Port au Prince - Day 2

The girls woke up in Port au Prince today, sticky as can be. Showers were needed to feel refreshed before heading to breakfast. The girls were a little droggy until they had about a pitcher of coffee each, it was hard to stop because it tasted so good. After breakfast, with Rick as their tour guide, they ventured through the city. There aren't many words to describe the way of life the Haitian people live. You could still see the destrucion of the earthquake that hit the city in January 2010, and a few tent cities still existed. There was garbage everywhere, cars driving wildly obeying no road rules or laws, and goats, stray dogs, hogs, roosters and chickens wandering around unoticed by bystanders. The girls were able to grasp a good idea of the state the people of Haiti live in during their walk around the city, and they were able to taste some sugar care and view the local hospital. The girls were in awe and at a loss for words when seeing the destruction that still exsits.

After spending an hour and a half walking around Port au Prince the girls and Rick headed back to the hotel. There were 3 men selling Haitian paintings, carvings and gifts outside which Rick said were priced fairly so the girls spent a little time shopping for souvioniers. They then freshened up the best they could, some put their feet in the pool to cool down, they grabed a couple snacks and then started walking to the orphanage.

They arrived at the orphanage after another good walk through the city. They waited anxiously outside as they heard the children singing on the other side of what can only be described as a "steel barn door". Rick did his secret knock and everyone inside screamed with joy. The girls were overwhelmed when they finally saw the kids everyone had been talking about. Although the orphange had been described as "hell" the children couldn't have been in better spirits. The joy that these children have despite having almost nothing brings incredible perspective. The girls spent the next few hours getting to know the children, they watched them sing songs, saw their incredible expertice at working iPads and iPhones, and loved having their photos taken and taking photos in return. You should see these kids run an iPhone, not to mention Instagram. No wifi in the orphanage, darn. They laughed and cheers and crawled all over the girls, they tickled each other and danced and couldn't have been happier to have the DSN nurses there to hang out with. The girls were able to see mama prepare dinner for all the children and got to see them sing there before dinner song, or maybe it was a prayer. The girls could not be more excited to transition these children to their new home in Jacmel tomorrow morning. The future that these children are getting because of the love and generosity of Love Takes Root is astouding, and something that the girls will treasure for a lifetime.