It was the hospital celebrating their 40th anniversary, in the ceremony for the hospital staff. The staff really do deserve a pat on the back, for they have a great hospital and clinic. The speeches were followed by a feast - you should have seen the heaped plates!
Driving around this city is fascinating. The roads are really narrow, and the even narrower sidewalks teaming with people and goods for sale. Everything from doves in cages, to plastic chairs, to piles of avocados and oranges. The streets are filled with potholes.
The "tap-taps" are the local public transit system; many of them brilliantly painted, with great names. They are mostly small pick up trucks, with a canopy that has been raised by two feet to allow people to sit on benches along the sides. As in many countries, there seem to be impossible numbers of people in the vehicles.
Electricity is provided by generators - the government doesn't provide it consistently. And water of course is always suspect.
I really like Haiti so far... its got a little of that island feel, and yet the needs are great. I hope to do more work here in the future.
The other benefit to coming here is that I have a renewed excitement for our project in South Africa. It really helps to have a reminder of why I want to do this work and why the benefits can balance the personal costs of being a nomad. (To a certain extent).
These small children, loved by their parents yet with so few opportunities... trying to help them is so important.
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