Haiti G.O. Team 2016 Day 1

Day 1, It's 5:30 PM here.

"Here" is the Big Apple - New York City. We left Portland last night at about 9:00 pm Pacific time and traveled uneventfully through the night, arriving at JFK airport just before 5:00 am Eastern time.  It was quite dark outside, and we were enthralled by the sideways-blowing snow we could see out the large windows at the end of the concourse.  Perhaps it was the lack of sleep that prevented any concern from creeping into our consciousness, despite what was happening outside.  We watched the terminal come alive as the morning dawned, and we boarded the flight for Port au Prince (PAP) around 7:30.

The plane had to be de-iced, we were told.  It would smell funny and the A/C would be off, so the cabin might get warm.  Other planes had to be de-iced, too, so we had to wait our turn.  Once we got treated, we had to wait for clearance to take off.  By the time we were next in line, more ice had formed, and we had been out on the tarmac for nearly 3 hours, so that meant we had to go back to the terminal.  This last announcement resulted in low commentary, primarily in the forward half of the plane.  The announcement was repeated in Creole, and the back half  of the plane erupted in loud commentary that we didn't understand, and yet we knew exactly what was being said. :-)

Back to the gate we went, and PA announcements were made suggesting that we must be given the option to disembark, but perhaps we shouldn't. We stayed put, therefore, as we were quite interested in getting to our destination!  Many people de-planed.  Surprisingly, we were all back on the plane one hour later, ready to take off.  New announcement - the flight crew had been on duty too long to be able to make the trip to PAP and back.  (This is why no one should have deplaned!). We, and all our stuff, had to get off the plane.  Roars followed the Creole announcement.  By now it was just after 1 pm.  The new deparate is currently scheduled for 8:30 pm.

For safety reasons (arriving and driving in PAP after dark is not recommended), the decision was made that we should fly out tomorrow morning, so we made hotel reservations near JFK.  We ate a meal voucher dinner and then trekked through the airport to the Airtrain. The airport is clean and nice, the people have been perfectly pleasant, and we saw some pretty sights today.  God is in control, and we are warm and safe, ready to sleep well and take on Port au Prince tomorrow!