Coming Home

Eight months in Haiti. Wow! In some ways, it feels as though I just stepped off the plane. The time has passed so quickly. There are many places yet to be seen, people to meet and, most importantly, work to do. In another sense, I feel immersed here, almost forgetting what it is like to live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. There is a different routine to my day in Haiti. The smells, sounds and surroundings quite distinctive, almost exotic, in contrast to those of my hometown. What will it be like to come home?

My husband, Eric, visited me for a week in early April. He was the first member of my family to come to Haiti. As I suspected, when he left I realized how much I missed my family, and the months that followed were a little more difficult that the first six. Once June arrived, I began a countdown for my leave, eagerly anticipating reunions with my family, Trinity parishioners and other dear friends. As I write this article, I am ten days away from departure and starting to clean my room and make other preparations to ready for my month in the states.

As excited as I have been to head home, I was thrown a curve ball last Sunday. I attended the 9 a.m. service at St. Trinite Cathedral. I have become quite accustomed to hearing the liturgy in French and, sometimes, Creole. My comprehension has improved with time and, since we share the same Book of Common Prayer, I feel very much a part of worship. As Pere Sadoni, Dean of the Cathedral, made announcements before the last hymn, I gazed at the beautiful murals of the birth of Christ, the crucifixion and the ascension, which serve as a backdrop to the high altar. I realized that, because of another commitment the next week, this would be my last service in Haiti before going home on leave. I began to think about hearing Holy Eucharist Rite II and all the music in English with American voices. Suddenly, I was moved to tears. I now understood that, as much as I longed for the people and places that I love so dearly, I had found a second home in the past eight months – Haiti.

So, I ready for my trip home on Thursday. As I share glimpses of my experience of the past eight months with family and friends, I suspect some, maybe all, will see how Haiti has become a part of me and, maybe, how I have become a part of her.