because they were always in their clown outfits and make up that the general public might not take it well. The Voodo religion is paramount here and she was worried they would affend someone with their dress. And I guess they did, but not enough to cause violence. they were certainly kicked out of a few grocery stores.

Blanca and her sister, John and I had Security take us to the Visa Lodge to have something to eat and listen to their last Clown meeting. What an absolutely wonderful experience to listen to 14 or 15 kids, ages between 17 and 23, explain what the trip meant for them.
They were changing lives..... and at the same time they were changing their own lives.
We were home by 10:30. A tiny bit scary to be driving around half the city that late, but we made it.
And I went to bed. Slept great with a Tylenol PM. I wish the next night felt like that!......