MESSAGE FROM HAITI

My sister Kathryn Johnston, a lawyer in Vero Beach, Florida is currently in Haiti helping out a medical team from her home town.  She became involved with this group several years ago, and now since the earthquake has been actively helping out.  You can too, by making a donation to them.  My sister assures me that 100% of your money will go to medical supplies--even the volunteers pay their own way to help in Haiti.  Here's the link to their website where you can make a donation:

http://www.haiticlinic.org/

Since she left she has sent three emails with news of events in Haiti.  Read excerpts below.

January 28

left at 5 am from Ft. Lauderdale and after epic mix ups finally got on our 7:30 am plane at 2 pm at a different airport

meanwhile we were carrying 1500 lbs of medical supplies with us, everywhere

we were to work in Cite Soleil today but cannot because of prisoner gangs in the area - they shot and killed 6 ppl in front of the clinic yesterday

the prisoners have burned all records relating to their incarceration so there is no way to round them up and return them to jail even if they had the police force to do it

instead we are going to a remote region 2 hours from Port au Prince that has yet to receive ANY medical care/supplies  and got no rescue help at all since the day of the first earthquake

we will set up several tents and open a clinic in the tents in the remote region there

travel is unbelievable, we were stuck at the airport after arriving 8 hours late with 1500 lbs of medical supplies for nearly 10 hours last night because they would not let our Haitian docs come through security with their truck to load them

the haitian security gave us 3 shopping carts and told us that we (me, one doc and one nurse) had to load all 1500 lbs (about 70 boxes) and bring them to the front of the airport

anyway we finally got it worked out after bribing a few people and got to our host's home after his truck broke down in the middle of a bad place at night and there were no street lights or electricity anywhere 

the people are living in tent cities everywhere, they were all around us banging on the car etc

so many children, it is heartbreaking

we had to wait, like sitting ducks in total darkness, for his friend to bring another truck  then we had to re-load the 1500 lbs of supplies for about the 10th time but finally made it to his home

he had some fantastic food and excellent rum waiting for us but no water or electricity

we don't know when we can get a flight back but I think we are going to be fine, our host has lived here for 20 yrs (he is american) and he will accompany us everywhere

January 29

there are no words to describe what has happened, what I have seen

even pictures or video cannot depict the magnitude of the crisis

Forget CNN, there is no way that any news team could cover this in any way that would allow you to understand 10% of what is going on

the Haitian people are wonderful, loving, appreciative in spite of what has happened to completely destroy their country  --  they are universally worried about being good hosts and everywhere we go we hear "Merci, Merci" (thank you, thank you)

they have made us very welcome and have the utmost concern for our safety

they have given us "gourmet" food when they have not eaten for days

i will write more later when i have time, we are back to work now going to another remote area that has yet to receive ANY medical attention despite the earthquake being 2+ weeks ago

yesterday we went to a remote village 2 hours from Port au Prince, we were the first team of medical relief that had reached that region

we saw babies, old people, everyone you can imagine, with badly infected wounds, lacerations, broken bones and other serious injuries that have been untreated for more than 2 weeks now

some we could not treat because we did not have the necessary facilities but we were able to secure transportation for the most seriously injured to the few operating hospitals.  we did manage to see more than 250 people in 11 hours

there were more people to see but we had to leave because it was getting dark and there is no electricity

one young woman with multiple severe injuries had been trapped and she lost her entire family in the earthquake

they were all inside a church when the quake happened

she had a 6 yr old daughter who was killed

but she still thanked us and hugged us for trying to help her

incredible, i'm still crying now, thinking of her

I AM COMING BACK, THESE PEOPLE NEED AND DESERVE HELP, THE SOONER THE BETTER

Love to everyone in my family, and my dear friends, you are all the more precious to me now

we take so much for granted in the USA

PS still now idea when I will be able to get a ride home, may know more later today


Saturday, Jan. 30


the satellite phone that I brought is not working - problem not with phone but with towers here that were damaged

i am trying to come home on monday

but nothing is for certain and we won't know until the last minute if we can get out on monday

we have to pray that the US military will fly us out - either to orlando or miami - we'll take either!  there are no commercial flights to the US and the missionary flights in and out have been suspended by the dingbat in charge of the airport here who is flexing his muscles (makes NO SENSE!)

he is only allowing deliveries into the country from missionary organizations, no passengers in or out!!!!

so the missionaries that offered to fly us home can't help us now

this is quite an experience, let me tell you

life-changing!

the guys here are very savvy and they are very protective of us, giving us shelter and food and protection at all times concerned for our safety

the local children's choir sang a song for us today IN ENGLISH that the learned just for us, I cried.  It was titled, "Thank you for coming"

It was so moving.  Every one of them had a close relative killed in the quake.  Some are now orphans.  all have injuries and none have seen a doctor yet.  afterwards we treated all of them and their remaining relatives and they thanked us again in English that they learned just for us.  They are such amazing people.

we are starting again tomorrow morning at 7:30 and will see patients all day

i never have performed first aid before, now I am doing it and have even learned a bit of Creole

 we drove by a school today - the whole building collapsed and they still had not picked up the bodies of the children who were cut in 1/2 when they were trying to run outside as the building fell on top of them

just one of many unspeakable things that I have seen.  I don't really have any way to use words to describe it

anyway, I just want you to know that I really appreciate you and everything you do for me.  I don't say that often enough.

MY NEW BLOG

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been working on a new blog as a place to publish any of my writings not related to Mexico City. At this point it's sort of a notebook of past travels, with some (hopefully) helpful tips for anyone interested in these places.
(The "we" in this blog will refer to my partner Nick Gilman unless otherwise stated.)
I welcome your comments and suggestions.

Click the link below to read the blog:

                               http://liveonarrival.blogspot.com/

A NEW YEAR

I like to start the year with something that feels like ritual. It involves listening to music that makes me happy (this year it's Mahler's 8th, Aretha Franklin, Elliot Carter, and Yvonne Printemps). Cleaning is important, too--the on-your-hands-and-knees kind of cleaning--as is re-arranging furniture (the desk must be in a new location). And then sitting back, taking stock of the year now gone and planning for the next.

Mexico's year in the news was not a good one. Drug wars, swine flu, diminishing water supplies were favorite topics of interest. As the country plans it's bicentennial in 2010, poverty levels remain high, and more financial pain is expected in the next year, mostly falling on the lower classes--nothing new.

In spite of the bad news, or maybe because of it, Mexico continues to be the land of the big fiesta. To counteract the bad press Mexico City put on the happyface with the world's largest ice rink, the tallest Christmas tree, and a record making assembly of people dancing to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'. The number of fresh flowers planted in city parks and camellones was almost obscene this year, considering there are people here who don't have running water. Oh, but it did look lovely for a while.

Better news about Mexico City came in the form of new legislation in 2009. The recent gay marriage bill goes beyond  2008's domestic partnership, and laws against hate crimes, decriminalizing the use of small amounts of certain drugs, and a prohibition against plastic bags place the city in the forefront of liberal social and environmental reform. This place never ceases to surprise me.

2010 will surely be a tough year for many in Mexico. Just as surely, it's bound to be a year full of celebration and festivity (the tourist bureau expects 14 million visitors to Mexico City this year).
So I hope to have lots of material to continue my advocacy of this city as a great place to live and to visit.

I'll be launching a new blog for 2010 for my writing that is not about Mexico City--more news on that will follow soon.

Thanks to all my readers who've written over the year. Your support inspires me.With wishes to you all for health and happiness in 2010, I'll sign off with a quote from the intrepid English explorer and writer, Freya Stark, whose words on the topic of death offer a great perspective on life.

At 93, as she was planning a trip to Spain, Stark was asked about death. She replied, "I feel about it as about the first ball, or the first meet of hounds, anxious as to whether one will get it right, and timid and inexperienced -- all the feelings of youth."