Au Revoir Terrier Rouge
Today was the dedication of the third and final floor of the school and the graduation ceremonies. Everything, including the kids’ outfits, was St. Barthelemy colors, red and white. The decorations were beautiful. There were red and white tissue paper chains and white doves lining the walls. The kids graduating from preschool were so adorable. The girls wore frilly white dresses with red satin sashes. The boys looked like little men, uncomfortable in their white long-sleeved button-ups and khaki pants. Some boys had a piece of red cloth pinned to their shirts like a tie. The graduates from the sixth grade wore their red St. Barthelemy shirts with khaki pants. Lots of dancing and singing later, the kids graduated from preschool and sixth grade. This year’s graduation was especially important because the sixth grade class is the first class to complete its education at the primary school.
At the end of the graduation ceremonies, gifts were handed out, gifts that Jocelyn and I wrapped in the weeks leading up to the event. Some of the gifts were oddly shaped, which made them hard to wrap. Their odd shapes and a shortage of wrapping paper led to some interesting creations. One particularly memorable gift was a calico beanie baby on top of a sack of jacks. I wrapped the gift carefully, but did not have enough paper for the head, so I had to cut a scrap and wrap it around the head. It looked like a green, red, and grey striped Egyptian sphinx. Jocelyn and I watched to see the kid that would get this special gift.
Music for the ceremony included Britney Spears (the old stuff), the Backstreet Boys, and, of course, Celine Dion. I am convinced that if Haiti had a Top40, Celine would be all over it. The Haitians love her!
After the ceremonies we were sitting on our porch enjoying the cool (by Haitian standards) night air. Joseph, our translator, came over to say good-bye. While exchanging wishes for good health and hopes for long lives, it hit me that we are really leaving. I am very sad, but Jocelyn and I hope to come back together someday. Hopefully we will be that fortunate!
Tonight is our last night here in Terrier Rouge, and I have to say it is a bittersweet ending. We are excited to get started on our projects in Thomonde, but we will miss our friends here in TR. We will never forget all the people we met here, the things we have seen, and, most importantly, what we have learned about the world and ourselves.