Flight of the Bumblebees

Destination: St. Rafael, Haiti
Total Miles: roughly 1,200
Total Cost: $510*

The title has both literal and figurative meaning. Se vwe (truly).

As you may have noticed from the blog posts, I have been traveling quite a bit the past couple weeks. What you may not know, is that in addition to my many travels, I am in the middle of preparing to start my Masters at Clemson on August 23rd.

So, I have been figuratively running around like the proverbial "chicken with its head cut off" attempting to get my ducks in some semblance of an order (forget the "in a row").

The drive from South Carolina to Fort Pierce was relatively uneventful. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, traffic was moving, and I made excellent time. I am very thankful to report that Mr. Darcy enjoyed the pleasant trip.

I spent the night at a local hotel (dropping off Mr. Darcy with my friend, Joel, who lives just south of Fort Pierce), and I was picked up in the morning (before dawn! at 0530) by one of the Missionary Flights International (MFI) employees.


After checking in my luggage, paying my airfare, and waiting for a few minutes for everyone to get sorted, I boarded the Douglas DC-3 plane (if you've never seen one, think WWII era planes).

There were 17 passengers, and while I initially had a window seat, I gave it up to a missionary family so they could remain seated with their small children. This ended up placing me next to a very polite gentleman who was traveling with a painting crew.

We talked almost the whole flight about this and that, etc. It was his first time to Haiti, and his first time on a missions trip. He and his wife are hydrogeologists. And they are also beekeepers.

While he described himself as a "passive beekeeper," I still peppered him with questions regarding the proper keeping of bees.

Fascinating stuff! I think, perhaps someday, I would like to attempt to keep bees.

Upon arrival in Haiti, I met up with my friend, Isaac, and his brother, Prospere. After waiting forever for Customs to approve some packages they were picking up for various missionaries, we headed to a local restaurant for some lunch.

What should have taken a few minutes to prepare, turned into almost an hour. I am almost certain they had to go out back and kill the chickens!

The ride from OKap (Cap Haitien) to St. Rafael was uneventful...I almost fell asleep!

Since arriving, I have been kept fairly busy. Between helping prepare meals, working in the clinic, taking Creole classes, visiting the new market, and assisting with a minor surgery, life has been anything but dull.

Currently visiting with Dr. Anne Livingston (the doctor I help in the clinic) are nurses Serena and Carrie. Madame Brent (aka Miss Serena...Mrs. here go by Madame + their husband's first name) has been a nurse for many years in North Carolina, but she has spent several months this year helping Dr. Anne. And Carrie is a recent nursing graduate from Maranatha. She is in the middle of a 6 week stay in Haiti.

More details will follow, but for now, there is a storm coming in from the South and internet is a spotty affair.
:)

*cost breakdown: $450 (round trip ticket from Ft. Pierce, FL to Cap Haitien, Haiti); $60 for gas from Travelers Rest, SC to Ft. Pierce