The nightmare before Christmas....Part One

John and I just took an epic journey to Haiti to pick up the boys.

(Prologue: December was very busy for me. I worked Dec 4th, 5th and 6th nights and then left Dec. 7th for a week orientation at Frontier school of midwifery. Then, came home on the 11th, worked that night, the 12th and the 13th. I was pretty much comatosed the 14th, felt jet lagged on the 15th, our anniversary was the 16th, and on Thursday the 17th, we got the email that the boys were scheduled for visa appointments on the 22nd. Visas are issued on the next business day. Usually, people don't go down to pick up their kids until they have visas in hand. But, I had to work the night of the 23rd and 24th, and we wanted to be home for Christmas. SO, after much debate, John and I decided to fly down on the 22nd, spend the night, go to the embassy to get visas on the 23rd and then fly out the night of the 23rd. Spend the night in Miami and then be home on Christmas Eve by about 1:oo. Then, I would work that night. Amy Wheeler agreed to work the 23rd for me (THANK YOU!!). So, I had 6 days notice, and I worked 38 of those hours, slept a little and packed and cleaned and did Christmas shopping. Violet went to spend the night at my Mom's for about the 4th time in Dec.

Tues: Dec. 22nd- John and I woke up at 3:15 AM to get to the airport by 4AM. We flew from Lex. to Dallas to Miami to Haiti. Our flight to Haiti was delayed about an hour and a half. Right as I got on the plane, I saw that I had a message from Stephanie (our adoption agency rep.). I was trying to listen to it on the plane with bad reception and the pilot announcing that we needed to fasten seat belts, etc. So, all I heard was, "This is Stephanie, something something....SNAFU at the embassy....something....not sure if you can check messages.....something......" Despite warnings to turn of all electronic devices, I listend to the message again. Still, all I heard was "SNAFU with the embassy." So, for the next 2 1/2 hours, I was very worried. A million "worst-case" scenarios ran through my head. It made for a worrisome flight. Everything in Haiti is pretty much the true military definition of "SNAFU: Situation Normal All F*&^% Up" It's actually a perfect description.
Finally we landed in Haiti. Our plan was to find Big. He's the biggest guy in Haiti, hence the name "Big." He stands outside the airport and gets you where you need to go. We were going to find Big and have him call Veniel (the owner of Wall's guest house where we made reservations. We love it there. It is right across the "street" from the orhanage.") However, we couldn't find Big and John Gary was there to pick us up. How John Gary knew to pick us up is still a mystery. Our adoption agency person had told us to hire him as a driver. But, since were were staying across the street, we didn't think it was necessary. At any rate, John Gary was there at the airport. We said, "We are staying at Wall's."
Gary said, "You can't stay at Wall's. Marie doesn't let "her kids" stay there. OK.....? (I had heard last year that there was some falling out between Marie and Veniel. I didn't think it would be a problem a year later. Plus, I didn't think she could say anything about it since they aren't really "her kids" anymore.) But, nonetheless, we didn't want to tick off Marie. Getting visas for our boys was completely in her hands.
So, we said, "Where should we stay?" Gary told us about 2 different places. We didn't really care which one, so he told us to stay at the Habitation Hatt.
We got to Marie's house, the office of Petite Angels de Chantal, and where some of the children stay. Our boys had been here, at her house, in Port-au-Prince for days so they could go to the embassy to get visas and to get medical appointments. Marie came to greet us on her porch and again re-iterated that we could not stay at Wall's. (Let me interject here that Marie can speak English, but it is slightly broken. You are never quite sure if you understood what she just told you and you are never quite sure that she understood you. I must also say her English is a million times more than my Creole capabilities.She is also large in stature, taller than I, maybe 5'11" and a very no-nonsense kind of woman.) I continue...We didn't ask questions. Then, she proceeded to tell us that they went for their visa appointments today and got the "yellow ticket." (The coveted ticket you get to present to the embassy to get your visa.) Marie said, "The embassy will be closed tomorrow for a Christmas party, so we will go get their visas on the morning of the 24th," Marie said

"But our plane leaves tomorrow night at 5:30," we said in dismay.
"Oh, I wish I had known because I could have gone back to the embassy this afternoon to get their visas. It is better for you to go home with Megan and Tom on the 24th, " Marie said, very non-chalantly. (Megan and Tom are 2 other adoptive parents who were also coming to pick up their kids.)
"We thought they were open on the 23rd. We thought they were only closed for Christmas," we said.
" When I went today, they said they are closed tomorrow for a Christmas party, " Marie said.
"I need to be home by the 24th to work that night. I am a nurse...enfymie," I tried to explain in vain.
"It is no problem. You can call American Airlines and change your flight." Marie suggested. Both Gary and Marie agreed that the Habitation Hatt would have internet and that Gary could get us international calling cards. We found out the hard way on our first trip that even a quick 4 min call to the States costs AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT.

You have got to be kidding me!!! John and I just looked at each other wide eyed and shell shocked. What were we to do? There was nothing we could do. We were stuck, in Haiti. I could fly home by myself the following day, or I could stay with him, but risk losing my job because of no-call, no-show on CHRISTMAS EVE!!! I was a mess inside, but, I just sat there calmly.
Marie went to go get the boys and bring them out to us. They walked besider her holding her hands. They were adorable...and TINY!!! Erickson smiled a little and Lovekender was very stoic. We held them and loved them. They were about the same size as they were last year.
Before Gary took us to the Habitat Hatt, John said he wanted to walk over to Vinele's and tell him we wouldn't be staying there tonight. Marie and Gary said, "No, you can just call him from the hotel." So we left.
After a very bumpy ride, we arrived at Habitation Hatt. (The roads in Haiti are comprable to creek beds. Drivers just zig zag back and forth to stay out of water and trenches. It's pretty much just dirt and gravel, trash and water.)
At the front desk, John learned that our "hotel" was $106 a night. (Much more than Wall's.) In addition, we would now have to have Gary drive us. Which, turned out to be $60 + $80 + $60 for the three days. WOW!!! Not to mention, we would now not be needing our Hotel in Miami on the night of the 23rd which we already bought. And, it's expensive to change tickets. We knew this was the chance we took, coming before the boys had visas. But, the part that hurt the most was when Marie said, "I could have picked up their visas today." That kept echoing through my head!!!! So, Gary left us there with the boys. We somehow managed not to get a calling card and the hotel had wireless, but no computer. Go figure.
We went to our rooms with absolutely no plan for how we were going to get home. We decided that we would just have to wait until in the morning when Gary could somehow manage to get us a calling card.
We all went to bed. I woke up at about 3:30AM (Wed. Dec. 23) to a restless Lovekender. I reached over to pat him back to sleep, and my hand was in poo. Explosive diarrhea to be more exact. There were splatter marks on the sheet despite the fact that he had on a diaper and pajamas. I got up, took Lovekender to the bathroom. I stood him on the floor while I stripped down. He then proceeded to poop all over the floor. (It’s a very FOUL smelling watery diarrhea that only a sick orphan could have.) I put him on the toilet and water shot out from his behind. I got him cleaned up in the sink, dried him off and I got washed up and put on new clothes. John stripped the bed of the sheet (there was no mattress pad.) The mattress underneath was soaked with poo. It needed to be burned at this point. John went up to the front desk to obtain more sheets and towel. I put Lovekender down next to Erickson on the other bed. I went to the bathroom to wipe up poo and came back to Love in a pile of his own vomit. Erickson rolled over in it too. So, I ran Love to the bathroom. He projectile vomited into the toilet…as in it splashes back out there is so much force. I stripped down both boys. John put Erickson and the pukey clothes in the shower. ( By the way, John said no one would be able to help us until 6 Am when someone came with the keys to the linens.) I had no towel for Lovekender. I dried him off with my clothes. We put both boys back to sleep on the bed. I told John I was going to take a walk (In the rain). I returned to the cries of Lovekender. He had pooped again. That bedspread was ruined. I stripped Love again, etc. etc. I then went to the front desk in tears. I said to the security guard, “Tsimouns mwen malad. ( I then gestured explosive diarrhea and projectile vomiting. Those are universal signs right? Mwen bezwen aide!”” My children are sick and I need help! I then forced him to come with me to our room so he could fully understand. WE had set all the linens outside the door in the rain because they were too foul smelling to have in the room. We walked in to Lovekender sitting naked on the tile floor and Erickson standing there shell shocked. Our mattresses were stripped bare and stained. The guy still said he couldn’t get to the linens. We asked if we could change rooms. He said he didn’t have the keys to that either. In front of him, I took everything off the table and wrapped Lovekender in the tablecloth. John and I sat there waiting for daylight. I, holding a sleeping Lovkender in a table cloth; John, with Erickson in his arms. We left the door open and listened to the rain.


That is where I leave you my dear reader….until I have time to post the next day of the story. Each day is it’s own special treat.