Ayiti Chronicles – Take it to the streets!

OK! So, today was a great day! WOW! This trip has been a great journey and a much needed jump start for me spiritually. These kids at the Edeyo school are HUNGRY! They are so appreciative for what we’ve done for them and that’s why I appreciate them.

Today (Wednesday) was such a great day because we took the dance class that we had inside the school on the second floor and turned it into something for the entire community to take part in! AMAZING! I will admit that this trip has been such an emotional drain on me because I bring what I love to the dance floor and that’s energy! When it came time for class today, I was a little low on energy. When we came to help out with Edeyo, we promised to help in any way we could. During the first part of the day, I took about forty to fifty pictures of students who attend the school and six class pictures (2 kindergarten classes, second, third, fourth and fifth grades).

By the time 1pm came, I was SPENT! I went to change my clothes, found a nice little corner for some “quiet time”, and put some music on my iphone on to settle myself. Today’s class was going to be big, REALLY BIG! Mommie Maude, The principle of the school as well as her son Unik Earnest (one of the co-founders of the Edeyo Foundation) would be in the viewing audience. Added pressure would be coming from the parents of the kids who would be watching to see what’s going on at the school (there was also a parent/teacher conference the same day!). Pressure? Of course! But I LOVE a challenge, so let’s go!

Mommie Maude has really done a good job making sure that I get drummers, water and whatever I may need to make these dance classes happen. She actually appreciates a black man coming to help “his own people” (her words, not mine). Today, she made me feel really appreciated! We moved the class outside to the streets, but its was still 90 degrees outside and the ground was HOT! No worries, we’d just dance with our shoes on right?

WRONG!

Mommie Maude got the peoples in the ‘hood to get me a MASSIVE tarp to lay on the street concrete so we could all take our shoes off and dance! NICE! This woman is the BEST!

After the tarp was laid out, the kids ran out and it was time to do it! I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves, but EVERYONE enjoyed the class. The kids, the teachers, Mommie Maude, Unik, the parents, the gangsters and the police ALL loved it!