We started early on day 4. We went to another church and also made some house visits. I did not get to see as many patients at the church this day, as I was part of the group who also made house visits. I did hear a heartbreaking story from one Abaco refugee. I will not forget this person and the story told.
Halfway through the day, a fellow team member and I ventured out to grab lunch. MRE's get old after a while. So, we made our way out a few blocks. We stopped at a place that had foods we would like. There was a guy at the counter, so we asked if he was open (the kitchen was dark). He told us they were prepping to open up in an hour, but in the meantime...why not take advantage of a $25 tattoo? We both told him no pretty sternly. He offered again. Again, no, no thanks. So, we made our way down the street. We found a little hole in the wall place that offered some things we liked. I decided to order some conch fritters. When in Rome and all. The food didn't take long, but by the time we made it back to the church, it was time to hit the road for house visits. We left our food in the church, piled in to a van and made our way through town.
We made a few stops and several people from the area showed up on the porch of the patient we were visiting. It was a little overwhelming, but, we managed.
By the time we made it back to church, it was time to pack up and go back to the church we were staying in. I finally got to try the conch fritters. Those little things pack a punch and my mouth was on fire, but, I ate them all. I ate some of the beans & rice I had ordered, but down in the Bahamas, they like to give super portions of beans & rice. It's almost ridiculous. So, I ended up sharing it with a few team members.
We all took time to rest, clean up and then later that evening, we went out to Arawak Cay to have dinner. We also went to the beach one last time and had a great evening.
When we got back to the church, most of us were packing up to leave the next morning. My flight to Ft. Lauderdale would be noon on 10/1. I was both sad and excited to be going home. I had such a wonderful time getting to know my team members and I feel as though lifetime friendships have been made. I was sad to no longer have them around and helping the people of the Bahamas, however, I was excited to get home to my family.
Here's a few pictures of the day: