I’m going to be real honest here…I wrote a really good blog at Debrief last week. I wrote the entire thing, and then the wifi cut out–and I lost it. The whole blog, gone. Talk about frustrating. My teammates told me that I apparently wasn’t supposed to share that story, but I honestly just reconciled the fact that wifi isn’t something I can rely on this next year. And that’s ok. So here’s a different story.
Let me tell you about our most recent travel day. Let. me. tell. you.
{this is taken directly from the notes section of my phone, which always seems to become my electronic journal of sorts}
Thursday, September 13, 2018
“I want this travel day to be one to remember. Sleeping for 3 hours and getting up at 3 in the morning to finish cleaning our apartment at Casa Azul. Having our plan of getting everyone to the bus station and Daniele and Jorge driving over our luggage executed perfectly. Walking down the middle of the dark and empty streets of Puerto Plata. Seeing the group from Villa Carolina pop out onto the main road and breathing a sigh of relief that they had woken up. Having the exact amount of cash ready to go for the first bus and Yulissa sitting behind the counter. They told me she would be there.
We boarded the bus at 6 and I slept on and off, worried about getting to Santo Domingo in time for our second bus at 10. And then the driver opened the door, stuck out his cell phone and said, “Donde está Kati?!” Still half asleep, Amanda pointed at me as I took the phone, 110% confused. A woman from Caribe Tours was on the line and asked me some questions to confirm our tickets and that I would pay by card. We pulled into the bus station at 9:50 and I was grateful for that phone call, to know that they knew we were coming and needed to board our second bus. Once the bus pulled in, Amanda and I ran to the Routa Haiti office to get the tickets. My card was declined three times (insert panic!) but then they split the transaction into three separate ones and it ran. Literally stood in that office and prayed. Treasurers paid for border fees, we got our bags and assigned seats and were on our way, just 30 min behind schedule.
They gave us water and grape soda and we stopped for lunch at ‘Pica Pollo’ (they brought it on the bus for us). It was a bit of a struggle clarifying with the driver that the meal didn’t have bananas in it for Claire. I slept a bit after that but kept worrying that we were at the border and I’d wake up with a start! Once we finally got to the border, our bus attendant gave me the instructions and referred to me as ‘La Jefa’ (the Boss). Everyone got off the bus and she took me behind the trailer office and into a back door. A man who spoke Spanish then asked me some questions about the duration of our stay in Haiti. After that, our bus attendant said I was good to go and rejoin the group. Not even five minutes later, I see her head stick out the trailer window, “Kati, ven. We need to talk to you.”
I figured it was just some more details to discuss, but once I got back there she informed me that 32 of us on the squad still owed $2,500DRP each because we exceeded our visa limit. LOL. I told her I didn’t think we had the cash, especially in pesos. I walked around to the front and met with Levi, Amanda, James and LeAnn to figure out a plan. I knew AIM had taken care of paying for our extended stay before we even got to the DR, but we had no physical proof of it being paid for. We also didn’t have wifi to look anything up. Next thing I know, James is calling AIM’s emergency line and hands me the phone. A woman answered but our service wasn’t strong, and I couldn’t understand a thing she was saying! I hung up and LeAnn said she thought we just needed to pay it again. I agreed since we had no proof and the bus attendant was pressuring me to get the cash. We basically cleaned out a few of our treasurers emergency cash and paid border control $1,616USD, to which they gave me official receipts. It was honestly very stressful, but we got through it and got the squad back on the bus.
Next we had to go to the Haitian customs office, which was literally a stamp in our passports and done! The speediness of it was almost comical. Back on the bus, there was the most beautiful sunset over a lake with mountains in the backdrop. I was honestly exhausted and slept a couple hours until the bus was stopped and I heard someone asking for John Veal. I sat straight up and verified the address that we were at with the bus attendant. “Everyone off-this is our stop!” It was weird watching other teams leave and knowing we all weren’t together, but I was also just so proud of the fact that we were standing where we were. It’s so refreshing to be back in Haiti-8 years after my first trip. The Mishfits and Gospel Girls boarded a school bus to take us to Mission of Hope Haiti.
Once we arrived, we were treated to cold water, fried chicken and chocolate cake. I think our hosts are convinced we’ve been deprived the past month because we were so grateful for that meal!! This place feels like a lil paradise in the middle of the Haitian desert. You could see the twinkling lights of the surrounding towns outside of Port-au-Prince in the hills. We have bunk beds and fans and cold water and strong water pressure and good meals and I’m just thankful for all that the Lord provides. Yesterday was A DAY and we still have a lot to do, but God has given me a spirit of joy and feeling unburdened. I know that these next three weeks will be good.”
More to come soon. Love ya’ll,
K
