More than words . . .

It has been over a month since I published my last blog post. The WiFi has miraculously returned after several weeks and so I am not going to waste any time. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words – so here is the equivalent of 29,000 words about the daily happenings of St. Vincent’s students and residents.

Residents crammed into a taptap on the way to Carnaval.

We spent one evening enjoying Carnaval – the three-day Haitian equivalent of Mardi Gras. We ate good food, listened to music, and enjoyed watching the parades.

The school is now serving hot lunches to all 200 students everyday.

Schenaider and I are making a fire to roast peanuts to make peanut butter.

A youth group from St. James Episcopal Church in New York spent a weekend at St. Vincent’s playing with the kids, painting murals on the school walls, and repainting the front gate. Here they pose in front of their finished product after a long day of hard work and much fun.

A chapel service honoring the former St. Vincent’s director the Reverend Billy Squire.

A rainbow over the grounds of St. Vincent’s after a long afternoon of some much needed rain.

Belson, Damenly, and Amika take a selfie after school.

The aftermath of my first experience of preparing chicken from the very start …

Maille’s favorite day of the week is Sunday because she gets to get dressed up for Church.

And then there’s Medjina.

Adensi, Rickson, and Mayson in their Sunday best.

Dayana also loves getting to go to church.

The resident students saved all of their snacks from the week to have a party on Friday afternoon that was complete with music and bubbles.

Jean Leonard and Moise are in the process of building kites out of sticks and found plastic bags.

Oger and Damenly flying their newly constructed kite.

Three students gather in a classroom to prepare for their upcoming exams.

Dr. Susan Nelson’s medical team on their first day – ready to get to work.

Dr. Susan is a long-term volunteer and board member who brings a team to St. Vincent’s twice a year to give checkups to all of the students, teachers, and residents.  Here she is getting down to business with Jean Robert.

The doctor’s office is set up in the school library. It is always crowded with doctors, patients, scribes, and interpreters for both sign and Creole.

A 2nd-grade classroom having fun drawing on the chalkboard after finishing a week of exams.

The team brought lots of fun things for the students and residents.  Here Medjina is helping Dayana blow bubbles.

Jean Philipe showing off his new stuffed toy.  The medical team gifted stuffed toys to all of the kindergartners for Easter.

Easter baskets that my kindergarten classroom prepared for the administration and residents.

Naider showing off her work from the past quarter.

A traditional Haitian Good Friday lunch of whole fish, carrots, and beets.

Margarethe, Dayana, and Auguste waiting to board the 17-seater bus that took all of the residents to Easter Sunday church.  The four-hour service was followed by lunch and a special outing to get ice cream.

Once a month Dominic, who works in the downtown clinic, comes to Santo to shave and trim the residents’ hair.  Somehow he roped me in and I am now able to shave heads and faces with just a single razor blade as well as do trims and touch ups.  Here I am trimming Maille’s hair.

Charles and Thalia have mixed reactions about returning to school after an extra-long Easter break.

Thank you to everyone who made Carnaval and Easter, and all the time inbetween, special for the students and residents of St. Vincent’s!