Today stood in stark contrast to our first two days. Trezo started 4 years ago with just a 1st and 2nd grade. Today, their grades go from Kindergarten through 6th grade, and the first three 6th grade graduates graduated today.
I guess we are getting used to the motorcycle taxis as today was pretty uneventful–except we got a flat tire about 1/3 mile from the school. Ella and I just hiked the remainder of the way which was funny as kids would wave and yell Blan (for white, I guess) and some even yelled Ella!
In Haiti, less than 20% of kids finish 6th grade to make them eligible for high school. For today’s ceremony, they brought humongous speakers from a local church, and we decorated their newest classroom with curtains, tarps, plants, and other decorations. Around 100 people showed up, dressed in their Sunday best including high heels, dresses, and suits for the guys. Many walked but lots of the men rode up on motorcycles.
The ceremony was almost all in French and lasted well over 2 hours. It included traditional graduate hats, a choreographed dance by the 5th and 6th grade girls, a fashion show (yes, I did say fashion show), and speeches from each of the three graduates–all girls.
To see the joy in everyone and the effort to celebrate these girls accomplishment was astounding. The parents, many of whom can not read, were especially proud as you can imagine.
Ella and I sat in back and by the end of the ceremony, Ella was surrounded by many of her new friends.
After the graduation, everyone walked about half a mile to a pavilion on the ocean for a reception for the graduates and their families.
The weather was overcast, less humid and breezy today so we got a little relief from the heat. Due to the heat, I have had about 5 hours sleep total between the last 2 nights. It is over 80 in our room at night which is by far the worst part of the trip for me.
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