On our first “real” day in Haiti, we woke up in our newly assembled bunk beds, ready to face whatever was thrown our way! Many people returning from mission trips talk about the poverty, the hunger, and the few luxuries experienced by the people in Haiti.. but what nobody tells you is that the children are tireless. We arrived at a school early in the day and immediately upon arrival we were bombarded with the excited faces of the children from both the school and surrounding homes. In unity they rushed toward us and the teens spread out and at any given time a teen would have at least two small children hanging onto our fingers and smiling up at us. It was an afternoon worth remembering.
We spoke to Hannah, one of our teens, about her first few impressions:
Q: What did you think about visiting the school Notre Dame?
A: It was great getting to play with the kids and go in the classrooms. This school was very different compared to schools in the US, but that’s to be expected. It was much more drastic than I thought it would be though. I had a ton of fun playing soccer with the kids on the playground!
Q: What do you think of the village?
A: I love seeing all the people walking around, and the women with baskets on their heads. The scenery is beautiful here as well. This village has a certain energy to it. People are always out doing stuff.
Q: What did making the food bags mean to you?
A: The first thing that popped into my mind was “feed the hungry, clothe the naked…” I have heard that Bible verse countless times in Mass, but to actually do it was amazing. Also I love being able to make these food bags as a team with our group.