On January 24th , 2014 the students in our program at the St. Charles Borromeo school in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti took a class trip to the Kalico Beach Club in Arcade, Haiti. Robert Amir Berry made a phone call and arranged to have our children visit the pool at the beach club free of charge and after some planning from Sister Gloria and funding from Enabling Minds, we chartered a bus and went!
At 7:30AM we loaded up the bulky white bus with food, drinks and snacks, and 21 animated students, many of whom brought along a parent as a chaperone. Amanda, Amir and Tarik from Enabling Minds joined the students, most of whom had never to a pool or had gone swimming before.
During the bus ride to the resort we sang some of the songs the students learned in their class, ate snacks, and enjoyed the sights of the countryside and the warm fresh air that gently drifted in through the open windows. When we arrived at the beach club, our students curiously descended down the long driveway that lead to the retreat. The bright blue pool that awaited us was framed with comfortable lounge chairs, and was partially shaded by tall palm trees. In the background, cheerful contemporary Haitian music played.
The students enjoyed their day off by wading in the pool, playing in the water, catching horseback rides on the shoulders of the volunteers and staff, and lounging in the shade. In the afternoon our group enjoyed a picnic lunch which including rice, stewed chicken, and orange Tang. As the day came to a close, we headed back to Croix-des-Bouquets. Patrick, the music/dance teacher, played his drum
and lead us in song, while Gerline displayed her musical prowess on the whistle. It was a
great day filled with smiles, laughter, and happiness!