Today, I Almost Passed Out

Brendan and I got into Port-au-Prince yesterday afternoon, met at the gates outside the airport, and caught our shuttle to Leogane. The two hour drive afforded Brendan an opportunity to give me the scoop on what was going by the windows--crowded, narrow streets clogged with overburdened Chinese motos and street vendors, about every fifth structure showing visible earthquake damage, rubble in the streets.

After a quick tour of the All Hands facility and the claiming of our bunks, we were thrown right to work on the foundation of a new school being build a couple of miles away. I was extremely antsy from the plan ride and eager to get to work, so I threw myself into the considerably arduous labor with relish--hauling buckets of water out of a well and bringing them to the cement mixer, carting buckets of gravel and sand, pouring cement, the whole deal. Felt great.

Today was a different story. After three hours of similar work, I was getting increasingly lightheaded and headachy, and when I started seeing spots and the muscles in my left arm began to tighten and contract uncontrollably, I threw in the towel. A year and a half away from the heat of New Orleans and sweat of construction has apparently made me soft. The heat here is intense, and not to be trifled with. A few days to acclimate should make it better, and in the meantime, I've moved to the task of rendering, which essentially means smearing cement on unfinished walls like Play-Do.

All in all, a smooth entry to a great organization full of wonderful people. It's tremendously energizing to be surrounded by such hard-working, big-hearted people from all over the world.

Headed out now to peruse the streets and perhaps enjoy a few local brews. With any luck, we'll have more scandalous stories to report tomorrow.

-Mike