Final departure.  I didn’t sleep well last night.  The power kept going off and I know when the power goes off because the fans go off and within minutes I feel like someone is trying to suffocate me.  It’s stinkin’ hot here.  It’s like last year’s summer back home minus the humidity.

We had to get up at 5:30.  (not a morning person)  I was just thankful that someone had the foresight to make sure we had coffee this morning.  I may have launched myself over the edge if there wasn’t.  I was sad to leave the kids.  They grow on you in mysterious ways.  Many of the days I was positive they were the reason I had to go in search of beer.

Susan and I were riding in style this morning, in the back of the tap tap. One more hurrah for the dust we were about to inhale.  Actually my cough has been really good down here, I don’t know why.

There was this big honking pig strolling down the street.  He was big for living in Haiti.  I don’t know why he was out and I don’t know why someone hasn’t snagged on to him.  I’m glad he decided to give us the right of way.  It wouldn’t have been pretty to take him out.  It reminds me of a time that a lady came down to the station to report that she struck a “grizzly” in the road.  I was pretty sure it wasn’t a grizzly or even a regular bear for that matter.  It was a pig.  I won’t mention who the pig ended up belonging to but it’s someone people in my family know.

On the way to the airport, we were amazed at all the people out in this predawn hour.  I was wondering where the heck they were all heading to.  No one has a job down here, where are they going?  It’s like morning rush hour.  It’s crazy.

The airport is not crazy, in fact it’s dead.  Nothing is open.  We check our bags without a hitch and I am so thankful we are only taking two suitcases home.  I have my carry on inside my suitcase.  It feels good having no luggage.  For some reason you have to go through two security checks as in shoes off, laptops out.  What a pain!  Then there’s the broken escalator, and getting frisked.  I walk to the man for him to pat me down.  He says, “oh no, you go to her”. Personally, I wouldn’t have cared if I knew it was going to make me get through this faster.  I’m waiting for the breakfast place to open so I can snag some Jo.  They are seriously not in a hurry to open up.  You’d think I’d be used to that by now.  I’m not.

We find out there is one kiosk gift shop down stairs.  I told Susan to check it out.  I think she was jones’n to go check it out.  She did.  Unfortunately for her, she forgot her passport and they wouldn’t let her get through the last checkpoint.  She tries to explain it’s upstairs and offers for me to throw it down to her.  The man was not at all impressed by that idea.  He had to walk her up to get it.  I’m secretly glad I didn’t go first, now I’ll look like the well versed traveler, well aware of the airport policies. 

It’s going to be a full flight all the way home.  On our way from Fort Lauderdale to Chicago, I spotted Scotty Pippen in first class, I try to stop a gawk for a brief moment but the irritated passengers behind me don’t like me slowing progress.  I gave him the nodding/knowing look which was reciprocated.  That was good enough I guess. 

And now that I am back on U.S. soil, it feels pretty darn good.  Food, variable heated shower, my bed, my family, no mosquitoes for the time being, no roosters at the crack of dawn.   I’ll just say that my trip was an experience of a lifetime.  I’m so glad Jamie was able to take us to see everything.  We were able to see many different sides of Haiti.  As much as this country is a pit, there are small incremental signs of progress which I hope do not stall.  Maybe some other country can have some disasters for awhile so Haiti can start repairing this broken country. Believe it or not, there is beauty here; you just have to look for it.  The people here want to trust but are still skeptical of everything that has happened over the last hundred years or so.  They want to believe too, but they don’t want to get their hopes up.  They own nothing, yet they live the best they can and don’t complain.

I might just come back for some more harrowing adventures down here.  There’s so much to be done, I don’t know where one would start except at the beginning.  Maybe tomorrow or in a couple of days, I’ll post some new photos.  I’m trying to find a photo sharing website to put all my pictures on so my non facebook people can see what this place is about.  No photo can accurately depict what our eyes have seen, what I’ve smelled, and felt, tasted and such.  Seriously, this place is sensory overload but for some strange reason it secretly calls you back.

Anyway, thanks for tuning in to my little maniacal world.  10-42.