Boukan Lion

Sunday, March 13th, 2011

My friend Courtney has been back in Hait

i for the past few weeks. It has been so wonderful to have her around. I forgot how much I missed having her and my other

frie

nds here. Courtney and I have been able to get to spend time together which has been great, but it has been very different and awkward because I am not allowed to be in the CNP house outside of working hours and she is not allowed to take a moto to where I live, so it makes getting to see each other outside of work a bit challenging. Luckily, Kat gave us her "blessing" and let me come over one night. We made cookies and watched TV shows on the computer like old times.

It is hard to believe that her three weeks back is almost up. Before she leaves, we decided that we wanted to try and make it out into the mountains to visit a very special family. I met Guerline during the summer of 2008. My friends Nathan, Evan and Louis were helping CNP with a nutrition survey in Leogane and found a very malnourished Guerline on one of their household visits. Guerline was 18 months old at the time, one of 8 children in her family, and only weighed 11lbs when she entered into the hospital. She stayed for about a month until she was able to be sent home with Plumpy Nut to be treated at her house. While she was in the hospital, I would go down and visit her frequently and take a break from the study I was working on. Despite her health condition, she was always so happy and would light up the room with her smile.

Guerline in HSC, 2008

I was not the only one who became attached to Guerline that summer. My friend, Nathan, helped the family to build a home and would go up and check on the family every once in a while when he was living in Leogane. After the earthquake, we had heard that Guerline and her family were okay, but no one had actually made the trip to go visit her in the mountains. Courtney and I had tried to go once before back in the Fall, but Kat wouldn't let us due to her perceived "security concerns". After some scheming with Albert, we decided that we needed to make this trip happen before Courtney left and it would be a perfect activity for her on her last weekend. Kat was making it very difficult for us to go, but we jumped through the hoops, sending a scout to check the road conditions and take pictures, filling out a security report, and most importantly finding another means of transportation because Kat was keeping the LandCruiser in Jacmel for the weekend for her own personal use.

Artis, Courtney & me with the moto on our way to Boukan Lion

Courtney and I were soo excited that it was actually going to happen! We got up early Sunday morning

when Albert and Artis came to get us in the dump truck

with a moto strapped to the back. We hit the road and drove up into the mountains. We drove as far as we could in the dump truck and then took turns walking and riding the moto until we reached a point where the moto couldn't drive any further and we all hiked the rest of the hour and a half to Guerline's house. We had called ahead so the family knew we were coming. Guerline was beautiful as always with her infectious smile. She was wearing the dress that Nathan had given her and her Mom had bathed her and fixed her hair in anticipation of our arrival. She looked so beautiful!

It was so wonderful to see her again. I just sat and played with her, loving every minute of her laughing and smiling. The family had faired the earthquake well and the home that Nathan had helped build was still standing and beautiful as ever. We talked with the family and got updates on how things were going as well as checked on Guerline's health. It turned out that she hadn't received any of her vaccines yet and was still slightly underweight, but otherwise in good health (We have since arranged for her vaccinations, which she has now received. She is also now enrolled in CNP's PD/Hearth program). We shared stories and talked before having to head on back to Leogane.

Guerline with her Mom and Dad in front of their house

Me playing with Guerline

The hike back was all up hill and a little brutal, but it was just so wonderful to actually get out into the mountains and remind myself of where the people that we are serving live. It was relaxing to get out of the intense working environment in Leogane, enjoy the laid back lifestyle in the mountains and be able to spend quality time with Courtney, Albert and Artis. It was a wonderful reminder of the Haiti and the people in Haiti that I love.

Courtney, Artis & Courtney on our hike back