Alison had bought two tubes of bubbles (the HUGE bubbles) so we went outside with the kids and had some fun. The kids were jumping over each other to pop them and some were even eating them !! Phil and I went to the gas station to try and fill up the inflatable pool to wash the kiddies in. The gas station did not have an air pump so we went across the street where there was a bunch of guys on their motorbikes. Thankfully they had a pump. It was quite the image.. us carrying a big inflatable pool down the Haitian streets.. we were the center of attention ! Now the tricky part was to get the pool back into the tap tap. It was difficult but we finally got it to fit ! After getting the pool back to the clinic we set up a tarp, a tent to cover the pool, and then had to fill buckets of water to fill up the pool. Needless to say, it took quite awhile to get the pool filled ! As soon as we put the pool on the ground the little ones were ripping their clothes off and could not wait to get in. I was left in charge of security... My job was to not let anyone get into the pool ! Now that was a difficult task with about fifty kids so excited and hyper. The pool seemed to draw the attention of many, we ended up with more then one hundred kids ! That is a lot of washing to do. Many of the kids were sneaky and tried to run back into line.. I ended up washing a few of them at least three times. The pool started off with crystal clear water but by the time we were done it was black. Alison and I were in charge of washing the kiddies, Maeve joined in as well. Phil, Matt, and Albert were in charge of drying them. After they were finished getting dried off they went to a table we had set up and received vitamins and deworming and then had their skin examined. We had an absolute blast !!!!!!! Wash day is definitely the highlight of my trip so far. After cleaning up we went back into the clinic to help out. The doctors were complaining about not having any eye medications. Luckily I had brought all of my medical supplies with me including what Alcon had donated (thanks to the Anjema family). It was like I had arrived at the clinic that day for a reason. They were so happy and thankful. It was awesome to see the supplies I had brought go to use.
After we were finished at the clinic we hitched a ride with Maeve to the guest house. On our way to the guest house we all had a heart to heart about our experiences so far in Haiti. It was great talking to Maeve because we had a lot of the same views. Canada (and Ireland where she is from) is definitely over rated and the media portrays Haiti to be such an awful place (which it can be) but it leaves out all of the good that Haiti poses. The major problem in Haiti is the corrupt government and policing. If you have a positive attitude and go out of your way to be friendly to others, then you will have the time of your life and you will most likely fall in love with this country much like the three of us have. Riding in the back of a pick up truck, looking out at all of the scenery and absorbing all of the friendly faces that pass you by is enough to make you want to stay. There are so many great opportunities here, you just have to be willing to step up and take them. Michael Franti (the singer) had come to visit the clinic but unfortunately no one had recognized him.. Maeve was pretty upset with herself. She is an amazing lady, she was worked for many organizations and has attended many parties/meetings in Haiti with many celebrities such as Brad & Angelina, Mylie Cyrus, Ben Stiller, Sean Penn..etc ! She told us the story of when she contracted Cholera by tripping over a dead two year old and fell face first into a pit of Cholera (all of the UN soliders were laughing and video taped it). We arrived at the Global Dirt Guest house where Maeve and Mark currently live. It is beautiful !!!! It is in a quiet area and Maeve told us that the neighbourhood is very safe so we could even go for walks ! The Guest House is definitely a nice escape from the Chaos in PAP. I could not believe how quiet it is. I began to miss the sound of children screaming and crying. Maeve and Mark knew who had broken into their house (their house keeper) so Mark had to bring him down to the police station. They were going to put him in Jail but Mark could not let them do that so he returned to the house. I was terrified the first night since he stays at the house as well.. I was just waiting for him to steal all of our stuff as well ! But luckily he wasn't dumb enough to do it twice. Phil and I walked up to the supermarket to buy some snacks. It began pouring with rain so Mark came and picked us up to drive us home. We stopped to get Haitian fast food (chicken and potatoes on the side of the road). We played some cards and hung out with Mark and Maeve for a bit before bed.
I did not sleep at all.. I honestly think it was because it was way too quiet ! (or the fact that I was waiting for the house keeper to come in). I was up all night and showered and ready by five a.m. Our ride to go to the clinic was not supposed to arrive until nine so I had lots of time to kill. Maeve and Mark left at six to transport a patient from the clinic to another hospital that was seven hours away. For some reason I had a feeling that our ride was going to be late.. which is usual in Haiti (they call it Haiti time.. everything is usually an hour late or longer). Of course I was right ! It did not show up until noon.
When we got to the clinic we started off with putting hygiene products (toothbrushes, tooth paste, and soap) into zip lock bags to hand out to the children. Once again I could not believe the amount of children waiting in line.. it was CRAZY! After handing out supplies Phil and I did art therapy with a few of the kids that were still hanging around. We had asked them to draw pictures of what they remember from the day of the earthquake. It was really neat to see them all so focused and try so hard to make the best picture they could! After we were finished with art therapy we had to organize the clinic. It was a complete mess.. medical supplies were everywhere and the doctors were having a hard time trying to find what they needed. I started off by labeling all of the suitcases so the doctors knew what was in each one. Marcie and I decided to take control of the pharmacy area. We had to label the shelves and organize all of the medicine. It was so hot in the back of the clinic, we had to keep leaving and going to get a drink because we were both at the point of passing out (I guess we were in the right spot to do that though). It took quiet awhile and we had to look up a lot of the medicine because it was not in English. While Marcie and I did that, Phil and Matt organized the wound supplies. It finally started to come together and be somewhat organized ! There was no transportation to get back to the Guest house so Phil and I had to find a driver on the streets to hire. It wasn't bad.. we paid $20 for a two hour ride ! When we got back to the house Maeve and Mark were still not home. I began to get worried because I had not heard from them and it was starting to get dark. It ended up that the hospital was farther then they thought and the car broke down on top of that. She had asked Phil and I if we could go get some food so she could cook when she got back. It was pouring with rain, lightening, and windy but we decided it would be fun. Wasn't the best idea we ever had. It was pitch black and so muddy. I had a lot of open cuts on my legs and feet and we could not see what we were walking in so I was getting a little worried. I was also waiting for us to get jumped since it was pitch black and no one else on the streets. However, we made it safely to the supermarket. We bought ground beef, hamburger buns, and cheese to make sloppy Joes. I do not think I had ever been that excited for food before. Maeve and Mark did not get back until ten. Phil and I had not eaten anything all day other than a banana so we were really hungry. The food was amazing !!!! One of the best meals yet. We all ate outside and talked. Maeve and mark are hilarious ! Had so much fun with them. Although I was having a great time at the clinic and the guest house I did miss the kids from the orphanage. It really got me thinking how hard it will be to leave them. I was almost in tears having to leave them for the weekend. I got to the point where I knew that I physically and emotionally would not be able to leave these kids. Sunday night after returning to the orphanage I sat and thought about it for awhile. I thought about my future, what I want in life, and what makes me happy. Being here in Haiti I have been happier then I have ever been. Haiti is where I belong. I know that if I go back to school in September that I will not be happy because this is where I want to be.. this is where my heart is. I started thinking that I may be in the wrong program for school. I was sitting here in my bedroom so confused and unsure of what to do. I knew that this is what I want to be doing, that this is where I want to be but I was unsure of what others would say and if I would be making a huge mistake. What do you do when everything you have ever wanted is right in front of you ? When you finally feel as if you have found your passion and what you are meant to be doing? .. I cannot explain the feelings I had Sunday night that lead me to make a crazy and maybe unrealistic decision.. but I have decided to take a year off school and continue my work in Haiti. I was terrified to tell my parents, I knew that they would probably not support my decision but I decided to send them both a text and explain to them how I was feeling. They proved me wrong.. they were more supportive then I could have asked for. My Dad especially surprised me, his response brought tears to my eyes. I am so thankful that they are understanding and trust that I am doing what I need to do. That was definitely a great start to my birthday. I have no idea how this is going to work, or exactly where I will be staying or going yet, and I have no idea what I want to do with my future, but what I do know is that I could never regret this decision, no matter what. I am happy here.. I love this country, this lifestyle, and for me.. that is enough, the rest will come with time. I will be coming home June 4th to work for the summer and hopefully to do some fund raising then I will be returning to Haiti in the fall/winter for an undetermined amount of time. I have spoke with some people and many organizations so I will be very busy with volunteering. I will also be spending the summer trying to arrange plans for when I return. I cannot thank those who have encouraged me to follow my dreams enough! I also wish Caleb was here to thank.. if it wasn't for him.. I would not have found my passion, my dream, and where I belong. He pushed me to come to Haiti, when I doubted coming he made sure that I changed my mind. I think he knew better then anyone that this is what I was meant to be doing. He has inspired me in so many ways and I made this decision with him in mind. This is what he would want me to do.. to do what I enjoy doing. I know that if he was here with me he would probably be making this same decision. I encourage everyone to come to Haiti, it is the most amazing and eye opening experience.. however.. I do warn you.. you will fall in love with it ! Everyone I talk to who has came to Haiti to volunteer, has came back. I feel as if this is where I will be living in the near future. I would love to start my own orphanage and continue to help out down here.
Sunday night was a great night.. but Monday was even better! Monday morning is the first morning that I have slept past six (I slept in until 7:30) !! Not only that but then we had a fantastic breakfast. After the kids were in school we headed to the airport to try and locate Phil's lost bag.. that was not a success though! At the airport I received a call from Rigan. I was so happy to hear from him !! He is sick right now, there was a Cholera outbreak at the Hope Home so I am very worried for him. We are hoping to visit the hospital before we head back on Saturday.
When we got back to the orphanage there wasn't much to do so we asked Jean if we could go back up to the mountains for the afternoon until the kids are done school. We rented a tap tap and were on our way. The drive up was even better this time.. it was light out so we could actually see everything! We were hoping to have lunch at the lookout but it is closed on mondays. We walked through lookout grounds and found an area with some animals (however not many). After that we took some pictures and headed to the shops to buy some souvenirs. It is so fun trying to bargain with them ! I find it quiet amusing. When they give you a price.. you divide it by four and that is usually the price they will accept. After spending a few hours at the mountains and shops we headed back to the orphanage. I figured that the kids didn't know it was my birthday so I was not expecting anything. I had a great day already, but of course the kids made it even better. I walked into the orphanage gate and they had balloons everywhere and started singing happy birthday (in English I might add)!! Not only that.. but when I came back in the room and was resting they surprised me. They started singing once again and they had all made cards for me as well as a birthday crown. This was by far the best birthday ever!!! I would not have wanted to spend it anywhere else. After receiving many hugs and kisses and taking lots of pictures we decided to go outside and play our favourite game ( you are blindfolded and have to try to find the water bottle on the ledge, kind of like pin the tail on the donkey). This time I handed out suckers as the prize. This birthday will definitely be one to remember !!!
Yesterday we received some horrible news. The landlord came to the orphanage asking for rent money. When Jean told him that he does not have the money he gave Jean a two weeks notice. If Jean does not have the money in two weeks then the orphanage will be shut down. It was definitely not a good day. Jean also did not have money for food for the Children and did not decide to tell us until all of the stores were already closed. They shared a can of baby formula for dinner. It is frustrating because I have given Jean a lot of money (over $2000) but he has had so many debts to pay off for previous purchases of food, rent, teachers, and other necessities for the children, so he was unable to use all the money given to him for rent. I am hoping we can find help for him. Today we took Jean and Mammi with us and bought lots of food for the kids to make sure that they will have enough to eat for the next month. They have been so upset for the last two days but when we got back to the orphanage with all the food they were so happy and could not thank us enough.
Since Friday is our last day, Phil and I have decided to put some of our money towards a day out and meal for the children. We are going to take them all to the beach again since they had so much fun last time and bring with us a feast :) I am really looking forward to spending another fun day with them and seeing them smile !
Although it will still break my heart to leave them and I will miss them so much.. at least now I know I will be back soon !
Send my love back home & See you all very soon ! xoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment