Regarding relief...Day 6

It is my last night here at the hospital. My shift is over, and another volunteer has come to relieve me of my duty with the translators. It is hard to believe it's only been a week. I feel very close to the people I have spent time with, and it feels like a year.

Despite the sadness of the situation we are responding to, there are things happening that give me a continuing faith in the capability of people to cultivate good in the midst of evil. This evening I walked around the camp for my last night time round. I visited with some patients, and went to a neighborhood store with some American doctors, chatting about life and enjoying the cool evening breezes. Then I made my way to the front porch, where I spent some time joking around with some of the Haitian workers and learning new words in Kreyol. I went into the hospital and took a look at a baby who was born here in the hospital just a few days ago. Then I went upstairs where the Spanish team of medics insisted on hanging out with me on my last night, and we ended up staying awake until 1 AM, eating, drinking and laughing.

In a time of despair, people still laugh. In the midst of brokenness, people from different nations come together to find community. People may die, but new life is still beginning. Everywhere I look I see signs of hope. The Haitian people have dealt with so much difficulty for so long, and this earthquake was a real sucker punch. But the Haitian people are strong, and I believe that with a little support from the rest of the world they can rebuild their world out of the ashes.

It's been a good week.