Day Four: Communicating beyond words

Being so overwhelmed with emotions from the past few days with hearing the girls stories and wanting everything to go well, and also dealing with some stressful situations back at home, I had a breakdown and started crying. I stepped outside while the girls were working, sat on a bench, and just lost it. Knowing something was wrong, Fabi, Mamaille, & Gina came out to find me. Without even knowing or asking what was wrong, Fabi gave me her shirt to cry into, and the girls all held my hands and gave me hugs from their wheelchairs. Then they all started to cry with me. It was in that moment that we all truly connected and understood in each other in a way that surpassed what words could ever express alone. We looked each other in the eyes and gripped hands, and with language barriers aside, we knew what we both were thinking. 

Fabi, Victoria & I 

Dieulitha playing around with one of her silk wraps!

Mamaille <3 

Ginette is a sweetheart. She has the softest kindest smile, and her eyes are sincere. She always hums while she beads. Gina is sweet, hardworking, and passionate. She really puts thought into each pattern as she's beading it. Fabi is one of the funniest girls I’ve ever met. Her laughter is contagious, and her personality is as big as her heart. She is a leader, she radiates optimism. She makes everyone happy and encourages them. She sings while she beads. She’s also a wild one, and loves to have a good time. She pronounces my name A-lee-see-a. She is sunshine. Fabian taught me that happiness is a choice. We can choose to sulk or we can choose to find the beauty in our situations no matter how hard. Dieulitha is our master sewer. She has a gentle way about her, is soft-spoken, and dilligent. She is patient and works hard. She works wonders with fabrics. We had a great time trying on and testing headbands together. She sat at the sewing machine all day and sewed up a bunch of beautiful silk wraps.

Mamaille's earrings

Mamaille is a Scorpio, like myself, born a day after my birthday. She is stunning, hard working, independent, creative, and an absolute inspiration. She has fierce emotional strength and determination.  Her hands work fast. She’s a serious earring-making machine! She was in her bliss making jewelry with us the past few days, I had to tell her to stop and take a break because she wanted to keep going all day- she even wanted to bring jewelry with her in bed to make while she laid down. Bay Lavi has ignited her passion and makes her happy- this is what she loves to do. Nothing feels more rewarding to me than that. She’s touched my heart in a way that I can’t explain.

We had an official initiation ceremony today for the girls. Everyone wore their eff.Y.bee shirts and decked themselves out in the jewelry they've made. They started by singing a traditional Haitian song. I congratulated them on their hard work, and then one by one they each came up to sign our Bay Lavi contract and receive their certificate!  

After the bay lavi ceremony, we celebrated with cookies and music. Everyone thanked me for the new things they learned and for this opportunity. I told them they've enriched my life and taught me even more. Dieulitha said she can't wait to show everyone at home her certificate, she was so proud of it. 
Mamaille played her favorite song for us and asked me to dance with her. Holding hands and swaying our arms back and forth, we danced from her wheelchair. Victoria learned to dance with Stephan (one of SBHF staff) and we all laughed and had a great time.

Later that evening, Victoria & I went to visit the girls one last time. We were leaving at 5 am the next day to head back to Port-Au-Prince for our flight. Under the stars, we sat together outside. Victoria has become nearly fluent in Creole (studying and speaking it every chance she got!) and so she helped to translate for me. Mamaille brought a photo album to show us with some pictures she had. She also gifted Victoria & I with sparkly barettes and necklaces she beaded. It's always those who don't have much that are the most generous. Mamaille gave me her picture- the laminated name tag one that everyone gets when they first arrive to St. Boniface. I think she gave it to me because she was afraid we'd never see each other again.  I promised her and the other girls that I will be back, that this is not a goodbye. 

Bouts of lightning began to light up the sky, a thunderstorm was approaching. As I said goodbye to Mamaille, she hugged me and said "I love you" in English. 

At the airport, I cried and I cried and I cried. Not tears of sadness, but of the overwhelming wave of emotions I felt as we ascended into the sky and left Port-Au-Prince. It's now my mission to share their stories and inspire others as they have inspired me. It doesn't take much to touch someone's life. If we all realized how much we are capable of doing with so little, we would all have the power to make a big impact.

Jewelry had the power to unite us, coming from such different worlds, in a unique and beautiful way, taking something we are all passionate for and connecting us deeply.