image curtesy of usaid.orgMaybe this year I will be more "bloggy" about our Healing Hands adventures, and to put the ball in motion I will commmence with this post and exclaim "WE BOOKED OUR TICKETS!"
I just received confirmation that I will be flying out of Halifax on November 3rd for 2 glorious weeks in Haiti! I am so excited I wiggle in my seat. Karen M. (SLP) and I decided in May (probably as we sipped prestige poolside) that we were FOR SURE going to have to go to Haiti in November, and to add a little spice and thrill, we would stay longer than the main group and do a little exploring and treatment on our own in the South.
Here's why we made this decision.
Team Canada Healing Hands is related to Healing Hands for Haiti, a not-for-profit org. based in the USA. Our team leader extraordinaire Colleen began volunteering with them before Team Canada existed, and it is why we do exist today. She received enough experiential training to form her own team and make trips to Haiti, and called us Team/Equipe Canada. Colleen left out the "for Haiti" because she always had the dream that we would branch out and serve whatever developing nation had a need for us (and were open to us filling that need). Colleen has worldly experience when it comes to rehab training and programming, and I agree with her that it would be tough to limit yourself to one country. So, long story short, that dream is coming true next March with a planned initial trip to set up similar programming in Belize!! I am hoping to be a part of this ground breaking, but we'll save that for later. With this exciting news comes a tinge of sadness, because if we are planning a trip in the Spring of 2010 to Belize, we are unable to travel to Haiti in the same time frame...thus, if Karen and I wanted a taste of Haiti before November 2010 then we had to act quick and get on the next team for 2009. Once you have been to Haiti you will understand how this country gets under your skin and begins oozing through your veins...the thought of having to wait that long was almost unbearable (especially when you are having those thoughts in the midst of Haiti allure). We told Colleen our thoughts and "plans" and she gave us the thumbs up and a grin, and the assurance of Healing Hands Staff as we set up shop in Jacmel (necessities such as a driver, I am not sure if we will have a translator as Karen is bilingual).
So, our latest news is that Karen and I picked our dates and booked our tickets before the price jumped (it jumps tomorrow actually) and we made a rough draft of an itinerary that has us both tingling with excitement. We are still waiting to hear if Caryn (PT from my first trip) and her friend, as well as Nath (P+O from my first trip) will be joining us for the full 2 week jaunt; it would be so much fun if they jumped on board! As for the rest of the November team, they will be traveling between the 6ish to the 16th and I hear rumours of a cross border mission to the DR! So mant wonderful things are shaping up, and I cant wait to let you all know what happens next!
Our rough draft itinerary includes trips to Indigo, Jacmel and Ile a Vache...so you know it's going to be good :)
Side note: Chris had thought he would be able to join me this year to help with construction/engineering projects; but because we moved to new jobs he does not have the vacation time (or flexible manager as I have) to take the time off and also travel home for Christmas...so he had to make his priorities. I worked this trip into my terms for accepting the job, because I refused to give up working for this organization that means so much to me. I was really hoping Chris would be able to come on this trip, because of how much Haiti means to me, and how much Chris means to me...I wanted them to be able to meet and fall in love as well. Maybe in 2010
