When we bounced down that bumpy road leading to the orphanage my anxiety was building. I was just moments away from climbing down off the truck and walking over to Berline for the first time and saying Hi. I didn't know what to say or what to do. I just prayed a simple prayer asking God to help me find the words. The truck rumbled to a stop and everyone started to get off. I could see some of the girls waiting on the porch away from the gate.
Christy had described to me what arrival was like when she was there in January. Farah would be waiting to kiss you, the rest of the girls would be huddled around waiting to hug you as you entered the gate. You would get your stuff and put it by the door and then spend the next hour meeting and hanging out with the girls. You would eventually be able to go upstairs and claim a room and the real fun would start, experiencing Haiti. It never really worked out that way for me.
As I climbed down from the truck with my video camera in tow I was surprised that none of the girls really made a move toward the gate. Kurt was standing outside and he looked at one of the older girls and told her to go get Berline. I thought to myself is this really happening? I reached for the video camera as she walked out and turned it on. I was determined to capture this moment to share with Christy and the girls. Kurt turned to Berline and said in a broken Creole, "Do you want him to be your poppy and go to the United States?" Berline, in a very soft and sweet voice, said "Wi, I love you poppy" and gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek. My heart melted! Then she turned and walked off and I was left standing there trying to process what had just happened. I had no idea what to do next!
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| My First Picture of Berline |
A myriad of emotions ran through me. What did it mean? What should I do? Does she really understand what is happening? I carried my stuff upstairs and picked the last room on the right. The room was over the kitchen and connected to the only single bedroom upstairs. I set my stuff on the bed. I was a bit frazzled. I rummaged through my suitcase and pulled out the photo album and went back downstairs to find Berline. Berline was sitting in a chair with Faguline. I walked up to her and put out my hand. She took my hand and we walked over to the steps and sat down.
We started going through the photo album picture by picture. In my best broken Creole I would try to tell her who everyone was. We looked at pictures of our family. She kept getting Christy and Savanna confused. She would see Emma and call her Eeeema. It was all quiet funny. In the back of the album Christy had included photos from her trip in January of Berline and of the other girls. These photos really caught her attention. For the first time you could see the light bulb come on and I believe that Berline was starting to put things in their place. She remembered Christy! We finished looking at the album and I needed to go upstairs to put my stuff away. This was the moment when everything changed.
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