First I must start with an addendum to the first entry. When I began the story of our adventures I forgot to mention Debbie White with us when I talked about gathering together at RDU, which was intentional since she was already in Haiti with our friend Paula Heidrick. What I didn't mean to do was to omit the excitement and joy I had when she met us in the Port-au-Prince airport! She had waited for us for many hours and we were so happy to have her. So to be clear, our Haiti team cannot be complete without the most dedicated gal to grace our team! We are so happy to have Debbie with us (especially because she is the best photographer ever).
Okay, so, on to today. Today we visited paradise! We were so lucky to have a restful, relaxing, and rejuvenating day. The morning was especially relaxing because we were able to sleep in until 10am. We did have breakfast, however it was the perfect, leisurely breakfast that could last for a long time, and we could sit on the rocking chair of the porch, slowly sip our coffee. I was just about to take a siesta in the rocking chair, when Tony, Carlo, Silda, Donna, and all were here in an
AIR CONDITIONED van to take us to the beach.
First they wanted to show us the downtown area of Cayes as we sat scrunched together and bug eyed at what we witnessed. There were vendors on every inch of pavement and the area had so many sights, sounds, and so much to take in that we practically had whiplash looking from window to window. We have some great pictures to share including about 40 men working with concrete just like us, but with much more efficiency. They worked on a 2 or 3 story building and passed the bucket up the ladder and then slid it back down a line to the ground in seconds. We then made our way to the beach which was about an hour trip. We went through about three small towns that all seemed to have their markets open and flourishing with customers. We also saw beautiful rolling mountains that stretched to the sea. In fact there were many points in which you looked to your left and saw mountains and looked to your right and saw the waters of the ocean.
Soon we turned off the road and first unsuccessfully tried to squeeze through the front entrance, then were given the backdoor treatment as we off roaded into the private beach area. The beach had its own shaded tables, changing/shower/restroom area, and a catered meal. The lagoon that we saw when we walked out to the beach was gorgeous. It was something that Tyler stated "could be used as a setting in a movie." The surrounding palm trees, mountains, and blue waters provided great scenery. We ate our meal of chicken, lobster, rice, fried plantains, and cole slaw and looked around at the delightful scene, it didn't take long before some of us were jumping in the blue waters while others opted for seashell surfing. As I floated out with the waves, I enjoyed the rejuvenating feeling of being submerged in warm and refreshing water. When I got back onto the shore I saw all of the lucky finds that Kathleen, Anne, Miriam, Dana, and others had found on their look for shells. We soon met with several young Haitian boys that sold large conch shells that were eye candy for sure. We all walked away with a prize and gave these boys compensation for their awesome finds. The day was filled with a variety of wave surfing, sun bathing, shell finding, and straight up chilling! It was fantastic and we truly felt like we were vacationing. It was also nice to see Tony, Silda and their team enjoy themselves because they work so hard and they definitely deserved this relaxation. When it was time to go we all were in a daze of bliss as we piled back into the car for the drive home.
Tonight has been especially enjoyable because there has been a steady breeze all night. I look around and everyone seems content and peaceful. We all are enjoying watching the guys who play soccer beneath our balcony and others chatting like a family. Haiti has a tendency of making me always have that feeling of being very close and happy with the people I work with. This group especially clicks very nicely and the company is making this trip all the better. Tomorrow we will go to church in the deaf community! I can't wait to see my buddies again!
~Abigail
