Today was such a difference from the last week. For me it was like returning home and revisiting friends I have missed for years. For the newbies, it was a time for them to experience first hand what they've heard about from our previous trips. This morning we woke up at the crack of dawn and made our way to the bus stop. The last folks we got to see were Minush, Tony, Silda, and Donna. They all were so sweet to wake up early with us and wait until they knew we were safely on the bus. Even more selfless was Carlo who rode the whole way back to Port-au-Prince just to make sure we got to our next vehicle safely. That is eight hours or more of just pure kindness and selflessness. Carlo finish his visit with us by saying our favorite Q and A that he taught us which sounds like "Saque pas seh" which mean "how are you" and the response is "Nabuleh" which means "I'm burning." The bus ride was probably the most evil necessary part of the trip because it was such a long, rocky trip. What we didn't know was that the trip between the bus station in Port-au-Prince and Villa Mamika was almost another hour because of traffic and swerving pot holes.
After being in the country of Haiti, it actually was quite jarring to turn up the dial on the smells, sounds, and sights of the city. When we arrived to Villa Mamika we were so happy to see Gerard waiting for us and return to a place we knew would be calm and secure. So many elements have changed since I was last here including an additional Air conditioned seating area and a restaurant that serves hot dogs and ice cream. We were given our rooms and then met downstairs for our last PB&J, this time with the highly acclaimed raisin bread and Haitian cookies.
After a brief rest it was time to go to Ryan Epps and Boaz's Orphanage. We piled into the truck (minus Katrin and Kayla who decided to stay back) and we went to Ryan Epps first. I was happy to see some of the children I met from before. They had all grown so much. We didn't have much time and so many only had time to order some pre-made metal work. I opted to sit at the table and take out a fun game called Spot It. This kept many of the kids occupied and having fun for the duration of our stay. I also heard that Kathleen and Dana had easily found friends to play with while we were there. It felt like we were there so short a'time and we were saying goodbye.
We moved towards Boaz's Orphanage which I was very excited about because I sponsor a little boy there. For those that don't know Boaz is the man behind all the help that we have been giving to the village of Colton. He was adopted by Helen Little (who was at the Villa Mamika at 87, post-stroke) and he has started a school in Cotin, brought food and water to the village, and opened an orphanage that was moved from Cotin to Croix de Bouquet for many reasons including zoning issues. We got to the gate of the Orphanage and several of the children were already excited about our arrival. As soon as we crossed the line into the property, children flocked towards us and hugged us and held our hands and smiled such delightful smiles! It was very much like a whirlwind when we got there. I was simultaneously looking for Berlin, saying hello to old friends, and getting a grand tour, so I am sorry to say that my observation skills were a little shaky at this point. All I know is that every one of us was enjoying our time with the kids around us and they were having a blast. I was really happy to have a sweet boy introduce himself as Berlin and he held my hand everywhere I went. I also had a hilarious and vivacious girl who loved that both our names are Abigale. The worst feeling was being there for 15 minutes and being told we had to go. It was very hard for me to say goodbye and I definitely feel our time was cut short but there is nothing we could do with such little time.
When we got back to the Villa we had a meal that we shared with all our old friends, Claudel, Boaz, Rolin, and Markenson. We even got to say hello to Jimmy! We were able to donate all our children clothing to Claudel for his VBS camp! This was so special! At the end of the night we were faced with the fact that we would leave in the morning! It is a bittersweet feeling, but the sweetness of seeing our loved ones is quite a lovely thought.
~Abigail
Photos
