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