Saturday brought the arrival of two teams. Mike decided it would be a nice trip for all of us to travel into Port-au-Prince (PAP) together to eat at Epi D'or, an American-style restaurant, as a special treat. Nicole decided she preferred to stay at the compound for some time to herself and to finish some tasks in preparation for her imminent departure for the states. So, Mike, the four kids, and I piled into the little truck with Clement, Mimi, and Guito to drive to PAP. Jeannette and her daughter, Vivian, rode with us as far as the market because they had shopped for us that morning so that we would have time to finish a few details before leaving for PAP but had to hurry through market and weren't able to shop for themselves at the same time. I opted to sit in the back with the Haitians. I love being able to sit outside and enjoy the extra breeze. As Leeanna and Alexis said a few weeks ago, we may as well do all the things here that we can't do in the states :D
Driving into Epi D'or allowed me to see parts of PAP I hadn't viewed before. The way buildings crumbled during the earthquake is unreal. Even Clement and Guito were staring at some of the structures amazed. Watching life progress now is intriguing to me. Some places have people working at clearing the rubble or re-building structures. Markets and vendors are open. People are purchasing. Little kids "wash" stopped vehicles in the road. Men and women stand in line outside of banks and at ATM machines waiting for their chance at a transaction. Everywhere you look someone is doing what they can to obtain money on which to subside.
Ordering food at Epi D'or was an experience. You place your order and then take your receipt to different areas of the restuarant where they look at what you've bought and prepare the items. I didn't understand the system initially, but it didn't take long with other customers moving in front of me in the line for me to grasp how things worked. Pizza, chicken nuggets, steak subs, ham sandwiches, and french fries were shared amongst our group. The favorites were the steak sub and pizza, but we filled ourselves on all these comfort foods (even if they weren't exactly what we'd receive in the states). The BEST part of this trip was yet to come. Immediately loading back up in the vehicle, Mike treated all of us to ICE CREAM. Cookies 'n cream and coffee were the flavors of choice amongst our small group. Sitting in the back of the truck with the sun shining strong and bright, I savored each tiny bite of this creamy sweetness.
At the airport while waiting for the first group's arrival, Mike asked whether the food was actually worth the long drive and standing around now. For me, just getting off the compound was worth this time of cooling our heels ...and the food was extra. I almost don't care where we're going, as long as I get to ride in a vehicle. All in all, the wait was relatively short between the time we found the bus which would transport us and the first team back to the compound and the time when the team arrived so that we could pack the bus and leave.
Lots of introductions and explanations occurred as people learned who I was and what my connection to the Carlins and CODEP is. I spoke briefly with one of the team members, April, who had come on a different visit and who also used to work for CODEP. Then I spent time watching the scenes outside the windows and giving attention to the youngest two Carlins. We played a couple games and shared water to stay hydrated in the heat.
After the team settled in and we explained some of the necessary details about the compound (i.e. no potable water from the faucets), I took a walk along the beach with the younger women in the group. April showed us the local "village" where a number of the youth live. It was the first time I had been back into that area because normally I'm walking by myself. 8 or 10 of the youth with whom I regularly interact were working together to build a home for two of the young men. They were quite proud of their efforts and were also excited to make friends with the new blans.
Upon returning to the facilities, I was informed that our second group was lost. The staff who stayed at the airport to find them had not been able to locate them and it was quickly approaching dark. Through a series of phone calls, we were eventually informed that they called a contact with the other organization where half of the team would be staying to get transportation when they couldn't find our people. We also realized that we would be housing 2 men and 1 woman, instead of 3 men... which meant a quick re-arrange of sleeping spaces resulting in my having a roommate for the week.
Another member of the first group arrived with 2 drivers, who would both be staying with us (which we weren't expecting) and led to another semi-frantic response. I say this jokingly because we long-ago realized the need for ever-present flexibility to best respond to the chaos that sometimes arises here. The last 3 people arrived with their luggage. We got them settled in and oriented to the routine here. People were fed and given the freedom to relax as they deemed fit. Mike, Nicole and I prayed together and mentally prepared for the week and some of its expectations.
Sunday, we all went to church in the morning. Mike took all of our visitors into the mountains for a hike in the demonstration forest. Nicole and I planned to spend the afternoon finishing the seed and water filter kits for distribution in the week since we now knew she'd be leaving the next day. Instead, shortly after the group left, the last member of their team arrived. Nicole, Tessa, and Sam (Sophie and Riah had gone with Mike on the hike) worked on the kits while I oriented our guest, gave him a tour of the grounds, entertained him by taking him on a walk and having a question/answer session, and prepared dinner. It was at this point that Nicole and I realized we had not actually identified a meal for each day of the week. We quickly brainstormed what we had available and planned an additional meal. By the end of the night, Nicole and I had detailed meal recipes for me and lists of instructions for Madame Gabriel in the hopes that the meals would be covered without difficulty.
Monday morning, Nicole left for PAP in the morning with the 2 drivers and 3 of the BGF team members. The rest of BGF team went into the mountains to continue their work. Mike went into the mountains with the group of 3 to distribute bean seeds with Guito and Mimi. The children and I had what could be called a delayed school day, but we successfully completed the core material... despite the wall construction occurring in the compound around us.
This weekend foreshadowed the week ahead and reminded me of the impact of the small things. Our perspective on these little things plays the biggest part on how we are affected by these events and experiences. We can choose to be aggravated or amused. We can choose to smile or yell. The choice we make influences our response ...both internally and therefore externally. The week was full of a number of those little opportunities. The title above applies to most of life here (and everwhere else at times). The Carlins and I have joked about the ability of the tiniest thing to tip the scale... think about the children's game Don't Spill the Beans. That concept sums it up entirely when you're freely particularly stretched or stressed. Other times those same beans just help create memories and humorous stories to share with friends over the years.
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