Arrived in Haiti!!

So the flights to Haiti were uneventful...except that I couldn't sleep due to restless legs and just read a new Nicholas Sparks book to pass the time. I landed in Port au Prince, Haiti and had to go through 45 minutes of a line for customs to get a quick second stamp in my passport and be on my way to the scavenger hunt for my two over-sized crazy heavy hockey bags! 65 pound hockey bags should be easy to spot; however they were nowhere to be found. I was told not to let anyone help me in the airport cuz I'd have to pay them big bucks...in the end, some security guy--not a "red polo man"--read my baggage claim tickets and disappeared into the baggage carousel behind-the-scenes area. He reappeared with one, then the second bag and loaded my cart with them. I paid him and was on my way! I wouldn't have found my luggage and would've been lost without this guy. I was on my merry way ( through another customs counter) to find Jonathan. I was conronted by a man whom I knew had to be "Big" cuz he fit the description of a "big, short guy". I shook his hand, and he lead me out of the airport. Jonathan awaited my arrival outside of the airport and I was super glad to see him and his driver, Francky. The drive from PAP airport to BLB orphanage (from hereonout named BLB for ease of typing) could've been from 2 1/2-4 hours. Francky hasn't had his driver's license for too long; however he worked his magic. We weaved in and out of traffice like I'd imagine those NASCAR buddies do. I was definitely snapping pictures like any silly American tourist. I saw the effects of the earthquake, poverty, whathaveyou...it's quite devastating to say the least. We stopped at a place halfway between PAP and Grand Goave called, Respire. It's a cafe to benefit a missionary school and we were greeted by an American named Stephanie who said that God told her to quit her job and move down to Haiti to do life work. She made a killer iced coffee which hit the spot in 100 degree weather...should I mention I was running on 1 1/2 hrs of sleep? It was decadent. Jonathan and Francky were my tour guides pointing out the places and sights along the way while Bijou stayed silent riding both in the cab and the truck bed guarding the bags. Once at the orphanage, I met the workers as well as the kids having their academic lessons. They greeted me with, "bonswa Amanda" meaning good afternoon/evening. I had a tour, settled myself into where I'll sleep tonite, and began to gather with the kids to join in their programming. I observed and help with crowd control during Melissa's memory book activity and watched the kids play their hearts out in "futbol" outside in the unbearable heat. They did't seem to notice it was hot, sticky, and icky. Perhaps, just this American girl with extra pounds noticed hypervigilantly! I met the other 3 long-term britsionary girls and worked a bit with them today. Ashley does the soccer program, Keely the theater and pragmatics, and Melissa the memory books as mentioned before. Lunch and dinner happened...chicken soup with dumplings and bread, then dinner was fried chicken with a sauced beans and rice. Yummy:) Tonite was a movie nite for BLB kids as well as 6 other orphans from Project Hero who were visiting from a PAP facility. The children and staff watched Shrek and snuggled up on blankets in front of the projected image on the BLB wall. I was climbed upon, snuggled with, and called "mama" by a few of the munchkins tonite. They're incredibly loving, and I soaked up every moment of it. After children time, we were able to relax with a wine sipping while posing pictures and writing blogs. I already can communicate several words with the kids and felt like I will be able to communicate much more with them and staff as the days progress. I know much more French than I've every given myself credit for. That creates a perfect scenario for learning Creole as it's parallel to French. My mind is filled with translating, 1st day memories, and munchkin experiences already. I had a beautiful day spent with Jonathan and getting a teen glimpse into his life for the past 7 months. Today was fabulous and can only get better from here!