After 10 days on the ground in Haiti, I ask to return home. Many new people have shown up at our camp so there seems to be plenty of help on the ground. There is a car leaving on Tuesday so I would have a ride out of the country back to the DR. I like the idea of traveling with the Dominicans back to the DR for security reasons. I check with our leader to see if it is OK that I leave and he gives me permission. I leave the next day.
It takes us 2 hours to get out of Haiti and then another 5 hours to get to Santo Domingo once back in the DR. There were many military check points on our return home but we had no problems.
Ithas been quite an experience. Something I'll never forget. When I responded to help after Hurricane Katrina, I had no idea what to expect and that experience has changed my life. Being in Haiti has done the same. The devastation and the pain and suffering that goes on after a disaster is extremely sad. But, I've been fortunate enough to be one of the people on the ground who can physically go to help.
The challenges I went through being on the ground in Haiti (for example, no electricity, the language barrier, no running water, etc..) are nothing compared to what the people of Haiti are going through now and even before the earthquake. My heart hurts for them.
I think that as time goes by and things get more organized on the ground in Haiti, we'll be able to accomplish more and more each day. I was honored to go and would be honored to return if needed. I want to help in any way I can.
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