I have internet! But not on my own little computer, I have to use the group laptops as they come available, but regardless, this is a great blessing for all of us. (Hopefully you feel this way too!)
I am in Leogane, safe and sound and living with 70 other people in a large open air cement palace. It feels like Eugene in the co-op sense and the compost bins, but very much still like Haiti in the heat, mosquitoes and the work!
Every morning we wake and eat a simple breakfast of instant oatmeal and hot water or corn flakes and instant milk. We are ready by 7:28am to go to work on one of many different projects - laying a foundation for a school, rendering walls for another school, demolition (more technical), rubbling (far less technical ~ sledgehammering), BSF (BioSand Filter creation), and other various projects like compost duties, Baby Orphanage, or whatever else some one has the initiative of doing. The organization is called All Hands and they really are just that! The physical labor feels wonderful after weeks of primarily working just my mouth, but of course, I am still working with that too. My Creole is getting so much better and it's an absolute joy to be meeting more and more people everywhere I go.
Most of the people here stay for months and my 3 weeks, I've been told, will pass quickly. In the meantime, I feel like this a time for me to practice the faith I have been so dependent on the past 6 weeks and actually be honest about it with the people here who are looking for grander purpose in their lives.
I've been able to have one really good conversation already today, over lunch dishes, about how and why I wound up in Haiti. I am feeling very led to doing this type of work in the future - being a missionary to the missionaries of sorts. I say "of sorts" because we are all truly missionaries in one sense or another. We are certainly not all preaching the same gospel, but we are all preaching something.
So many aid organizations have such good intentions and yet the end results fall short and the root issues remain. Perhaps I am here for such a time as this, to learn what works best and to spread that method one group of well-intentioned missionaries at a time.
(Of course, I'm still learning what this method is - but that's why I've still got a month to go!!)
Thanks for the prayers and emails and love - you're all wonderful!
Until the computer is free again,
Ana
Friday, February 11, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Growing Pains
Bonjou tout moun!
M poko pale kreyol konn yon rat men m'ap apprann toujou!
I'm writing primarily to share with you what this past week has brought before I leave the beauty of wireless for 3 weeks. I think I will still have occasional access, but God only knows and I don't want any of you worrying.
I have spent the past 5 days in Port-au-Prince withe Morquettes at King's Hospital. During this time I have been doing minimal amounts of work and it has been a struggle to accept each day that passes without feeling like I have accomplished anything. However, yesterday afternoon some old friends of the Morquettes showed up, Steve and Margaret Johnson. What a joy it was for the Morquettes and of course, I always enjoy meeting new people! So this morning, I was sitting in Dr. Morquette's office with Margaret waiting to hear what job he had for me to do today, and instead was blessed with time to simply sit and be reminded that wherever I am is where God wants me to be. And whatever I am doing, can always be for His glory and I can always be learning more.
I've been surprisingly tired this week- it feels like growing pains- I have been learning so much!
I'm off to Leogane tomorrow, Lord willing, and will be meeting entirely new people and having entirely new experiences.
I'll try to keep you informed as I can!
Mesi pou priye yo, (thank you for the prayers!)
Ana
M poko pale kreyol konn yon rat men m'ap apprann toujou!
I'm writing primarily to share with you what this past week has brought before I leave the beauty of wireless for 3 weeks. I think I will still have occasional access, but God only knows and I don't want any of you worrying.
I have spent the past 5 days in Port-au-Prince withe Morquettes at King's Hospital. During this time I have been doing minimal amounts of work and it has been a struggle to accept each day that passes without feeling like I have accomplished anything. However, yesterday afternoon some old friends of the Morquettes showed up, Steve and Margaret Johnson. What a joy it was for the Morquettes and of course, I always enjoy meeting new people! So this morning, I was sitting in Dr. Morquette's office with Margaret waiting to hear what job he had for me to do today, and instead was blessed with time to simply sit and be reminded that wherever I am is where God wants me to be. And whatever I am doing, can always be for His glory and I can always be learning more.
I've been surprisingly tired this week- it feels like growing pains- I have been learning so much!
I'm off to Leogane tomorrow, Lord willing, and will be meeting entirely new people and having entirely new experiences.
I'll try to keep you informed as I can!
Mesi pou priye yo, (thank you for the prayers!)
Ana
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Pride and Joy
Hello February - when did you get here!?
The time certainly flies when you're having fun and what could be more fun than spending a week digging fence post holes in the sun and scooping up sewagey mud with your gloved hands?
It may sound like complaining but I am being 100% honest! This week was absolutely full of JOY! I cannot tell you how many times each day I found myself bursting into laughter; whether it be at one of the numerous Chris Farley references, at an impression of a football player by a football player, the security guard Bob whining at getting a zit popped by a passing female friend, or the overall contagious joy that seeing my church in Haiti brought to me. I went to bed every night with a smile on my face, praising God for another day of laughter and another night sleeping under his stars (and once under his rain!)
Despite the energizing joy and leaving the team today feeling SO filled with peace and faith and passion, this week did present me with a new struggle. The struggle isn't necessarily what is new, but my recognition of it in my life has been of fairly recent origin: Pride.
C.S. Lewis calls it "The Great Sin...the essential vice." He says that "it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began" (Mere Christianity, 108). Being in Haiti and reading this means quite a bit more than reading it in the comfort of our U.S. democracy. Is this sin in me the same thing that has historically brought Haiti to its violence and corruption?
Before this week I was proud of my comprehension of the conversations I had and the success and maneuvering through a Haitian marketplace, it's true. But this week, I felt needed. I was translating for people other than myself and it was actually working! I was able to help explain parts of the culture and situation here for the team and answer questions for the strangers who watched us work. I wish that I could say I handled this all with the grace and humility Jesus would have had, but I did not. I let it get to my head and found myself losing touch with the servant's heart I hoped I would always pursue. But as confession is a rather humbling experience, I knew I had to tell all of you what really impacted me most this week, not simply about the wonderful people and activities that have certainly touched my life.
So there you have it, my Pride and Joy. Both stemming from my God-given ability to learn Kreyol - something I will always praise Him for - so long as I don't get caught up again in my own praise.
Glwa a Dye (Glory to God)
The time certainly flies when you're having fun and what could be more fun than spending a week digging fence post holes in the sun and scooping up sewagey mud with your gloved hands?
It may sound like complaining but I am being 100% honest! This week was absolutely full of JOY! I cannot tell you how many times each day I found myself bursting into laughter; whether it be at one of the numerous Chris Farley references, at an impression of a football player by a football player, the security guard Bob whining at getting a zit popped by a passing female friend, or the overall contagious joy that seeing my church in Haiti brought to me. I went to bed every night with a smile on my face, praising God for another day of laughter and another night sleeping under his stars (and once under his rain!)
Despite the energizing joy and leaving the team today feeling SO filled with peace and faith and passion, this week did present me with a new struggle. The struggle isn't necessarily what is new, but my recognition of it in my life has been of fairly recent origin: Pride.
C.S. Lewis calls it "The Great Sin...the essential vice." He says that "it is Pride which has been the chief cause of misery in every nation and every family since the world began" (Mere Christianity, 108). Being in Haiti and reading this means quite a bit more than reading it in the comfort of our U.S. democracy. Is this sin in me the same thing that has historically brought Haiti to its violence and corruption?
Before this week I was proud of my comprehension of the conversations I had and the success and maneuvering through a Haitian marketplace, it's true. But this week, I felt needed. I was translating for people other than myself and it was actually working! I was able to help explain parts of the culture and situation here for the team and answer questions for the strangers who watched us work. I wish that I could say I handled this all with the grace and humility Jesus would have had, but I did not. I let it get to my head and found myself losing touch with the servant's heart I hoped I would always pursue. But as confession is a rather humbling experience, I knew I had to tell all of you what really impacted me most this week, not simply about the wonderful people and activities that have certainly touched my life.
So there you have it, my Pride and Joy. Both stemming from my God-given ability to learn Kreyol - something I will always praise Him for - so long as I don't get caught up again in my own praise.
Glwa a Dye (Glory to God)
Monday, January 31, 2011
Kafou!
Bonjou toutmoun!
Well I've made it to Carrefour and the team from Grace made it here too! Gloire a Dieu!
The last week in Jacmel was one of incredible memories and also a heavy heart as I departed. Thankfully, the church of Patrick and PP had services Wednesday and Thursday evening that I was able to attend and it was such a blessing. Wednesday night I was handed a microphone to introduce myself in front of the congregation - this seems to be a repeating pattern but every time I'm always a little caught off guard. Thursday, after a long day of feeling low and quiet and sad the service was rambunctious and full of laughter and joy and I left dancing through the streets with Jeanette and Mammi Doune (the matron of Patrick and PP's house).
Friday afternoon, I was in Carnest's classroom until PP stole me into his classroom. I will admit I much preferred this as PP's students are the most advanced and we can communicate the most easily. (I've come to recognize how much I value communication - I guess it shouldn't be that big of a surprise!)
I had written a letter in Kreyol and English that I was going to try to sign to each classroom - a letter of thanks and also one of encouragement, that though the world cannot always understand, God does. Instead, they had a surprise party planned and wouldn't let me begin to read my letter until after they had presented me with a Jacmel T-shirt, a calendar with a picture of all of the staff on one side and all of the students and myself signing "I love you" on the other, the preschool class also made me an adorable card that everyone signed. Marika made a little speech and then finally they let me read my letter while Patrick interpreted it for me. Perhaps the best part, was Patrick saying at the end that it's not a party unless we eat together and one of PP's students asked if this meant we were all going to eat the wheat and beans they always serve for lunch. We all laughed and in came the cake and sodas!! It was such a surprise and I will always cherish the time I spent at PAZAPA and in Jacmel.
I left with Carnest in a van packed full of people and luggage and a couple of hours later was being dropped off in front of the Morquettes' house. I thought my day had finally ended but instead I walked into 19 people waiting for dinner and having a
grand time while doing it. Not only were they 19 people from Xenos Christian Fellowship in Colombus, Ohio, half of them were people I had met, two days prior, at the Epi in Jacmel! They had recognized me from the photo on the fridge of the 2009 trip with the Peeles, the Morquettes, Joshua and myself. What a small world! What a big God!
The next morning, Tony's uncle and cousin came and picked me and drove me the traffic-free way to the airport, paying for parking and a bottle of water, against my insistence. Haitian hospitality knows no ends and I have never before felt so well taken care of. I waited at the airport pou kont mwe and met up with Jeff and Jude from Forward Edge and eventually the Grace Team!! That night we laid low staying in the Guest House in Grace Village, Carrefour (Kafou). Jon, an Associate Pastor/Worship Leader found a tired guitar and we sang a few songs, in English and went to bed. It was so enjoyable - in the true sense of the word, to sing in English and it has been an absolute pleasure being in the company of friends who get to experience Haiti for the first time.
Yesterday was a double header for church services but both were entirely different experiences. The first, Jon preached about the Lord's Prayer and really communicated well. For his first time with an interpreter, he really excelled and we are all proud of him, and more so blessed to have a God that is multilingual! The evening service was at a church a mile away and we crammed in, Haitian style, 20 people in a little mini-bus and drove over to another church. Jon introduced everyone, with me translating and we all sang How Great Thou Art. It was quite the cacophony of praise, but it was, indubitably, a joyful noise!
The sermon was about giving everything to God and not being half in- half out. The preacher was sweating and yelling and Frank "lost his voice for him." The team really enjoyed the service and it was a wonderful experience to see the service through "new eyes."
Today after a 5am wake-up to do devotions in the dark, we breakfasted and got to work. Beca and I "cleaned rice" with some of the women at the Lord's Kitchen and the other 5 got to work sorting through a storage room of donated items.
Talk about a practical "giving wisely" lesson. Who sends ski pants to Haiti!? And thank you, but there's no need to send expired canned octopus, we'll be fine without. After lunch we went out into the yard to help sort 470 kids into two lines to carry bowls full of rice and beans back to their families in the village. I interpreted a mini counseling session for one of the security guards and Jeff, and we all laughed quite a bit.
One of the best parts for me so far this week had been the conversations about faith and life and tough questions that I can understand 99% of. It has been so energizing already and I'm only praying now to not be too energetic for my still slightly jet-lagged, culture-shocked teammates.
Until I find internet again,
Ana
Well I've made it to Carrefour and the team from Grace made it here too! Gloire a Dieu!
The last week in Jacmel was one of incredible memories and also a heavy heart as I departed. Thankfully, the church of Patrick and PP had services Wednesday and Thursday evening that I was able to attend and it was such a blessing. Wednesday night I was handed a microphone to introduce myself in front of the congregation - this seems to be a repeating pattern but every time I'm always a little caught off guard. Thursday, after a long day of feeling low and quiet and sad the service was rambunctious and full of laughter and joy and I left dancing through the streets with Jeanette and Mammi Doune (the matron of Patrick and PP's house).
Friday afternoon, I was in Carnest's classroom until PP stole me into his classroom. I will admit I much preferred this as PP's students are the most advanced and we can communicate the most easily. (I've come to recognize how much I value communication - I guess it shouldn't be that big of a surprise!)
I had written a letter in Kreyol and English that I was going to try to sign to each classroom - a letter of thanks and also one of encouragement, that though the world cannot always understand, God does. Instead, they had a surprise party planned and wouldn't let me begin to read my letter until after they had presented me with a Jacmel T-shirt, a calendar with a picture of all of the staff on one side and all of the students and myself signing "I love you" on the other, the preschool class also made me an adorable card that everyone signed. Marika made a little speech and then finally they let me read my letter while Patrick interpreted it for me. Perhaps the best part, was Patrick saying at the end that it's not a party unless we eat together and one of PP's students asked if this meant we were all going to eat the wheat and beans they always serve for lunch. We all laughed and in came the cake and sodas!! It was such a surprise and I will always cherish the time I spent at PAZAPA and in Jacmel.
I left with Carnest in a van packed full of people and luggage and a couple of hours later was being dropped off in front of the Morquettes' house. I thought my day had finally ended but instead I walked into 19 people waiting for dinner and having a
grand time while doing it. Not only were they 19 people from Xenos Christian Fellowship in Colombus, Ohio, half of them were people I had met, two days prior, at the Epi in Jacmel! They had recognized me from the photo on the fridge of the 2009 trip with the Peeles, the Morquettes, Joshua and myself. What a small world! What a big God!
The next morning, Tony's uncle and cousin came and picked me and drove me the traffic-free way to the airport, paying for parking and a bottle of water, against my insistence. Haitian hospitality knows no ends and I have never before felt so well taken care of. I waited at the airport pou kont mwe and met up with Jeff and Jude from Forward Edge and eventually the Grace Team!! That night we laid low staying in the Guest House in Grace Village, Carrefour (Kafou). Jon, an Associate Pastor/Worship Leader found a tired guitar and we sang a few songs, in English and went to bed. It was so enjoyable - in the true sense of the word, to sing in English and it has been an absolute pleasure being in the company of friends who get to experience Haiti for the first time.
Yesterday was a double header for church services but both were entirely different experiences. The first, Jon preached about the Lord's Prayer and really communicated well. For his first time with an interpreter, he really excelled and we are all proud of him, and more so blessed to have a God that is multilingual! The evening service was at a church a mile away and we crammed in, Haitian style, 20 people in a little mini-bus and drove over to another church. Jon introduced everyone, with me translating and we all sang How Great Thou Art. It was quite the cacophony of praise, but it was, indubitably, a joyful noise!
The sermon was about giving everything to God and not being half in- half out. The preacher was sweating and yelling and Frank "lost his voice for him." The team really enjoyed the service and it was a wonderful experience to see the service through "new eyes."
Today after a 5am wake-up to do devotions in the dark, we breakfasted and got to work. Beca and I "cleaned rice" with some of the women at the Lord's Kitchen and the other 5 got to work sorting through a storage room of donated items.
Talk about a practical "giving wisely" lesson. Who sends ski pants to Haiti!? And thank you, but there's no need to send expired canned octopus, we'll be fine without. After lunch we went out into the yard to help sort 470 kids into two lines to carry bowls full of rice and beans back to their families in the village. I interpreted a mini counseling session for one of the security guards and Jeff, and we all laughed quite a bit.
One of the best parts for me so far this week had been the conversations about faith and life and tough questions that I can understand 99% of. It has been so energizing already and I'm only praying now to not be too energetic for my still slightly jet-lagged, culture-shocked teammates.
Until I find internet again,
Ana
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Chloraquine #6
Dear fellow adventurers, this morning I took my 6th chloraquine (hot pink anti-malarial pill)- meaning we've been on this journey for coming on 4 weeks already.
The past few days have been filled with wonderful little moments I would like to share with you:
Friday after school got out I went home with Marika and we drove out to the Hotel Cyvadier. I had been there once before in 2009 but only to enjoy its wonderful view and then get back in the car to return to another hotel. This time we got to stay and actually go down to the water and swim! January 21st and I'm swimming in 80 degree water with two adorable kids clinging to me with every oncoming wave. The hotel is perched on a absolutely gorgeous tiny little bay and the kids and I traversed up and down rocks and through a spider-and-crab- filled terrain just to go in the water a little further down the coast. It was beautiful and also hilarious because I wound up carrying both kids across one particular section of the shore due to the sudden disappearance of a very large crab into the crashing waves.
After rinsing off, we ate as the sunset and large beetles dive-bombed the tables around us. I forgot the way fish is served here an ordered the Poisson Creole. It was on the cheaper side but came Haitian-style: head, eyes, tail, fins, skin, bones - everything but the guts. I struggled through it with guidance from Marika and felt quite accomplished an hour later to have eaten about 4 ounces of fish. It was a beautiful evening.
Saturday was fairly uneventful as I was coming down with a head cold and I spent the day reading and playing cards with kids and fighting the inevitable.
Sunday: the inevitable. Slept in, missed church and sat sleepily on the sidewalk to watch Mardi Gras celebrations around noon and then later Carnival in the evening. Mardi Gras is quite lively- people running en masse, mostly naked, covered in a mud they make out of sugar cane syrup and charcoal dust (the flies love this). Often, the mud/nudity is replaced or in addition to face paints and dressing in drag. Large groups of people will form around a few men in drag and they will parade the streets for hours with Haitian rum and song. It's during this marching about that people can do pretty much whatever they want including, covering other people in mud! Luckily, I was not covered though I did have a lovely conversation in French with a fairly large important businessman as he sat next to me, very drunk, shirtless, covered in black mud, with a long brown flowing wig and man thong intentionally exposed. Just lovely.
I had lost my braids to the Caribbean on Friday so Monday when I arrived at school Madga, one of the teachers, told me that I was no longer Haitian, I was back to being just another blan. She loves me. : )
After school and dinner (amazing chicken, a boiled plantain, iceberg lettuce and tomato slices) I went over to PP, Patrick, Carnest, and about 11 other people's house for Lekip Langle. English club! It was only PP and I for a little while laughing as he called himself Superman for jerrywiring a lightbulb and styrofoam to make an area outside bright enough for us to gather. It failed enough times for us to call it quits and go inside. All the while laughing at the not-so-super Superman. Patrick came home apologizing for being late and not too long after Mister Noel also joined us. The other members never came but we discussed titles and "have been" and our best friends. One of my favorite lines was: "My best friend, he's female." I have a growing appreciation for already being able to speak English. Creole is much easier to learn, though what it lacks in conjugations it makes up for in contractions and idioms!
After Mr. Noel went home, Carnest joined us and we began an odd circle of saying our goodbyes prematurely. I nearly cried - and for me that's saying quite a bit! Jeanette cried earlier in the day at the news of my coming departure this Friday. It would be a lie to say that I want to leave this place.
Today, I was at PAZAPA all day, with Carnest and the little little deaf kids in the morning - one of whom fell asleep within seconds when she crawled into my lap as we waited our lunch (blè e pwa franse - wheat and French beans), and then the afternoon with PP in the 5th and 6th grade class. We read in Creole/watched in Sign a story about a goat named KeKe, did some division problems and were learning geography when we had a little problem with discipline with one of the older boys. He had made an offensive sign to one of the other teachers but only PP saw it. While all of the teachers dealt with this, I was left standing in front of a class trying to explain what a baromètre is in Sign. I can hardly do this in English let alone ASL/Creole/French! But they were understanding and I used lots of colored chalk and we pretty well covered végétation, saisons, l'atmosphere, le zone tropicale, and l'equateur. All in a days work!
I am home now, sitting on the 2nd floor porch, overlooking the quiet street. A couple of cows were led past earlier and motorcycles pass every so often. The kids are studying with Marika's help and I am resisting the urge to scratch my bug bites. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to Jacmel, but the adventure must continue - I still have 6 more chloraquine to take before returning Ozetazini (to the U.S).
Love and rice and beans,
Ana
The past few days have been filled with wonderful little moments I would like to share with you:
Friday after school got out I went home with Marika and we drove out to the Hotel Cyvadier. I had been there once before in 2009 but only to enjoy its wonderful view and then get back in the car to return to another hotel. This time we got to stay and actually go down to the water and swim! January 21st and I'm swimming in 80 degree water with two adorable kids clinging to me with every oncoming wave. The hotel is perched on a absolutely gorgeous tiny little bay and the kids and I traversed up and down rocks and through a spider-and-crab- filled terrain just to go in the water a little further down the coast. It was beautiful and also hilarious because I wound up carrying both kids across one particular section of the shore due to the sudden disappearance of a very large crab into the crashing waves.
After rinsing off, we ate as the sunset and large beetles dive-bombed the tables around us. I forgot the way fish is served here an ordered the Poisson Creole. It was on the cheaper side but came Haitian-style: head, eyes, tail, fins, skin, bones - everything but the guts. I struggled through it with guidance from Marika and felt quite accomplished an hour later to have eaten about 4 ounces of fish. It was a beautiful evening.
Saturday was fairly uneventful as I was coming down with a head cold and I spent the day reading and playing cards with kids and fighting the inevitable.
Sunday: the inevitable. Slept in, missed church and sat sleepily on the sidewalk to watch Mardi Gras celebrations around noon and then later Carnival in the evening. Mardi Gras is quite lively- people running en masse, mostly naked, covered in a mud they make out of sugar cane syrup and charcoal dust (the flies love this). Often, the mud/nudity is replaced or in addition to face paints and dressing in drag. Large groups of people will form around a few men in drag and they will parade the streets for hours with Haitian rum and song. It's during this marching about that people can do pretty much whatever they want including, covering other people in mud! Luckily, I was not covered though I did have a lovely conversation in French with a fairly large important businessman as he sat next to me, very drunk, shirtless, covered in black mud, with a long brown flowing wig and man thong intentionally exposed. Just lovely.
I had lost my braids to the Caribbean on Friday so Monday when I arrived at school Madga, one of the teachers, told me that I was no longer Haitian, I was back to being just another blan. She loves me. : )
After school and dinner (amazing chicken, a boiled plantain, iceberg lettuce and tomato slices) I went over to PP, Patrick, Carnest, and about 11 other people's house for Lekip Langle. English club! It was only PP and I for a little while laughing as he called himself Superman for jerrywiring a lightbulb and styrofoam to make an area outside bright enough for us to gather. It failed enough times for us to call it quits and go inside. All the while laughing at the not-so-super Superman. Patrick came home apologizing for being late and not too long after Mister Noel also joined us. The other members never came but we discussed titles and "have been" and our best friends. One of my favorite lines was: "My best friend, he's female." I have a growing appreciation for already being able to speak English. Creole is much easier to learn, though what it lacks in conjugations it makes up for in contractions and idioms!
After Mr. Noel went home, Carnest joined us and we began an odd circle of saying our goodbyes prematurely. I nearly cried - and for me that's saying quite a bit! Jeanette cried earlier in the day at the news of my coming departure this Friday. It would be a lie to say that I want to leave this place.
Today, I was at PAZAPA all day, with Carnest and the little little deaf kids in the morning - one of whom fell asleep within seconds when she crawled into my lap as we waited our lunch (blè e pwa franse - wheat and French beans), and then the afternoon with PP in the 5th and 6th grade class. We read in Creole/watched in Sign a story about a goat named KeKe, did some division problems and were learning geography when we had a little problem with discipline with one of the older boys. He had made an offensive sign to one of the other teachers but only PP saw it. While all of the teachers dealt with this, I was left standing in front of a class trying to explain what a baromètre is in Sign. I can hardly do this in English let alone ASL/Creole/French! But they were understanding and I used lots of colored chalk and we pretty well covered végétation, saisons, l'atmosphere, le zone tropicale, and l'equateur. All in a days work!
I am home now, sitting on the 2nd floor porch, overlooking the quiet street. A couple of cows were led past earlier and motorcycles pass every so often. The kids are studying with Marika's help and I am resisting the urge to scratch my bug bites. It's going to be hard to say goodbye to Jacmel, but the adventure must continue - I still have 6 more chloraquine to take before returning Ozetazini (to the U.S).
Love and rice and beans,
Ana
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Glass Half Full
This week has been one of perspective and choice. I think it being the third week gone had something to do with it; but I also received the email from Teach For America saying that I would not be joining the corps this year.
I firmly believe that the days leading up to hearing this news had been full of preparation for hearing it. I have been learning to look at the positive when things seem frustrating. For example, bug bites. What could be more annoying than the constant itching and ever-present fear of tiny little insects? Well, I've discovered that these bug bites all seem to go away within about 3 days provided I don't touch them. This was probably common knowledge for most people but I was still rather pleased to make this little discovery. Also, children with special needs can be so frustrating because nothing seems to get through sometimes. But on the positive side, kids I've never even spoken with come up and take my hand smiling, and kids that I have been able to work with these past few weeks smile when they see me and wave me over to sit with them, greeting me with sign for "bonjou" I didn't think they understood. If I have helped them with their abc's perhaps I will never know, but to spread a little joy in other people's lives has become my life goal and all that I hope to pursue. There are many other positive sides to life too: toilet paper and indoor plumbing, clean water and food every day. A fan to sleep in front of and music-- something I've come to appreciate more spending so much time around deaf people.
Nevertheless, despite my days of thinking positive, hearing about TFA did make me feel fairly incompetent. I was hoping to have some sort of pity party after work yesterday but before I could make the suggestion, PePe and Patrick invited me to church. Can't really suggest going to a bar after that! (Just kidding parents!)
So, last night another 3 hours of church. I understood more and more and could ask appropriate questions afterwards, though I was very brain-tired. The best part of the evening however was not my growing understanding of Creole but the fact that Jeanette came with me. Apparently she hasn't been going since she moved from her home in the mountains to Jacmel to work in this house. On our walk home Patrick was joking with her and saying that now she has to come all of the time. This made me so incredibly happy to think that even though I won't be here for very much longer, Jeanette can now feel comfortable and go as often as she wants. It's a small thing really, but it's the whole concept of long-term positive actions that makes me most happy. and filled with joy.
Just this morning Jeanette and I walked to the market where in search of a new skirt I purchased a dress and a bathing suit instead. Jeanette stretched her money quite a bit further coming home with a bag full of food AND a new skirt. I still have so much to learn, but this is ALWAYS something I consider to be on the positive side of life!
True, I was disappointed about Teach For America and didn't want to write any sort of blog about it due to embarrassment and feeling downhearted, but life is too good to worry about things like rejection from organizations when I can always make new friends. Friends last longer than jobs anyway! So thanks for being a friend!
For those of you who are interested, Bob Welch wrote a wonderful column about Haiti. It appeared in Sunday's Register Guard and can be found via the link below:
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/25775939-46/haiti-carr-says-fans-earthquake.csp
I firmly believe that the days leading up to hearing this news had been full of preparation for hearing it. I have been learning to look at the positive when things seem frustrating. For example, bug bites. What could be more annoying than the constant itching and ever-present fear of tiny little insects? Well, I've discovered that these bug bites all seem to go away within about 3 days provided I don't touch them. This was probably common knowledge for most people but I was still rather pleased to make this little discovery. Also, children with special needs can be so frustrating because nothing seems to get through sometimes. But on the positive side, kids I've never even spoken with come up and take my hand smiling, and kids that I have been able to work with these past few weeks smile when they see me and wave me over to sit with them, greeting me with sign for "bonjou" I didn't think they understood. If I have helped them with their abc's perhaps I will never know, but to spread a little joy in other people's lives has become my life goal and all that I hope to pursue. There are many other positive sides to life too: toilet paper and indoor plumbing, clean water and food every day. A fan to sleep in front of and music-- something I've come to appreciate more spending so much time around deaf people.
Nevertheless, despite my days of thinking positive, hearing about TFA did make me feel fairly incompetent. I was hoping to have some sort of pity party after work yesterday but before I could make the suggestion, PePe and Patrick invited me to church. Can't really suggest going to a bar after that! (Just kidding parents!)
So, last night another 3 hours of church. I understood more and more and could ask appropriate questions afterwards, though I was very brain-tired. The best part of the evening however was not my growing understanding of Creole but the fact that Jeanette came with me. Apparently she hasn't been going since she moved from her home in the mountains to Jacmel to work in this house. On our walk home Patrick was joking with her and saying that now she has to come all of the time. This made me so incredibly happy to think that even though I won't be here for very much longer, Jeanette can now feel comfortable and go as often as she wants. It's a small thing really, but it's the whole concept of long-term positive actions that makes me most happy. and filled with joy.
Just this morning Jeanette and I walked to the market where in search of a new skirt I purchased a dress and a bathing suit instead. Jeanette stretched her money quite a bit further coming home with a bag full of food AND a new skirt. I still have so much to learn, but this is ALWAYS something I consider to be on the positive side of life!
True, I was disappointed about Teach For America and didn't want to write any sort of blog about it due to embarrassment and feeling downhearted, but life is too good to worry about things like rejection from organizations when I can always make new friends. Friends last longer than jobs anyway! So thanks for being a friend!
For those of you who are interested, Bob Welch wrote a wonderful column about Haiti. It appeared in Sunday's Register Guard and can be found via the link below:
http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/news/cityregion/25775939-46/haiti-carr-says-fans-earthquake.csp
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Bon Fete!
Apparently in Haiti if it is your sweetheart's birthday it's your birthday too. I like this idea very much as today is Joshua's birthday - and therefore I celebrated.
I spent much of the morning on Skype hoping to catch a certain Birthday Boy but then I remembered the three hour time difference. Darn. But the day was not spent in vain, I was able to do some English editing and document formatting for Marika/PAZAPA and then at 3pm Patrick and PePe (in Haiti you would only need to write PP but since I want you my dear reader to understand the pronunciation, I shall write Pepe) arrived. I had not understood what they meant yesterday when they said that they would be by at 3 and then we would go visit Jacmel together so I was stinky and sweaty when they arrived to take me out and about to see more of the city.
I changed quickly and off we went, laughing at my misunderstanding. Our first stop was their church to grab a bowl of rice and beans and to go online. I was handed a mac and instantly went on Skype just to check and who should I find there but the beautiful Ashley Nelson available for a video chat. She met Patrick and PePe and we all shared some lovely broken English, both from translation and from internet connection. Nevertheless, it was a true blessing and absolutely filled me with joy!
We went down to the docks and caught a sunset and a futbol in the back (whoops!) and then we walked through the mache (market ) at dusk on a Saturday - which is veritably crazy. I came to understand that if you say "wheelbarrow" people get out of your way - just like in a kitchen if you say "hot" - regardless of whether you have a plate of hot food or a wheelbarrow - people seem to move!
We sat in a park and talked with a group of young boys, one of whom had a deformed wrist. We told him about PAZAPA and chastised another little boy for teasing him. Hopefully some good will come of that little encounter. I love how in Haiti if you want to talk to someone, you just talk to them, no matter if you know them or not. It makes for a very friendly, very talkative country.
We walked all over town and up past the cemetery and back to Marika's house just as it was getting truly dark. Not too long after I went with Marika e ti moun yo (and the kids) to pizza at the local fast food/wireless restaurant next door to PAZAPA. Truly a day of good friends and celebrations.
Bon Fete Mon Amour! I'm celebrating here in beautiful Jacmel!!
I spent much of the morning on Skype hoping to catch a certain Birthday Boy but then I remembered the three hour time difference. Darn. But the day was not spent in vain, I was able to do some English editing and document formatting for Marika/PAZAPA and then at 3pm Patrick and PePe (in Haiti you would only need to write PP but since I want you my dear reader to understand the pronunciation, I shall write Pepe) arrived. I had not understood what they meant yesterday when they said that they would be by at 3 and then we would go visit Jacmel together so I was stinky and sweaty when they arrived to take me out and about to see more of the city.
I changed quickly and off we went, laughing at my misunderstanding. Our first stop was their church to grab a bowl of rice and beans and to go online. I was handed a mac and instantly went on Skype just to check and who should I find there but the beautiful Ashley Nelson available for a video chat. She met Patrick and PePe and we all shared some lovely broken English, both from translation and from internet connection. Nevertheless, it was a true blessing and absolutely filled me with joy!
We went down to the docks and caught a sunset and a futbol in the back (whoops!) and then we walked through the mache (market ) at dusk on a Saturday - which is veritably crazy. I came to understand that if you say "wheelbarrow" people get out of your way - just like in a kitchen if you say "hot" - regardless of whether you have a plate of hot food or a wheelbarrow - people seem to move!
We sat in a park and talked with a group of young boys, one of whom had a deformed wrist. We told him about PAZAPA and chastised another little boy for teasing him. Hopefully some good will come of that little encounter. I love how in Haiti if you want to talk to someone, you just talk to them, no matter if you know them or not. It makes for a very friendly, very talkative country.
We walked all over town and up past the cemetery and back to Marika's house just as it was getting truly dark. Not too long after I went with Marika e ti moun yo (and the kids) to pizza at the local fast food/wireless restaurant next door to PAZAPA. Truly a day of good friends and celebrations.
Bon Fete Mon Amour! I'm celebrating here in beautiful Jacmel!!
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