We made it to Haiti!!!

We made it to Haiti! 

We began our journey at 3am as we woke from the place we have called home for the last 5 weeks and got ready to board our plane.

 

Our boys have never been on a plane so this was another kind of adventure too. They thought that it was the coolest thing ever! Their favorite part was taking off and how it pushed them back in their seats. 

We landed in Haiti at 4:30pm. I have been to Haiti many times with a team, however this is only the second time I have come to Haiti as a mom. It was with joy that I watched my kids take in the scene of Haiti as our plane landed. They were just amazed at everything they saw and they hadn't even gotten off the plane yet! They navigated the airport like pros and even to the taptap. At one point, I stood in front of Austin and Landen and explained to them that Haitians tend to yell because they don't have a lot of different words to express how important something is. This means that if they feel strongly they will yell, but it doesn't mean they are fighting. (Sometimes the guys that like to 'help' with our luggage like to yell). Our kiddos took it in stride, as if they had been here many times. 

We loaded our stuff in the taptap and drove to the guesthouse, our temporary home in Haiti. We are living in a room with two bunk beds and our luggage, and its a blast...mostly. We also get to see the teams and my kids are being loved up by Tom and Shelley Gacek's team. Its really fun to watch as they allow my kids to be part of their team and welcomed into their meals and time together. My kids now consider Tom their Haiti Grandpa. 

We have been traveling the last two days to Grace Village with the medical team that is putting together the clinic. We get there around 9:30am and stay until about 5pm. Austin, Sierra and Landen have amazed me. They have jumped right into playing with the kids and working on making friends. The Haitian kids are in school right now so they get recess at 10:30am and then their school ends around 1ish. My kids wait around until those times and then run over to the playground to make new friends. This has been tricky, but mostly good. 

One of the ways we are saving money and making sure we are integrating in the culture is to eat lunch at the feeding center. It does not taste bad, it does however, taste different. My youngest doesn't like different. If he could live on PBHoney sandwiches, pizza, and macaroni and cheese he would be happy. He has decided that beans make him puke. In spite of this he is eating his food and even chose to eat leftovers from yesterday instead of the bean soup...impressive if you could have seen him eat the meal yesterday...its all relative. All around its an adjustment, but fun to be able to begin our entry into the Haitian culture.