Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Our Final Day in Haiti

February 24, 2014 (7 weeks ago)
Guest Post by Daniella M.

Our last day in Haiti.

Experiencing the outdoor market, visiting the Apparent Project, and giving out about 100 plates of fruit and many balloons at an orphanage was a perfect way to end our trip!

In the morning Will and I went to the market together and had fun trying on some clothes and bartering to get the 'Haitian price' instead of the 'blan' price.

 
It was a very interesting place; each 'booth' consisted of a bunch of nailed together boards with tarps overtop, all connected but on different levels with concrete steps everywhere.
 
 
The vendors sold everything from fruits and vegetables to household items, pharmaceuticals, clothes and  meat! The latter could be found on the ground in large baskets basking in the sun and covered with flies! I even saw a basket with skinned baby goats, feet and fuzzy tails still attached! (No, we did NOT buy one for supper!) 
 
 
As we walked Will had some guys asking her if they could be the father of her child. Then, when we were leaving, as we side stepped piles of garbage and dodged motorcycles and tap taps, some guys asked why she hadn't found a husband in the market! She just laughed and told them she was married. Never a dull moment in Haiti!

Our next destination was the fruit market, where we bought watermelon, mangoes and bananas for all the kids at an orphanage we planned to visit that afternoon.

 
When we finished loading all the fruit there was a police truck with 3 large policemen, guns hanging out of the window, blocking our way because we were on the wrong side of the road. After some motioning and shouting on their part, and Will pointing out that she was now unable to move the Toyota because they were blocking her, we were able to go on our way.

After a quick lunch at the Krul's house and some time spent cutting up all the fruit, we stopped in at the Apparent Project, had a tour and made a few purchases.
 
 
 
 
Then, at the Rainbow of Love Orphanage, we handed out the fruit and balloons. The kids loved it! They also loved looking at the pictures of Canada we brought along.

 
 
 
 
And so our final day in Haiti ended.

Our whole trip really was an awesome, life-changing experience for us, full of adventures and amazing memories!

Thanks Krul family for letting us be part of your lives for a couple of weeks and for your care and support for the duration of our stay!

Our goofy parting shot!

 

1 comment:

The Korporaal Family said...

Daniella....
How nice it was to 'follow' your trip in Haiti... looks like you had a great time! Brings back memories from when Ben and I travelled to Zambia together...
Take care,
Marlies Korporaal (Lindhout)