Just getting started...

Hey all,

I Fought with the mosquito's off and on last night until I brought a fan into the room where I was sleeping. Still, I feel rested and am adjusting to the time change all right. The team is all here and we spent most of the day organizing and sorting the supplies that everyone brought with them. Some additional supplies were purchased through the local hospital to fill in gaps of what was needed. We leave La Romana, Dominican Republic tonight at 11:00 and make the 7 hour journey to the Border. The border is not closed as I had previously heard while in the UK. We arrive early Monday morning in time to cross with one of the two daily security escorts into Port au Prince (PAP). Although it is not necessary It is probably safer. We should arrive Monday morning and resume the clinics that these teams have been doing weekly since shortly after the earthquake. We will be working in the area of Delma, one of the main roads in Port au Prince, where people from the community there have set up make shift tents of plastic and sheets. We will also be working closely with some of the police from the same community who lost approximately 80 police officers when their building collapsed during the earthquake.

I learned a few days before I arrived that one of the volunteers on this trip is a guy I worked with in Limbe Haiti 11 years ago. He is the only other volunteer on this trip with prior experience in Haiti who also speaks Creole. Coincidentally he is also staying for a month. We have been asked to stay behind each weekend and help coordinate what ever is needed in PAP while the rest of the team journeys back to La Romana. The new team then arrives resupplies with necessary medicines and then makes the return trip back the following Monday. From what we have heard there is a fair amount of security on the ground with UN and US soldiers doing patrols. We also have security where we are staying and should not have any problems.

It is rumoured that there is a functioning internet café around the corner where we will be staying. Hopefully I'll be able to stay in fairly regular contact with Jessica and send updates

Jeremy