Last Day of Classes and the Teyat!

Another exciting day here in Haiti! Today was the last day of regular classes for the students, so they were all so full of energy. At 5:30 AM we heard clapping and cheers coming from outside. As part of their “last morning meeting” the Philo students decided to bring the whole school together. All of the students were gathered in a circle on the basketball court celebrating the accomplishments of the Philo students and the community that is LCS.

This mood only carried on as they day went on. As I went to finish up inputting my surveys and sending emails to plan for next week, the students headed to their classes for one final day of review. While this was happening the PC group participated in Work Hours, learning what life truly is like as a Volunteer for The Haitian Project. The group spent the morning digging out a trench and sifting through piles of rock, two of the many different kinds of tasks that Volunteers can fulfill during Work Hours.

During my time spent researching today, I received an email from my older sister Kelli. Her good friend, Nick Mikula (PC 2011) reached out to her with an offer to help me should I need any assistance. Nick works for a company in Washington D.C. which has great information and research on the world economy and foreign markets. As a result of Nick’s assistance, I was able to gain a greater understanding of the cell phone markets in countries similar to Haiti.

At around noon, it was clear that everyone was anxious for the next part of the school day. The “teyat,” or play, was scheduled to begin at 12:30, so everyone was rushing around making sure all was prepared for when the curtains opened. Since the entire school and a few of the actor’s parents were scheduled to attend the play, the play was held on the basketball court. A tarp was also set-up over the court as a shade, as the sun is a huge factor in Haiti. Once everything was set-up, the play went off without a hitch. Under the direction of two of the Volunteers, the students performed the play Guys and Dolls, however with a little bit of a twist. In order for the audience to grasp the whole meaning of the play, the entire performance was done in Creole, except the songs. Although the rest of the PC group and I were lost basically the entire time, the rest of the audience absolutely loved the performance. All of the students were truly focused on the play, watching silently and laughing when appropriate, that when the play was over the entire crowd applauded. The actors and actresses did a wonderful job, and were able to maintain focus even when one of the corners of the tarp collapsed. Everyone was so proud of their hard work and commitment that the last day of classes truly ended on a high note.

After the students left for the weekend and everything was cleaned up, the Immersion group and Volunteers attended Mass said by Father Cuddy. Mass was a great way to reflect on the past week, and what a positive experience this all has been. After Mass there was afternoon basketball as usual, except this game was held between LCS and PC. As a member of the PC team, I played a few minutes in the first game, but I realized how competitive each team was, and I decided to let the more experienced players take over from there. Although PC ended up losing, it was great to cheer on everyone and get to catch up with the other PC students on their experiences so far this week.

Before the game I was able to grab this picture of my cousin Molly and I to send to our family and as proof of both of our trips.

I was able to spend a little more time with the group at dinner over at the Moynihan’s house. I learned about their days spent in Miami volunteering, and what their schedule has been like this week. From what I have heard, each member in the Immersion Group not only had an incredible time, but was also able to take something away from their experiences this week.