Beach

Saturday was a scheduled staff retreat. The staff from the Guest House all piled into the van at 6am to head to Jacmel where there is a beach so that we can build some rapport and get to know each other better. 4 American volunteers, 2 pastors, 2 cooks, a cleaner, the construction manager, one pastor’s wife, guesthouse manager, accountant, and a field staffer. What would have been about a 3 hour drive (so I’ve been told) was extended due to multiple breaks—gas, breakfast, at least 2 market stops to buy fruit, etc. I think we arrived around 11. A devotion and prayer followed by a get to know you game. Say something that you know about the person sitting on your left and then that person says something about themselves that people probably don’t know (not hard as I didn’t know anyone and could have said anything) and then continue around the circle. While I was a bit skeptical about the game when it was introduced, I think it went well. Then we tried to figure out lunch but the options didn’t look too appetizing at the stall across the street with the fish, lobster, or conch and everyone walked off. So some of us headed for the water. Beautiful, salty, sunny (a little bit too sunny). I went for my usual swim away from shore and got yelled at for ‘going out too far.’ (also the second time I did it—well not yelled out but told I’d gone way out). It was beautiful—but too far to go for just a day…Fish in a spicy sauce for lunch…a whole one with bones and tail :( but it was tasty. Then we went to tour another town. To tour a town by Haitian standards is enough to just drive through…and that is exactly what we did. 30 minutes out of our way and we didn’t even get out of the van. We made it back home around 7 that evening…way too long in the car and yet I am so happy that I’ve been to a beach (and I’ve been told there are closer ones!)