Hat Trick

We're baaaaaaaaack. And better than ever. Every year I contemplate whether or not I'm going to write on the blog and every year after some convincing I decide that it's a good idea, so thank you to whoever keeps asking about my blog because you're the reason I keep doing it.

Coming into Port Au Prince was a completely different ball game this time around. We had prepared the group to expect a 30 second bus ride from the plane to the "barn" as we like to refer to the area where, in the last two years, we went through immigration, baggage claim and customs all in one room. This year, however we walked into a beautiful, new airport. Every stop had its own designated area and the whole operation was very smooth and much less intimidating. The newbies probably thought we were just playing a cruel joke on them. Anyways, the journey through Port Au Prince was also much different this year. Last year I noticed definite improvements in terms of clean up and overall appearance. This year I felt like the city was brand new. The roads (most of them) were re-paved and so smooth! It seemed like we were flying through the capital however traffic is inevitable and we definitely hit it in different spots throughout our trip over the mountain. A lot of broken down trucks oddly enough. I think we counted 6 or 7 in the road just on our time through the mountains. Obviously we survived although some of us were uncharacteristically quiet during the ride due to the constant weaving and fear of going over the side.
We arrived in Jacmel safely and ate at Le Chandellier restaurant, one that we frequented during our time here last year. After lunch we scoped out our digs at the guest house, which by the way is amazing. The progress made from last year until now is so incredible. We were able to visit the neighborhood where some of our friends live, where we built houses the first year. We weren't sure if we would see anyone but low and behold our friend Douge was standing right outside his house and recognized most of us right away. It was so nice to see a familiar smile. Yesterday evening we took it pretty easy and most of us went to bed early after not sleeping very much in Miami the night before.