Day 2 ~ April 1

Arrived at Port Au Prince airport, shuttled in truck to a smaller airport to fly Tortuga Airlines to St. Luis du Norde. Haven't seen any of the problems from earthquake yet. Not too hot, but getting hotter all the time. Gave all but Sam Dramamine in anticipation of a bumpy flight on that little plane! Ruth is very tired ~ wish I could help her. Boarding soon.

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(later)

Rode a little 19 seater airplane and it was actually quite nice. I was expecting it to be bumpy and hot, but it wasn't at all. What a treat to look out and get such a beautiful view of the mountains and ocean. Hard to wrap my mind around the concept that this same land of unspeakable beauty is also a land of incomprehensible suffering.

What a bizarre ride out to NWHCM! We rode in the back of a small Toyota truck - in US, would consider 6 people back there maxed out, we had at least 11 people, plus tons of luggage. Then, we drove fast and crazy (at least it felt fast), 3rd world style, through deep mud puddles, past pigs in the road, very skinny dogs and garbage and chickens and roosters and baby chicks, a goat or two, many people riding donkeys and ladies balancing tons of stuff on their heads.

After at least a 2 hour drive - so bumpy it felt like the insides of my head were knocking together - we arrived at NWHCM. We drove through a large, black gate with the NWHCM written on the outside, and entered into a huge compound. This place amazes me ~ a clinic, birthing center, schools, a baby orphanage, a special needs orphanage, a nursing home and who knows what else. Short termers sleep in either the girls or guys dorms, each containing about 50 cots, or they can sleep on the roof in tents or just under the stars. The compound sports a large water tower, and has its own water purification system, so all water on campus is good for drinking. Two large, camp style bathrooms provide quite clean showers, sinks and toilets. We eat in a large common area with about 15 picnic tables and space for hanging out and visiting with one another. Meals are served in a buffet style, and there is even a little "snack bar", open in the afternoons, where we can buy popcorn, cokes, chips, candy bars and other luxuries.

We all need to go to sleep soon ~ I'm exhausted from the traveling and know the girls are, too. Wonder what tomorrow will bring.