Arrival in Haiti

My official arrival in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, occurred around noon on Tuesday and was accompanied by the sounds of joyous clapping, and even some tears. Having spent a brief period of time in this country back in October, I was fairly well prepared for the heat that immediately embraced me when I stepped onto the runway and the general chaos that is Haiti’s international airport. While on my previous trip I had been absolutely overwhelmed, this time around I navigated through customs (breaking out one of my five Creole phrases: Bonswa!) and managed to successfully secure a cart for my luggage. It took quite a bit of time to actually locate my two, ginormous 50 pound bags amidst the sea of luggage rolling off the baggage claim, not to mention the countless passengers engaged in the same task as myself.

Next stop: the Digicell counter, where I purchased a cell phone ready for immediate use. Upon entering the appropriate code, I was then informed that I had 100 gourdes (Haitian currency) worth of minutes. A quick call to Dr. Delson Merisier and I was on my way!

Dr. Merisier informed me that he was already outside the airport. I put on my no-nonsense look and inexpertly pushed my overloaded cart through the doors. Within seconds, at least 3 different luggage handlers, readily identified by their red caps, eagerly offered to take care of my bags. Creole Phrase Number 2 was subsequently employed repeatedly: No, mesi. Once seated in Dr. Merisier's car, I breathed a slight sigh of relief: that wasn’t so bad —expectations are, indeed, everything.

We had two quick stops before making our way from the capital of Port-au-Prince to Leogane, a town some 20 miles west, situated in the coastal plains. Dr. Merisier is an OB/Gyn by training, though as he explained during our ride, in Haiti, it was more or less necessary for him to “know everything.” After dropping off a handful of Pap smears and cervical biopsies (to be sent to a local lab), I accompanied him in a visit to his niece, who had been home from school the past two days with complaint of nausea/vomiting and diarrhea. He provided her with a quick injection of antibiotics and some further instruction, before we were again on our way.

I consider myself a city girl at heart, which may explain why I am enthralled by Port-au-Prince. While initially there is a period of “sensory overload,” during which one feels continually assaulted by an endless barrage of sights, sounds and smells, one quickly learns to take the city one piece at a time, breaking it down into manageable and enjoyable chunks of everyday life. The colorful buildings and frequent markets. School children, immaculately dressed in their uniforms, casually strolling in groups of three or four. The innumerable, elaborately painted tap-taps and the constant honking of horns. The smoke of charcoal fires and the haze of exhaust. People everywhere- selling, laughing, talking, moving, rushing, bargaining. It is both overwhelming and invigorating.

Dr. Merisier slowly worked his car through the winding streets filled with traffic and people, offering me an impromptu tour as we traveled along. He also provided some interesting insight into the training of physicians in Haiti. While medical school in the States is far from easy, I have never had to travel well over an hour in order to have electricity by which to study.

At approximately four thirty, I arrived at what is to be my home for the next seven weeks, the Hopital Cardinal Leger. My lodgings are quite comfortable, complete with a common TV and what appears to be a lava lamp. That evening, I dined with the eight sisters (as in religious sisters) and one physician who reside here. I speak not a word of French and basically no Creole, yet these individuals managed to welcome me warmly and make me feel at ease. I enjoyed their company, despite being entirely clueless as to their discussions. My main words of the evening were Mesi (for the wonderful meal and for their assistance) and Wi (as in Wi, I had enough and Wi, I enjoyed my meal very much). Not surprisingly, they quickly discovered that I am “tee-mead,” which I eventually discerned was “timid” (I suppose my persistent blushing served as a fairly obvious clue). Nonetheless, they have provided adequate motivation for my learning Creole; while there are obvious benefits in having some command of this language, I would also love to talk to these wonderful women using more than just my blushing, “tee-mead” smile and sign language!

My first night I slept soundly, grateful for the delightful breeze coursing through the window right above my bed. Today I mostly relaxed, awaiting the arrival of Jackie, the research coordinator at Family Health Ministries (www.familyhm.org) with whom I will be working. I did attempt to take one brief foray out into the city, but more on that later!