Mission to Haiti
from Marie Peters, Robin Cobb & Robin Queen

A team of students and faculty from Belmont University School of Nursing is ministering in Haiti during Belmont’s Spring Break.  This is the second year a team has traveled there.

Bonjour!

What a magical end to our Haitian journey….

We began the day with a traditional pumpkin soup, usually reserved for new years day. During slavery, the soup was reserved for wealthy land owners however after the revolution it became a symbol of the Hatian people’s independence. Our final clinic was in Nantiso, just a short ride from our bungalows along a river garden.  After leaving the trucks behind, we carried the clinic equipment by foot along a path through lush banana trees and fields planted with corn and green beans. After setting up shop in a local’s front yard, we began our assessments. After a week in this country, we all are feeling more comfortable with the process including communicating in our broken Creole. Over 60 patients were seen by lunch time including a seizure patient and a young woman with TB suffering from a throat cyst that prevented her from eating. We also saw the usual procession of stunning Hatian children and cherubic infants that steal our hearts on a daily basis.

We returned to Siloe to drop off supplies and for one last good bye to all our incredible translators. The afternoon was spent at a nearby beach. We all were thrilled to get a taste of local crafts at the makeshift markets as well as chargrilled Roma lobster with jalapeno-lime marinated conch meat, arguably the highlight of our day. A few of us took a long walk while others explored the coral reef as the sun went down.

The powerful effect this trip has had on all of us will last a lifetime…

With love,

Marie, the Robins and the rest of the gang.