When I arrived in Haiti in September of 2009, I came to work at Adoration Christian School with a two year contract in hand with a possible one year extention. I had applied for a leave of absence from the Toronto District School Board for one year and was approved, and after my first year in Haiti, they granted me another year's leave.
I am such a planner that the minute I set my foot on Haitian soil I started to think about when I would be leaving. I have a real problem living in the moment I know. In fact I think I often miss out on life's greatest moments because I'm always looking forward, ignoring all that is around me. However, in January 2011 I had to really start getting serious about the length of my stay in Haiti, the board of ACS and the TDSB wanted to know my plans.
After much prayerful consideration, I have decided to return back to Canada and back to the TDSB. In some ways it was an easy decision in other ways it was a hard decision. I feel that my work is almost done here at ACS. I am currently working alongside and mentoring Alix to take over the role of school director. He is learning quickly and each month takes on more and more responsibility. I have no doubt he will do a great job and it's such a relief to leave the staff and students in such capable hands. There will always be more work, there will always be more needs, but for me, for now, I am ready to return to Canada, to my friends, my family and my job. I will miss the people here in Haiti A LOT and therefore I am trying really hard to live in the moment over the next few months. I will leave Haiti sometime in July and therefore my time here is quickly coming to an end. I'm trying to visit all the places I haven't yet been, I'm trying to send quality time with all my loved ones, I'm trying to enjoy the sunny days the warm breeze, my beautiful apartment... I'm trying.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Back to Boring!
After almost four weeks straight of visitors, the last few days have been a bit quiet! I have to admit that this past weekend I had to rest up a bit, I LOVE having visitors here but they are always so high energy that after they leave it takes me a few days to recover:) I must be getting old.
After my sister Amy left, we had three board members, Steve, Carina and Hilary come for a visit and Steve's son, Cam, came along to take some pictures. As always my favourite part of having visitors is seeing things fresh, with new eyes. Carina has been coming to Haiti for many years, and therefore, she more than anyone can see the progress that has taken place within our organization. She pointed out the growth of the teachers and how strong a team we have to work with. She noticed little things, like more posters on the teachers walls and more discussion during staff meetings. Steve as always was full of energy and encouragement. For Hilary, it was her first time. She does the bulk of the work for our sponsorship program and it was great that she could finally meet some of our students face to face, instead of only seeing their faces on her computer screen. Cam took a lot of great pics (as you can see on the previous post) and through his lens you can see so much of Haiti.
Elections happened Sunday with very few incidents. We closed school today (Monday) because there is NEVER school the day after elections (so we were told). Although we hate to give in to the fear that governs so much of this country, we gave in this time and decided to tackle a few projects that are hard to complete when school is open.
The next few weeks we will be on edge a little bit, waiting to see how things play out politically. The results should (key word here) be announced at the end of the month. Overall it'll be busines as usual for us, but we'll make an effort to keep extra food and water in the house and our gas tanks nice and full.
After my sister Amy left, we had three board members, Steve, Carina and Hilary come for a visit and Steve's son, Cam, came along to take some pictures. As always my favourite part of having visitors is seeing things fresh, with new eyes. Carina has been coming to Haiti for many years, and therefore, she more than anyone can see the progress that has taken place within our organization. She pointed out the growth of the teachers and how strong a team we have to work with. She noticed little things, like more posters on the teachers walls and more discussion during staff meetings. Steve as always was full of energy and encouragement. For Hilary, it was her first time. She does the bulk of the work for our sponsorship program and it was great that she could finally meet some of our students face to face, instead of only seeing their faces on her computer screen. Cam took a lot of great pics (as you can see on the previous post) and through his lens you can see so much of Haiti.
Elections happened Sunday with very few incidents. We closed school today (Monday) because there is NEVER school the day after elections (so we were told). Although we hate to give in to the fear that governs so much of this country, we gave in this time and decided to tackle a few projects that are hard to complete when school is open.
The next few weeks we will be on edge a little bit, waiting to see how things play out politically. The results should (key word here) be announced at the end of the month. Overall it'll be busines as usual for us, but we'll make an effort to keep extra food and water in the house and our gas tanks nice and full.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Ile a Vache
When Amy was here we were able to visit a small island near by Les Cayes, called Ile a Vache. It was a nice time of relaxation, sun and sand.
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Amy enjoying some time on the bus |
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| Abaka Bay Resort |
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| Last night |
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| Port Morgan Resort |
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Baby Shower!!
My dear friends Lesley and Diego recently had a beautiful new baby named Julianna. Jenny, Amy and I hosted the baby shower for Lesley and little Julianna on Sunday afternoon.
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| Julianna and her aunt |
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| What a cutie!! |
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| We all took turns holding her |
Friday, March 04, 2011
Brush your teeth...
Randy and Karen have a friend who is a dentist. She volunteered to come by our school and provide some information for our students on how to care for their teeth, and as an added bonus she gave each student a new toothbrush and a tube of toothpaste. It must admit that it brought back some fond memories of "swish", I know all you country folk know what I'm talking about! I wonder if they still have "swish" at some schools? I hope they do, it was so pleasant to swish around some flouride in my mouth for exactly one minute and then listen to 30+ students spit into their cups all at the same time. Someone always spilled... oh those were the days! Anyways, I've gotten way off track. This morning I followed Paola and her assitant around to each class and was surprised at how well the students listened and how happy they were with their gift of toothbrush and paste.
Thanks Paola! We appreciate it!
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