Hello from Haiti!

Hello to All!

Good news- This is from a letter that Kristen sent last night. She asked that I post her news on this blog to keep everyone informed about her trip and work at Louverture Cleary School. ~Katie


"...Just wanted to let you know that we arrived safe and sound in the Port Au Prince airport. We made it through the airport with no outstanding stories to tell, thank goodness. Three cars were here to pick us and our luggage up. There were nine volunteers and one permanent staff and two special staff--the teacher instructor and a CPR instructor.... Driving through Haiti was sort of a blur; it wasn't as impoverished as I first expected, but reflecting on it, there were a lot of collapsed structures and families under sheets held up by sticks. Who knows where the families actually live. We pulled onto a side street and I almost didn't want to arrive because I hadn't had time to process what was going on. However, walking onto the campus was amazing! I'll have to send you some pictures. Not only is it green, it is so cozy and charming. There are tables, gardens, and cute walk ways everywhere. So--we took a tour of the campus (which seems to go on forever) and then visited the Moynihan's house across the street. Their house seems very spacious, which is another thing I wasn't expecting. --when we arrived, Christina was teaching a group of elementary and younger children from Ti Ekol(Little School). While we were touring the upstairs living area, we heard the children singing. Soon, the singing was getting louder and louder until they were coming down the hall to serenade us. All of the kids were adorable!

So--the whole day was very spur of the moment, not very many plans were in play or followed. We got to meet with the principal who is very nice and easy going. We started sewing up mosquito nets, then we were assigned rooms and began setting everything up. When we had arrived, confusion about dinner came up--Patrick thought we would have eatten and Elizabeth thought we were going to eat as a group. Patrick made the comment that "you should never go to a third world country hungry," which makes sense. In the end, we ate a delicious meal of tuna and peas, macaroni and beans, and mixed nuts. I guess dinner tastes better when you thought you weren't going to get any. So--now we are finishing unpacking and settling down. We get to start tomorrow a little late-- 8 am. Everybody's exhausted-- poor Meg didn't get any sleep Saturday night. I along with most of the volunteers had only gotten a few hours plus whatever we were able to get on the planes. Anyways, I am exhausted. I think I covered most of the day. Let everybody know what's up. If you have extra time, maybe you could update my blog for me since I don't want to take up too much computer time-- there's only one computer with internet.
I'm not sure when I'll be able to get back on the computer next. So--I'll talk to you later. Anyways, I am exhausted. I think I covered most of the day. Let everybody know what's up. Take care! Love you all! ~Kristen"