Kidnapper's Beware

Well, the news here is that 12 kidnapper's were arrested this weekend in our area of town. It's a huge relief for us. They also found one of the places where they put the people they kidnapped.
I had a great time at Jenny's this weekend. I woke up Sunday morning, grabbed a cup of coffee and my Bible and vegged out by the pool for a bit. What a rough life!!!
On Saturday we were driving in Jenny's car on our way to pick up her friend. Her friend lives on this crazy road that is very narrow with cars parked on both sides. We got to the house safely and managed to turn around but when we got back to the main road a big truck was stuck there so we had to turn around again!! Jenny was driving and everyone on the street and in the car were yelling instructions; turn right, turn left, go forward, go back! In her attempt to turn the car around Jenny hit one of the cars parked on the side. Everyone started shouting. I was sort of scared that someone would pull out a gun. Ysmaille jumped out of the car to talk to them. We had to keep moving because we were blocking traffic. In the end it all worked out. We gave them some money and they were happy, but for some reason I was really shook up by the event.
The visitors are hard at work and the playground is starting to take shape. It'll be so great when it's finished. They kids are really excited and so am I.
The next two days there won't be school which will be nice. I can sort of sleep in, although it's hard to sleep in when there are kids playing loudly right outside my door and someone is sweeping the driveway right outside my window. Such is life when you live with 15 other people:)

Playground

The visitors have been working hard and the playground is coming along quite nicely. Today they went to check out Baptist Mission and Fort Jacque. I decided not to go b/c I'm going to Jenny's again. The visitors are great and I'm enjoying my time with them but it's still nice to get away for a bit. There's lots of time to talk with them, they're here for another week. They collected a lot of donations before they came and it's great to see them pass out the stuff to the kids and the guys.
So yesterday we had another scare. Two American kids were kidnapped right near our house. (On Delmas 31 for people familiar with Coram Deo) A mother was driving with her two children when the kidnappers got in the car and told her to get out. We dont' know much more. Please pray that they will be returned to their mother soon without any harm. I was quite shaken up because I walk in this area a lot. (of course I'm always with a Haitian but what can they do if there's a gun to my head?) It's so hard to decide what to do. I feel safe here but I tend to think I'm invincible and no one will hurt me.
Next week we have two holidays. Tuesday and Wendesday there is no school due to All Saints day and All Souls Day. One is a Christian holiday and one is a Voodoo holiday but both are honoured by the Haitian government. It'll be nice to have two days off to get some odd jobs done around here.
I have added some new pictures to my photo album so if you're interested you can check them out.

Canadians Arrive

Well the Canadian visitors finally arrived after spending a night at the New York Airport. The airline didn't get them a hotel like promised. They said it was an interesting night to say the least. It's a bit crazy with so many people milling around. Whenever I've gone on mission trips I've never given any thought to how the missionaries we were visiting felt when we came and overtook their place of residence:) It'll be a fun week I'm sure but definately crazy.
I thought the guys would be thrilled with so many young beautiful women here but they're being really shy and not talking at all. I'm sure that will change by the end of the visit:)
It'll be nice to be able to talk English really fast and be understood!!
The project they are planning is building a playground for the school. I think it's a great idea and I look forward to. The kids will love it and it will be used a lot.

Girl time, rain and visitors

Well, I finally got some "girl time" on Sat. night. I went to Jenny's place and two teachers from the English school came over and we just hung out and had some girl chats. I enjoyed it thoroughly. On Sunday church was cancelled due to the rain (sort of like a snow day).
Speaking of rain, "Wilma" thankfully did not visit Haiti but just sent a lot of rain our way. Where we are situated in Haiti a lot of rain really doesn't affect us too much but some places are very dangerous if we get a lot of rain. Mudslides are a real problem in certain areas.
So, today we were supposed to have 10 visitors come from Canada but their flight was cancelled due to the storms in the Carribbean. They will be coming tomorrow instead. They are staying for 2 weeks!!! It'll be a full house. Karen set up beds everywhere for them to sleep on and the kids are sleeping in the kitchen. Should be an interesting 2 weeks. I have to share my bathroom with 10 new people, I guess I'll be getting up really early to beat the rush:)
Okay, that's all for now.

A day in the life...

Hello all, I have received several e-mails from people asking me what exactly I do here in this beautiful country called Haiti. I guess I never really explained my role here. So I'm going to take a minute to tell you about a day in the life of Kim.
Well, my official title is "Assistant Project Manager". Very fancy I know. The teachers here call me "directrice" which means principal. In reality I'm more like a cross between a secretary and a vice-principal:) There are 104 kids in the school and 7 teachers. I'm here to assist the teachers with supplies and sometimes with discipline. All the supplies are in the house and therefore the teachers need to ask me for whatever supplies they need; ie. pencils, paper, chalk, scissors etc. Also, the teachers don't have access to computers so whenever something needs to be typed for the students I type it up and make photocopies for them. This past week I was very busy typing all the exams for the first semester. I assist alot with the kindergarten class because the teacher is unable to walk and her class if full of energy. Other than that, I stay busy with administrative work, like typing reports, problem solving and organizing files for each student. Sometimes when teachers are having a difficult time with a student I will take them off their hands for a little while to give them a break. So that's basically what I do. In the evenings I'm in charge of showering the kids from the house. Sometimes I read with them or help them with their homework. After that I'm free to read a book, hang out with the guys in the house, watch T.V. or just go to bed early. Every day goes by so fast.
As for an update on my life... things are back to normal after my parents left. I'm back to rice and beans and no swimming in the afternoon:) I thought I'd be really down after my parents left but it was sort of nice to get back into my old routine and talk with the people I hadn't spent much time with for a whole week.
Today I'm going to Jenny's again for a swim and a quiet night. It's always nice to get away from the constant activity that happens at Coram Deo.
**Just a quick personal note, Nicole I've tried e-mailing you but it just gets sent back to me. I will try e-mailing you from Cadeau's account.**

Rain, rain go away...

We have had ALOT of rain lately which is unusual for Haiti. Clothes are not drying and we're all feeling a bit soggy. We're trying to stay positive and be thankful that we aren't experiencing hurricanes or tornadoes right now. Without the sun we also don't have any electricity at night because the invertor doesn't charge during the day. So last night felt a bit like camping, we sat around the oil lamp for a bit then went to bed early.
Yesterday (Monday) was a holiday in Haiti so I was able to spend the day with my parents. I worked in the morning because I had to finish a few things before my parents leave because I need to send it with them. In the afternoon we were hoping to go for a walk but due to the rain we went for a drive instead. We visited a few more of Ysmaille's family and showed my parents the "ritzy" part of town.
Today it's back to work and the school is currently in full swing. My parents leave today. We had a great visit together with lots of chances to talk and just hang out together. I was able to eat some North American food and just get away from Coram Deo for a bit. Of course it was great to see them and have them see the people I talk about and the places I go. Now when I talk to them they will be able to picture what I am talking about.

Staying Safe

On Friday afternoon an Amerian was kidnapped very close to our house. The kidnappers asked for money and he was released early the next morning. No more details are known at this time. The FBI has come to Haiti to assist with the situation. We are being very careful. Karen is not following her usual routine and when she goes out she takes a different route than she normally does. My parents rented a car for the weekend and it has air conditioning so we roll up all the windows and lock the doors for added security. I'm staying at the hotel with my parents for the weekend and we stop by Coram Deo every day to see how everyone is doing. On Friday afternoon my parents and I went downtown to check out the Presidential House and Museum which was interesting. Today we went to the Baptist Mission which is a well known mission in Haiti, North of the city. After this we went to visit Ysmaille's sister who lives in the mountains. (I have already visited here with Ysmaille) We had a nice relaxing time with his family. His sister cooked us a delicious meal and my parents had the chance to see a typical Haitian home and eat some typical Haitian food. The roads up the mountains are very rough and my dad and I spent some time walking ahead of the car to avoid being tossed about inside the car. On the way home my mom, dad and I walked most of the way down while Ysmaille followed with the car. Overall it was a nice relaxing day. Tonight we're just taking it easy and going to bed early so we can go to church in the morning. We're feeling safe and being cautious. Please continue to pray for our safety as well as the safety of all foreigners in Haiti. As always our Lord protects us and sends His angels to watch over us.

Excitement at Coram Deo

It has been great to have my parents here. Due to a lack of a vehicle we haven't done too much yet. They come to Coram Deo in the morning and of course I put them right to work:) In the afternoon we've been relaxing at the hotel, going for a swim and eating some good food. The hotel isn't amazing but it's just nice to get away from all the noise and activity that is a constant at Coram Deo. I never realized how loud it always is until I was trying to have a conversation with my mom in my room after school, if I didn't raise my voice she couldn't hear what I was saying. It's amazing what you get used to in a short time. This weekend we hope to rent a car to go to the mountain and a few touristy spots along the way. Today Ysmaille is taking them to a museum in the morning and this afternoon we hope to go downtown and check out the presidential house and museum. Sunday we will go to Ysmaille's church so they can see a Haitian church. The rest of their visit is still to be determined. It's too bad that we can't show them more of the beautiful country that is Haiti but safety is always the most important.
Speaking of safety, we had quite the scare this week. Every morning Karen drives three of the Coram Deo kids to other schools and picks up one of the teachers who is unable to walk. On Thurs. morning Karen left at her usual time but didn't return on time. Twenty minutes after her usual return time I was getting nervous. Then I heard from one of the teachers that Karen was hiding at the school where Manu and Jacob go because there was an attempted kidnapping. I freaked out inwardly but remained calm outwardly. No one knew anymore than that Karen was hiding, it was quite a nerve wracking time. About 15 mintues later Karen returned and explained the story to us. She forgot to stop at Manise's school and drove right by, she stopped further down the road to drop off Manise. She heard someone yell "hey", but she ignored it and kept driving. When she arrived at Manu and Jacob's school she stopped outside and as Manu was getting out a guy jumped into the passenger seat and yelled "GO!" and began to reach into his pocket for a gun. Karen quickly pulled the key from the ignition and at the same time pushed open the driver's door. Another man with a gun was standing at the passenger door trying to push Karen back inside. Karen managed to push the door with all her might and push him out of the way. She ran inside the school with Manu and Jacob right behind her. They waited inside the school until they saw the men leave. Three of the male teachers from the school came back to Coram Deo with Karen to keep her safe. Since this incident we've discovered that these men are not from the area but have been hanging around for a few days. When they attempted the kidnapping, several people from the neighbourhood followed them and found out where they live. They live in one of the worst slums. Karen has already notified the Canadian Embassy in Haiti and they notified Ottawa. The Director of the school where it happened is American and she has notified the American Embassy. The Haitian police are aware and have already stopped by Coram Deo to speak with Karen. When Karen first arrived home she was very calm but as the day wore on and she had time to think about it she appeared more shook up. Needless to say we are being very careful. I'm surprised at how calmly my mom took the whole experience. I thought she'd want to leave immediately. Of course we were cautious before, and we'll be even more cautious now. This incident hit a little too close to home.
Please keep us in your prayers. Pray for our safety but also for the country as a whole. There's a lot of fear and sadness in Haiti that only our Lord Jesus can heal.

Fun Day

Today was a fun day! Karen promised the kids that if they get 100% in school she will take them to "Pizza Pam"(a local restaurant) and buy them a gift. Both Manu and Jacob got 100% this week so we took them out. We ate hamburgers and fries and went shopping for a while. Then we went for icecream. When you're away from home it's amazing how the little things like icecream and french fries become comforting and exciting at the same time:)
Going shopping is a very frustrating experience for me. I don't know where to goto buy things and I always have to wait around for people to go with me. This week I decided I wanted curtains for my room because kids I don't even know are always staring inside at me and it makes me uncomfortable. It took two trips to the market and went to three different stores and I still don't have all the things I need. Also, everytime I go I have to wait around for Ysmaille and then we need to make stops along the way. I guess I'll have to work on being patient and realizing that it's not the end of the world if it takes 2 weeks to hang my curtains. There's a different pace of life here and I need to get used to it.
Tomorrow I plan on going to the mountains for a hike. I'm looking forward to it. It's always nice to get away even if it's only for one day.
These week we didn't have electricity for 3 days which was frustrating and unusual around here. Usually we get electricity from about 7:00am until between 2-4:00p.m. It was frustrating to not be able to work on the computer or e-mail anyone but we survived.
Other than that, not too much is happening around here. I'm starting to have some good conversations with Haitians as my Creole is advancing and I'm learning a lot more about the culture and the "Haitian" way of thinking. I'm finding it very interesting.
I would just like to take a minute to brag. I finished my Creole course on Friday and I had to write an exam. I asked my instructor what would happen if I fail:) He said I'd have to pay an additional fee:) So anyway, he gave me the exam he usually gives his students if they have a 1 month course (mine was only 2 weeks) and I got 80%!! I was quite proud of myself. The trick is, now I have to keep studying on my own. My instructor explained everything to me but we moved at a very rapid pace and now I have to go back and review and memorize everything. It's hard to motivate myself but at the same time I get immediate gratification because I can talk with people more and more everyday.

Don't worry

So I haven't written for a while because we haven't had any electricity for 3 days!!! How frustrating. For some reason they've given it to us tonight instead which is okay but not ideal.
So this week has been really busy again. My tutor has come every afternoon and then I have a lot of homework to do. The time is well spent though and many people have commented on how my Creole is improving. I still can't understand when people talk really fast but when they slow down I understand most of what they are saying.
I am soooooo pumped about my parents coming next week. They come on Tuesday and are staying for one week. I want to take them to so many places. I want to take them on a taptap, which is basically a pick-up truck with the cab raised up and benches in the back. I find them very exciting but people here don't like to use them. They are very cheap and fairly fast but safey and comfort are questionable. But mostly I just want to talk to them for hours, I hope they're ready to listen to all the stuff I've been saving up to say over the last 2 months.
This weekend I don't have any crazy plans. Just to clean my room so I can impress my parents and maybe have a little thanksgiving turkey by myself. Just kidding, maybe I'll make a special dinner with my parents when they're here and we can call it thanksgiving dinner. My mom was seriously considering packing some leftovers in a cooler and bringing them here!! Sometimes she's crazy like that:)
I think that's all for now. When I'm so busy like this I can't get into too much trouble.

Mini Vacation

I've just returned from "Resort à Jenny":) I had a great weekend. We watched cheesy movies, ate chips and salsa, slept in and lazed around the pool all weekend. Sunday, Ysmaille came over for lunch and a swim, and Jenny and I made a delicious Mongolian Stir Fry for him. I feel very refreshed and ready to tackle another week at Coram Deo. I feel a bit guilty about taking off for the whole weekend because I know all the people at Coram Deo work so hard on the weekend and they aren't able to take off like I am. But at the same time, I have to do what keeps me sane. I remind myself sometimes that I haven't been here all that long and it really takes a lot of energy to adjust to a new culture and even though I feel like I'm not "doing" a lot I really am accomplishing a lot. My Creole is improving and I try practising a lot which is exhausting but the only way I will learn.
The other great thing about hanging out with Jenny is that we have some great talks. We have a lot of the same views about life but we also discuss a lot of questions that don't have easy answers. We both struggle with how to live as rich N. Americans in a country with so much poverty. When and where and how should we give to Haitians? How do we really show God's love? When is it okay to hide away and be "American/Canadian"? We discuss how Haitian culture is different than N. American culture and how we can try to blend the two when we're here. How to be cultural sensitive and yet keep our identity. We had some great talks and of course we didn't come up with any profound answers but it's great to talk to someone who comes from the same world as me. I love talking to Haitians but they don't totally "get" me because they don't know or understand "my world".
While at Jenny's house I found a book of Haitians prayers and would like to share one with you. It is simple but so profound.
"Senyè, Ala nou konton se pa nou k'ap kenbe you, men se ou k'ap kenbe nou."
"Lord, how glad we are that we don't hold you, but that you hold us."