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