Firsts

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Place: Lamardelle

Time: 5:12pm EST

Song:  Neon-Chris Young

Today was somewhat of an odd day.  I went with a group out to Lamardelle to do…..well truthfully we didn’t know what we’d be doing.  We had been in touch with a group called Enfants de Jesus, or Infants of Jesus.  An orphanage of sorts.  But not really an orphanage.  These children are more like foster kids.  They don’t know where their parents are; whether they’re alive or not.  But it’s a bit more than that.  This organization helps to run a clinic as well as oversee the education of the children in their community.  It’s all very confusing to me and I shall not attempt to explain, I apologize.  What I can tell you is that we ended up teaching a group of 20 individuals on a variety of topics.  Those who were present were teachers from the school and individuals who were connected with the clinic in this area. 

This organization that is funded by a group called….  Is actually one of the more impressive communities I have visited while in Haiti.  They have a doctor who works at the clinic full-time.  They have a functional pharmacy that they can give medications to the patients.  They have nurses and other support type individuals, including those we taught today.  The school is quite impressive, holding approximately 500 students grades K-7.  These children are fed two hot meals a day; breakfast and lunch.  This is very significant because this allows families to be able to feed their children, allowing them to keep them.   Quite often in Haiti children are sent to or dropped off at orphanages because families simply can’t support them.  The children appeared to be healthy and well cared for.  It was definitely a first to see how incredibly self-functioning it was.

This trip has been a bit introspective for me.  This isn't a first.  Not the first time being on a trip like this has caused me to evaluate my life, and not the first time I've had these thoughts or feelings in the past month.  I’ve thought a great deal about many things.  I have not come to any conclusions or decisions about any of those things, but I’ve thought of them nonetheless.  So I suppose that’s good right?  A lot of self-doubt.  About abilities, knowledge, future and the like.  My head is somewhat of a jumble.  How's that for vague? Eh well.

A couple of other firsts…. I have some mosquito bites on my butt and I’m really at a loss as to how they got there.  Also I just washed my underwear in the shower….

Even on the fourth.....a couple of firsts.....