Mes Amies!

Pictures will come when I return to the States--the upload time here is ridiculously slow.

I so wish I could have blogged last night about the wonderful day we had at the beach yesterday.  It's hard to even put into words what the day was like.  Pretty much everything went according to plan--in terms of time--and traffic wasn't bad at any point.

The kids absolutely loved their day.  From the moment we loaded them into Pedro's "pap a dap" to the moment we returned, the kids smiled.  Seriously, they smiled all the time.  And so did the adults because the kids were so happy!

One of the best parts of the day was walking down the steps of Wahoo Beach and hearing two of the kids say "Mes amies!  Mes amies!," which translates roughly as "Oh, my God.  Oh, my God."  They had never seen such a sight.

After they put their suits on (that's a story in itself), they jumped right in the water.  They had absolutely no fear . . . that means they played lots in the water, but it also means that we had to keep herding them in from being out too deep (none of them know how to swim!).  They got on our shoulders and jumped off.  They built sandcastles.  They floated and played with the inner tubes.  For hours, they entertained themselves in the water.

It was also cool to see the nanny, Marimat, relaxing in the water.  Susan had brought an old swimsuit for Marimat, so she was able to enjoy the beach.  She took the time to hang with the twin babies--Kinsly and Kinsle--and kept an eye on the other kids.  Even meal time went smoothly.  The kids shared chicken baskets and fries without fighting over who got more, and the older kids made sure that the babies were getting enough.  Susan, Rhonda, and I ate our lunches with the kids and sent Chedner and Marimat to eat with Oriol and Pedro.  Marimat seemed to really enjoy being able to eat a meal without having to attend to children!  I don't blame her since she probably NEVER gets to eat in peace.

After lunch we took the kids out in shifts for a boat ride.  The girls went first--too often girls are second to boys in Haiti--and Marimat and Rhonda went on that trip.  Then came the boys with Chender, Oriol, and Susan.  The boat man let me drive on the second trip--I think I may buy me a house on the beach, get me a boat, and make my living giving short tours along the shoreline.  I could do that!  One of the boys, Gibsoh, was afraid, so I had him sit between my legs and help steer.  He eventually smiled, but I don't think he ever really relaxed.

Here are some of the highlights of the day:
1.  Getting the kids into their suits--they were supposed to wear them to the beach, but they didn't.  They simply changed right there on the beach!  We had to corral the naked kids running around.

2.  Jerry coming up to hug me . . . just because.
3.  Watching the older kids take care of the younger kids during lunch.
4.  Sharing our lunches with the kids who were still hungry.  They all took their "one bite at a time," and no one ever pushed, shoved, or complained.
5.  Watching eyes light up as they climbed into the boat.
6.  Sharing cookies on the way home.
7.  Babies sleeping in our arms.


I'm not sure I've had a better day in Haiti.