FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions Please take a moment to look through these frequently asked questions and see if your answers are here. If you still have a question, please use the Contact Us page. Thanks!
Adoption
1. How do I get started?
First, to familiarize yourself with the adoption process and get a detailed list of the paperwork you’ll need to get together. The best way to do that is download (and read) the Adoption Info-Pack on the Downloads page.
2. How long does it take to adopt?
Right now adoptions are at a standstill in Haiti but I expect things to be moving again by the end of the year. Before the earthquake a typical wait was 2 – 3 years. I would expect the same once things begin again.
3. How much does it cost to adopt?
Cost will vary by how much you decide to do on your own. Our (Richard and Malinda) adoption would have cost around $15,000 USD (including travel) if we hadn’t had the first guys take our money and not actually do the adoption in Haiti. Typically you’ll be quoted a price between $7,000 USD and $15,000 USD per child for just the expense in Haiti, not counting what you’ll pay to do the homestudy, background checks, dossier completion, travel, etc in the US.
4. Can you recommend a good lawyer/agency/orphanage/etc?
I don’t want to recommend anyone or any organization unless I know them personally and am comfortable with them. Malinda and I did an independent adoption because we didn’t want to pay the overhead of an agency plus the lawyer’s fees. I am in the process of developing a good working relationship with one of the most successful adoption lawyers in Haiti. Once I’m comfortable with them I will recommend them. The only orphanages I endorse are the ones I directly monitor. I can’t endorse an orphanage unless I know how they operate and if they are (a) trustworthy and (b) not abusing the children (a common thing in Haiti). I’m waiting on some demographic information on children, as soon as I get that I will post the orphanage and children to this website.
Travel / Provisions
1. What do I need to do about __________ disease?
First, go to your primary care physician and get all the necessary shots for travelling in Haiti. Most doctors have to look up the common diseases. Some shots are in courses, you take one round now and return in 6 months for a second round. You may have an allergy or reaction to some of the shots given. Please consult your physician.
Secondly, when travelling in Haiti I used to take the malaria pills (you start 4 or 5 days before you go and take them several weeks after you return), but when I met missionaries that lived there and saw they didn’t take them, only treated malaria when they got it (if ever), I decided to not take them. I do travel with a generic $4 drug from Wal-Mart that is for generic digestive and respiratory infections (the name slips my mind at the time I’m writing this, maybe someone will remind me and I’ll come back and update it here). The pill is prescription-only and you take it for 10 days straight as soon as you get symptoms.
Thirdly (?), when you get in country don’t be surprised if your bowels act up a little. You may have very loose stool, or maybe even some “all liquid” episodes. It happens to me almost every time for the first two days. It’s something about the switch over in diet. It may also be the fact that I ask for only apple juice on the two flights I take to get there… Either way, I know I’m actually sick when I get very weak in my body and dizzy. Your symptoms may vary, but don’t immediately think you’re sick just because your bowels change a little.
Fourthly, none of this is professional medical advice, it’s just my experience. Since I don’t know anything about your health, this isn’t advice tailored to you. Seek the advice of a medical professional.
2. Where can I stay? Do you know about hotel _____ or guest house ______?
I never stay at any hotels, guest houses, etc. I have a policy of staying with the people and living like they do. If you’re traveling with me you’re more than welcome to make your own arrangements to stay in a hotel or guest house, but it would be better if you stayed wherever I stay. The people will accommodate you better than they have for themselves and I’ll make sure you are well cared for.
3. What about food?
I could write a whole book on food advice. Here are a couple rules to live (or die) by:
1. Don’t eat anything sold on the streets.
2. Never drink from water that you don’t know for sure what it’s source is
3. Never use ice purchased from the street
4. Never drink water from the little bags sold on the street.
5. Never eat fruit unless you peeled it.
6. Never eat greens (they call them vegetables).
7. Do purchase water by the gallon (5 gallon is good) that is purified and drink only from it.
8. Do take a liter to two liter drinking bottle that you can fill in the morning and drink from all day.
9. Do drink a lot of water.
10. Take snacks like sardine tins and cracker-n-cheese or peanut butter to eat during the day
If you travel with me our meals will be provided by those who are taking care of us. They know how to fix food so we won’t get sick.
4. What clothes should I bring?
Glad you asked. Most people have the wrong idea about clothes and heat. Don’t be like most people. I’ve traveled to the hottest places in the world and I’ve found that the people who live there wear more clothes, not less. Picture in your mind the nomad of the Sahara, with several very thick robes on, a turban around his head so only the minimal amount of his face is showing, and sleeves all the way down his arms.
The reason for this is simple, it’s layering against the heat. It provides layers that the heat can’t penetrate so their body is hot but isn’t burning up. When you wear long sleeves, the sleeves reach the boiling point to evaporate your sweat (water doesn’t evaporate at a lower temperature than it’s boiling point), so your sleeves are absorbing the brunt of the heat. If you don’t have long sleeves on, it’s your arm that has to reach this temperature.
Then there are the bugs. Malaria is prevalent in Haiti, and it’s always better to be more clothed rather than less to keep the bites down to a minimum.
Because of these factors I wear long sleeves and long pants the entire time I’m there, even when I sleep. I typically sleep in my jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. I don’t sleep with a mosquito net, but I can see the advantage of doing so.
So that’s the practical side of clothing. Here’s the cultural side. Haiti isn’t yet as stripped-down as the western world. You will see women in pants, but it’s not that prevalent like it is in our society. It’s also the custom of the churches I work in for women to still wear dresses. If you’re traveling with me I make this recommendation for you to consider, but it’s not mandatory.
