haiti trois

most of today's plans went out the window early as our 6 mile trek into port au price to visit lawyers took 3 hours. we had rain last night that lasted a couple hours. it made an awful commute insane. we had three separate instances where we didn't move for 15 minutes or more. the dry dry ground had instantly turned to a muddy soup. by 11am it was gone, but it resonated.

we knew going in that the missionary group that attempted to cross the border with 30 kids a couple months back has not done anyone interested in adopting any favors. finally in port au prince, we met with a first set of lawyers and discussed adoption options. they were one of the oldest law firms in haiti and were very professional and inviting. the interpreter/ass't atty was american-educated (in nawlins) and i probably tripped over her at jazzfest a few years back. a rare national that hit the US big time, came back and plans to stay ... we discussed many options, especially since some of the details of our possible adoptee had been amended. we left the firm feeling hopeful, but a bit overwhelmed. they required us to do alot of the legwork, which ain't easy in the USA, and insinuated there were easier kids to get out there.

i have to be honest, being back in port au price was too much. it's a hideous experience. i needed to get out. we weren't able to return to the orphanage due to time constraints, but we did have a secondary mission. to get our gracious host to a doctor. he'd been suffering with an ear infection since we arrived. he's leaving for a speaking tour of spain on friday to keep awareness of the crisis alive, so time was of the essence. we then found out about another byproduct of the disaster. basic health care is not an easy thing to get these days. he noted the two places he used to use in port au prince were destroyed. we noticed many places exist only as trauma centers. after a few trips, we found a doctor, who uncharacteristically, took him immediately, and thankfully the drugs worked almost instantly.

our next appointment was a dinner being thrown for us and a few others by the proprietor of the orphanage. i have to say something about the food here. i've felt embarrassed by the attention given and the spreads that have been laid out for us. it's been surreal. 5 to 6 course meals every day. i came here expecting not to eat for days, and have been inundated with food. i can safely say, i've eaten more plantains in the last few days than i've ever had in my life. i can also sadly report that a dimwitted waiter ended my vegetarian streak last night. how much clearer can "sandwich fromage" be?????? we we eating outside at a hotel restaurant and it was dark. little did i know i was eating processed ham slices under a mound of lettuce, tomato and mayo.

the dinner was ridiculously plentiful. 3 types of rice, lasagna, fish, salad (thank god), slaw, beans, goat, potatoes. sadly, for the proprietor, the main attraction of the evening was a no show. the premier adoption lawyer in haiti. he called to say he was lost, and then called back to say he'd been involved in an accident. it wasn't a total write-off, the proprietor and the four of us talked about establishing a foundation to support the orphanage. while trying to deal with shipping costs and problems, a fellow guest overheard the conversation and announced he was involved in food imports. he readily agreed to ship product gratis with his shipments from miami (where we already have someone in place to collect goods). it was that stars aligning moment. then, like hollywood scripts go, the stud lawyer called and invited us to his house to talk.

we arrived to meet the mysterious mr. coke (fake name) on a road that our host mentioned was another former "kidnap route". now dark, tent cities everywhere. candles, singing ... we finally pulled over by the side of some medical establishment, proprietor and us couples hung out by the side of the road waiting as dozens of puzzled looks walked by. suddenly a giant SUV strolled up and we followed on our way up a gravel road with a 50% incline. at the top of the hill was a ridiculous double level with roof deck tarantino-esque palace. crazy views of surrounding hillside lights. we all watched as coke walked out of SUV ... he literally looks 23 years old. baggy t-shirt, long black athletic shorts ... read dekalb ave.

turns out he's been practicing 16 years. spelled stuff out like the cocky MF he's paid to be. given everything goes accordingly-- and that's ALOT, we're looking at at least a 4-month process. we asked about the legality of getting her out of the orphanage and into a private home in the meantime. that was definitely a possibility. good things.

on ride home it rained again for a couple hours. road was mainly deserted but pretty rough. looks like the rainy season is here. we've got to get little girl out of the orphanage and out of the rain.