What we found.

Bryan and I arrived safely in Haiti yesterday morning (after a bit of last-minute drama with our tickets that gave us a 19-hour layover in Puerto Rico). After spending a few hours at the office, we headed up the mountain to the house in Kenscoff* where we'll be staying for the next few months.

* The lease was up this month on the house in Dezam, and rental properties in Port-au-Prince are few and far between at the moment.

Along with an amazing view, here's what welcomed us:

- The electricity lines had been transferred to the next door neighbor, whose house is owned by the same landlord. (At least candlelight is romantic.)

- A pile of mildewy clothes in the closet, thanks to the moist and cloudy climate in the mountains. (If anyone has connections to a great Kenscoffian washlady, do tell.)

- A teenage boy living in a small shed attached to our house. (We hear he's friendly, but...)

- An ever-expanding number of people who work in the yard. It turns out the landlord has also leased part of the property as a small farm, so that explains why the hedge has been cut to make a path to that new "field." (Who needed privacy, anyway?)

- A yard-sharing neighbor who seems like she will be awesome. (No parenthetical comment necessary.)

Overall, mixed reviews. We're happy to be working again after a terrific few weeks of rest, and as usual we'll keep you blog-posted.

A few links

Sharon and I are in the U.S. through March 22 on stress leave. Haiti's still on our minds and in our hearts, and we've been particularly wrestling with the question: how can Haiti rebuild? One (simple?) way to help is through purchasing one of the few things Haiti exports:

Coffee. We all know the importance of buying fair trade, so add a bag of Haitian coffee into your rotation or get your church or workplace to use Haitian coffee for a few months instead of Folgers.

Art. Haiti exports paintings and metal art (in which artists flatten steel drums and then craft different images by hand). Haitian art fundraisers are happening all around: there's one here in PA, or you can always buy art at your local Ten Thousand Villages store.

We've been realizing more and more that trade - and not simply aid - is incredibly important for Haiti's economic future, earthquake or not. More on this subject soon.*

* A note on "more soon" alerts: Sharon still remembers that she promised details on the Haiti Response Coalition's conference. That update has been delayed because of her grandmother's death and our travel, but it's still in the works.