I am safely back in the DR after a 2 week trip and 10 days on the ground in Haiti. It is so hard to put into words how this trip changed my life. I just have to say how proud I am to have been able to go help the animals and the people of Haiti and I thank In Defense of Animals for making that a possibility.
I am posting several short blogs that I wrote about my experience. They in now way express all the feelings and adventure and experiences I had but they will give you an idea. You can also check out postings on IDA's website at www.idausa.org and SODOPRECA's FaceBook page at www.facebook.com/sodopreca about our time in Haiti.
Please, let us all be thankful for everything we have every single minute of every single day.
Saludos, Connie
Preparing to go:
When I got the email from Matt Rossell of In Defense of Animals (NW Director - www.idausa.org) on February 15th saying that IDA was looking for a representative to deploy to Haiti and he wondered if I might be interested, my first reaction was "YES! I want to go help the animals in Haiti." I have had Disaster Relief Training, I am a veterinary technician and I was on the ground after Hurricane Katrina so I felt I was prepared in that respect. But, as I learned more about the situation in Haiti and the dangers with after shocks and security, my feelings would switch back and forth between feeling anxious, scared, proud, apprehensive, excited, etc....
During the days before my deployment I was always in a state of being somewhat nervous about the trip. What to expect, where would we stay, would it be safe, who would I be traveling with..... I would be leaving behind all the security blankets I am familiar with and that are my contact with the outside world - my computer, my phone, my family, my husband. I would be going into Haiti with SODOPRECA (Sociedad Dominicana para la Prevencion de Crueldad a los Animales), an animal welfare group out of Santo Domingo, to assess the situation in Port au Prince and that's about all I knew. But, I was glad and proud to be asked to be part of the team.
Before leaving I was sure to fill out information about my trip to Haiti online with the US Embassy. I consulted friends of mine who have done disaster relief missions before about what to bring. When my husband Steve and I left for Santo Domingo on January 21st I felt I was as prepared as I could be. We arrived in Santo Domingo and met with 2 representatives from IFAW (Internation Fund for Animal Welfare) who had been in Santo Domingo meeting with SODOPRECA and other members of ARCH (Animal Rescue Coalition Haiti) setting up logistics for our trip into Haiti. They filled us in on what had transpired so far. Our plan was to leave tomorrow evening.
The next morning I went with SODOPRECA to get our uniforms. We were fitted with t-shirts, pants and boots. I met 3 of the other people we would be traveling with and I liked them very much. I returned to my hotel room and waited with anticipation. I realize to plan something like this takes alot of time and organization so I was glad to know they weren't rushing in before they were ready. My husband was very supportive of my choice and helped keep me calm during the 'waiting'.
I received a call from Marcos of SODOPRECA early evening saying that we would be leaving tomorrow morning instead. They just had not had enough time to get everything together. I was somewhat relieved and liked the idea of leaving in daylight instead of at night.
The next morning I received a call at 8am that we plan on leaving at 9am. I was met at our hotel by 2 of the others traveling with us and they rode with us to the meeting place. Slowly the rest of the crew showed up (remember, we're on Dominican time). By 11:55am we were ready to go. We were 10 people, 2 cars and a truck full of supplies. We were on our way to Jimani, a small border town in the Dominican Republic, with a crossing into Haiti. I reluctantly said goodbye to my husband and we were on our way.
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