Hello from Haiti! Today was our final day in Haiti and we enjoyed a fun day together at the public beach. We brought along the children from Home of Destiny Orphanage and Good Shepherd Orphanage, so we had plenty of friends to enjoy the day with. The kids swam in the ocean, played, and enjoyed a lunch of hotdog sandwiches, crackers, cookies and juice.
As I write the last post of the Health for Haiti 2018 class trip, it is hard to find a way to sum up the many experiences that none of us will ever forget. It has been an incredible adventure that has consisted of a tremendous amount of hard work and lots of very special moments. The title of this final Haiti post comes from the “Gen Rekonesans” tattoo Brandon got after participating in the 2017 class trip as a student. It means “Be Grateful” in Haitian Creole.
So, as our time in Haiti comes to an end and we prepare to head home, I think most of us are feeling grateful for the way Haiti has captured our hearts. Professor Hankin and I have so much to be grateful for! Thanks to our hosts at Le Gou T and, of course, the wonderful Jude Estinfil at Estinfil Guesthouse (our home in Haiti). Thanks to our bus driver Stevenson for getting us to where we needed to go and bringing us home safe every day. We know it wasn’t easy. Thanks to our amazing translators for not only helping us to communicate, but for teaching us about your country and becoming such wonderful friends. We love you all! Thanks to our security team for watching out for us and keeping us safe. Thanks to the entire staff (Greg, Darlene, Tom, Marcia, Sue, Gay and Brandon) for sharing your expertise and for making this such a rich experience for our students and the people we served. Thanks to our past students and staff for helping to build a strong problem. And especially thank you to all 19 of the 2018 Health for Haiti students who worked for months to prepare for our work, and then gave it their all each and every day. It has been such an honor to share this experience with you. You brought help and joy to hundreds of Haitian children and adults, and we enjoyed every minute of working with you. What a fabulous team you are! You made such a lasting difference here in Haiti. And thank you to the Haitian people for your warmth and your spirit.
Below are some pictures from our day. Most of the pictures you have seen over the past several days were taken by Professor Marcia Blackburn (all the best ones anyway). Thank you Marcia for helping us to document our adventure and for taking the time to share your images every night.
Thanks for following our experiences. Tomorrow we will say goodbye to Haiti and head home. Bon nwit from Haiti!
SUNY Broome Health for Haiti 