by Heather Kearney

When you’ve grown up surrounded by the ocean, there’s nothing better than the feeling of sand between your toes and the sound of waves crashing on the beach, unless you happen to be in the turquoise, warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.

Coming to HATS the past two years, I was always in awe of the amazing beach view as we’d make the drive from Port Au Prince to Deschapelles, so this year, when Karen gave us the chance for a beach day, I couldn’t say “yes” quick enough. But there’s a story behind the beach day…

Not long after I booked our tickets back in March, Karen messaged me with a warning–“You might want to change your tickets,” she said, “because there is a “fet” (party/celebration) (aka racket) next door for the first 6 nights that you and Mackenzie will be here!”

How bad could it be? I’ve chaperoned my fair share of high school dances over the years and lived to tell about it, so this “fet” couldn’t be THAT bad, could it? Mackenzie and I figured it would just be another part of our adventure. But it turns out, yes, it certainly could be THAT bad! Not even noise cancelling headphones, coupled with extra strength Melatonin, could come close to drowning out the so- called “music” blaring from the speakers. Imagine a high school dance, but one that was being held outside, and it’s right in your backyard, on church owned property, even. Then add the torturous screams of a guy on a microphone, then throw in enough bass that makes your insides vibrate. That might give you a SMALL sense of how loud it is. Now I understand why Karen tries not to spend any time here in July. What started out as a 6 day party years ago, has turned into a full 14 day blowout that would make your hair curl if you could be here to experience it! The night at the hotel was a welcome chance for us all to sleep in peace for more than just a few hours, and to see another part of Haiti while we’re at it.

And now, back to reality. We hoped and prayed the thunder, lightning, and torrential rain would last long enough so that there would be no party last night,  but no such luck! We were back to the very loud singing, a LOT of bass, the screams on the mic, and heads at HATS buried under pillows! We’re expecting a very late night of noise again tonight, Saturday, and tomorrow, Sunday, because even though this is supposed to be the last weekend of the “fet,” we’re thinking they’ll be trying to squeeze every last party minute out of the weekend that they can…

So, with Melatonin in hand and headphones in place, I’m hoping for dreams of sand between my toes and waves crashing on the beach for the next too nights! One can always hope!

Hugs from us in Haiti