I leave Thursday afternoon for Haiti. I have a 3-1/2 page list of things I need to do before I leave -- I've been in 'frantic' mode for a couple of days. Yesterday I crossed off only five of seventeen tasks I had scheduled for Sunday. I haven't quite entered 'panic' yet. But I did wake with a start at 4:30 this morning, and literally said "Oh sh*t."
Sunday afternoon I met with Cristie, who will house-sit for me while I'm gone. If I entered my ideal criteria into the Housesitter Machine, it would spit out an exact copy of Cristie. She's kind, responsible, well-recommended, available the exact dates I'm gone, likes cats, is a talented gardener, and likes to clean. And she's excited for the chance to stay here!
Yesterday was a very nice birthday-and-going-away party with my family. I got some cool gear, like a solar charger for my cell phone, an LED lantern, and a new North Face raincoat. Not to mention a come-along (ratcheted pully for moving heavy items) to be donated to the HODR base camp. I have a good family.
I expect I'll need the raincoat. In Haiti, it's now moving into the rainy season. From web sites and blogs, I've learned that it's wet in April/May, and "hot, hot, hot" in June. I suppose the heat will give me a chance to dry out.... The base manger in Leogane said it's a good idea to pack along rubber boots.
[photo: The growing pile in a corner of my living room -- items that I may take with me. Everything from chocolate to a shovel. The colored chalk is for tagging buildings that have been searched and/or inspected.]
In general, I'm very excited. I've been telling friends that this is Brian's Next Big Adventure. I'm a little overwhelmed with details -- finish the almost-complete kitchen remodel, make a list for the housesitter, return library books, get insurance squared away, automate bill-paying, do some fundraising, get the house ready for someone else to live here, notify everyone, stop the newspaper -- but there will come a point on Thursday when I leave for the airport, and there's nothing more I can do.
And when I get off the plane in Port au Prince, I'll be hit with heat and devastation and achingly poor people and a new job and the mysteries of a third world county. The feeling I have now is anticipation and excitement. I'm quite certain I'll be consumed with the experience -- how could you fail to be? And all these little details that overwhelm me now will fade and seem inconsequential.
Unless... I forget to buy travel insurance, let's say, and need to get airlifted to a hopital in Miami next month because I have a chunk of rebar pinning my fibula to my clavicle. Then that particular detail will rise up again as a pretty critical one that I really should have taken care of...
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Your thoughts on the blog, please. When I set up the format, I hit Google's 'Monetize' button -- Google inserts advertisements. I find it a bit distracting (no offense Google), so I might get rid of it. On the other hand, in the few days this has been up, I've already made a blistering one dollar thirty six! In other words, I guess it's no way to get rich... Let me know in the comments section if I should get rid of the ads.
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