Many of the passengers on our flight from Port-au-Prince back to Ft. Lauderdale hadn’t previously flown. It took us a long time to get to the gate as so many people required instructions and hand-holding through the process. When you think about it, there really are a lot of rules and procedures involved in air travel! It can be overwhelming at times even for experienced travelers. I kept reminding myself that on one of our next trips home from Haiti, we’ll have 5 children with us! I'm still brainstorming about strategies to make that trip go smoother.
Each suitcase—whether to be checked and carry-on—was opened and searched prior to check-in. This was new since last time we flew out of Haiti—or maybe it’s just particular to Spirit Airlines. An elderly man in front of us was told he’d have to toss his big bottle of liquor wrapped in aluminum foil. No problem--he opened it up and guzzled it down right there on the spot!
It was both amusing and endearing to me to watch people trying to figure out the overhead bins and seatbelts and looking curiously at the barf bags and safety instructions. As we went through customs upon landing in Florida, we watched as a border patrol dog got all worked up as he sniffed one grandma’s bags. Everyone stopped and stared. Were we witnessing a big drug bust? She was detained as the border patrol officers dug through her bag and pulled out—an illegal mango!
I’ve been flying all my life and still think it’s crazy that people can get into this huge piece of machinery and travel above the clouds. It’s amazing, isn’t it? I wondered whether the people around us were excited, nervous, scared. I enjoyed daydreaming about where each of them was going, what they were going to be doing in the States and what adventures awaited them. What were they thinking as we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale and flew over all those huge houses, manicured lawns and swimming pools in every other yard? In many ways, Haiti and Florida are like two different worlds. For someone who didn’t know what to expect, I imagine it would seem like landing on a different planet. I was thinking these things to myself as K napped in the seat beside me. I kissed her awake as the plane pulled up to the gate. She woke up, looked out the window and loudly announced “We’re back on Earth!”
We had a leisurely drive home, stopped at Chilis for a late lunch, got into town and visited with Mamatoo and picked up Chloe, swung by Publix for a few groceries (I actually had to restrain myself from saying "Bonjou!" to people we walked past at the grocery store--it had become a habit!) and hung out with Pa for a little while once we got home. It was such an amazing trip. I’m so glad we took the girls! I’m so thankful for the time spent with the boys. And I’m so ready to go back.
