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[Deutsch unten<\/a>]<\/p>\n October 16, 2010, 6.45am.<\/em><\/p>\n Yesterday was filled with countless new impressions, as Mary, Amber and Stien took us on a bit of a tour of Jacmel: where the change USD into Haitian gourdes, the internet caf\u00e9, the convenience store, the bustling market, but also the rather stark camp Pinchinat where little boys ran up to us to hold our hands. And of course our first moto ride, two people perched behind the driver of a motorcycle. All of this in the hot sun, so that on our return to the house and lunch most of us collapsed for a bit of siesta before orientation.<\/p>\n During orientation we introduced ourselves and it was interesting to hear about the very different backgrounds of my fellow volunteers: we\u2019re nurses, teachers, computer techs, students, from three different continents, but we all hope to be able to make a positive difference in the lives of people here. Then Kat and Jessica told us about the various projects GVN is involved in – mostly construction, teaching and work with children. There\u2019s a weekly schedule and every day we can decide where we\u2019ll go, although it\u2019s recommended that especially the people who\u2019re only here for two weeks pick one or two projects. Personally I\u2019m a bit daunted by the construction projects, having two left hands, but I\u2019m sure I\u2019ll be able to find the place where I\u2019ll be most useful.<\/p>\n After orientation some of us headed to the internet caf\u00e9 (as you might have noticed from the two blog posts I upoaded – luckily there\u2019s USB ports, so I can simply copy the posts written on my laptop) and because there\u2019s wireless there I was able to call my parents (using Skype on my iPhone, a cheap way to call landlines), which was good.<\/p>\n Then we went for drinks and the experienced volunteers told us about some of their experiences before we went to have dinner at the site of the Peace of Mind Hotel (click to see photos of before and after), which was completely destroyed in the earthquake and unfortunately claimed two lives, one of whom was a friend of Jessica\u2019s. GVN has been helping with the rubbling (= manual removal of rubble) there, and the owner, who now wants to open a restaurant in order to generate some income, had prepared an absolutely amazing feast for us: A potato-beet root salad, fried plantain, bread fruit, chicken and accra (a sweet potato, I think) plus sugar cane to suck on were some of the highlights for me.<\/p>\n Most of us newbies were completely exhausted after all of this and turned in, while some of the others went to a nearby bar\/disco. Hopefully next weekend I won\u2019t be so tired at 8.30pm and can sample the local nightlife myself. ![\":)\"](\"http:\/\/www.volunteerjournals.org\/wordpress\/wp-includes\/images\/smilies\/icon_smile.gif\"){kind=icon}
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