After a late night full of bonding and pranks on Jessica (jess-E-qua), we woke up surprisingly ready to take on today's activities. We ate breakfast before we left and loaded onto the tap tap. The tap tap ride to Laloo orphanage in downtown Port-au-Prince was short compared to the normal traffic. We arrived at Laloo and were greeted by the joyful smiles of the kids running alongside our tap tap. You could see their eyes light up with excitement as we unloaded the suitcases full of crafts and activities. We sat down at stations inside and revealed our activities to the children, which included friendship bracelets, beads, pipe cleaners, jump rope, and chalk. The kids were excited but stayed organized, which surprised and pleased us all. This allowed us to actually interact one-on-one with the kids and teach them new skills. As we were teaching them, they were in turn teaching us. Next, we went outside and played with chalk, jump ropes, and played soccer. The kids loved doing the jump rope with us and learning how to play tic-tac-toe. You could tell that the kids did not need to be doing an activity with us to enjoy themselves. All they needed was to have a buddy to sit next to and feel our presence and comfort to know they are loved. Similar themes have been present throughout this entire trip. The kids have taught us that you do not need physical items to be happy, happiness comes from the joy in your heart and others around you. We both hope that we can bring the positive attitudes of the children home with us.
After we got back from Laloo, we met up with other team members at the pool nearby. At the pool, we shared laughs with the new friends we have made here. One of our favorite things about this trip has been bonding with new people, who were basically strangers to us as of last week. Next, we went to Apparent Project, which is a business that Haitian-made items. We enjoyed shopping for amazing hand-made jewelry and other items while sipping delicious smoothies from the cafe upstairs. Then, we went up to eat what felt like never-ending pizzas with our team members. A few of the other kids on our team played foosball, chess, and pool. Meanwhile, Jake decided it was smart to sit in a child's size chair. It was great to see everyone laughing together at such a silly thing. On the way home, our team raced the there tap tap home (our team one thanks to our amazing driver). It was awesome to see everyone enjoy themselves and let loose.
This trip has been such a blessing for us in so many ways. We have grown in our faith, relationships, and our outlook on many things in our lives have changed. The bonds that we have created in such a short time through our experiences together are amazing and we truly feel like we have all become one big Healing Haiti family :)
- Julia Gacek and Haley Oswald
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| Haley's new friend and his snazzy glasses |
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| Julia with her buddy Franzi |
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| Franzi loves hugs!!! |
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