Haiti part 1

I'd like to write three segments about Haiti in my blog. The first I would like to talk about my pre-trip ideas about what Haiti would look like, what we would do, experiences we might have, etc. The 2nd post I would like to talk about the actual experience. This post I will include highs and lows, experiences, etc.
The last post I would like use to reflect on the experience. What did we learn? Where will we go from here?

Here goes:
    I didn't really know what to expect to be honest. I knew what I had packed in my bag and what medicines I had taken prior to stepping on Haitian soil. I knew what type of weather we could expect and what the director of the orphanage looked like. I even knew a few creole phrases which I hoped would multiply as the trip progressed. In the back of my mind, I expected this trip to be similar in some ways to other trips I had been on in third world countries- Honduras, Peru, Uganda. I expected similar traffic patterns, smells, sounds, and sights. In some ways, we felt prepared but in other ways, how could we be?
I knew that Haiti had been through a lot in the past year. With the earthquake on January 12th, 2010, the recent Cholera outbreak, and the political unrest the country was undergoing- I knew that we were entering a country that was unstable in many ways. I had seen pictures of the massive tent camps erected around the country's capitol, which housed between 1 and 2 million residents left homeless by the earthquake. I had read articles about the political unrest and the history of political corruption that continues to plague the city's capitol. How was I to prepare for the sights, the sounds, and smells of the human suffering that I would see?
I knew that it was a miracle that we even arrived in the country. Amidst the advisory red flags on travel to Haiti, the recent Cholera outbreak, the encroaching winter blizzard, and the sporatic rioting in the capitol due to unrest- we arrived. Some might call this type of travel risky or irresponsible, but after praying about it feeling affirmed that this was the right thing to do, we boarded the plane from JFK on the morning of December 26th bound for Port-au-Prince.

Visionaries

I am doing my best to get together a few posts this weekend about my experiences in Haiti earlier this month.
In the meantime, I wanted to share two videos I find inspiring. Both ideas have been met with resistance and have caused a fair amount of debate on a world wide level. I'd be interested to know your thoughts if you watch these videos. Leave me a comment or your reflections after watching these two videos:
The first is about healthcare as a human right. It is done by Partners in Health, which is led by Dr. Paul Farmer.

The 2nd video is about the Green Belt movement started in Kenya by Wangari Mathaii.

He saw the best in me

Skeet Shootin

Sunday afternoon, a few friends and I went out to Tuckahoe to do some skeet shooting. I realized after a few shots that I really need to practice my "on the fly" shot. I am usually a fairly accurate shot when it comes to shooting my rifle or even shot gun at a still target. Although my shooting was not up to par on Sunday, I still enjoyed the chance to shoot a few different guns, including my rifle which we shot at skeet set up 40-50 yards off. Despite a cold and windy afternoon, we still had a good time unloading rounds on some clay pigeons.
Below are a few pictures:

So much to give

As I reflect on the day, I am quickly reminded of how much the earth has to give us. This place we call home is one of the most giving beings I know that exists. Yes, as we have witnessed over the years, it has given us beautiful sunsets, natural rhythms that we adhere to, and magnificent creatures we can only be in awe of. But one cannot forget that this beauty is paralled by many "disasters" that have resulted in war, famine, sickness, and disease.
I was reminded of the giving spirit our planet has this morning as I rose early on the banks of the Rappahanock river. As I stepped outside I caught the last glimpses of a full night sky, on which Venus shined it's bright light. As I stepped aboard a small john boat that would take my father-in-law and I down river to a duck blind, I was reminded of the energy we are given by nature, whether by the sun's warm rays on a summer afternoon, or as I experienced, the brisk air whipping against my face this early January morning.
I am grateful once again to call this earth my home and I am amazed yet again at the Creator who so thoughtfully designed a place in which for us to inhabit.

Blessings

Where to begin.. I have a few options. Do I skip over the last week and a half and pick up with my cold ride into work this morning? Or do I pick up where I left off and write about Christmas with my family followed by a trip to Haiti that I think will impact me for quite some time. I like the first option, to be honest. I'm not sure I have quite processed the last week and a half enough to describe it in words that I can type on a keyboard.
As I sit and ponder which option to choose, I think I would be leaving out to much to skip over it all, so I will do my best.
Christmas break began for me on the afternoon of the 24th, as I got off work at noon that day. We made our way out to Tuckahoe that afternoon to be greeted by warm soup and some thoughtful presents we opened around the tree in the great hall. Early in the evening, we made our way over to the Ramsey's, friends of the Thompsons, for a traditional Christmas eve dinner followed by midnight mass at St. Mary's. These are traditions I look forward to. As midnight came and went, we spent the night at Tuckaoe, to be welcomed by a brisk Christmas morning only hours later. We made our way to my parents house Christmas morning for a mid-morning brunch. As we opened gifts and shared stories around the tree, I was reminded of how blessed I truly am. My family is amazing. Here are a few pictures from Christmas day, taken by my mom.

 As the afternoon wore on, we prepared to head to the airport for our early evening flight to JFK. Stopping to pick up Nate, we arrived at the airport just as the snow storm begun- the same storm that would later cancel over 15,000 flights on the east coast alone.
After a smooth flight into NYC, we arrived around 8:00pm and were greeted by the 4th member of our group, Ian. We soon found out that a bag of our supplies that Ian had checked had been re-routed to Miami, which we never saw again.
After settling in to a friend's apartment in NYC, we decided what better place to grab dinner than Rockafeller Center? While eating dinner and enjoying the energy of downtown NYC, we continued to make calls to find a ride to the airport the next morning, only to be told that most of the cab companies had already stopped booking rides because of the incoming snow storm that was expected to begin over night. We awoke to dry skies-not even a drop of snow! We would later find out that an hour after our flight took off for Port-au-Prince, the snow storm begun, dumping over 24" on some parts of the city.

Reminder

I woke up "early" this morning to go for a run. Not until later did I realize it was the first day of the Winter season. It's felt like winter here for a while now- hard to believe its just begun. With many calories to burn from holiday cookies and fudge, I hit the road running with a friend in Forrest Hill. As we finished the run, I was reminded of the beauty on this earth that I often overlook. One fear in life I have is that I will not take enough time to take in my surroundings and truly holler at the moon. Here are some pictures of this morning's sunrise.

  Take a little time for sunshine, take a whole lotta time for love 
Take some time to praise and thank heaven up above
Take your life as it may come, 'cause boy, it'll be gone soon
Take a little time for howlin' at the moon.
Sam Bush