When I arrived yesterday, the kids told me right away that there was to be a party today. When I asked for what, they reminded me that it was Mother's Day. Two years ago when I was here I was able to partake in the celebration, and it was pretty cool. Haiti does Mother's Day right. Or, at least Notre Maison/St. Joe's does the day right.
The two teachers who come in and teach the special-needs kids plan the whole thing. They decorate the back area, food and gifts are provided. The children sing and dance. Music is played. Songs are sung. All of the nannies come and are dressed up. The kids put on their best clothes, and everyone is in shoes. And that is no easy feat (get it? get it?) when you have 50 kids to put shoes on!
The nannies paraded in as if it were a pageant. They had a cool walk going while music played. The kids cheered and clapped. This was a major day in Haitian culture, and it is so much better than what Hallmark does for the American Mother's Day.
Now before the big Mother's Day party, I did do some work that needed doing. I prepared for Abby, the first intern who arrives tomorrow. I am way excited to work with her. I also spent some time in the therapy room organizing and making a list of storage items needed so that the toys aren't simply dumped in one big bin or left lying on the floor. I also think I'm going to buy some cleaning supplies even though I will never beat the dirt and dust. But, it would make me feel better. I plan on Abby heading to the store with me to make these purchases so that she can get out into the city right away.
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| Party Decorations |
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| Wrapping presents for the nannies |
I realize this isn't the greatest of posts, but I wanted to get something going right away. My hope is to blog every couple of days to keep you all informed about the goings on here. Feel free to leave comments! I'd love to hear from you all.
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| Wilcia loves to dance! |
The two teachers who come in and teach the special-needs kids plan the whole thing. They decorate the back area, food and gifts are provided. The children sing and dance. Music is played. Songs are sung. All of the nannies come and are dressed up. The kids put on their best clothes, and everyone is in shoes. And that is no easy feat (get it? get it?) when you have 50 kids to put shoes on!
The nannies paraded in as if it were a pageant. They had a cool walk going while music played. The kids cheered and clapped. This was a major day in Haitian culture, and it is so much better than what Hallmark does for the American Mother's Day.
