But to be honest, it was a miracle in disguise. When we had
been working, there was definitely a divide between the different peoples. This
mixture of fear and laughter brought us together faster than anything else could
have. The walls fell completely and we were just one big group, no longer
separated by race or culture or language.
Thankfully, the village champions eventually chastised the
boys into stopping their evil game. However, this gesture of peace was quickly
forgotten. A slight air of irritation hovered around Tami as she tried to get
very reluctant American girls back into the trash pile. I felt too bad that we
weren’t doing our job as intended, so I climbed back in with Anna and a few
others. As we were doing this, some of the Haitians were telling us about how
we should be on the look-out for another tarantula, since apparently, they
travel in pairs. I’m thinking, cute, a
romance… between creepy, nasty, ugly creatures. Why? Sick joke? So I was a
bit skittish and hesitant about the trash, not going to lie.
I’m bending down to pick up a plastic water bag when all of
the sudden, I feel something crawling up the back of my leg. I release a
piercing scream and take off running. An eruption of laughter reaches me from
where I was just standing. There’s Papitas, hunched over shaking. “You like my
spider impressions?” he chuckled. Once again, not funny. Not at all.
They were right too. We found the second one not long after.
It was just as disgusting and unnerving as the first time.
Later we were all just hanging around with the kids and the
translators. Our translators were literally taunting us with their silly creole.
A few of them decided that Abby, Macy and I needed to learn creole fast. So
they started talking in jibberish and asking us questions in a foreign
language, expecting that we would be able to whip out the answers. I think we’re
just pure entertainment for Haitians. We’re not really helping them in the way
that we all think. We’re just a big comedy act that brings laughter throughout
the nation. Shake. My. Head.
It was seriously a crazy hour spent with the people. Kids
were everywhere, jumping on us, laughing at us and trying to interact with us.
It was wonderful. There was a surprisingly large age range as far as the
children went; some were just toddlers and others were my age, teenagers. It
was awesome to see them all joining together in the same place.
Before we knew it, a dance competition broke out. One of the teenage boys had started break dancing and then physically passed the moves onto one of the translators, who then passed it to another translator, who then had the great idea of passing the dance torch to a white man. HAH. Lee, Tim and Ed all got involved. It actually got quite heated between Ed and Lee. They were back and forth, strutting around each other, mimicking moves. It was pretty hilarious. Whoever got videos of that seriously needs to share.
Ed claimed superiority, but we all know he couldn’t touch
Lee’s moves. White dancing just doesn’t cut it, let’s be real here.
After the intense competition, it was back to the main
campus. Again, many of us took naps and relaxed on the roof until dinner was
served. And dinner was… soup. Really questionable soup. I saw a whole crab
floating in a sea of seaweed and I completely lost my appetite then and there.
Done. Crackers, anyone? However, there was one redeeming treat: CAKE!
We also had rain today! I can’t even tell you how good cool
rain feels in Haiti… After all the heat and the limited showering experiences,
this was like a breath of fresh air, a drink of cool water. Absolutely amazing.
I ended up going to Madame Cheap Cheap’s after and buying
some beaded necklaces (although they were like beans or seeds or something, not
beads), and bracelets. This was after shopping at the actually store inside MOH
and purchasing a couple t-shirts, a wristband that says the school theme “mwen
kapab” (meaning “I can”) and a 3-cord headband made by a Haitian women. All
purchases I was very happy with, let me tell you.
Other people were with theirs as well. Many people in the
group bought t-shirts; Ed bought a green bag for his sister; Lexi bought nearly
all of the 3-cord bands (she knew where the hidden stash was in a box under the
table); Brian bought a machete! How do you get a machete through security at
the airport? But hey, if Chip could get the fireworks through, I have faith in
Brian as well.
When we were headed back to Bercy that night, I thought we
were all going to die. We were headed back in the pitch black and there was definitely
something wrong with King of the Roads. It felt like we were about to lose a
tire and get stranded in the middle of some random village. Sure enough, the
driver actually pulled over and did something. I think they might have changed
a tire, because there was some serious adjusting going on on the side of the
road. I thought poor Haley was going to have a heart attack. She freaks out every
time we hit a bump; this was putting her over the edge. But we made it eventually!!
The closing of the day was spent in team time. I can’t
really express what happened without violating the trust we’ve built, but it
was a very emotional experience for me. I don’t think I’ve ever cried that much
in my life.
But shout out to all the men on our trip! You have all
taught me so much. I know it’s kind of crazy, you probably thought I was just
this other random girl along for the ride. But I appreciated you and many of
the individual conversations I had with all of you. I saw the way most of you
watched over your daughters on this trip, and it was like a direct reflection
of God’s love for each and every one of us. Unconditional and always forgiving.
You’re all amazing, and I thank God that I got the chance to meet you all. You’ve
quickly become the additional family I never expected to gain. Love to all!
-Katie Coming to You from Haiti
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