Man oh man, I'm in the process of writng about my trip, but I gotta go to work....Instead of leaving you empty handed, enjoy this video I took in Haiti on the island of La Gonave, it's a praise song.
Hi friends! I've been back from Haiti for a few days. I have so much to say, but in the mean time, here are some pictures I took there. I'll tell you all about it later.
In a few hours I'll be heading to the airport to meet with the rest of the people going on the trip with me. It's official: I'm Haiti bound. I'll try to update if I have service and a laptop to use. If not, I'll be back in a week! Your prayers would be greatly appreciated. :)
As a Naija girl born and raised in America, soccer (football) really wasn't my thing. Even the fact that I call it soccer shows you how Americanized I am. Lol.
I don't really play sports, but my favorite one to watch is basketball. And I don't even watch basketball that much now that the Detroit Pistons are a shadow of their former selves. But I remember watching my dad play soccer at the all African 4th of July picnic and my mom warning him to take it easy cause he's not as young as he used to be. Lol. I also remember that my dad wanted me to try out for the girls' soccer team in the 6th grade, but I decided not to because I didn't want to. Hahahaha.....
Anyways,with all of my African friends so excited about the World Cup this year in South Africa, I decided to peek in on the first game to see what I could see. Of course I wanted South Africa to win over Mexico, but I guess we had to settle for a tie. When I started watching, the score was still 0-0. I dozed off, and when I woke up, it was 1-0 with South Africa in the lead. I saw when Mexico scored, and I saw that crazy shot where the guy from South Africa hit the goal post instead of getting the ball in the goal. I was kind of amazed. I mean, the bar is so narrow, but the ball hit that instead of going in the net. E be like say the Mexico team dey do one kin juju wey dey make the ball wey suppose enter net no dey enter. LOL!
My favorite thing of all was seeing Desmond Tutu dancing when South Africa made the first goal. I didn't get to see it when it happened but I saw it on replay. It was so cute! :) I was sad though, to hear that Nelson Mandela's great-granddaughter died in a car accident. That man really has had a hard life but has managed to come out of it without bitterness. Truly a great man. I pray for comfort in this time of sadness for him and his family. And I can't wait to celebrate Nelson Mandela Day on July 18. More on that later.
Anyways, I will support any African team when they play non-Africans, but it comes time for Naija to play, I hope say they dey beat all other teams well well! Even South Africa. :) It is great though, to have something positive that is bringing Africans together and putting a positive spotlight on Africa.
By the way, did you see the Shakira music video of the official song for the World Cup? I love it!
Here are most of the people going on the trip. As you can see, not all of us are Africans! :)
Hey, so our trip to Haiti leaves in exactly one week. Our group plans on doing a lot of great things for the Haitians when we go, including:
-Taking many medical supplies and medications to give excellent medical care
-Buying food supplies for the people
-Bringing clothes, toiletries, and other supplies for the people
We already have a good amount of supplies, but the more we can get, the more impact we can make. Each of the people going is just packing a carry-on donating their two luggages to be filled with the equipment we're taking.
If you would like to help out with these things, you can donate right here. Every little bit would be greatly appreciated!
Though I haven't talked much about it, my trip to Haiti is still in full effect. After waiting and starting to get nervous, three days ago my passport finally came. I breathed a huge sigh of relief. Really, I wasn't even as nervous as my dad, who demanded to know if my passport had come every day when he came back from work...Hahahaha.... I'm still praying and believing that the grant money from my school comes in time for the trip.
Anyways, yesterday there was a gathering for everyone who was going to Haiti and that's when things started to become more real. We met with a representative from the organization that we're partnering with, Rays of Hope for Haiti. We got a briefing on what to expect and a packet of information with helpful phrases in Creole. We'll also have translators and security traveling with us, which is quite awesome.
The trip is a medical mission, so most of the people going are in the medical field. My job will be to photograph each child who comes to the clinics we set up. The pictures will be used in a project that this church does, where they fill a shoebox with nice things for the child and ship it back to them. I will also be chronicling the medical help being provided. I expect to get lots of great stories.
I'm really excited. After meeting all of the people going on the trip yesterday. I'm confident that some great work will be done, people's lives will be changed, and I'll have a great time in the process.
I always thought that the first place that I would go once I got my passport renewed was NAIJA to see my family there, but I guess God has different plans for me. I'm still trying to find a way to get to Nigeria this summer, but in the meantime, I won't turn down this opportunity. I pray that everything goes well, and I believe it will. I leave Sunday June 13th and will be back on the 21st. I probably won't have Internet service there, so I'll have to tell you all about it when I get back. With lots of pictures, of course!
Just for fun: The last time I had a valid passport was when I went to Naija as a little baby of 6 years old!
