A Beautiful Beach and Bus Beats

Our last full day in Haiti was beautiful and sunny and warm and started off with some of Jude’s wonderful oatmeal.  Today was a well-deserved day of fun and relaxation for the students and staff.  We went to the beach with about thirty children from Pastor Vincent’s Orphanage and Jude’s family’s orphanage. The students raised enough money to treat the kids to a fun day at the the beach.  They bought toys, chips, cookies, drinks and all the fixings for a kid’s favorite sandwich…raw hot dog on white bread with ketchup and mayo.  The Health for Haiti students made the sandwiches before we loaded up onto the bus.  We picked up all of the kids and had a fun but crowded ride to the beach.  The beach was absolutely beautiful and the weather could not have been more perfect.  We all swam and looked for shells and enjoyed the beautiful setting and our time together.

It was tough to leave at the end of the afternoon but the bus ride home was really fun because Marcia passed out her percussion instruments and we all played along.  Even the littlest children kept the beat.  We had such a great time, it made it a little easier to say goodbye.  We had a delicious dinner back at Jude’s and now everyone is getting ready to pack and enjoying a really beautiful evening on the rooftop decks.

Today was the anniversary of the 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti.  We had a moment of silence on the bus at 4:53pm, the time that the earthquake started. Although this is a difficult day for everyone in Haiti, it was nice to have a day that focused on celebrating our love and appreciation of Haiti and the Haitian people.

We had such a productive and special time here in Haiti.  It will be hard to say goodbye to our friends and leave tomorrow, but also good to get back home.  We will meet again next week for our final class meeting and student presentations.  After the post-trip meeting I will share a final update from our amazing, special time here.

Good night from Haiti!