Today was the “Prise de Coiffe” for the first year nursing students of the Faculté des Science Infirmières De Léogane (FSIL). And what better day to celebrate than on National Nurses’ Day! The ceremony was held at the Ste Croix Episcopal Church (right next door to the hospital) at 10am. It started a little bit late because there was no electricity. Monsieur Edgar, the weekend and nighttime maintenance guy who controls the electricity for all of the hospital compound which includes the church, had gone to the market to buy oil and was not yet back. So we just waited. In the meantime my legs were devoured by a swarm of mosquitoes (big black spotted ones that hurt when they bite).
The church is a very simple concrete building with beautifully crafted metal windows. Unfortunately there are no ceiling fans so it was still incredibly hot even when the electricity came on. Regardless, the ceremony was very nice. The FSIL choir sang upbeat church music and in the middle of the mass all 27 of the first year students went up to the front to receive their little nursing hats. (There are actually 4 guys in the class who don’t get to wear little hats.)
(Picture: nursing students getting their hats)
At the end there was one last song where we all held hands and swayed back and forth to “Gloire à Dieu”. Then we all filed out of the church and onto busses to go back to the nursing school for the reception. There was food (meat filled croissant and some sort of chicken? burger), drinks, music, and lots of speeches. I figured out what to call myself finally. I was introduced as “La Directrice du Programme Nutrition de L’hôpital Ste Croix”. Quite a mouthful.
By 2:00pm I was in major need of some food so I bid farewell to everyone and made my way home. There was a party in the evening, but I decided to stay home and go to bed early.
