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Published: August 24th 2014
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I slept on and off for 10 hours. I guess my body really needed this. Also, my normal aches and pains dissipated. My surgically torn apart and put together left knee was feeling good, except during rocky descents. The roosters were arguing over which had the most annoying wake up call. It was a tie. Even they couldn't bother me.
I skipped breakfast, wrote and eventually, went to the roof for my ritual sun salutations and workout. This one, I wasn't looking forward to. I trudged through, drenched in sweat, and eventually had a late breakfast after a shower. I didn't mind pouring pitchers of cold water over my body. It was refreshing and mentally fortifying. All the villagers carried fresh water in buckets to their homes- up and down the rocky hill, over and over again. It made me appreciate very much the clean running water I had at home.
Before I knew it, it was lunch time. Again, an amazing meal of rice, chicken legs, vegetable mush, and fried sweet potato and plantain chunks. I thought I was going to lose fat on this trip. I was beginning to think I was mistaken. I needed to workout
MORE, lol.
We were running late. Class was scheduled for 2pm. We were still eating by that time and still had a thirty minute trek to the school. It had been raining hard for over an hour, the first rain we had seen. The walk wouldn't be fun, according to Ms.Brice. Haitians absolutely hated rain. We could tell because the normal hustle and bustle was non existent. It's ok, she said. Everyone would be on "Haitian time." We joked that the only people or culture that was consistently on time was probably the Swiss and Germans.
The rain stopped as we began our walk. It was muddy, but very manageable. When we arrived, students were already there. We began our lesson almost immediately. It was nice to see everyone make it, despite the rain. That was a testament to their eagerness to learn and to make a difference in their respective villages. We went over splinting techniques and reviewed the material from the day before. What we really wanted to teach them was how to be calm and take charge. It was integral for someone to take the lead and instruct others on how they could help. If
bystanders saw panic in their eyes, they would panic too. But, if they remained cool and collected, kept everyone busy, even instructing people to do things that they didn't necessarily need, there would be no time to panic. Realistically, the skills we were teaching them was very basic. It was instilling confidence that was most important. They seemed to agree with our assessment, based on past experiences.
We finished rather quickly because we had to leave for Jacmel. That meant another hour trek to the top of the hill to meet our minivan. It was nice to get some exercise and walk. I was excited to see a different part of Haiti and of course, the ocean. The trek was refreshing and the ride long. We left at about 4pm and arrived at our hotel at 830. We made a few stops along the way to pick up groceries. By the time we arrived, it was quite dark. I knew the ocean was close. I could feel it. I was disappointed to find out the others traveling with us weren't staying. They were headed to Ms. Miriam's village. It was just a bit further drive and an hour's walk,
a strenuous one at that. I felt guilty. We were staying at this beautiful hotel. They weren't. But Ms Brice wanted to show us a day of relaxation and rest. I told her that that's what we had already been doing. We begrudgingly accepted. Of course, we were extremely thankful that she gave us this option. It was extremely generous and I decided to enjoy it to the fullest. We said our goodbyes. They would be coming back at 3 or 4pm the following day. We went upstairs to our lovely room, put our things down, and headed to the outdoor restaurant by the pool. We perused the menu and placed our order. I started with a $16 bottle of Frontera wine. It didn't make sense just to order a glass. No one else wanted wine, so I had to make the supreme sacrifice and drink it on my own. I'm a martyr. We appreciated being here very much and our deep slumber was our gesture of thankfulness. That, and the finished bottle of wine...
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