Well this is it.  Today is my last day here in Haiti.  Last night the power went off a lot.  I know when it goes off because the fans go off and I start getting really hot and sweaty not to mention hear the buzzing of the mosquitoes.  I won’t miss the mosquitoes; they took a lot of my blood I think. 

We woke up around 5:30 and I was glad someone found and made coffee for us.  It’s going to be a long day.  Many of the kids are already up and want to know if we are leaving.  They want to make sure my friend Jamie isn’t leaving yet.  She’s still staying until the end of May to carry out some projects she set out to accomplish.  I can’t want to hear the progress of things we have started.  It will be a lot of work but I think it will all be good.

The kids all want to give us hugs.  Some of the older boys try not to show they are sad we are leaving but I know they will miss us.   People come and go here all the time so I think they are used to it.

We are going to take the tap tap back to the airport.  It will be dusty but it’s a fun way to just take in the views.  There is a large pig walking along side of the road.  I haven’t seen a pig this big just out walking around.  I’m glad he just stayed on the side of the street instead of the middle of the road.

When we get out to the main road, there are a ton of people out and about.  It looks like a morning commute downtown Chicago but a little more primitive.  It’s still not very light out but it’s busy that’s for sure.  I am wondering where everyone is going because very few people have jobs here.

We were very early to the airport but wanted to make sure we didn’t run into any bad traffic jams on the way out of town.  In fact we were so early nothing was open inside the airport.

My daughter wanted me to find a tee shirt but unfortunately there are no tee shirt shops, no gift shops, no Hard Rock Café’s, Rainforest Cafes or Starbucks for that matter.  There’s not much when it comes to gift shops.  I was happy with the little non descript items I found on the ground as a memory of what it is like here.

This place is not a place I will forget.  I tell people it was a scary place but at the same time exhilarating.  Among the dust and garbage there a little bit of hope.  I see signs of life here and I hope the life will continue to grow.  Haiti just can’t seem to catch a break.  People down here don’t complain about what they don’t have.  They are thankful for the little things that they do have.  I would have to say I had about 95% of a positive experience with the people that I came into contact with.  I would say the other 5% isn’t necessarily negative but maybe neutral.

Haitians are all cautiously optimistic I think.  I think they really want an identity of their own.  It is hard because a lot of different countries are here everyday putting their influence on their culture and customs.  They suffer but you don’t see them complain, they know this is their life.

It is an experience I hope I will someday have my daughter experience as well.  There were many kids from the United States, Canada and France that I ran into.  A lot of these kids have been here before and one girl wanted to come here for her graduation present.  Can you believe that?  It’s a place that draws you in, in mysterious ways. It doesn’t seem possible but now that I’ve been here, I understand it better.

I’m already thinking of other things I could do down here if I came back.  I am very grateful for all the help I received from all of you.  The people of Haiti will benefit greatly from your generosity.  I am thinking of sponsoring a child down here so they can attend school.  It’s around $350 to maybe $450 a year.  Parents in Haiti basically have to prepay for school.  It’s very hard to send their kids to school.  The nannies at the orphanage get paid about $2.00 a day can you imagine that?  Most Haitians make no more than $450 in a whole year.  It’s very sad.  You can’t buy too many things on that salary.

So thanks again for everything you have all done.  I think I will post some pictures in the next few days of some other sights of Haiti.  And on a totally different note, Scotty Pippen from the Bulls legacy was on my flight back home.  How cool is that?

Thanks for tuning in and reading about my adventures.