“Its good to be back”
I was sitting next to the window and reading my book, Tale of Two Cities, when at one point I looked up and saw Haiti’s mountains and saw that we were getting closer to Port au Prince. I put my book away and just kept looking out the window.
When I was younger, every time I flew home to Chicago I would always look out the window to see things I recognized. Usually the only thing I was sure of was the Sears Tower, but I would try to find my house, my school, that really big movie theater close to the airport. Anyway as I sat on the plane flying into Haiti I strained my neck to get the best view out the window. I tried looking for what was left of St. Etienne a rural church in the mountains, that was the first church I visited in Haiti, I looked and found the road that we usually drove to get to Montruis (where the old seminary is, as well as some nice beaches), and as we descended into Port au Prince I struggled to see other familiar landmarks.
Searching for these places that I knew made the fear go away. I was coming back to a place that was familiar, a place that was like home, a place where I would be taken care of.
As I stepped out of the plane, walked through part of the airport and outside to the bus that would take us to our luggage…I took in the sun and the air, breathed in and thought “Its good to be back”
I walked with confidence through customs, and easily got all my bags (an accomplishment in itself) called my friend who was waiting outside and left without any problems. And when those guys surrounded me to help with my bags, speaking Creole to me, I just said “no mesi” (no thanks) and kept walking to my friend.
It was great to be back!
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