Our flight out of Albuquerque was quick and painless but all of my lingering sickness was still there.
Dallas to Ft. Lauderdale was no real issue either but when we arrived in Florida it was 12:21 and the airport was closed. We needed to check back into the airport in less than four hours and there was no point in getting an hotel for the evening. We went down to the main lobby and laid out our thin sleeping bag liners, crawled under the plastic seats, and stole fitful sleep while the overhead announcements reminded us of where we were.
In the morning, we checked back in through the gate, then bought last minute food, changed into scrubs, and boarded the last leg of our flight to Port-au-Prince.
Landing in Haiti was surreal. When we traveled immediately after the earthquake we had to pass through the Dominica Republic and take U.S. Embassy transport across Hispañola to arrive in Port-au-Prince. This time we were able to land directly into the country. I thought I was fine until I saw the first crack in a window and wall, and I choked back tears. In minutes though any sadness was overcome by a positive energy as live music blasted through the open areas, played by musicians hired by Digicel, a local communications company.
Our push through customs was quick, and we met new members of our team.
Immediately we traveled by open-air truck truck to Belaire, and within an hour of landing in Haiti, were back in the church clinic and seeing patients.
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