Today a group of us decided to go to the Adventist orphanage. Apparently, Patty a RN from UVMC that came with the last group is planning on adopting two girls from there. The orphanage was only 12.5 km away, but it ended up taking us around 2 hours to get there due to rush hour traffic. The ride was a bit scary: we got lost a few times, were involved in some near accidents, and got stopped by the UN soldiers. Nonetheless, we finally made it to the orphanage where we realized that the trouble getting there was totally worth it. The girls were all so adorable. They immediately attached themselves to us like glue. I even had a hard time going up stairs because there was about 5 of them that all wanted to be holding onto my arm, hand or leg in some way. The orphanage was well kept and clean. We gave them most of the presents that we had left over ( we had already gone around and given all the pedi pts toys as well as the kids in tents toys.) It was difficult to keep things fair.Each one got a coloring book, a handful of crayons, a stuffed animal and a toy. Melanie and crystal led a few songs and then then we asked the girls if they knew a song they could sing us. They said yes. when they started to sing their voices sounded so pure and innocent that it actually made tears well up in my eyes - I didnt even know what they were singing about, maybe it was the voices or the tempo but whatever it was it evoked a strong emotion of sadness and helplessness as I imagined what it would be like to grow up without parents and the sad stories that led them to become orphans. At the end the translator told me they were singing about the hardships that they have endured, the resiliency of their people and how God will always be with them. Afterwards we all sang a song together. They knew one english song and luckily we knew the same one. It was a religious song that I had heard many times growing up. Then we took a few pictures and they showed us around their rooms and had to leave. The stay may have been short but the moments we spent with those little girls is something I will not forget.
Outside the sun had just set and it was dusk. The night life began in port-au-prince. We passed many brightly colored tap-taps blaring the haitian music, people out in the market selling their goods by candlelight, other street vendors packing up to go home, a lot of people were on the move others were lingering about. It felt like everyone was out in the streets. The liviness of the streets contrasted greatly to the images of rubble that we passed, fires lit to burn endless piles of trash, and we passed the palace which was somewhat of an eery image as it sat there toppled over, abandoned and dark.
The trip back home was a lot shorter, thank goodness. At that point we were all hungry, tired sweaty and covered in dust from the drive. We pulled up to the hospital to find that some of the kids and translators had gathered to say good-bye to everyone. We took some pictures gave hugs and exchanged emails. A few of us headed down the street to grab a bite to eat. We didnt take a translator with us which made it difficult when it came to ordering vegetarian food. The restaurant was owned by a family. They were in the room with us watching the TV and chatting. They introduced their grandmother to us, she this tiny lady who was probably around 70, she came around and gave all of us kisses and hugs. It is a rarity to see someone that is as old as her. After our meal we said our goodbyes to the family like they had been old friends. It still is hard to believe that we are already leaving! Hopefully I will return with here no later than january when our UVMC team plans to come back for another month.