Day Twa: Lundi

After a few snooze buttons, we were ready for another amazing day in Haiti! We began day three with strong Haitian coffee, fruit, and scrambled eggs before loading all sixteen of us in our newly air conditioned van. We headed off to Croix de Bouquet, a place known for its beautiful metal works just north of Port au Prince. There, we practiced our bartering skills and walked through the many different shops to see the unique pieces from each artisan. Many of the works feature similar themes such as the tree of life, peace & love, and religion, which are symbolic to the history and faith of Haiti. While we were shopping for souvenirs, we were also in search of a few pieces to auction off at our annual art auction in Fresno. We loaded our trunk and set off to our next destination (after a quick lunch stop, of course).

After some chicken nuggets and sandwiches, we headed to Fort Alexandre which is one of 50 forts in Haiti. We enjoyed the incredible panorama overlooking the Western side of the island. Our guide, Patrick, spoke about how the fort was never finished, but what had been built was incredible. There was no concrete during its construction, and yet there were spectacular arches and walls that withstood the earthquake of 2011. Once our tour was over, we stayed to fly kites and play futbol with the locals for the rest of the afternoon.

We made a quick market stop for dinner before arriving home. We played with the ten little girls of ages 4-8 that are currently staying with Madame Rea while dinner was being prepared. We enjoyed another very yummy meal of meat, rice, salad, and potatoes — and were treated to chocolate ice cream for dessert! Now, we are listening to music, practicing our creole (we're getting better!) and painting our nails with our Haitian family. We’re headed to bed soon because we will have another busy day tomorrow! Bon Nwi!