Playing Catch in Haiti

Waking up this morning, I already knew that there wouldn't be much happening today. The kids at the school/hospital we're staying at are on break, cholera is slowing down, and we had no planned excursions to the slums of Port-au-Prince. Yet, like every other day here, today turned into something new and unexpected.

In the morning, I helped another volunteer, Fiona, work with some special needs kids who have learning disabilities. She's an occupational therapist from Ireland and is exceptional with kids. Despite the fact that I have zero training with OT, I was able to help her with one kid named Jefferson. Jefferson has been coming here and receiving help since last year, when Molly worked at the clinic. He is incredibly smart but he has a few leg issues (along the lines of polio or something) which hinders his ability to move around a whole lot. However, one thing Jefferson LOVES doing is playing catch with velcro tennis balls and the velcro pads. I entertained him and worked on his core strength for over an hour today. He is a really cute kid who I hope if I come down here again in a few years, is walking and able to move better than he does right now.

After lunch, I walked over and met with a potential University of Portland student, who may be receiving a scholarship that honors Molly Hightower (I'm sure Rachel's blog has/will explain more). The Haitian prospective student seems smart and should fit right in at UP.

The afternoon was spent with some of my favorite people here in Haiti: the abandoned babies at the hospital. As I've mentioned earlier, these kids were left for dead outside St. Damien's, many because they have birth defects, mental issues, or the parents just can't afford to take care of the kids anymore. Yet many of these kids are adorable. Rachel has fallen for one 10ish month old girl in particular, Sabienka. Despite the fact that she used some questionable handling tactics (Sabienka's balancing skills are not quite as strong as Rachel might have thought they were...), Rachel and Sabienka have gained a strong liking for each other the last few days and I think both will be sad when we leave (early Christmas present for Rachel, Mrs. and Mr. Prusynski? I'm sure a new Haitian baby is just what she needs).

Fiona, Rachel, and I decided that we'd go check out the cholera camps tonight to see if they needed any assistance. Upon arrival, we couldn't find hardly anyone in any of the 15+ tents. We finally stumbled across all the workers and a few patients - surrounding a TV, watching Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao play soccer. Quite an amazing site. Yes, this is a bunch of employees not working, but the fact that they have this much time on their hands is a very good sign that cholera is slowing down and nearly under control in this area. Let's hope it stays this way.

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Due to the fact that most of the facilities that I was working in today didn't allow cameras, there are now pictures to be had. Sad, I know. However, tomorrow should be a little more exciting. I will either take pictures of the OT stuff if I help there or the abandoned babies. There is also a rumor of an evening of cheese and wine on the hospital roof with the Italian doctors that are here treating the cholera. Goal: Meet and take a picture with the legendary Italian "Cesaer," who is basically the most badass looking doctor I've ever seen. He got stitches a few days ago and smokes like a chimney. We'll see how it goes.