Here We Go...Again

Before I knew it, I was receiving emails about planning our next trip. The dates were set for February 11th-18th, 2009. I did not even think about it, I knew I was going to go. I had no idea exactly how I would pay for it or if I would be approved time off from my work. It didn't matter. I knew that if it was meant for me to go then I would be able to go.

The holidays were coming soon and the only thing I wanted for Christmas was to go to Haiti! My family was so wonderful in helping make my Christmas wish come true. I was able to come up with enough money to go on the trip and I was approved my time off from work! Not only was my family supportive financially, but I also had a special angel watching over me to assure I would be able to take my journey to Haiti ( you know who you are)!

This trip planning was very different from my first trip. I did not attend a single meeting! WHAT! I know. I still don't even believe it! Every time a meeting was planned, I had to work. I could never get my schedule in sync with everyone else's (the curse of working from 7pm-7am). I was kept in the loop by many emails and me harassing Dr. Billy and Dr. Dave ( our fearless leaders) endlessly.

This trip was very different than previous ones. Our team consisted of people from all over the country, not just from our small town of Pawleys Island, SC. We did have a few locals on our team, but we also had some gentlemen from Charleston, SC join us. Then we had two other ladies to add to the team. One from Virginia and the other from Florida. We were a very diverse group. I was very interested in seeing how we would mesh and how the trip would pan out having so many new people with us.

Are you ready to go?

Coming up next...Second Time's A Charm!

Family Reunion!

The rest of October passed by quickly. I went on a vacation with my Mother and some other family members to Disney World. My grandfather passed away. Halloween came and went.

November seemed to fly by. However, on November 16th, we had a team reunion! Leslie (who lives in Mount Pleasant, SC) decided to have our entire team and our families over to her house. It was a time for us to relive our trip, look at all of our pictures, and just enjoy spending time together! My family was unable to come, so I rode down with Brewster and his family. It was a nice trip.

I was so excited to see everyone! I was able to see some of our team members regularly because we went to church together, but others I had not seen since we left Haiti! Leslie and her family opened their beautiful home for us and prepared some delicious food. They even made Spaghetti pie (one of our Haitian meals)!

Julie also lived in Mt. Pleasant and she brought some of her children for us to meet. Dr. Ed came, as well as Dr. Mandy and her husband. The rest of the team had illness/injuries in the family or other plans. It was a shame we weren't all together, but it was still a wonderful reunion.

We ate lots of food and looked at all of our pictures. Brewster even put together a little video slide show of all of our pictures to some music. It was so nice to relive all of those wonderful moments again and to share them with our families and friends!

After we ate, Dr. Mandy put together an awards banquet for our team! It was a total surprise! She spent so much time thinking and putting together a special gift/speech about each person from our team. All of the gifts were funny and like inside jokes to our team. It was so fun! Mandy also gave each person a matted picture of La Gonave on a beautiful stand. She is so thoughtful!

Then Leslie presented each of us with a gift as well. She gave everyone a hand-held luggage scale/weight! It has a measuring tape and a hook attached so we can weigh our bags and never get held up in the airport again! Ha! What a great gift! What a great night! What great memories!

Coming Up Next...Ready to Roll, Again!

Getting Back To Normal

After having a wonderful night's sleep in my own bed, I woke up. I woke up when I wanted to. No roosters or goats bleating. No voices outside of my bedroom window. It was nice, but different. On this day, I technically had nothing to do or anywhere to go. It was a good but strange feeling. Good in a way that I could relax and do what I wanted to do. Strange because I was so used to having a set schedule, and now there was none.

It was a very quiet day. Almost lonely.

I was so used to being surrounded by people constantly. Whether it was our team being squished into a taxi, having clinic, sitting around the compound, going to church, walking around to explore, eating meals, having devotionals, even sleeping together in the same room. There was always someone around.

I felt a little lost.

I unpacked my bags. Did some laundry. Normal stuff.

I found myself realizing small things. Not turning on any lights when I walked into a room. Not keeping the TV on, just to have it on. Not flushing the toilet (i.e. If it's yellow, let it mellow. If it's brown, flush it down.) Being able to have clear, cold, and clean water at my finger tips. Having a refrigerator full of food. Being able to have a stove, oven, and microwave to prepare meals in minutes. Doing laundry in my home. Having a telephone/cellphone nearby to call anyone, anytime. Having Tylenol in the medicine cabinet for my headache.

Little things that I realized before, but didn't appreciate nearly enough until now.

I had a couple of days off from work to rest, spend time with family, and get settled back into my normal routine. I loved sharing all of my stories with whoever wanted to hear them!

Before I knew it, it was time for me to go back to work. I was a little anxious because I felt like I had been away for so long. I was so used to being in Haiti and basically seeing patients myself (with other Doctors nearby of course). I really didn't know what to expect.

When I got to work, I was very happy to see all of my co-workers. They seemed happy to see me as well. People were very curious to hear about my trip and see pictures. I was thrilled to tell them everything I could and answer all the questions that came my way.

After I got report from the day shift I started seeing my patients. Things were going fine. Nothing out of hand or crazy. It seemed like a pretty normal night. I felt like I was a little behind (time wise), but everything was okay.

All of a sudden, I got totally and completely overwhelmed. It was like a wave hit me. To be completely honest, I have no idea exactly what prompted it. I didn't know what was wrong and why I was feeling that way. I had to take a few minutes to gather myself and my thoughts together. I got really hot and began bawling crying. My wonderful co-workers were immediately at my side to make sure I was okay and to take over with whatever needed to be done at that moment. I am so thankful for them. I called my mother on the phone and through my blubbering, told her what was going on. She immediately began praying for me. She prayed for peace to cover me. It was exactly what I needed.

From that moment on, I was covered in peace. I was able to pull myself together and do my job. I got through the rest of my shift totally fine. I still have no idea where my mini breakdown came from, but I am so glad that it did not last long. I am happy to report that that was my only "episode" and I am fine! When I think about it now, it actually makes me laugh because it seems so ridiculous.

I was able to talk to a few of the veterans about my breakdown and they all told me that it was just my "re-entry" and it was totally normal. Everyone has a "re-entry" period after returning from a mission trip. For some, it may not be as obvious as mine was. For others, it may be worse or for a longer period of time. I heard many different "re-entry" stories from the veterans, but never thought that I would have had one! I am glad that I am not the only one and now know that I am not a complete nut case!

Coming up next...Ready for the next trip!

It's Good To Be Home!

We loaded my bags in the car and started the drive home. It was so good to be with my family! I couldn't wait to tell them EVERYTHING! If you know my Mother, then you know that she really wants to know everything. Every single detail. So, as you can imagine, this was going to take a long time. It didn't matter. I wanted to share my entire experience with everyone! To let them know what I did, what I saw, who I met, and how my life had changed!

On the ride home I was talking a mile a minute to fill them in on my journey. We dropped my sister and her husband off at their house and then my mom and I continued on to our house.
It was such a nice feeling to pull into my drive way and really realize that I was home!

I left my big suitcase on the front porch for the night. I was not interested in letting any little stowaways in my house! As I opened the door I was greeted by my sweet dogs, Pebbles and Belle. Pebbles (my puppy-Yorkie and Chihuahua mix) was beside herself with excitement! And I have never seen Belle (our families Cocker Spaniel) wag her tail harder! It was so good to see my babies!

I then noticed a sign hanging in the foyer welcoming me home. There was also a special Halloween themed cookie cake! Yum! As I ventured back to my room and opened the door, my room exploded! There were balloons everywhere! My sister had my entire room filled with balloons! It was so fun and unexpected. I loved it! It made me feel so good to know that my family truly missed me!

I started to unpack some of my souvenirs to give to my mom. While doing this, I continued telling her all about my trip. We talked until 3am! I don't even think I made it past the second day! I told you that she likes details! Poor thing, she had to work the next day also.

After she went to bed, I took a little walk through our house. I looked at all of the rooms, the furniture, the pictures, etc. I realized, even more now than before, how unbelievably blessed we are. I also realized that all of the those things were not nearly as important as I used to think they were. The things that are important are the voices of laughter that fill the rooms, the people that sit and share stories on that furniture, and the smiles and memories made in those pictures. Possessions may come and go, but family and friends are a constant. I am so thankful for my wonderful family and friends and am forever thankful for their lives!

I then took a long, hot shower. Climbed into my comfy bed, turned on my fan, snuggled up to my dog, and said a special prayer of thanksgiving. Thank you God for all of your mighty blessings!

Coming Up Next...Back to the real world...really

There's No Place Like Home

As we were getting ready to land in Myrtle Beach, I got butterflies in my stomach. No, I was not airsick. I was so excited to see my family! My trip to Haiti had officially ended and now it was time to get back to the real world.

As we got off the plane and started walking to the baggage claim, Ed asked me if my Mom was picking me up. I said, "Of course! And I bet she has an entire band waiting to welcome us home!". This was said with a hint of sarcasm, but for anyone who knows my mother, she does not do anything small. She goes all out for everything! I do love this about her (even though sometimes I don't act like it).

We got onto the escalator and headed down, and this is what I saw

My adorable mother and sister were waiting for me with this enormous sign and flowers!
My brother-in-law was there also, but he refused to hold the sign. I don't blame him! Ha Ha!

I was so excited to see them!
They were super excited to see me too!

It was such a wonderful feeling to know how much they missed me and to see all of the effort they went to to make my homecoming so special! I absolutely loved it! I have such a wonderful and supportive family!

Some of the other team member's families were there, so it was good to see/meet them! Everyone was busy hugging and talking with one another and their families, it was a joyous time!

We gathered ourselves together and headed toward baggage claim to get all of our bags. As we were walking, I was trying to tell my mom and sister everything. As you can imagine, this was hard. How could I explain my entire trip in 5 minutes!

At this point I was glowing! My sister kept telling me over and over again how different I looked. I asked her if that was a good thing or a bad thing. She said it was a good thing. She said that she thought I looked great! Well, I felt great! I had just had the experience of a lifetime, made great friends, became closer to God, and helped people along the way! Of course I was great! Not to mention I got a little Haitian tan too!

My family knew most of the team (from church and the community), but for the ones they did not know, I introduced them. I wanted them to meet the people who I shared such an amazing experience with. Plus, I knew I would be telling many stories and I wanted them to have a name with a face!

Before I knew it, our luggage had arrived. It was extremely obvious which bags belonged to our team. They were beaten up and covered in red clay! We had to unpack some of the big boxes so we could get our fragile souvenirs out. Everything made it safely and intact!

During this process my sister grabbed my left hand and looked at it. I was shocked and asked her what that was about. She said, " I thought you would have come back engaged or adopted a baby". I laughed so hard! I don't know about getting engaged, but I certainly would have brought back all of the babies if I could! My sister is too funny!

Now that we had all of our belongings, it was time to go home. I said goodbye to my team, my friends. It was sad, but at the same time I was okay with it. I knew that we would all stay in touch somehow and that we would see each other again, one day!

As I walked out of the airport and the cool autumn air hit my cheeks. I looked at my family, took a deep breath and said to myself

THERE IS NO PLACE LIKE HOME!

Heading Home

Wednesday October 15th, 2008: Day 7

This morning was totally different than the rest. When I woke up, I had no clue where I was! I quickly realized that I was at the Hotel Montana. It was so weird to not be woken up by goats bleating, cows mooing, and roosters crowing. It was very quiet. Oddly quiet. I actually felt out of place, like things were not right for some reason. I guess I felt more at ease or myself when I was in La Gonave! Who would have thunk it!?

Laura and I got to sleep in! We woke up at 6am! The team agreed to meet down in the Lobby at 7am to check out and then head to the airport. We got dressed and packed our last minute items. We got to the Lobby at 6:45am, we thought we were early. We were almost the last people to get there! I guess everyone else was still on Lotore time, waking up at 5am!

Check out was smooth. Pere Soner arrived with his truck to haul all of our luggage and supplies. We were carrying a much lighter load home than what we came with, so it was easier. Gary came to pick us up with his van and we all loaded up, for the final time. We were not sure how bad the traffic would be, so we wanted to allow plenty of time to get the airport.

We left the Hotel Montana and made our way through the city streets of PAP.

Tap-Tap

All of the women carry HUGE loads on their heads! It is amazing! They must have very good posture!

We made it to the airport by 8am with no problems. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 10am. When we were unloading at the airport, it seemed very hurried. There were many people around and I didn't really know what to do or where to go. There were a lot of Haitian airport employees (I guess they are called Stewards?) that were gathering our bags. Of course Dave aka "Big Boss" was in charge of handling the money to pay the guys for carrying our bags. I am so glad that we had one person in charge of all the money and I am so thankful that he took on the position! He did great and made it much easier for the rest of us. I am sure it was a little stressful for him though. Thanks again Dave!

Once we were inside the airport, we went through the metal detector. We then got in line at our ticket counter to check our bags and get our tickets. We then headed through yet another line of security/customs (passports stamped, metal detectors, x-ray bags, etc.).

Matt going through security.

I had forgotten how exhausting traveling can be! Everyone got through all of the security check points with no problems! We had a little time to spare, so we shopped around. I found some great items! If you ever go to Haiti, go shopping at the airport! You will find great souvenirs.

Before I knew it, it was time for us to board our plane to Ft. Lauderdale.

Loading onto the plane. Goodbye Haiti!

When we loaded onto the plane I realized that I was sitting in first class! What! It was very nice and it made me feel special. Even better, Brewster was sitting next to me!

Once we were in the air, Brewster took out his lap top so we could look at pictures and video footage he took while we were in Lotore. It was nice to see all of the pictures, but it also broke my heart. It was hard knowing and seeing what we were leaving behind in Haiti. It was a bittersweet moment though because we were heading home to see our families and friends! How could you not be excited about that!

We landed in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. U.S. soil. God Bless America! It is good to be home!

We got all of our luggage at the international baggage claim and then had to go through U.S. Customs. Now, they do not play around (which is a good thing). They are very serious about their jobs and you want to make sure you mind your P's and Q's when going through customs in America! Everything went fine, no one was detained or arrested (not that they should have been), yeah!

We now had to cross the airport to change terminals for our next flight. Once we got to the correct terminal, we tried to go ahead and check our bags and get our tickets for the next flight. We had a six hour lay-over and did not want to have to lug all of our bags and boxes around the airport, ugh. Of course, the devil immediately started messing with us as we ran into some extremely unpleasant people. I will not go into details, but it was not pretty. I had to walk away because I did not want to get caught up in the drama, plus I wanted to stay in my Haitian state of mind.

Thank goodness a supervisor heard that we had just returned from a mission trip to Haiti, and she was Haitian! She helped us get everything straightened out and I don't think she charged us for the extra bag! She even thanked us for serving her brothers and sisters in Haiti, wow! When the devil tries to get in the way and hinder us, the LORD comes to our rescue every time! Praise God!

Once that burden was off of our shoulders, it was time for us to find something to eat. Our first American meal! We found a sit down restaurant, Chili's. Everyone was so excited choosing what they were going to eat. When the waitress asked me what I wanted to drink, I asked if they had Dr. Pepper (my favorite drink). She said, "No, but we have Mr. Pibb". I screamed! I actually screamed ( I know I am a moron) because they had Mr. Pibb (Dr. Pepper's brother)! Of course I said yes, if my scream didn't give it away already. I bet no one could tell I was excited about that (sarcasm)!

After downing my ice cold Mr. Pibb, I ate cheese dip and chips. Yum! Then I ate a huge cheeseburger with french fries! AHHHH! It was soooo good!

Everyone enjoyed their meals and just relaxed. There was a sense of excitement amongst all of us because we knew we were not too far from home. I tried to take it all in, because I knew that this was probably the last time we would all be together as a team. It was a little sad for me, but we still enjoyed each others company laughing and telling stories.

I had the opportunity to call my family and let them know that I was in the US and I was fine. It was so good to hear their voices and know that they were okay.

We then walked to our gate to wait. We still had about 4 hours to kill. We walked around, looked in the stores, ate ice cream, read, listened to music, called family and friends, and talked with each other.

Some of us slept.

I sat for awhile by myself. I was watching all of the people around us. People rushing from one place to the other, talking on their cell phones, yelling at the airline employees, watching TV, etc. It was stimulus overload for me. It was hard to remember that we had just come from such a peaceful and rewarding experience. Now were were being thrown back into the real world again. I quickly realized that this was the world we lived in. A world where most people are ungrateful, rude, selfish, and too busy to care.

I wanted to scream out to people and let them know that there were worse things in life than being late for a flight or mad because someone messed up their coffee order. I wanted to tell them about the people in Haiti and what I had just experienced this past week . I was very frustrated. It was so good to be home, but hard to be in such a negative environment. I had to really focus on the Lord and pray for some clarity.

After some quiet time to myself, I began talking with other team members, mainly the veterans. I wanted some insight on how they had coped with their "re-entries" in the past. From what I gathered, it was different for everyone. For some, it hit them immediately. For others, it may have taken a few weeks. Mine was already slapping me in the face. I knew that I had to keep my eyes on the Lord and focus on him. I had to remember our experience in Haiti and not get jaded by the real world.

Before I knew it, it was time for us to board the plane for our final leg home! I was so excited to get home and see my family! I sat in a regular seat this time (being even more thankful for my first class seat on my last flight). The flight was uneventful and peaceful for me. A time to reflect on the past week and realize how my life was changed. I have been blessed in so many ways! I thank the Lord for revealing my call and purpose in this world. I cannot wait for the next chapter of my life and where the Lord will lead me!

Coming up Next...Welcome Home!

Goodnight Haiti

After we took our last group picture, the men-folk went to the bar to enjoy a nightcap and Cuban cigars! While we were all hanging out, Chris told us that when he was in the hotel's boutique earlier, he accidentally bumped into a statue and broke it! To make matters worse, it was a statue of a naked lady! Of course, he had to buy it! Poor Chris! He said, "What am I supposed to do with a broken statue of a naked lady?". We laughed so hard but felt really bad for him. What made the situation even worse was that the boutique owner said that he would give Chris a deal. Yeah right, I think he said he ended up paying $75-100+ dollars! I think he ended up leaving it in his room. So much for his souvenir!

I didn't stick around much longer because my stomach was not feeling so well at this point. However, there was an upside to this situation...I had a real toilet to use! I know, this may be too much information for some of you. If you know me though, this should be no surprise!

Once my visit to the porcelain god was complete, I finished packing all of my bags (yet again). I had to squeeze all of my souvenirs in there somewhere! My poor luggage was so dirty and torn. I actually had to put duck tape on it to hold some tears together! Laura then returned to the room and she gave me some medicine to kill whatever bug that was in my tummy! I never had anymore tummy problems, thank goodness!

I was amused because I realized that I had not turned on the television the entire time I was in the room. Again, for those that know me, that is a big deal. It does not matter what time it is, what I am doing, or where I am; I always have the television on (if there is one). I may not even be paying attention to what is on, I just like it to be on in the background. Yes, I know this is a horrible vice. It's something I am working on! When I realized that I had not turned on the television, I actually laughed out loud at myself. It was like I didn't even realize that we had a TV because we had not been around one in so long!

One thing I did notice was that the room was cold! We had air conditioning and we were putting it to good use! However, it became too cold very quickly. We ended up turning it off completely because we realized we didn't need it! How funny! We had access to all of these amenities (or necessities to some people), and we weren't even taking advantage of them! It's things like that that remind you how blessed we are and how we take so many things for granted.

While Laura and I were laying on our beds, we began talking like two little kids at camp. We talked about the amazing journey we had just been on and how it had changed our lives. We discussed how hard it was going to be to return home and to re-adjust to our normal lives after this past week. I was nervous about returning home and being thrown back into reality.

Before I knew it, I had completely passed out in mid conversation! What a great way to end an awesome week!

Coming Up Next...Back to Reality...Really!