Wrapping up in Haiti

Yesterday was our last full day in Haiti, and it was filled with emotion. We woke up in Jacmel and enjoyed breakfast before heading out on the town for one last adventure. Barb had promised Junior that she would bring him back some spices to cook with, so we went to the market to see what we could find. The market was jam-packed, and full of excitement. We finally found a few small packages of spices, and though we were able to find out what some of them were, a few others may prove to be a surprise back at home. We got back to the hotel and piled in a van to make the journey back to PAP. Surprisingly, everyone made it just fine and there were no incidents of illness! When we arrived back, we put our stuff in our newly assigned rooms (3 of us to a bed...cozy!), and headed to a nursing school in Carrefour. The students were very friendly, and we met different groups that were in varying years of their schooling. We all asked questions to get to know our similarities and differences, and realized that no matter the culture, we were all there because we had a desire to help others. We are so grateful that every school we had visited was so welcoming, and we hope to continue a positive relationship in the future.

Once we got back to the hotel, it was time for our wrap-up session. We had dinner with of the students and instructors, the Bastien family, the CPJF nursing school, and many of our drivers and translators on the trip. There were many beautiful speeches and thank you's, and a few of us got emotional thinking so fondly on the experience. The CPJF nursing school presented all of the students with certificates, and the mutual respect and appreciation was felt throughout. The power went out at the hotel, so our birthday celebration was a little dark, but we still all had fun.

This experience has been something different for each one of us, but I think we can all agree that we will never forget it. The kindness of the Haitian people has humbled us all, and made us reevaluate the way we live our lives at home. There will never be a way that we can thank the people involved enough, but hopefully we can make them proud with our future actions. Thank you LTR for letting the Denver School of Nursing experience the remarkable things that you do!

~Lindsey, Cara, Jessie, Sarah, & Jill

Pretty scenery, ugly car ride

This morning, we got up very excited to hit the road. We packed a bag and headed to Jacmel for our last adventure in Haiti. Despite our souped up van (AC and all!) and beautiful mountains, the twists and turns of the roads had different plans for us. Lindsey got motion sick as expected, followed by a pee stop in a community toilet for Jessie. We continued our journey and thought we were fine until Jill awoke to Cara losing her breakfast in her hands. Jill reacted with her quick nursing skills and helped Cara clean up and evacuate the vehicle, while Lindsey reacted by painting the side of the van Pepto pink. Needless to say, there was a lot of vomit. Finally, we arrived in beautiful Jacmel. The hustle and bustle had decreased ten fold from 2 hours earlier, and the population shrank with it. 

We started out the day by visiting the land for the new orphanage. We quickly realized how beneficial it was that we were able to see the current living arrangements before envisioning the new, and it brought up many questions. We wondered about living situations, the spread of infection from child to child, self-provided nutritious food, and water sanitation details.  Just as we were racking our brains, a nice man climbed a tree and cut us down coconuts to replenish our electrolytes and give us energy for the beach. We learned about the process of changing plans multiple times to reach the conclusion that a school and clinic would need to be added to the site that was originally going to be only an orphanage.    Barb and Frantz detailed how the land buying process occurred with official documents and a less than structured government. Upon leaving, we were able to truly appreciate what this project will mean for all of adults and children involved, and were so grateful for the opportunity learn from the process. 

Next, we headed to the beach that we had heard so many good things about from the other groups. Being Sunday, it was packed, and we were happy to find a positive response to our American presence. We spent part of the day relaxing and enjoying the culture, and were happy to see Haitian recreation activities. Although there are differences about personal space and cutural norms, we all still enjoy the beach in the same way. Wrapping this up at an ice cream parlor with reliable Internet, but must head to the hotel as we have a ways to walk. 

Lindsey, Cara, Sarah, Jessie, and Jill

Jacmel Journey

This journey has been a great one.  We arrived on Friday afternoon and took a tour of the town.  We went to the hospital to see where it was located.  This was a government owned hospital and was different than a private hospital.  There was no electricity so the patients were not being fanned to cool off nor many medications were being administered.  According to Dr. Ottis Haitians are very resilient to pain.  All they need after surgery is Tylenol, which surprised us. He did mention, however, that they are intolerant when it comes to the cold... good thing because we've all lost a lot of water weight sweating so much - it is HOT! We ventured to the beach but got distracted by some young guys playing soccer so we joined them in a game on the street.  That was a lot of fun! We made a big loop back to the hotel and just debriefed on what we did that day.  On Saturday we started off with a detailed tour of the hospital and it was how we expected it to be. Patients are all sharing one large room, it is all concrete and there were flies all over the place. Much of the equipment was malfunctioning including IV tubing, and as a previous group mentioned preterm babies were wrapped in foil.   It was hard seeing the patients suffer with out the right supplies needed to care for them.  The families are also very involved in patient care. They were the ones providing baths, bringing food and feeding the patients, and they are the ones to go buy medication at the pharmacy... if they have the money to do so. Some students went into the OR and their idea of sterility and scrubbing in is quite different than the states. After that tour we went to an Adventist church service and very much like a service in the U.S.  Then we went to the land where the new orphanage is going to be built.  It will be life changing for the orphans to experience the ample amount of outdoor space as many of the children have not seen the outdoors since they arrived at the orphanage.  It is going to house 100 kids and there will be a school for 200 kids, along with a medical clinic. There will also be land for a farm to grow produce. We also met the new neighbors who we ironically met that morning at the hospital. He helps run Vision for the Children, which helps collect supplies and provide medical care for Haitians in the mountains. He said it was a miracle we met him twice that day and would one day be neighbors. We thought so too.  Next we went to the beach and it was nice to swim in the Caribbean.  The local Haitians flocked to us wanting to sing and sell us items.  There was a fabulous band that played and sang Caribbean beach music with instruments they had made. We danced and had a very relaxing afternoon.  We took a tap-tap to and from the hotel and that was interesting to experience.  This morning, Sunday, we were able to see our translator's house which does not look like much on the outside but beautiful on the inside.  His whole family was there and excited to see us.  After that we took the journey back to Port au Prince and when we arrived we swam w`ith some of the orphange children at the hotel pool. Many of the children smiled for the first time while swimming. It was quite a special experience. Can't wait to spend more time with the kids the next two days!

Liza, Jennie, Genevieve, Ruby, and Tiffany

Back to PAP

We left Jacmel at 5:30 this morning, we were able to see the sunrise over the mountains.  Although the journey was beautiful - it was also very bumpy.  We were surprised to see that the markets open so early, they even used candles as light.  After we we arrived at the Auberge in, we got our much needed rest and headed to the orphanage.  When we made it, we were greeting by smiles, laughter, and song.  Even though we don't speak the same language, smiles translate universally.  We colored with the children and took lots of pictures.  The photos were a hot commodity, if a camera was out the kids all gathered around to join in.  They automatically hear "cheese" and smile with their thumbs up.  After coloring for quite a while, the children taught us how to make paper airplanes.  We were able to get the children all engaged together by dancing and singing songs - "I'm a Little Tea Pot" and "The Hokie Pokie" were a huge hit.  Through all of this we were able to complete some head to toe assessments of the children, which were greatly appreciated.  Hello Kitty bandages soon became a trend amongst all the children, whether needed or not.  After a hard days work, we learned how to say "see you tomorrow" in Creole - "na we demen".  We made it back to the hotel with 11 people in a small SUV.

-Jessica, Amy, Brooke, Shannon, Amber

From one student to another

Well, we are alive and safe back at the Auberge. In the meantime, we overcame a few near death experiences throughout the way. ;) We traveled through Paco, and into downtown PAP.  We pulled into the nursing school for a short time, and quickly were led back out, to meet our hosts for the day at the hospital.  The day at the hospital was meaningful,  and we got to play with a couple sick babies.  Our hearts melt, yet again. 

We met second year nursing students, and had the time to ask them all sorts of questions.  They can't believe we chart on computers, and don't think it's fair that we spend the same amount of time in school, but don't have to write out everything.  We took a look at their charts, and are pretty sure they have the better end of the deal. 

Epidu was the lunch spot today, and was thoroughly enjoyed by all.  They even had Blue Bunny ice cream!  Sometimes the luxuries from home are just so comforting.  We stopped back at the nursing school before trailing our way back to Carrefour. 

AND THEN-- we had quite the trip back home.  Lindsey got motion sick, and had to pull over in the middle of the city to puke.  Then, while driving in a 15 passenger van with 20 of us on board, the back door opened, and the back seat reclined a bit too far for comfort.  Everyone was startled, especially Jessie.  She was a bit overwhelmed by this experience, but dodged that bullet by a hair.  Much to our surprise, we had an extra passenger hanging out of our window while driving down the road.  A little boy decided we looked nice enough to join, and hung on for quite some time until we got Robinson's attention to tell him to let go. 

We did safely arrive at the hotel, and met up with group A.  Just finished up dinner, and ready to hit the hay. 

Cheers to an eventful day!
Cara, Lindsey, Jessie, Jill, Sarah

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger

Although today was only day two, we felt acclimated to the orphanage and started to feel as though we were contributing to progress.  Putting up mosquito nets was a large undertaking, regardless of our previous thoughts.  We noticed the nets did not have hooks of any sort.  So, off we went to the streets to find hooks and string.  We accomplished the task, regardless of size problems, and design idea issues.  Reminder, we are nursing students... NOT engineers!  But, it was completed for all of the beds including the boys' sleeping room, girls', Mamma's room, and the rest of the bedrooms. 

The other task for today was to begin health assessments for each child.  Be mindful of the small space!  We quickly decided to give dum dums to bribe the children to cooperate.  We documented family backgrounds, orphanage stories, and focused head to toe vital data.  At the beginning, most children were less than thrilled to be picked and prodded, but by the end of the 12 children, all were intrigued by the process. 

We also noticed how all of the children can make nearly ANYTHING into a toy.  They played with candy wrappers, mosquito net trash, and the cardboard tube to transport our 'oh-so-important' Malaria education materials.  Poor American children are missing out on exploring innovations... and we wonder why we can't even hang mosquito nets!

On our way back to the hotel we experienced a much more cultural means of travel.  We walked down the street from the orphanage to the main drag.  Stood on the side of the street, and climbed our way up a colorful, loud bus.  Some of us were running to catch up, due to the urge for a much needed bathroom for quite some time.  We traveled down main street with all of our goods on our laps, to the Auberge.  Upon our arrival, we were nicely solicited by a Haitian businessman.  We attempted to barter, and some were more successful than others. 

Amidst all of the adventures in the past two days, we are continuously learning, asking questions, and growing as a team and individuals.  We are so excited to deliver the school bags with supplies from LTR tomorrow.  Welcoming all good thoughts and prayers!

Jill, Lindsey, Sarah, Jessie & Cara

Jacmel Journey

We are currently sitting in a pool of sweat blogging from an Internet cafe in Jacmel.  It has been quite the adventure since we arrived from our 2 hour trip from Port Au Prince.  The drive down was very scenic and beautiful.  We are staying in a hotel that is in the heart of the city, which overlooks the Caribbean - absolutely gorgeous.  Last night at dinner, during our debriefing, we witnessed a runaway bride. Yes, that's right - a runaway bride...which the whole community ran after her and taunted the poor lady.  She began to cry and hide behind a vehicle, but that didn't stop everyone from chasing after her. ...it was a sight to see.  We began to assess the community during dinner and were astounded to realize the communities strengths as well as weaknesses. It was amazing to see members whom were not employed by the city outside sweeping and picking up trash together. There is no place to put the trash so it all gets swept into a huge pile in the middle of the streets. This shows how they indeed do care about the city's appearance as well as their own, yet do not have the appropriate services to meet their needs. Something as simple as having a few trash cans on each corner would make the world of a difference. Along with the trash, the air quality is extremely poor. Surprisingly, there are many cars and motorcycles which emit smog and unsafe emissions due to the fact that they are not inspected or regulated. This poor quality can lead to many of their respiratory issues and can contribute to a slow healing process when already ill.

Today, we got an in depth tour of Saint Michelle Hospital, which was far from any conditions imaginable in the U.S. The Pediatric Unit was especially surprising and touching at the same time. The conditions were awful and the low birth weight infants were wrapped in foil. In the U.S, these babies would be in incubators to help their little bodies thermoregulate and get stronger. Unfortunately, due to the poor financial situation, the government cannot afford them so they make due with what they have. The children were so precious and stole all of our hearts, smiling and waving at us. Even the little babies all wrapped up and hooked to the tubes seemed to have character and were struggling to pull through and have a chance at life. The ER was also a HUGE shock. It was a complete mess!!!! There was no structure whatsoever.... the patient table was right next to the waiting room chairs which did not allow for any sort of privacy. Upstairs, there was an HIV clinic which is funded by the American government, so that is a plus. It was also odd to see that the hospital closed and has actual hours. The only department that stays open is the ER. They need a lot of help there to say the least but the problem is we have no idea where to even start because of the extent of problems that exist.

Overall, it was an amazing day and we learned a lot about how things operate here and what would be needed to be implemented in order to have a more successful medical system. That's all for now, we have probably lost about ten pounds of sweat between the 5 of us and gotta get out of here! EW!

Shannon, Amy, Jessica, Amber, Brooke

Hospital and Nursing School Visit

Today we started our adventure off at 7 in the morning.   It was during rush hour traffic that was hectic, overload of smells, busy markets, people walking in the streets, and honking horns.  We finally arrived at the hospital first after an hour and half ride.  We all took a tour of the hospital and got to see all departments that were offered.  The nurses are in regular scrubs whereas the nursing students have to wear uniforms.  They wear white skirts with button up blouses then a lab coat over them and have a white nursing cap for their hair.  While we were there we got to see nursing students in learning teaching session about sterilization surgical tools.  On our way to lunch we were traveling in a 15 passenger van and the door fell off and the driver had to put it back on with rope and we traveled now with the door open.  That was not all that happened on the ride we exchanged national anthems and they all have really great voices.  Following the door loss we lost some extra parts on the bottom of the van and dragging it along road.  So they tied the part up with a hanger back up. Following lunch we went to the nursing school and they surprised us with telling us we were going to participate in a video that was a question and answer session.  It was fun to take photos with them and connect on a personal and professional level.  It was a very great experience that will not be forgotten and can not wait for more!!!

Ruby, Jennie, Genevieve, Liza and Tiffany

Not always as it seems...

In addition to the comments provided by our fellow adventurers, we are also happy to have arrived safely. We wanted to share our thoughts on our initial observations of Haitians in their daily lives in PAP. Although surrounded by extreme poverty, rubble from the earthquake, standing water polluted with copious amounts of trash from the Hurricane, the Haitians are extraoridinarily well groomed, dressed and manicured. AND the ability to carry goods on their heads is astounding. Those ladies must have really strong necks, and make us look like wimps ;) These Haitians love their music. They jam out to loud music with speakers tied to the top of their cars... another surprise is so many vehicles driving around... where are they going and where did they come from??? The hustle and bustle to trade on the street markets is where they buy all of their goods; their good are donated from other nations and distributed at a center and then traded between each other. Pretty interesting local economy, if you can call it that. We were all sensitive toward the animals we saw roaming the street, although not as many as we anticipated. And while we were experiencing our cultrual lunch we were visited by the restaurants mascot... their little cat. We weren't sure what to make of it. Can't wait to continue our assimilation into the Haitian culture!!!

Liza, Amber and Brooke

Holy Haiti!

So despite the very long trip that included a few layovers and delayed flights we are happy to say we've arrived to our much anticipated destination.  Although we were very sleep deprived, we were anxiously awaiting our adventure.  As soon as we got off the plane, we were greeted by a local band who immediately uplifted our mood.  Getting to our hotel was quite the adventure - the rules of the road are very different from America - if they even exist at all.. There are no lanes, speed limit, or street signs.  Stopping in the middle of the road for a freshly cut coconut was not out of the ordinary, in fact it was quite refreshing in this humid 95 degree weather.  Our first day consisted of getting settled in our hotel and orienting at the hospital in Port au Prince.  We are looking forward to getting a great night of sleep and then we will be off to a clinic in Jacmel tomorrow. :)

-Jessica, Amy, Shannon, Sarah

We're in Haiti!

We've arrived in Haiti!!!!!! It has been quite the experience already, including flight delays and road travel that we were able to laugh about later, but was scary at the time. We had a really long journey and got to see a lot of the city. We arrived at the hotel, and it is very beautiful. We then went to lunch and tried goat, beef, chicken, and fish (delicious!), and lastly went to the Hospital Adventiste de Haiti for a tour. We are now sitting down to dinner and reflecting on the day, and we look forward on our journey with optimism and excitement!

Lindsey, Cara, Jennie, and Genevieve

Packing party before Haiti

I am very excited to finally begin packing for our trip to Haiti! We have soo much stuff that we are taking with us and it makes me very happy that so many people have donated supplies for our trip. Thank you to everyone who helped out on the supply drive. You guys did GREAT. Packing party was fun! Cant wait to go to Haiti on Sunday.

Packing Party!

We are super excited for our trip! So many people donated and came together to show how generous a community can be when thinking of those in need. We can't wait to experience the culture and to take this trip as an amazing learning opportunity to better our nursing skills. Thank you LTR for all you've done, and we hope to make you proud!

Lindsey, Sarah, Jessie, Jill and Cara

Almost there!

We're currently at our packing party, and we had a very generous amount of supplies that were donated. We are very excited about our trip and can't believe it's less than 48 hours away! We know we're in for a huge culture shock and are going to have experiences that we'll never forget. Looking forward to being in Port Au Prince and for the trip of a lifetime!
- Genevieve, Amy, Jessica and Brooke