Day Two: Work, Work, Work, Work

Day two is under our belt! Today started nice n early with a 7AM wake up. Breakfast contained some more delicious fruit: mango, papaya, pineapple, orange, apple, and kiwi. In addition there were some yummy cheese omelettes, bacon, toast, plantains, and the staple of our lives: coffee. After breakfast we hopped into the car to the old SOPUDEP site. For those that are new to our organization, the SOPUDEP program already has a fully operational school for elementary through high school students at Delmas 83. But due to corruption, there is a constant threat that the land may be taken away by government officials. The plot of land for the new SOPUDEP site was bought about six years ago entirely in Rea Dol’s name. The students from the old school anxiously await the completion of their new school. We got to hang out with the younger students and play a few games. Language barriers appear to melt away when you’re wresting for control of the water bottle we used as a soccer ball. After a morning of playing with the younger students, we drove over to the new SOPUDEP site. The amount of progress that has been made is truly astounding. The school is so close to being finished and it is an enormous accomplishment. All five floors are finished, the library is full of books, and the amphitheater is in full swing (Rea plans to rent out the space once the school is finished for wedding receptions and parties to make some money to help with the teacher’s salaries and lunch program). We worked all afternoon moving wood for the benches upstairs, organizing books in the library, and unpacking the computers for the computer lab. The computers were packed for the armageddon, and opening a wooden box with approximately a million screws and only one screwdriver is quite a feat, but we managed to get them all out. We finished off the day with a wonderful meal of various veggies and beef, and an even more wonderful guest! We were joined by the famous TPaul, a Haitian super genius who works in health and sanitation here, attended Stanford for college, and casually speaks approximately 8 languages. TPaul shared some words of wisdom about the current situation and also did some translating for Rea about the current situation of other organizations. One of our favorite quotes from Rea about the work we do was, “This is not charity this is solidarity.” Much love to everyone back home and as always a continuous thank you for this incredible opportunity.