Around noon, a dozen patients arrived from Port-au-Prince in a van and the local band Prestige played to welcome them. There were several kids and an old friend, Mitha who had been treated in Deshapelles last time we were here.
We got a bunch of the patients just waiting around to get checked in to print with us and did some flags and other prints which were really exciting for them to see. It was confusing at first how a blank sheet of paper could be put under a screen with ink and come out with a Haitian flag on it. After getting the swing of things they loved pushing the ink over the papers to create a really crisp image. One little girl, Natalia, was really excited about printing. She was such a princess ordering Miller around and telling him he looked funny. But it was okay because she was adorable and was great at hopping around without her left leg.
While walking around we hung out with some school kids and tried to teach them how to make silly faces. But guess what? Tip for next time you encounter some Haitian school kids and try to take a silly picture: don't do it. They don't get it at all and you end up looking pretty stupid... We tried to explain "Fas Komik", or funny face, but they just gave us these looks like "what the..."
We get up at 5 tomorrow to drive to Port-au-Prince which happens to be the same morning that Aristide (a former Haitian leader) is arriving at Toussaint L'Ouverture International Airport ... Should be fun.
Overall, an amazing trip. We think we've started something here in Deschapelles...a huge interest in screenprinting! The hope is that printing can become a business for people here considering it is pretty cheap to start and can be very profitable. Many of the patients we were working with were just sitting around with nothing to do and it is a great feeling to be able to entertain them and have some fun with them when they are struggling with issues we can't even relate to. They are very far from home, handicapped, and living in a third world country at a really challenging time.
Haiti has been amazing and fun and thanks to everyone who helped us out on this trip! We appreciate everything and love all the people here.
So guys, guess this is it. Goodbye to all reading this, if you're reading it. Maybe this isn't goodbye, we hope so. So scratch that, we're coming back! Haiti can't get rid of us this easily. mwahah.
MORE LATER!
Ayiti, bon bagay! Ayiti, bon bagay!
Miller Hetzel Schulman and Erin Rawson West
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