Day 1 in Haiti, a full team, real life Mario Cart

Sorry for the late post, we had internet problems last night. Anyways, we are off to Grace Hospital and the tent camps today!

Today (yesterday) was our first full day in Haiti, and honestly, it still feels surreal. Timmy and Wesley joined us today!! We spent the day at Wings of Hope (WoH), which is an orphanage for 35 children with physical and mental disabilities. It took us a long time to find the place, but when we finally did it was awesome. The original WoH was destroyed in the earthquake, so like all Haitians, they had to make do with what they had. When we got there, we were given a brief tour of the place and told to jump right in. Since it was Flag Day, we had a party!! Like any party, there was music, food, dancing, more dancing, and then even more dancing. There are so many amazing memories from the dance party, it’s hard to describe them all. Here are a few….

This one WoH student enjoyed doing summersaults, attempting the worm, and running back and forth across the dance floor. Another student, danced for the entire four hours, non-stop, and never sat down. Being at WoH, reminded me that there are some things that are universal. Children are children everywhere. They love to interact and have a good time. They laugh when you tickle them, want attention, and can never get enough cookies. Dancing and music are also universal. These two can bring people together across language barriers and across cultures.

WoH also had its challenges. We were told to feed the children. We were given crackers, cookies, popcorn, and juice to feed them. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but some of the children had very limited physical mobility. My teammate Nick spent more than an hour feeding this one girl. Breaking the crackers into tiny pieces, putting them in her mouth, holding her mouth closed, and repeating till the entire meal was done. Then there was the juice. We were given juice in plastic cups. It is very challenging to pour juice into the mouths of children. I’m pretty sure about half of the juice ended of the floor or on their shirts. It was amazing to see the work WoH is doing, but also frustrating at the lack of resources they have.

On a different note, Haitian driving….Let me preface this with warning everyone that I’m a terrible back seat driver and a very nervous passenger when I’m driving with people in the States. So, Haiti doesn’t seem to have any rules of the road. There are no speed limits, lines on the road, stop signs, and only one or two stop-and-go lights. Drivers pass each other all the time. Horns are constantly being honked. You are also swerving to avoid goats, dogs, and the people who just stand on the side of the road, barely moving when a car passes 2 inches from them. Motorcycles are everywhere. People run in the streets to jump on the back of the tap-taps (taxis/buses). And there are potholes everywhere. Being from Chicago, I thought I knew and understood potholes. These potholes would have Mayor Daley screaming. My teammate Brian put it real well, if Mario Cart had Haitian roads, it would be the most challenging level that no one could beat.