Orevwa, Haiti!

I'm leaving first thing in the morning on a bus bound for the DR.

Kind of an anticlimactic way to end the trip; got sick and so saw a LOT of the inside of my hotel room. Oh well. It just means that there is even more reason to come back soon!

My translator brought me going-away presents! Too kind. He didn't last time, and I was a bit embarrassed when I realized that it doesn't seem he brought anything for anyone else. This time he said, "Of course I want to give presents; you are my friend." That is a big deal. I definitely get the feeling that, though strangers can be friendly here, they tend to put me through a trial period. When people have dropped their guard with me and started to consider me a friend, I have been treated like family. It is a big honor.

I learned a lot this visit, and made some big headway with my project. During my last three interviews, I found myself bored, because I had already heard everything they had to say. That is a good sign that I have done enough interviewing. One of the doctors, who I couldn't possibly like more, read my assessment and said that every single bit of it was consistent with the reality at the hospital. I feel I am in a great place to transition from information-gathering to action-taking!

This trip has seemed ridiculously short, but I am very excited to go home to all of the wonderful people, projects, and a certain amazing dog that make my life at home so grand.

I will post pictures upon my return, and then will hopefully be back here and posting again before too long.