My time here is winding down

It feels like this is it - my trip here is nearly done. I don't have much left to do, and will spend the day running some errands and training my colleague in his new role guesthouse manager/logistics rep asst).

I went to Pinchinat for the final time yesterday. I spent most of the day there, helping a fellow guesthouse member do some interviews with the camp managers. Each interview eventually dissolved into a long dicussion about the real state of things in the camp and in Haiti. There seem to be some genuine people who really want to make a change. I spent a long time talking to a group of young men about their role in this change. At one point, I became really impassioned about what I was saying and was talking about their history as a country and how they revolted once as slaves and how they could revolt now against corruption and somewhat embarassingly, as I ended, one guy clapped. It made me giggle.

For some reason, Maxido wanted to inclkude us in his census-taking of the little babies in the camp. This was hard. He took us to one little two year old who has hemorrhoids in his genital area. Before I knew it, they pulled down the babies pants in front of us (and 20 other people) and it was horrific. This little guy must be in so much pain. We then went to see another baby who was found abandoned in the camp garbage. She was an adorably fat baby whose mother is an 18-year-old girl who just did not know how to deal with life and the baby and their bad situation anymore. So she literally threw her baby out. The camp managers reunited them and are trying to improve the mother`s situation. This little family lives in one of the makeshift tents of sticks and sheets (how, how, how is it possible that organizations come into this camp to distribute stuff and don`t do anything for the families who still don`t have proper tents two MONTHS after the earthquake???!!!).....we are going to bring them a proper tent. Finally someone brought a little newborn baby to us who is now being raised by a generous neighbour - her mom and her dad were killed in the quake. She was found alive right next to them.

I said my goodbyes to the people I know in the camp and Charlotte cried. She asked me for my emial address to that she could "reach out to me every once ìn awhile". I think she feels she is going to be forgotten. I cried a little too. As difficult as Pinchinat is, I feel comfortable there, like I get it. I won`t forget them.

As difficult as my day was yesterday, it ended on a nice note. There was nothing semi about it....I had a great date!