The part after the bus stop is what was hardest.
Village Theodat is not like the rest of Haiti that I had come to know during my summer stay. It has beautiful guesthouses, with multiple stories - all with new tile, huge kitchens - that serve 3 meals a day - lawns with pretty flowers that are watered regularly. All of this sits inside a nice gated and guarded community. The gated community probably houses more expats and visiting mission teams than it does Haitians. And so, in a way, when I traveled to Village Theodat on that Friday, I felt like I had traveled all the way back to the states.
I say this, because I think it's important that if I wrote about my summer stay and what I learned while living in Haiti, I should also write about my experience of leaving Haiti. I feel that by writing about what I experienced while leaving Haiti, shows yet another handful of lessons I learned from Haiti. Also, I think this post might be an important learning tool for others who have or are considering visiting Haiti. I want them to know that Village Theodat, with its manicured lawns and fancy guest houses, complete with cool, well-ventilated rooms, is not the real Haiti. And if this is the only part of Haiti that one experiences, then they are missing out on some of the best (and my personal favorite) parts of Haiti.
Like the part where you become fully integrated into the local Haitian society. Where Haitians are no longer "people you have come to help," but are your co-workers, your patients, your coffee and mango and Sprite suppliers, your moto taxi drivers, your friends, and best of all, your family. I have visited Haiti before. I have attended Haitian church services, I have heard Haitian patients' stories. But never before have I got the blessing of becoming part of Haiti. Thursday night as I prepped for my Friday departure to PAP, Edward and Djeune surprised me by treating me to dinner at a local restaurant on the beach. Then they took me to the hospital so I could spend an hour cuddling with and saying good-bye (for now) to Baby Joseph. During that hour, one of my favorite nurses came up to me and told me "I can tell you love him a lot." Really, the nurses and my Haitian family were not making the saying good-bye part any easier. I told her how I had to leave the next morning, because sadly in order to pass medical school, I had to go back and start my 2nd year of classes. She tried to convince me just to take him with me. I told her how he already had a mom, that I was a student and unfit to provide him with a home in the states. She accepted my "C'est complique" finally. I thanked her and the other nurses for all they had done for me and Baby Joseph. We exchanged hugs and then she went back to work (partly I think because she didn't want me to see that she was tearing up a bit - proof once again that "Tout Moun Se Moun"). Eddie arrived with the Land Rover, so I said my last good-byes to Baby Joseph and Mom. I told her that Pastors Brian & Yivonne would be there to talk to her and that when she gets home Hypole would check in on them. I told her I would receive updates on them and that the next time I get a chance to get back to Les Anglais, I would come visit their family and catch up. She seemed a bit reassured by that, but I could tell she and I both felt a bit nervous at leaving such a large burden (of taking care of a sick baby like Baby Joseph in such a resource poor situation) up to one person - her. We exchanged hugs, and then I headed home to pack.
The family and I exchanged good-byes and logistics about my early-morning departure over a cake I had purchased as a thank you. The very-asleep boys even got up so they could say good-bye (and of course because they heard the words cake). I packed and looked through summer pictures and packed some more. The morning arrived quick and I was reminded once again how spoiled I was - Leila, the servant, had gotten up early to make me hard boiled eggs, bread, and coffee so I could have breakfast before I left. I gave her a big hug, and even though she was tough woman, I managed to get a true smile and a "Good-bye Cherie" out of her. Edward drove me to the bus station and along the way we chatted about my summer. He told me that he was sad that I was leaving because Lance (the youngest of my Haitian brothers) was a picky eater before I got there and by the end of the summer he would clean his plate because he "wanted to be just like Christine." Seriously, they weren't making my saying good-bye any easier. He helped me get checked in at the bus stop and we said our final good-byes.
Again, Edward continued to do a good job at being my Haitian Dad by providing me with some more last-minute wisdom. When I said my good-bye, he smirked and said he didn't need to say good-bye, because he knew me well enough to know that I would be back to Les Cayes before long. And when I did, that I would always be welcomed to stay with my Haitian family. I think that was one of the neatest parts about my entire stay this summer. That I now have a second family. I say have and not "had" because I think Eddie is right. The best part about family, is that while it's tough to leave, you never really say good-bye to family. Because even though I am back in the states now and Edward, Djeune, the boys, and Lidi are still in Les Cayes, we are still in touch (via email) and there is the understanding that whenever I feel the need to head back to Haiti, I will always have a second home waiting for me.
The family celebration for Edward and Djeune's 5th wedding anniversary. The photos tell the story so well - they were some of the sweetest people I have ever met.
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