Weekend as a Haitian Tzu Chi Volunteer

Whenever Tzu Chi SG and SB come back to Haiti, they will always come and pick me up at the orphanage. This gives me the chance to be able to take hot showers and have awesome Chinese food at OECC. I can definitely relate to Haitians who have starved over a long period of time, because when the food hits my mouth, it just keeps on going one bite after another. I literally had tears in my eyes when eating. It was soooooooo good! So good! I couldn't believe all the flavors that were just exploding in my mouth. It was just pure bliss eating every meal at OECC. 

As usual, a weekend with Tzu Chi is filled with different activities and amazing adventures. This weekend was no different!

Inviting Major Roland of the Brazilian Troop to our Ground Breaking Ceremony

Every Saturday, there is a Market Place outside of the Brazilian  Peacekeeper Base
(Brabatt II). 

There are so many different wooden souvenirs that they sell every weekend. 

After the Brabatt II trip, we headed over to the Route Neuve area, where our shelters were located. 

One of the Manmies of the Route Neuve area still remembers me. She was so happy to see me come. She couldn't wait to talk to me and show me her shelter. 

Got to play with all the kiddies again. They are growing up so quickly!

It was so nice to see the familiar faces again! 

We also had a volunteer's meeting. We talked about many different issues and projects proposals. It was a very long meeting, but very productive. It was very nice to see all the volunteers again!

I served as the translator during the meeting. At one point, three people were talking about three different things. How fun!

The volunteers all jumped on the back of the pick-up truck to go back home!

Another big project here in Haiti is the Moringa project. We went and visited the Great Love Moringa Farm and saw all the great planting progress!

We visited a home that was making coffee. They roasted the coffee beans and then  started to mash the coffee beans into powder. It smelled so good! I gave it a try. It was such interesting work. Turns out the family makes ground coffee for people in New York. So this is where all that Haitian coffee comes from. 

We all took a picture with the Moringa seedlings at the Great Love Farm. 

On the way back to OECC, me, Lesly, and Jean Denis, all rode in  the back of the pick-up truck. There was so much dust tonight. Our hair and eye lashes were all covered in dust and clay! Look at the color! Doesn't it look like we dyed our hair and put make-up on! How neat! 

WHAT A GREAT WEEKEND!