Day 2 In the Mountains

We travelled to another small town in the mountains today. Much better roads and a shorter distance to ride in the back of the pickup. This community seemed much more poor than Belleview and we gave out a fair number of shoes for the kids and kits for new moms with items we had brought. I had nothing to do today so I fit children with shoes and tried to stay out of the way. The highlight of the day was when a young boy with a right-sided hand palsy arrived at the clinic with his brother with a pair of hiking boots on and no socks. We were able to get him a new pair of socks and because there were no shoes left in his size, I took the runners off my feet and was more than thrilled to see his face light up when he put on a new pair of white sneakers. A sad moment also occurred, when a young boy asked Melissa if anyone would ever love him the way he is. It was a moment that you choke back the tears when a young child is aware that his physicial disability will determine how others will view him. Most of the kids arrived in their Sunday best and as it was a long weekend, we arrived to hear the town singing in the church for a few hours. It was quite amazing to hear!!

Saturday was shopping day in Jacmel, we walked the streets as Solage kept a close watch and followed us with the van. He is such a wonderful man and I always feel so safe when he is our driver. We wanted to go to the iron market again this year, but in the past week, there have been an increased number of crimes against blancs (whites) in Jacmel, so Solage refused to take us. After shopping, we went to Kabik beach. It is the most amazing place and we were able to body surf as the waves were breaking. During lunch on the beach which consisted of an entire grilled lobster with beer, a troubador band serenaded us. There is always a surprise around every corner in Haiti, and some of them are wonderful! Today was a great day to round up a busy and productive first week. Our first real day off. Tomorrow is another travel day back to Port-au-Prince, so an early morning start so that we can make it back into the city before the traffic gets bad.  As usual, we have heard each other say a few funny things that you would only hear in Haiti like: "Was that two pigs in a wheelbarrow" and "Hey, I just saw four adults on a moto".

This is about the time when my love affair with Haiti starts to settle in and makes me want to slow down time because I know our time is almost gone for another year.