Well as you can see my lesson did not work. But exciting pictures will be sent to SEEDS. If you would like to receive SEEDS just contact us at www.lovetakesroot.org and we will send you a monthly update of LTR current project.
Busy week for LTR Cupcakes and Wine Style Show at Wild Rose Inn Okoboji
Thursday June 13th at 7:00 pm Tickets $25 all proceeds to building project.
LTR Board trip to Haiti leaves on Friday!
If anyone knows how to add pictures to this blog please teach me!
Grateful, Barb
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Wrapping it Up
Today was one of my favorite days here. We made our way back to Port Au Prince for the flight tomorrow.
We all wound down from the hard work the past couple of days by sitting by the pool and relaxing. Then ordered pizza; which was surprisingly good :) A lot like the pizza in the US.
After lunch we went back to the orphanage. It was a little different of a dynamic at the orphanage this time. Right off the bat the kids and Elysee (the man who has been traveling with us) engaged the children in singing a variety of songs. The afternoon was spent playing different group activities with the kids, one of them consisting of musical chairs and another of hot potato. While we were there, the kids had one of their meals for the day. It was encouraging to see the amount of food they were getting served. For lunch and dinner the children all wait until everyone is served with their food then say a prayer together. I have been so blessed to be part of their life here and to see what is to come for them.
There are no good words to describe the experience at the orphanage. I could only hope that whoever gets the opportunity to do something like this would jump on it in a heart beat. It was so difficult to leave the kids today but was very encouraging to know what is in their future. I only wish that I had the privilege to be here when the kids move to the new orphanage. They are so happy and joy filled as it is that I know it would be a touching experience to see them playing in the yard and the smiles on their faces.
One of the things I have taken from this trip that I was not anticipating was the amount of faith the Haitians have. Everywhere you drive around town there are phrases like "Thank you Jesus" and Elysee, the children, and many of the Haitians all share the same love for God. One day on the work site a man from Spencer, we had been working with, went up to one of the Haitian workers and said "you are the best Jerry!" and the man immediately responded by saying "No God is the best." This wasn't the first time that someone had responded in that way. They give recognition to God for everything which in some sense surprised me because of the environment they are living in. Everyone is so hope filled and joyous, it truly is contagious.
I only wish that you all could experience a fraction of what I have here. I know being back in the US will be difficult just because of the many differences we have in cultures but I am excited to get back and share my photos and videos with you all.
BVU Beavers!
We all wound down from the hard work the past couple of days by sitting by the pool and relaxing. Then ordered pizza; which was surprisingly good :) A lot like the pizza in the US.
After lunch we went back to the orphanage. It was a little different of a dynamic at the orphanage this time. Right off the bat the kids and Elysee (the man who has been traveling with us) engaged the children in singing a variety of songs. The afternoon was spent playing different group activities with the kids, one of them consisting of musical chairs and another of hot potato. While we were there, the kids had one of their meals for the day. It was encouraging to see the amount of food they were getting served. For lunch and dinner the children all wait until everyone is served with their food then say a prayer together. I have been so blessed to be part of their life here and to see what is to come for them.
There are no good words to describe the experience at the orphanage. I could only hope that whoever gets the opportunity to do something like this would jump on it in a heart beat. It was so difficult to leave the kids today but was very encouraging to know what is in their future. I only wish that I had the privilege to be here when the kids move to the new orphanage. They are so happy and joy filled as it is that I know it would be a touching experience to see them playing in the yard and the smiles on their faces.
One of the things I have taken from this trip that I was not anticipating was the amount of faith the Haitians have. Everywhere you drive around town there are phrases like "Thank you Jesus" and Elysee, the children, and many of the Haitians all share the same love for God. One day on the work site a man from Spencer, we had been working with, went up to one of the Haitian workers and said "you are the best Jerry!" and the man immediately responded by saying "No God is the best." This wasn't the first time that someone had responded in that way. They give recognition to God for everything which in some sense surprised me because of the environment they are living in. Everyone is so hope filled and joyous, it truly is contagious.
I only wish that you all could experience a fraction of what I have here. I know being back in the US will be difficult just because of the many differences we have in cultures but I am excited to get back and share my photos and videos with you all.
BVU Beavers!
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Things Are Progressing!!!
Greetings to all from lovely Jacmel. This was the second day of fence construction at the new orphanage site and a lot of progress is taking place. The BVU Spring Break AWOL group is pushing the Spencer old guys group pretty hard, but I must say they are all keeping right up with the younger crowd. I think everyone who has not dug post holes by hand has truly developed an appreciation for those who have. It is hot, humid and hard work yet everyone has kept very good spirits and seems to truly be enjoying themselves. Yesterday while working, about 3 neighbor children came to watch and interact, but today there were probably 25- I think the sharing of lunch had some impact, but also just the sharing of games and laughter certainly was the main draw. The Spencer group of Dennis Philips, Tom C Howe, Ronnie Hamrick and Todd Brockshus have done a ton of work and after tomorrow we will be taking the day to go to the Family beach, to visit Hope for Children (the new orphanage being built by our contractor/architect, Dave Bird), St Michelle Hospital and CCH where I have been working and downtown Jacmel. It is a holiday here, so no work!. This will give everyone a chance to see what LaConcorde will look like very soon. The work that he and his haitian crews are accomplishing is truly amazing!! Before I forget, because Dennis did until I reminded him this am, Happy anniversary to Dianne Phillips!! Don't worry Dianne, Denny only shared the card you sent with a few of us :-). The BVU group will be heading back to PAP one day earlier to catch their flight and will see some sites arranged for them in PAP.
To give a brief overview, I think I can say that for all in our group, the highlight of PAP was visiting the children at the current LaConcorde site. It gives everyone a very keen insight into the drastic change moving to Jacmel will make in the life of these wonderful kids. We then loaded up into 2 very full vans for the trip over the mountains to Jacmel. The good part was no one got sick and the bad part was the gait of the Spencer group was certainly impaired for a while. We arrived at the Isaiah House where we were warmly greeted and then off for a quick tour of the market, downtown Jacmel, the landsite, etc. Since then it has mostly been work and fellowship among one another. To all of you at home, be proud of your loved ones, they are truly special people! They have also developed a new love of walking from one place to another!
I also am fortunate enough to have with me Christina Olsen, a 4th year med student who rotated with me on ortho her 3d year. Yesterday we worked in the Community Coalition for Haiti clinic/OR getting ready for surgery today. Dr Mukkuaka Oda, an orthopedic surgeon I have been working with here in Haiti, had gathered a group of patients for me to consider surgery on. There were many interesting cases for us to review and schedule for surgery. CCH has a brand new set of OR's that was used about 3 weeks ago by a volunteer group for 2-3 days, but otherwise is really brand new. We inventoried the equipment available with Laura Schick, the nurse director for CCH, and scheduled surgery for today which went very well. Dr Oda arranged for anesthesia from PAP for us and things actually went very well with another day of surgery scheduled for tomorrow. Christina was a huge help being my assistant and scrub tech for all of this and did a great job! (Only if she would have decided on Ortho instead of Family Practice!).
I have been able to meet with and spend a lot of time with Dave Bird who has been arranging our fencing and has bid for the entire job for us. He and his wife are wonderful people and great host/hostess. Last night I went to their home for dinner and was able to sit down with Dave to make some final plans for the project. With the blessing of our very understanding LTR Board of Directors , we were able to arrange the site and dimensions of the buildings and discuss cost estimates, etc. It was decided that we would be moving a number of the buildings and due to the elevation of the property, adjust the size of the buildings. All in all we will be building 2- 20 X 60 dorms, a 28 X 64 kitchen, eating area, common room, pharmacy(required by the government), a 28 X 64 home for the Bastien family,and a Sukup storage building. This will all get started as soon as board approval with an expected finish date of late July. The fence will be up by the end of next week. The next phase of the other 2 dorms, the school and the med/dental clinic will start as soon as funding is available. The spot gets more beautiful each time I see it.
As the week reaches its midpoint, I find myself marveling at all the success we have ALL been able to reach in such a short time. Through the continued efforts of all of us, the generous donations of MANY, this will truly in the near future be reaching completion and we will be able to see all the work paying off. Thanks to all of you and God Bless!!
Rick
To give a brief overview, I think I can say that for all in our group, the highlight of PAP was visiting the children at the current LaConcorde site. It gives everyone a very keen insight into the drastic change moving to Jacmel will make in the life of these wonderful kids. We then loaded up into 2 very full vans for the trip over the mountains to Jacmel. The good part was no one got sick and the bad part was the gait of the Spencer group was certainly impaired for a while. We arrived at the Isaiah House where we were warmly greeted and then off for a quick tour of the market, downtown Jacmel, the landsite, etc. Since then it has mostly been work and fellowship among one another. To all of you at home, be proud of your loved ones, they are truly special people! They have also developed a new love of walking from one place to another!
I also am fortunate enough to have with me Christina Olsen, a 4th year med student who rotated with me on ortho her 3d year. Yesterday we worked in the Community Coalition for Haiti clinic/OR getting ready for surgery today. Dr Mukkuaka Oda, an orthopedic surgeon I have been working with here in Haiti, had gathered a group of patients for me to consider surgery on. There were many interesting cases for us to review and schedule for surgery. CCH has a brand new set of OR's that was used about 3 weeks ago by a volunteer group for 2-3 days, but otherwise is really brand new. We inventoried the equipment available with Laura Schick, the nurse director for CCH, and scheduled surgery for today which went very well. Dr Oda arranged for anesthesia from PAP for us and things actually went very well with another day of surgery scheduled for tomorrow. Christina was a huge help being my assistant and scrub tech for all of this and did a great job! (Only if she would have decided on Ortho instead of Family Practice!).
I have been able to meet with and spend a lot of time with Dave Bird who has been arranging our fencing and has bid for the entire job for us. He and his wife are wonderful people and great host/hostess. Last night I went to their home for dinner and was able to sit down with Dave to make some final plans for the project. With the blessing of our very understanding LTR Board of Directors , we were able to arrange the site and dimensions of the buildings and discuss cost estimates, etc. It was decided that we would be moving a number of the buildings and due to the elevation of the property, adjust the size of the buildings. All in all we will be building 2- 20 X 60 dorms, a 28 X 64 kitchen, eating area, common room, pharmacy(required by the government), a 28 X 64 home for the Bastien family,and a Sukup storage building. This will all get started as soon as board approval with an expected finish date of late July. The fence will be up by the end of next week. The next phase of the other 2 dorms, the school and the med/dental clinic will start as soon as funding is available. The spot gets more beautiful each time I see it.
As the week reaches its midpoint, I find myself marveling at all the success we have ALL been able to reach in such a short time. Through the continued efforts of all of us, the generous donations of MANY, this will truly in the near future be reaching completion and we will be able to see all the work paying off. Thanks to all of you and God Bless!!
Rick
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
DSN back in Denver
Home!
We are currently on our way back to Denver. The last two days have been very busy so we weren't able to blog last night. Yesterday was spent at the nursing school Institut de Jeunes Filles. We made it there at about 10am after our van overheated and we broke down on the side of the road ( just a little water did the trick). All of us were so overwhelmed and amazed at how much the administration and students loved having us there. This visit was very significant because on April 4th of this year a student and two administrators from this school in Port-au-Prince are visiting Denver to hopefully build a connection where our schools can eventually be affiliated with each other. The visit went very well and we had the opportunity to ask the students questions as well as them asking us questions (of course through a wonderful interpreter!) We also stopped at the Haitian history museum on the way back to the hotel and we all enjoyed it vey much and thought it was very educational. The rest of the day was spent packing and preparing to leave Haiti.
We would like to say from all of us that we couldn't have had a more educational, eye-opening and wonderful experience. Our group was so very fortunate to have Barb Wilkerson lead us through our journey in Haiti. She is inspiring, enthusiastic, passionate and a genuinely nice person. All six of us feel like this trip has changed our lives and will help us in our future career in nursing.
Thank you so much Love Takes Root! This trip will be with us for the rest of our lives!
Amy, Michael, Stephanie, Erin, Kim, Dianna
So much to see!
Hey!
So far I have met so many different Haitians here. They are all so wonderful and very generous.
Yesterday we spent majority of the day walking around Jacmel. We walked through the market, had lunch, and walked by the site for the new orphanage. The kids are going to love all the room they will have to play in the yard and explore. I am very excited for them.
It is interesting how the people get around and go about their days. There are taxi's here called "tap taps", they are pretty cool!The name comes from tapping on the top of the truck to let the driver know when it is time to stop so they can get off. We spent the day traveling around in a tap tap to different places around Jacmel. Whenever we eat somewhere, each restaurant takes about 2 hours to get our food which is very different than what we are used to in the US. It definitely represents the different mindset between cultures as well as the supplies available to make a meal.
I feel this trip has already impacted me greatly. I've learned so much about their culture. The orphanage isn't what we think of an orphanage in the US. Many of the children in this orphanage know who their parents are, they are there because their parents haven't been able to give them a very good life. They are unable to provide food for them and therefore would be better off at the orphanage. The orphanage limits how often they are able to see the kids and some parents do come once a month. There is only one little girl who they don't know her history or her story. She was dropped off one day and the father said he was going to get food but never came back. It is heart wrenching to see the conditions they are living in but have so much joy to share with us, it is definitely a self-examining experience.
The more I am in Haiti, the more I am able to look at the United States in a little bit of a different light. I've examined the way I live and the dynamics of our culture. There is so much I complain about. The car I drive, the administration at BVU, my cell phone running slow. If I am complaining about the roosters crowing in the morning at 5:30 AM here, I really need to take a couple steps back and re-examine myself. I feel selfish in a lot of the ways I live my life in the US and the people here have so much less, physically, but they have so much happiness! For the most part, everyone is so so friendly. For example, we were walking down the street yesterday and there was a man that knew who Dr. Wilkerson was and came over to say hello. After greeting Dr, he worked his way down the line and gave each of us hugs and said "God Bless You."
This city is huge and has so many people in it and there have been multiple times we will be traveling down the road and our interpreter will pick someone out in the crowd they know. Even if they do not know who people are, they have conversations like they know each other. On our way through the mountains yesterday our driver slowed down (didn't stop), stuck his hand out the window to an approaching car. In the middle of driving, and the middle of the road, he gave the man a prepackaged water packet and took a key. It was pretty comical and a representation of how everyone pretty much knows each other.
Last night was very cool because there were a group of kids playing soccer outside our hotel. They played for a good three hours and it was definitely entertaining to watch! Hopefully they will be there again tonight and we can go out and kick the ball around.
Today, we spent time at a nearby hospital. Our interpreter was able to take us inside the hospital where the patients were staying. Even in the hospital they stared at us and we exchanged friendly Bonjour "good morning" blessings. It was the most uncomfortable situation I have been in so far. In the US we are so used to privacy and HIPPA violations, but there we saw many patients laying there being treated. I felt as if we were intruding and it wasn't appropriate but the Haitians didn't seem to think anything of it, other than we were "blondes" (what they call white people). I can't even explain what the Hospital was like but it definitely tugged at my heart and was very hard for me to see. We walked into the maternity ward and saw the delivery room which was very different as well. There was one small room with three beds, a waiting room of six beds where the mothers wait before they are ready to deliver, and one other room where they stay after the birth.
As we were leaving the hospital today we were walking around outside and heard Justin Beiber "baby" being played. We all started laughing and tried to figure out where it was coming from. It was an older man's cell phone ring tone! Ha :) Every once in a while we will hear a lot of American songs being played and it's really fun.
After the first hospital, we took a tap tap to the next hospital where Dr. Wilkerson was seeing a patient. We had the opportunity to sit in on the appointment. There were 6 of us from our group there and probably 4 other people in the room as well. There really aren't any rules when it comes to their health care system. There was a little boy who was getting his full length leg casts off and did not like it one bit. He was extremely scared of the saw. Nothing that was said could calm him down. It was difficult to communicate with him to ease his fears but later calmed down after reapply the cast. He was 6 years old and had cleft feet that were surgically repaired and had wounds underneath the cast that needed to be cleaned before an infection spread.
After the appointment, we took a trip down the hall to the physical therapy clinic. It was actually very similar to what is in the US because the people volunteering there are from schools in the US, they are natives of Haiti who have studied PTA in the US and have moved back to Haiti to help the people. They said they are very very busy and see many people each day. The man I was talking with actually invited me to stay and help him and his staff. Our site leaders said that we have that option on Thursday to go and help at the physical therapy clinic. I would absolutely LOVE that! We will see if a couple of us are able to go help. When I was talking to him today, he said that his vision is to go back to his home town and develop another clinic because the one we saw today was the only one in this entire area. Physical therapy here is free for everyone and majority of the time they seek stroke patients and motorcycle accident patients.
~BVU Student
So far I have met so many different Haitians here. They are all so wonderful and very generous.
Yesterday we spent majority of the day walking around Jacmel. We walked through the market, had lunch, and walked by the site for the new orphanage. The kids are going to love all the room they will have to play in the yard and explore. I am very excited for them.
It is interesting how the people get around and go about their days. There are taxi's here called "tap taps", they are pretty cool!The name comes from tapping on the top of the truck to let the driver know when it is time to stop so they can get off. We spent the day traveling around in a tap tap to different places around Jacmel. Whenever we eat somewhere, each restaurant takes about 2 hours to get our food which is very different than what we are used to in the US. It definitely represents the different mindset between cultures as well as the supplies available to make a meal.
I feel this trip has already impacted me greatly. I've learned so much about their culture. The orphanage isn't what we think of an orphanage in the US. Many of the children in this orphanage know who their parents are, they are there because their parents haven't been able to give them a very good life. They are unable to provide food for them and therefore would be better off at the orphanage. The orphanage limits how often they are able to see the kids and some parents do come once a month. There is only one little girl who they don't know her history or her story. She was dropped off one day and the father said he was going to get food but never came back. It is heart wrenching to see the conditions they are living in but have so much joy to share with us, it is definitely a self-examining experience.
The more I am in Haiti, the more I am able to look at the United States in a little bit of a different light. I've examined the way I live and the dynamics of our culture. There is so much I complain about. The car I drive, the administration at BVU, my cell phone running slow. If I am complaining about the roosters crowing in the morning at 5:30 AM here, I really need to take a couple steps back and re-examine myself. I feel selfish in a lot of the ways I live my life in the US and the people here have so much less, physically, but they have so much happiness! For the most part, everyone is so so friendly. For example, we were walking down the street yesterday and there was a man that knew who Dr. Wilkerson was and came over to say hello. After greeting Dr, he worked his way down the line and gave each of us hugs and said "God Bless You."
This city is huge and has so many people in it and there have been multiple times we will be traveling down the road and our interpreter will pick someone out in the crowd they know. Even if they do not know who people are, they have conversations like they know each other. On our way through the mountains yesterday our driver slowed down (didn't stop), stuck his hand out the window to an approaching car. In the middle of driving, and the middle of the road, he gave the man a prepackaged water packet and took a key. It was pretty comical and a representation of how everyone pretty much knows each other.
Last night was very cool because there were a group of kids playing soccer outside our hotel. They played for a good three hours and it was definitely entertaining to watch! Hopefully they will be there again tonight and we can go out and kick the ball around.
Today, we spent time at a nearby hospital. Our interpreter was able to take us inside the hospital where the patients were staying. Even in the hospital they stared at us and we exchanged friendly Bonjour "good morning" blessings. It was the most uncomfortable situation I have been in so far. In the US we are so used to privacy and HIPPA violations, but there we saw many patients laying there being treated. I felt as if we were intruding and it wasn't appropriate but the Haitians didn't seem to think anything of it, other than we were "blondes" (what they call white people). I can't even explain what the Hospital was like but it definitely tugged at my heart and was very hard for me to see. We walked into the maternity ward and saw the delivery room which was very different as well. There was one small room with three beds, a waiting room of six beds where the mothers wait before they are ready to deliver, and one other room where they stay after the birth.
As we were leaving the hospital today we were walking around outside and heard Justin Beiber "baby" being played. We all started laughing and tried to figure out where it was coming from. It was an older man's cell phone ring tone! Ha :) Every once in a while we will hear a lot of American songs being played and it's really fun.
After the first hospital, we took a tap tap to the next hospital where Dr. Wilkerson was seeing a patient. We had the opportunity to sit in on the appointment. There were 6 of us from our group there and probably 4 other people in the room as well. There really aren't any rules when it comes to their health care system. There was a little boy who was getting his full length leg casts off and did not like it one bit. He was extremely scared of the saw. Nothing that was said could calm him down. It was difficult to communicate with him to ease his fears but later calmed down after reapply the cast. He was 6 years old and had cleft feet that were surgically repaired and had wounds underneath the cast that needed to be cleaned before an infection spread.
After the appointment, we took a trip down the hall to the physical therapy clinic. It was actually very similar to what is in the US because the people volunteering there are from schools in the US, they are natives of Haiti who have studied PTA in the US and have moved back to Haiti to help the people. They said they are very very busy and see many people each day. The man I was talking with actually invited me to stay and help him and his staff. Our site leaders said that we have that option on Thursday to go and help at the physical therapy clinic. I would absolutely LOVE that! We will see if a couple of us are able to go help. When I was talking to him today, he said that his vision is to go back to his home town and develop another clinic because the one we saw today was the only one in this entire area. Physical therapy here is free for everyone and majority of the time they seek stroke patients and motorcycle accident patients.
~BVU Student
Monday, March 25, 2013
Cock-a-doodle-do
The rooster crowing at 5am came a little early this morning after our exciting, busy first day yesterday in Port-au-Prince. We arrived after lunch from New York to the Port-au-Prince airport and successfully snaked through the crowds in our group to find Franz and our transportation. We quickly traveled through the capital to our housing for the night. We expected to see a very impoverished place, but the amount of need and plethora of damage still present was astonishing. We were excited to get started.
After dropping off our bags, we gathered our supplies and toys for the orphanage and were on our way! We packed Similac (baby formula), toy cars, bubbles, barrettes, books, kickballs, and lotion for the children and adults at the orphanage. Seeing the orphanage was absolutely inspiring! God is at work in Haiti and in this orphanage. Once entering the orphanage, we were overwhelmed with ambition to serve the children and Love Takes Root during our time here. The children loved our toys and the adults were very grateful for the other supplies. We experienced so much LOVE in the orphanage. We instantly loved the children and visually saw how much love the adults have for the children. The children and adults were grateful that we were there, but we were grateful that they were sharing their stories, space, and time with us! All of the kids were happy to play with us. We played with the balls, painted fingernails, took pictures and read books together. Most of the children didn't speak English, but it didn't matter. We could still communicate. One of the most interesting things was observing that the Haitian children had the same emotions that we see children in the USA possessing. In the end, people in all corners of the world are still PEOPLE.
The Haitian culture has been wonderful. The people are very eager to communicate with us, even if our languages are different. We catch some stairs because of our physical differences, but after a simple wave, all of the nervousness goes away and we all share smiles or a simple head nod. We are happy to be in Haiti and we feel that Haiti is happy to have us.
Today we are traveling from the capital to Jacmel, the new orphanage site. We are ecstatic to see the hopeful place of the children's future. We have so much motivation now after seeing the children and their current living situation. We have our bags packed and are ready to see what else Haiti has to offer. We are eager to make our mark on Haiti.
We are a group of 10 Buena Vista University students and 2 BVU faculty members. We are participating in BVU's AWOL (alternative week of offsite learning) as a spring break program.
GO BEAVERS!!
After dropping off our bags, we gathered our supplies and toys for the orphanage and were on our way! We packed Similac (baby formula), toy cars, bubbles, barrettes, books, kickballs, and lotion for the children and adults at the orphanage. Seeing the orphanage was absolutely inspiring! God is at work in Haiti and in this orphanage. Once entering the orphanage, we were overwhelmed with ambition to serve the children and Love Takes Root during our time here. The children loved our toys and the adults were very grateful for the other supplies. We experienced so much LOVE in the orphanage. We instantly loved the children and visually saw how much love the adults have for the children. The children and adults were grateful that we were there, but we were grateful that they were sharing their stories, space, and time with us! All of the kids were happy to play with us. We played with the balls, painted fingernails, took pictures and read books together. Most of the children didn't speak English, but it didn't matter. We could still communicate. One of the most interesting things was observing that the Haitian children had the same emotions that we see children in the USA possessing. In the end, people in all corners of the world are still PEOPLE.
The Haitian culture has been wonderful. The people are very eager to communicate with us, even if our languages are different. We catch some stairs because of our physical differences, but after a simple wave, all of the nervousness goes away and we all share smiles or a simple head nod. We are happy to be in Haiti and we feel that Haiti is happy to have us.
Today we are traveling from the capital to Jacmel, the new orphanage site. We are ecstatic to see the hopeful place of the children's future. We have so much motivation now after seeing the children and their current living situation. We have our bags packed and are ready to see what else Haiti has to offer. We are eager to make our mark on Haiti.
We are a group of 10 Buena Vista University students and 2 BVU faculty members. We are participating in BVU's AWOL (alternative week of offsite learning) as a spring break program.
GO BEAVERS!!
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Back to the PAP!
Yesterday (Sat) we were not able to blog due to excessive internet use in the Isaiah House. Yesterday was a nice relaxing day spent shopping, swimming in the ocean, and touring the same type of buildings that will be built at the new Jacmel location. Shopping was great, Fatima had a great variety of Haitian gifts. We are all coming back with tons of Haitian souvenirs. We were then taken to a beautiful beach where we were able to relax, swim, and have some cold "sodas". After our relaxing afternoon, we headed to a newly built orphanage with the contractor, Dave, who built their buildings, and will be building Love Takes Root's buildings. They were amazing and the kids will be so happy with them. Overall it was a calm, relaxing day!
Today, we woke up early to drive back up to Port-au-Prince. We went straight to the orphanage where we spent all day with the kids. We started with eye tests and played with the children. Nail polish and temporary tattoos were a huge hit. We will all be coming home with nice pedicures, including Michael. We returned to our hotel and met with Barb's husband, Dr. Rick, and the students from Buena Vista University. We also had a meeting with the administrators from the Port-au-Prince nursing school. They will be visiting the Denver School of Nursing April 3rd through the 9th. They are interested in building a relationship and becoming our sister school. Tomorrow we will be spending the day touring their school, and hopefully visiting the hospital with them. It is a great way to spend our last day here in Haiti!
-Kim, Michael, Erin, Amy, Stephanie, Dianna
Today, we woke up early to drive back up to Port-au-Prince. We went straight to the orphanage where we spent all day with the kids. We started with eye tests and played with the children. Nail polish and temporary tattoos were a huge hit. We will all be coming home with nice pedicures, including Michael. We returned to our hotel and met with Barb's husband, Dr. Rick, and the students from Buena Vista University. We also had a meeting with the administrators from the Port-au-Prince nursing school. They will be visiting the Denver School of Nursing April 3rd through the 9th. They are interested in building a relationship and becoming our sister school. Tomorrow we will be spending the day touring their school, and hopefully visiting the hospital with them. It is a great way to spend our last day here in Haiti!
-Kim, Michael, Erin, Amy, Stephanie, Dianna
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