Trip to Haiti - Part 1 of 4: Sosua to Santo Domingo







My friend, Donna, and I decided to go on a little adventure last week. We traveled to Mirebalais, Haiti by bus to visit Haiti Children's Home http://haitichildrenshome.com/ . It was a very enlightening time and we had a lot of laughs. We cuddled babies, hung out with the older kids and participated in chicken butchering day (see Part 3 for actual blood). I did the actual machete work and Donna participated by laughing at me and taking pictures....thanks :-\

The quality of the pictures is not the best - they are not art. In fact, a lot were taken from a moving bus with dirty windows but hopefully you can get a taste of the countryside and the life there. There will be 4 blog posts in total so you may need to take some breaks! It took 13 hours to travel 500 km each way but it was so worth it.

Enjoy... 

Waiting for the Metro Bus in Sosua.





- very comfortable bus with AC.



We look happy and relaxed - wait until you see us on the way back.



Arriving in Santiago - I wonder if McDonalds has McRice & Beans...





Off the bus for a little break.



Arriving in Santo Domingo - they have a lot of shoe stores here....a lot!

 

I don't have to go to West Edmonton Mall to shop at Zara!



Beautiful Santo Domingo

Weston Hotel Lobby




Checking into the Weston Hotel & Suites in Santo Domingo- we highly recommend this hotel.

Luxury before we head to Haiti...



View from our hotel room



View from the 9th floor restaurant









Ocean view chairs!





Cheers!!



Discovering a new way to look at the beach debris (and the debris of life)….

The beach we “live” on is miles long and largely unpopulated. There is very little development and a lot of seaweed and assorted debris washes up. I used to think “someone should clean that up”.

The beach debris…

We heard from a friend that amber, a fossil resin, can be found in the wood and debris that washes up, especially after a storm. Since then, my beach walks have taken on a whole new meaning.  What a great challenge for a stubborn (aka determined) Mennonite!!  

The glittery nuggets of yellow/orange amber we found this week…

I can’t help thinking of just how much the beach debris resembles our lives.  It washes up after a storm and makes a big mess. However, there is hidden amber there and if we only look at the debris, it can be very difficult to discover the gems.

I am newly challenged to look at the messes of life with anticipation – searching for the gems because I KNOW they are there.  I will concentrate on looking, gently pushing aside the debris and choose to focus only on what is beautiful.  I’ve discovered that if the debris is stirred up too much it will cover the beautiful gems with sand and weeds…making them much more difficult to see.

I’m looking forward to having some lovely earrings made with my amber that will always remind me of this truth.

Island Beauty

This post is dedicated to the two ladies (and their energetic husbands) who had the courage to join us on our island adventure this year! We could hardly keep up with them :-)

 Enjoy the following photos from our island home.

Now, back to my book....

The Scooter Gang

We know quite a few couples who, in their middle life, have taken to the road on motorcycles. Not to be outdone we decided to give it a try with our friends from Edmonton. Ok, there may not be much power in these little scooters but I think we look fabulous. No leather or helmets required here - just the open breeze as we putt off to the parade.

Our first stop was at Coral School - an amazing school started and operated by Gustavo and Miguelina Zayas, a wonderful Dominican couple. Randy is teaching English to 8 year olds there 2 mornings/week.

The Gang in the newly built second floor classroom.

Sandro and Sandra's daughter, Jamiley, holding the flag at the front of the parade!!

Miguelina, Coral School principal and organizer of the school parade involving many of the local schools. All of the kids looked so great.

 

Gustavo, Coral School Director and Big Richard - a guy who, thankfully, is on our side!