Tuesday, January 7, 2014

From 0˚ to 80˚ F in 4 hours

Team 1, Journal 1, by Joe VW 

January 4, 2014 
It's 3:30 a.m. but I'm already awake. The alarm is set for 4:30 but sleep has vanished; today is the day we fly to Haiti! 

 At 4:30 I'm out of bed, dressed, and eating my cereal.  At 5:00 I open my garage door and drive my pick up out into the bitter cold. The truck's thermometer bounces between -2 and +3 degrees Fahrenheit. Brr.. 

Thirty minutes later I'm the first to arrive at the church. There I get to work lining up the suitcases of donated items so they can be easily loaded into the two vehicles that will be taking us to the Kennedy airport. Thanks Paul Greendyk and Glenn Tanis! 

Shortly afterwards other team members begin arriving and soon everyone is ready to go. By six o'clock we are on the road. When we arrive at the airport there are no real problems getting tickets, going through security, and boarding the airplane. We are, however, delayed for an hour or so before takeoff. 

The flight goes smoothly and 3.5 hours later we land in Port au Prince, Haiti. Once we deplane we are met by a smiling Jason Krul. It is very interesting to watch him use his savvy connections to get us through customs, luggage, and into two vehicles in no time at all.

Outside, we step into 80˚ degrees temperatures. 0˚ to 80˚ in 4 hours!! Yes!!! 

The most interesting part of the day is definitely the ride from the airport to the Krul's home. 10 of us are packed into two vehicles with Andy balancing in the back of the pickup on top of the luggage as we bounce and jostle over narrow, bumpy, crowded, smelly streets! Definitely the worst roads I've ever seen in my life! 

Reaching the Krul's home we are welcomed by a smiley Wilhelmina, Jayden, and Justin. A great end to a great day! 

Pictures of the Day. 

Port au Prince in sight.


Haiti's bustling capital.



Joe playing basketball with Jayden.



Many hands make light work.



Buffet style dinner.



Smiley girls.



All tuckered out.



2 comments:

  1. Amazing how that living room turns into a hostel

    ReplyDelete
  2. So cool to read about fellow NewJersians I know, but haven't seen in years! Joe VW, I love the gray! :) Have fun working & being a blessing in Haiti!

    ReplyDelete