Monday, November 26, 2007

New country, new adventures!

Well, after a hiatus, I'm making an attempt to get back into blogging again. My impetus is the fact that I'm sitting in a hotel in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on the first day of a week long trip to learn about pediatric HIV care in Haiti and speak in a conference on parasites & HIV in children.

After a journey that felt almost as long as that to Africa (though it was just two - 6 hour flights), I arrived this afternoon. The warmth was welcome as we climbed out of the airplane. There was a band in the entryway of the airport, like in Tahiti.
In fact at first glance, that's what this reminds me of - a cross between Africa (Burkina Faso) and Tahiti. Despite the higher ranking on the HDI - 154 vs Burkina's 174 of 177 countrires - things seem more run down here. A first example is that the urban roads are much worse - poorly maintained, more chaotic, slower.

Some things made me feel at home - reminding me of Burkina - the women selling deep fried beignettes on the side of the road, the vendors with second hand clothes, the warmth.
The vegetation and the ocean smells, and the cool ocean breeze.

I'm excited for the hospital visit tomorrow.

More later!
Laura

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