Ode to Sammy

I found out this week that someone very special to me passed away. Sammy, was someone who lived at Coram Deo (in Haiti) when I was there in 2005-2006. Sometime after I left, he was sent back to the countryside to live with his family. I heard this week that he passed away there.
Sammy was developmentally delayed and an absolute joy to be around. He exuded a kind of joy that you don't find very often. It was a rare day when Sammy was sad or unhappy. He rejoiced in the simple pleasures of life, food, laughter, and people. Many afternoons or evenings, I would find him on the jungle gym in the yard. There was a fake steering wheel there and he would pretend to be a tap-tap (taxi) driver. He would ask me for my money as I sat beside him and I would pretend to hand him a coin. One time, I decided to really play along and I yelled that he has almost hit a pedestrian. He reacted quite strongly to my pretend yelling and he told me that he quit and that I had better drive instead:)
Whenever I had a bad day, I would find Sammy and he would cheer me right up. On my last day in Haiti, I was very sad to go and cried as I said my farewells. When it was Sammy's turn I gave him a hug and told him that I was going far away and I didn't know if I'd see him again. He turned his big eyes to me and asked, "have you seen the cat?". He knew how to make a tough situation much lighter.
It is for Sammy and other's like him that I desire to go back to Haiti. I look forward to starting an education program for students with severe learning disabilities, providing them with food, life skills, and the love of God.
Sammy, you will be missed.

Learn more About Kim's Adventures in Haiti

Since deciding to return to Haiti, I have begun to tell my friends, family, and colleagues about my plans at varying times. Now, I can't remember who I told and what details I have given. So, in order to eliminate my confusion, and to elaborate on my plans for next year, I am organizing an information night this month. Here are the details.
Date: Saturday, June 6, 2009
Location: Leaside Bible Chapel, 826 Eglinton Avenue East, Toronto, ON M4G 2L1
Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Light refreshments will be provided.
I would love to see you there if you are able to attend.

Goodbye Oriole Parkway?

Since moving out of my parent's house at the age of 19, I have only twice lived in a place for longer than 12 months. Oriole Parkway is a record, almost 3 years now! It's been a great place to live, I love the neighbourhood, my neighbours are friendly, and it's the first place I've ever owned. It's been a good three years, but I'm ready to go. On to bigger and better things. I put it up for sale on Tuesday. So far, no amazing offers have come in that would make me rich for life, but there's been a lot of showings. It's tiring to keep the place looking clean all the time and vacating it at odd times. Now it's just a waiting game. I'd love to have all the loose ends tied up before I leave for Sierra Leone on July 2nd. I have to admit I find the whole experience quite stressful. I like to be "in charge" and right now I'm not. I know that if it's the Lord's will that I go to Haiti then the details will work themselves out. Perhaps not the way that I want them to, but they will be worked out:) So, here I am trusting in the Lord.

Mission Fest 2009

Today for the first time I attended Mission Fest here in Toronto. It is one of those events that I always think about attending but it comes and goes without me remembering and then I vow that I will attend next year... and on and on it goes.
So this morning bright and early we headed out to check it out. It was worth the while. I attended three workshops about getting ready to engage in missions and ran into a few people I knew.
The first workshop I attended really got me thinking. The workshop's purpose was to tell you all the things you will wish you knew before you go and I went with the idea that it would answer all my questions. Instead it left me with a lot of questions, but good questions, things to think about. I realize that each culture is so different it would be impossible to have a workshop that prepared people to work in any given culture. The emphasis was on being culturally sensitive and carefully observing those around you and following their lead. As I was listening I reflected on the summer I spent in Sierra Leone and the year I spent in Haiti. I was reminded of many times when I refused to follow the cultural norm because it made me uncomfortable or I just felt too inconvenienced by it. Most of the time I tried to be culturally sensitive but when I was tired, or in a rush or felt out of my comfort zone I naturally reverted back to the comfort of Canadian norms. For example, when I was in Sierra Leone we were in a very small village in the North of the country. We spent all day teaching at the local school and the house we were staying at was about a 5 min. walk from the school. The school only had a communal washroom which I was not comfortable with using so whenever I had to use the washroom I walked back to the house. This in and of itself was not a problem, the problem was that I had to walk quickly and I had to walk by many people and many houses between the school and the house. Our breaks were short so I had to walk quickly back and forth between the school and the house. This is not the norm in Sierra Leone. First of all you don't walk quickly, secondly you do not pass by that many people and not stop and "greet" them (this takes anywhere from 2 -10 min/person). I did not have the time, so I would try to avoid making eye contact and quickly walk by, sometimes saying a general greeting to a group of people. I'm sure this single act did not undo all that was accomplished in the workshops but sometimes cultural insensitivity does much more damage. Needless to say, I resolved to be more informed and more culturally sensitive this time.

Side bar - Sierra Leone

Shortly after joining the Toronto District School Board I heard about an opportunity called "Project Overseas". This project is completely funded by the Canadian Teachers Federation and it involves teachers volunteering to go overseas and teach workshops for teachers with little or no teacher training. I was immediately interested but quickly learned that I could not apply until I had 5 years of teaching experience. This year was the first year I was eligible to apply, so in the fall I put my application together, had an interview, and was selected to work in Sierra Leone (where I've been once before). I found out I was selected at around the same time as I found out I was accepted by CDIA to work once again in Haiti. There was a moment when I thought that perhaps I couldn't do both, but the moment passed and I agreed to do both.
Therefore, July 3rd I'll be flying to Ottawa for a weekend of training and then I'm off to Sierra Leone for one month. On my way home I will be delaying my stop over in Belgium by 3 days so I can visit my cousins in the south of Holland as well as return to Amsterdam for one day to revisit my favourites places from the 3 months I lived there.
Needless to say, I will be busy in the near future, finishing off the school year, preparing my workshops for this summer, sorting and packing all my stuff, and generally tying up lose ends. I will use this blog during my time in Sierra Leone to keep family and friends posted on my adventures there.

Haiti once again....

It's true. I'm moving back to Haiti once again. Since leaving Haiti in July 2006 rarely a day goes by that I don't think about Haiti. Each time I've been back I've told myself that this will be my last visit, I'm moving on, but something keeps pulling me back. A friend of mine asked me what is it about Haiti that draws me back? I had a hard time answering the question. Mostly I think it's the people, or perhaps it's the mosquitoes, the vicious dogs or the lack of electricity? Just kidding, those things I do not miss:) To be honest, all the things I love about Haiti are also the things I don't love (my niece told me "hate" is a bad word) about Haiti. It's often said that love and hate are very closely related.
So, how did I end up going back? Well, as I said I can't seem to get Haiti out of my mind. In the fall, friends of mine came back to Canada after travelling much of the world. Looking through their photo albums and hearing their stories made me long to live elsewhere once again. Shortly after, I had breakfast with a friend who is a fellow traveller and we spent the whole time talking about where to go next.
So I started spending a lot of time searching the Internet to find an organization that I could work overseas. If I want to teach overseas, I could go almost anywhere, make a good salary and work with the children of the elite or missionary kids. This has never appealed to me but I tried to convince myself that this would be great, but I couldn't do it. I found a few interesting positions in various countries but there was always something "wrong" with them and so I never applied. Then I heard that Randy and Karen (the couple who replaced me when I left last time) were expecting a baby. I thought that perhaps the organization would consider hiring another person for the time that Karen would be on Maternity leave. I approached the board of Coram Deo and the rest is history.
So I'll be going back to the same school that I was at before, doing the same job. I will not be teaching but will be working with the teachers to develop a strong education program that will enable the students to prepare for their government exams. In addition to that, I will assist with the starting of a special education class. In Haiti little is available in the way of education for students with intellectual disabilities. If parents can only afford to send some of their children to school they most often do not choose those with intellectual disabilities. If they do choose to send them to school, they often do not pass the class they are in so they stay in the same class for several years, not receiving the support they need.
I won't be leaving for Haiti until the beginning of September but until then I will be updating my blog to let you know how my preparations are going.

HOME

Hello all. I arrived at the Toronto Airport on July 18th at 11:30pm and was back at my parents just after 1:00am. It is great to be home and I'm still basking in the beauty of Southern Ontario. It hasn't really hit me yet that I'm back and I'm sure it will take a few more weeks until it really sinks in. I am taking it easy for a few days and just adjusting to being back. It was difficult to say goodbye to everyone at Coram Deo. I only cried when I gave Manman Manise and St. Marie a hug goodbye. I think my excitement about coming home helped to make the whole experience a bit less painful. I think the hardest thing is that I don't know if or when I will be back and how difficult it is to stay in touch.
Well, my adventure is done and seeing that my life in Toronto is not near as exciting, this will be my last blog entry. Thanks for taking the journey with me and also keeping me updated on your lives via e-mail. For someone who had never even heard of a blog before this year, I have to admit that I'm thankful for the way technology helped me stay in touch with so many of you over the past year. May the Lord bless you and keep you in His precious arms.
Kim

Last Day Thoughts

Today is July 17th, the day before I leave my home of one year, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. My parents called yesterday and told me not to leave my house until tomorrow morning so they can be sure I will arrive home safe and sound:) Yesterday I walked through the neighborhoud saying my goodbyes to various people.
As I sit at my computer, I wonder... I wonder if I have accomplished all I set out to do. I wonder if I have done and seen all that I wanted to do and see here in Haiti. I wonder how long before my ties and friendships here begin to fade and are replaced with newer ones. I wonder if I'll ever be back. I wonder how long before Haiti becomes a distant memory and I once again take electricity, running water, and peace and quiet for granted. I wonder how much I'll miss little boys waking me up in the morning and asking me to read with them. I wonder how long before Sammy stops asking where I am:) Only time will tell....
I am surprisingly not very emotional these days. Maybe my intense excitement about going home has shadowed the sadness of leaving this place called home and these people I have come to love so dearly. I don't think it will really hit me until a few weeks after I have arrived at home and I start to really notice their absence.
As I put an end to my adventures in Haiti, I will also put an end to this blog. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to check it out every once in a while and especially those who took the time to say a short (or long) prayer for me!!!! I know this year was possible because of all those prayers. Thank you also to all those who took the time to write me a short (or long) e-mail. These e-mails boosted my spirits in ways you may never know and helped me carry on through the tough times.
I hope to run into a lot of you this summer and if not this summer some time in the fall.
Thank you again for your love and support. God is good and I look forward to continuing to serve Him back on my home front.
Kim

Apologies

Hello all, my apologies for not writing more often. It has been a very busy few weeks since school ended. The teachers from Canada; Marg, Carina and Joyce arrived safely on July 29th. We had a wonderful week of seminars which were a learning experience for all involved. They were packed with great information and pratical ideas to be used in the classroom. We had a great week together and we will all be praying that the ideas learned will become part of the teaching process next school year.
On the weekend we also packed in quite a few events. On Sat. we took the residents of Coram Deo out to the countryside to play soccer and have a picnic lunch. Sunday we went to visit Ysmaille's sisters house in the mountains and Monday we tagged along with Dr. Ed to the countryside again to help with his clinic. Although we had a great time we might have overdone it because now Joyce and Carina are both a bit under the weather. Thankfully they will be going home in one day so they will be able to recooperate at home.
Security has been a bit up and down these days. We are taking precautions and not venturing too far from the house. There has been a lot of shootings and we can hear them from our house. Many civilians have been caught in the crossfire. Please keep all of us at Coram Deo in your prayers and we will do our best not to put ourselves in any dangerous situations.
In less than one week I will be home!!!!!!

No more homework, no more books...

School is done for the year!!! The last day of school was Thursday and we had our last big event on Sunday afternoon. The teachers were amazing both these days. The last day of school they organized a little program to say goodbye to me and to remember the year. We had a small party for the kids and one of the teachers brought his "sound equipment" and so we listened to music for a while as we ate. Unfortunately, I foolishly planned the last day of school to be 2 days before we passed out report cards, so I was crazy busy proofreading and photocopying all the report cards. Sunday was the last parent-teacher meeting and we had a good turn out. We also had a sort of graduation ceremony for the students who passed Grade 5 and will therefore be attending a different school in the fall. Overall it was a great day and I was really proud of the teachers and was reminded of how far we've come this year.
So, what am I doing now?? Well, funny enough I'm busier than I was before. We have 3 teachers visiting on Thursday for 2 weeks. They will be doing a week long seminar with the teachers of Coram Deo. So I've tried to organize and arrange all the stuff from this year so I can show them what we've done this year. Also, I want to finish a lot of the end of year stuff before they come so that when they are here I can be of service to them and also be able to enjoy their company.
Other than that. All is going well. I am going to be moving back to Coram Deo on Thursday as it's becoming a bit complicated to get a ride back and forth to work every day and I would like to spend as much time with the visitors as possible. I will be sad to leave Jenny and the quiet of our house. I, however, will not be sad to say goodbye to Max!!!
I'm sorry this is so factual and not very entertaining to read but I'm feeling uninspired and I have to get back to packing up my stuff. Who knew I could accumulate so much stuff in only one year!!! I may have to leave some stuff behind!!!! I'm sure I will find someone who wants it:)

Medical clinic

Yesterday was a holiday so I was able to tag along with a doctor to a medical clinic in a small village near the Dominican border. I had heard that it was sooo beautiful, with a natural spring feeding the lake nearby. It was an interesting day. I witnessed a minor surgery. A young lady (17 years old?) came in with a growth on her neck just below her ear. Dr. Ed was a bit apprehensive because he was worried that it had grown into other parts of her neck, most importantly a main artery. But he agreed to open it up, take a look around and then if necessary sew it up again. Thankfully, he was able to remove it and the girl was very happy. I tried to watch the surgery but have to admit that I felt a bit weak and had to sit down on the other side of the room. After that I sat right beside her but where I couldn't see the operation and tried to encourage her. The rest of the day was pretty quiet with colds, fevers and sore stomaches. But then this guy walked in with his foot all wrapped in a bloody cloth and said he has just cut his foot with a machete. Because of the amount of blood I was worried that he had cut a chunk off his foot, but actually when all the blood was cleaned up it was just a little cut (only needing 3 stitches). It had so much blood because of where the cut was. So that was my exciting day out of PAP. We went to see the spring and I could see the potential for beauty but was saddened by the garbage and the evidence of human beings everywhere. Ah... the story of Haiti.

Argentina or Brazil???

I already mentioned that Haiti is a little football crazy right now but I forgot to mention that their loyalties are divided between Argentina and Brazil. There are more fans for Brazil than Argentina but regardless the streets and stores are decorated with the colours of both teams and when either team is playing the streets are EMPTY!!! which is very rare in PAP. I of course am loyal to my home country Canada, just kidding, I know they don't have a team, I just thought I'd throw that in there for all those friends of mine who have endless fun with my lack of sports knowledge:) Go Orville!!!
We have a visitor staying with Jenny and I right now. She is a Calvin student who is volunteering at the CRWRC office right now. It's fun to have another person around and we have been going out more to try and make it fun for her, which is also good for us. I tagged along when she received an "official" tour of the city and went to a few places I'd never been before.
Tomorrow there's no school since it's "The Birthday of God" (I didn't know He had a birthday!) and so I will be leaving the city for the day. I've been invited to tag along with Dr. Ed to some small town (whose name escapes me right now) to help out with a clinic. I'm excited to leave the city and see a place I've never been before. Apparently it has amazing natural springs so that will be interesting.
The mouse situation has taken a turn for the worse and they seem to be getting bigger and mutliplying like crazy. We have found several mouse nests in the last little while. I remove myself from the situation until it's been "taken care of".
Other than that, things are well and I'm still staying busy and staying out of trouble.

World Cup Craze

So, Haiti is crazy for football(soccer) these days. Things seem to have come to a halt as people are more interested in watching the games than anything else. It is not uncommon to see a television set up outside an office or church with a large gathering of people (or shall I say guys) sitting around watching the game. The good news is that we have much more electricity than normal, which of course is always welcome. We've had so much some days, we sit around and wonder what possible appliance we can use before they take it again.
So I have some news to share, the good news is that Coram Deo has found a couple to fill the School Director role as well as a new position of Development Director. The bad news is that they can not start until March due to previous commitments. So I am very busy finishing off the school year as well as starting to prepare for the following school year. Needless to say I'm very busy.
The first week of July there are 3 teachers coming from Canada to teach a week of seminars for the teachers of Coram Deo. I am very excited about this and believe it will be beneficial for all involved. So I am preparing for that as well. The good news is that I'm too busy to get into any trouble!!!
So that's all the news from here. Oh, I almost forgot. I bought my ticket to return home. I will be returning to home sweet home on July 18th and I'm counting down the days until I see my family and friends again!!!

Random pics of PAP

Comments

I forgot to respond to the comments on my last entry. Nicole, I knew you'd be very happy with my new "nurse" position. Maybe I'll follow in your footsteps and become a real nurse when I come home:) And to my dear Leaside friends. I'm glad you are so eager for my return. I too look forward to my return. I have to admit that sometimes I daydream about what I will do first when I'm home. I think it may just be to eat a huge bowl of icecream and drink a really cold drink. (I do that here but it's quite the treat!)

No pictures, sorry

Well, the most exciting thing that has happened to me these days is that I have a HUGE swollen jaw. I have had a lot of problems with my skin in Haiti, I often have a lot of acne and I think it is from the air being so dirty and my pores getting clogged. However, right now I have 3 really infected pores and one is on my jaw so it is quite swollen and everyone looks at me quite strangely when they see me. At first I was hoping it would just go away by itself but I woke up Friday morning and it was horrible looking. I talked to a doctor who recommended an anitbiotic for me to take. Hopefully it works pretty quick, it's actually quite painful and it's difficult to sleep.
The temperature is rising and I'm find it hard to adjust to the heat. Usually I adjust quite quickly but these days I'm finding it hard to sleep. I've started to sleep in the living room hopefully to get a cross breeze but I'm afraid of the "crazy" cat coming in the house and cuddling up to me so I shut the sliding door and didn't find much of a cross breeze. Last night, I was so hot that I took the chance of cuddling up with a strange cat and left the door open. Thankfully the cat did not return. I think my coming after him with a large stick the last time he visited may have curbed his desire to visit our house:)
Other than that, things are calm. Jenny and I were chatting last night that we are actually quite boring. We spend almost every night at home reading. We sit with our little light one trying not to waste our invertor charge and read until it's time to go to bed. What crazy girls we are. Speaking of books, Jenny used to work for the Peace Corps and they just recently decided to pull all their personnel from Haiti and shut down their office. Jenny went by the office was able to take all the books in their library!!! So we have quite the selection of books at our house. It's like living at a library.

Nurse Kim

So these days I feel more like a nurse than a school director!!! There's a doctor that goes to my church (Dr. Ed for those of you who know him) who has agreed to stop by every week and take a look at the kids who have any medical problems. I am very excited about this as the kids often complain to me of the same things and I have no idea what to do. So every day I am dispensing medicine. Right now the thing that occupies a lot of my time is shampooing kids heads. I remember all too well being on "lice duty" at SMC and it feels a lot like the same thing. I have to put Selsan Blue on their heads and they have to keep it on for 24 hours and then I can wash it off and reapply it. So we have about 15 boys walking around with bright blue heads. I thought that they would be really embaressed about this but I think they are so thrilled to be getting rid of the scalp fungus that they dont' mind at all. In fact I think the idea is becoming quite popular because boys who don't have it have asked me to apply it to their heads as well!!!
So I'm keeping busy with that and all the other things that are involved with running a school. Jenny has been gone a lot lately helping out with a family up North. She'll be home for a while now and I'm glad as I don't love living by myself here.
I'm going to sign off quickly before they take hydro and I lose all that I've written.

Marie's Party

Marie's Graduation

So much to say, so little time

I'll keep this short because we don't have any hydro and I don't want to drain the invertor or use all the gas in the generator:) So much to talk about... we have three visitors here right who I never see because they are always working (they are nurses working at a clinic). Marie graduated from her 2 year course in sewing, floral arrangements etc. Went to her fashion show and her graduation. Had some strange personal space issues at the graduation, I think personal space is just not an option here. I threw a small party for Marie at the house afterwards, she was thrilled. Have a strange cat living in the house that scares the crap out of me and I end up hiding in my room in fear. (it's kind of freaky and I'm afraid it will bite me and seeing my history with animals in Haiti I will keep a safe distance). Jenny is gone for a week so I'm living by myself and the invertor is almost dead so I sit with a candle and try to read my book and not be scared!!! What an adventure living in Haiti is. Last night I was sooooooo happy because we got city water and I was able to put water in the cistern on the roof and have running water in the house but then I forgot all about it and it ended up filling the roof with water too.... I think by the time I figure everything out it will be time to leave. Speaking about leaving. I will be leaving in approximately 11 weeks. Isn't that crazy??? I am starting to feel really sad about leaving the people here. I guess that's part of life. I will try and post some pictures soon. Here's hoping...

Sad News

To those of you who are familar with the people who live at Coram Deo, I have some sad news to pass along. Wisley's Dad passed away on Saturday morning. He was crossing the street when he was hit by a truck. He was brought to the hospital but died shortly after. Of course Wisley was really shook up as this news came as a total surprise. He seems to be doing better and is able to talk about it with others. Please keep him and his family in your prayers.

Often when I have a chance to daydream I think about what I want to write on my blog. But when I sit in front of the computer I often sit for a while thinking of what to write. It's not that I don't have anything to write about, it's that I have too much to write about and I don't know where to start. Last Sunday I attended a very interesting meeting. A group of people meet every Sunday afternoon at Coram Deo to have discussions. One Sunday is English the other is French. So I was invited to be the "guest speaker" and facilitate the discussion. I decided to have a discussion on one of my favourite topics since arriving in Haiti. "Our duties as Christian citizens of a country". I started with the story of Joshua and the fall of Jericho. I talked about how faith and action need to walk hand in hand. Joshua very much relied on God and lived his faith when he led the people around Jericho seven times, despite how foolish he must have felt. However, the point that I stressed was that he took ACTION. Now I would never claim to understand the frustrations of living in a country where the government does not fulfill its God given duties. However, I have heard just too often, "only God can help Haiti" as people sit idly by and do nothing. I asked the group who had come on Sunday to raise their hand if they had voted for the second set of elections. Two people raised their hands. So we discussed the importance of taking action so matter how little or significant that action may seem.
It's been a busy week again and it flew by. Karen will be coming back on Wednesday and things will return to normal around here. The kids will also finally stop asking me when she will return:) No matter how many times I show them on the calendar and we count down the days, they can't seem to grasp the meaning of 3 weeks.
Today we had parent - teacher interviews. As in the past we had a weak turnout and many parents arrived late. I'm thankful for those parents who value thier childrens education and make time to come and talk to us about their progress. But it's frustrating that more parents don't care.
Well, that's all I can think of for the moment. I will sign off now.

Dogs, Mothers and Elections

So apparently dogs and I just don't mesh here in Haiti. Remember the cute dog I showed you a picture of??? Well, the kids are very rough when they play with him and I often have to remind them that he is not a toy and that he is actually living. I always tell them that if they are mean to him now, when he is a big dog he will be mean too. So yesterday I walked into the yard and he came running at me and bit me hard in the leg. He bit through my pants and broke the skin on my leg. I don't get it. What is it about me that dogs don't like???
On another note I would like to salute all the mothers out there. Seeing as I am a temporary mom to 6 children and 7 teenage boys. I don't know how moms do it and especially single moms. Two days ago Manu was complaining about a sore foot. The kids here are always getting scrapes and asking for bandaids. I usually clean it for them quickly and give them a bandaid and then never hear about it again. Well this time he complained about it more than once. So I took another look. His toe was infected and before the day was done it had spread to his foot which was quicly ballooning out. Not knowing what to do, I read "where there is no doctor" and discovered that it could be a variety of things and there are a variety of ways to take care of it. I wouldn't have been so worried except that anytime I came close to his foot he would scream at the top of his lungs and wouldn't stop for about 45 minutes. Well I won't go into any details about what I did, but today a Doctor stopped by to see Karen and just in case I asked him to take a look at it. He said I did everything right. I was so relieved. I know it's not smart to take chances with infections.
Tomorrow are the final elections for the rest of the government positions. There have been no troubles on the street but everything is closed today and tomorrow. We will just sit tight and spend some time cleaning up around the house. I don't forsee any problems but then I'm no expert.

Surviving

I survived the weekend being the "director" of Coram Deo. Honestly it went fairly well. The kids for the most part behaved themselves although I did get pretty sick of hearing my name being called over and over again. They just need so much attention. We went to church Friday night for Good Friday and again Sunday morning for Easter Sunday. They were both wonderful services, I even had a speaking part in the Sunday service!! So nothing has fallen apart and we are having a nice time. I went back to my house for a little bit on Sunday just to have a quiet hour to myself. Yesterday I convinced Samuel and Cadeau to go for a walk with me:) Other than that I've been here but I'm surviving and not feeling too claustrophobic.
This week all the schools are supposed to be closed due to the elections on Friday. They are sooooo quick to close the schools here. There's no problems on the street and I really don't think there will be. I opened school today and about 25 students showed up, so we had school. I don't like to feed into the fear, if there's really something going on I'm more than willing to close the school. Until then we will teach for whoever shows up:)
I really feel like I'm coming to the end of my stay. In just over 2 months, school will be over. I have lots to do before then and I want to write down as much as possible for the next director. I want them to know all the things I wish I knew when I started!!!

Random Pictures

Too long, I know

I'm still alive to all those who wrote me a worried e-mail. We haven't had hydro during the day for about 3 weeks now so my internet access is really limited. I try my best to go to the internet cafe 3 times a week. But it gets sort of expensive after a while and by the time I check my messages the time is up. (they are very slow computers) A couple of times I've written on my blog but it takes forever because the keyboard always has about 5 keys that always stick so you have to write one word, wait for the key to unstick itself and the continue on.
Enough complaining, I will give you a quick update and then tell you a funny story. Things are going well here. The school is running quite smoothly and I gave a workshop this morning on literacy and it went well. Overall I'm very pleased with the progess the school has made this year. Karen (the director) is going back to Canada for 3 weeks and leaving tomorrow morning. This of course leaves me in charge. It will be very challenging as I felt very busy before just running the school and now I will be in charge of everything. Karen has been very busy to prepare for her absence and therefore it won't be too much extra work. I will be staying at Coram Deo again which is something I was trying to avoid as it's not healthy to spend 24 hours a day 7 days a week in the same place but somehow I will survive. Other than that, not too much is new around here. The dog is behaving himself in his "prison" and I really don't give him much thought these days.
So here's the funny story. Sunday night I was lying in bed trying to read and I kept hearing this noise. I tried ignoring it and told myself it was coming from the neighbour's house. But the noise continued and every few seconds I'd hear it again. Finally I decided I better investigate. I went to the living room and heard music but didn't see Jenny. I called her, no reponse. I walked down to her end of the house. "Jenny?" I said again. "I'm stuck in the bathroom" she replied. And she was really stuck. NO matter how much we turned the doorknob, nothing happened. I tried sliding a knife under the door but the space under the door was not big enough. Finally I found a thiner knife and slid that under. I found every tool in the house that was available and tried to open it from the outside. Needless to say it took us over an hour to remove the doorknob from the door but we manged to do it without breaking the door. I was tempted on more than one occasion (as I became more and more tired) to just take a hammer to the door. Jenny was amazingly calm through the whole thing. When the door finally opened I gave Jenny a big hug and then went to bed.

Weak Joke

Amy dearest, sorry I made a weak joke and I'm sure you're not the only one who didn't get it. I said I almost became an American resident because they wouldn't let me leave the country. I didn't have a visa or a return ticket. They did let me buy a return ticket but I wasn't too eager to suggest this because it cost $450 American just for a one way ticket back to Miami. Thankfully I can get it refunded but at first I didn't know you could do that. Hope that clears things up.
Everything is okay here. Apparently the police found a bunch of human skulls the other day in Port-au-Prince. Not sure what that is all about. People have lots of different theories. I try not to think about it. Creepy...
The dog is staying nicely contained and I'm not having any problems with him. Things are going smoothly with the house but I am quickly realizing how much work it is to have a house (vs. an apartment) and it's especially hard in Haiti where all the things we take forgranted are much more difficult.
Unfortunately that's all the time I have for today.

American Resident?

I almost became an American resident on the weekend. When I went to check in at the Maimi airport, they informed me that I could not leave the USA. I don't know how they found out about my secret... just kidding. They said I could not go to Haiti without a return ticket. I've done this twice already this year and my friend just did it several weeks before. I told them that I didn't have a return ticket. They asked for my Visa. I said I didn't have one (you don't need one) They looked at me like I was crazy and I looked at them with desperation. Finally they said that I could buy a return ticket right now and they'd let me go. So I bought a one way ticket to Maimi for $450 American. Thankfully it's fully refundable I only have a pay a small fee for the transaction. I guess they weren't too crazy about me becoming an American.
So, I know that I write about hydro way too often but it is a big thing in Haiti. We spend a lot of time complaining about it, we rejoice when we get it and run around trying to use it as much as possible before it's gone. A "good" day these days would be about 1-2 hours of hydro. Of course we never get it at work when I'm actually there... but we get it at my house for long enough to charge the invertor for the night. We've been using the generator at work to filter water, use the computers and photocopier and that's about it.
Here's an interesting story that I forgot to mention earlier. The weekend before I went to Maimi, Jenny and myself and 2 other friends drove up the mountains to eat dinner at the house of a family at our church. The whole way to their house we heard a funny noise. When we stopped to pick up our friends I got down on my hands and knees and looked under the car as Jenny drove by several times. I didn't see anything, and we all know what an expert I am on cars. We drove around on Sunday and heard the noise again but told ourselves it was nothing major and we'd be fine. On Monday morning Jenny asked a guy from her work to take a look at it. He came back in the office and said "Jenny, God really loves you." Apparently when Jenny bought new tires on the Friday the guys who put them on failed to remember to use any nuts or bolts. The tire was put on but not attached in any way!!!! Crazy hey?? And people are worried about me getting kidnapped. I think a car accident is much more likely. Better change your prayer requests for me:)

Miami

So I just had a HOT shower, I think it was worth the flight to Miami for that alone!!! I arrived safely in Miami this afternoon, spent about 45 minutes waiting for a very nice man to say "enjoy your stay in the USA". Whenever I go through passport control or customs, they barely glance at me or my passport. Every single person in front of me had to have their fingerprints taken as well as a digital photo (which is why it took so long) but when it was my turn, he asked me what I was doing in Haiti and that was it. I think I could get away with a lot, if I ever wanted to....
So about our new dog Chello. Gwen, I think that I might try to take him home in my suitcase. I'm not usually much of a dog person but he is sooooo cute. Amy, in response to my past bad experiences with dogs... Well, Chello is half rotweiller, and everyone knows those dogs have a bad reputation. So my theory is that dogs are only mean if they are beaten when they are puppies. So I'm always lecturing the kids about being nice to him because when he's a big dog he might bite them, then I show them my arm (you can still see the bite marks). I also tell them that a dog never forgets, although I doubt that is true. We'll see if it works. To answer Matt's question, I gave that math homework to one of the kids and I would not be surprised if he tried to feed it to the dog. I'll have to ask him when I get back:)

New Addition

I forgot to tell you about the newest addition to Coram Deo. His name is Chello and he's a ton of fun as well as very cute.

Unbelievable. It is almost 3:00pm and we just received HYDRO!!!! It's been a rare thing these days. We've been using the generator when necessary but gasoline is expensive here (as I'm sure it is in Canada too) so we try to limit our use.
I just had a GREAT weekend. Ysmaille, Jenny and I went on a shopping trip and I managed to buy all the things I've wanted to buy for quite some time now. I went to gift shop and bought some neat things, then we went out for lunch at a fairly nice restaurant (it was nicer at one point but very run down now), then I bought Haitian sandals, paint and plants. The house we are staying in has a lot of metal pots that are very rusted, so I bought some yellow and blue paint for the pots and some plants to put in them.
Sunday was supposed to be a quiet day and we had no plans, but at church we discovered it was one of our friend's b-day and she didn't have any plans. So we threw together a quick birthday dinner for her.
I've been going with Jenny to two different Bible Studies which has been wonderful. Everyone takes turns hosting the Bible Study at their house on Monday night and tonight is our night. Should be fun, good thing Max is contained. The barriers are working very well and we often make jokes that anyone who doesn't want to help with the dishes will be thrown in the "pen" with Max:)
Thursday I fly to Miami to spend some time with Sarah. I'm really looking forward to it. Should be nice to buy some things that are hard to find here and/or expensive. Also nice to just relax and get away from everything for a few days. I was just telling Jenny the other night that things are finally starting to feel comfortable for me these days. Crazy that it took this long hey?? I guess it is a lot to adjust to in a short time.

Next Year

On my contract it states that I must notify the Coram Deo board by March 1st whether or not I will be renewing my contract for another year. Of course this day has already come and gone but for some reason I forgot to mention this on my blog. After much prayer and contemplation I have decided not to renew my contract for another year. I am thrilled with the progress we have made as a staff and a team this year. I think I have used my talents and gifts to the best of my best ability to benefit the school. However, I also believe that someone else with different skills and abilities will be able to bring new and fresh ideas to the school and change it in different ways. I truly believe that God is already preparing the heart of the person who will replace me here. Coram Deo has already started to advertise for someone to fill this role and they are also advertising for another position. It's very exciting that Coram Deo will have more staff and therefore be able to accomplish so much more. I hope that I will still be here in Haiti when they come so that I will have the opportunity to meet them as well as introuce them to the people that I have come to love. It is definately with mixed emotions that I will say goodbye to this place and these people.

I'm back

To all my faithful readers. Sorry I've written so little these days. Hydro has been scarce!!! We almost never get it and I've been going to the internet cafe's almost everyday but time goes so quickly and the keyboards always have problems so it takes forever to write anything. I've learned to type faster than ever before with the constant fear that they will take hydro or my time will run out at any minute and I will lose all that I have typed.
So the weather continues to be nice here. It's always sunny and it has yet to get really hot. It's funny that it's almost spring in Canada and it feels more like fall here. The leaves are falling off the trees and there is a constant breeze. I know the heat will hit any day now so I am enjoying this weather as long as it lasts.
Max has yet to figure out a way around the barriers. He growls and makes a lot of noise when he sees me and loves to stare me down. I mostly ignore him and try to pretend that he is not here.
We had a quiet weekend. I started a gardening project. The house we are staying at has lots of pots but they need some work. So Sat. was spent playing around in the soil. One of my favourite things to do. Sunday was also relaxing. We went to to church, made a delicious meal, went for a swim and then read our books.
I have the opportunity to go to Miami next weekend to hook up with my friend Sarah who is on March break and visiting her sister. I am really looking forward to it. A nice little break and some good chats with Sarah.
That's really all there is to say. Things are quiet and peaceful on the streets. There were only 18 reported kidnappings for Feb. which is down quite a bit from December and January. We continue to take precautions but things are less tense.

Things are looking up...

I'm trying to be a bit more positive this entry:) Seriously, things are starting to look up. I spent a sort of relaxing weekend with Ysmaille's family. They were very gracious and I spent a lot of time reading a book and hiking the mountains. I stayed at Coram Deo for a few nights and it was nice to catch up with everyone. I didn't do too much for carnival because I was nervous about going downtown. It turns out that 3 people died, which is quite tame for Haiti:)
I am now back living with Jenny. Ysmaille finally put up the barriers last night and they worked. Max has so far not figured out a way to escape but he spent a lot of time staring at them in confusion and then whining. Our invertor works some of the time. The water pumps work and we even got enough hydro last night that some things froze in the freezer!!!
I had a workshop/staff meeting on Wedneday this week for the teachers. It went over fairly well. They are never super enthusiastic but they did listen somewhat attentively and were interested in the various math manipulatives I introduced. Of course their favourite part were the math games and they inevitably became quite competitive.
I am experiencing the regular Feb/March blues that I think everyone experience the world over regardless of it they have winter. I just feel tired a lot and when a new challenge arises instead of tackling it head on I want to crawl back in bed and wait until it solves itself:) I'm sure I'll snap out of it and renew my enthusiasm for my work. I think after a while you get used to the challenges of Haiti and they don't tire you out so much.
We continue to have very limited hydro so I apologize again to all those people who have e-mailed me and have not yet received a reply.

Problems, Problems and more Problems

Now, I hate to complain but things are not going so smoothly these days. No hydro, no water, no invertor and a crazy dog. So far my new house has only added more stress to my life. Hopefully everything is fixed soon. I've heard that in between presidents there is often not much hydro so maybe in March we will receive some hydro. We had someone come today to hopefully fix our electrical wiring, right now even when we receive hydro things don't work and the invertor doesn't charge. The water pumps aren't working so there's no water on the roof which means so showers or running water. (we have to take it from the resevior) Ysmaille was supposed to make barriers for the dog (to contain him to a certain part of the yard) before Jenny went away for 5 days but things keep interrupting his work and they are still not in place so I will have to find another place to stay for the next 5 days. Fun, fun and more fun.
On top of all this, yesterdayYsmaille's truck broke down in the middle of a busy road. All sorts of helpful people drove by and informed us that we were blocking the road and needed to move. In my nicest voice I thanked them so much for their help:) There were about 20 people standing around doing nothing. No one was able to find us water for the truck and no one was willing to direct traffic. So I stood in the middle of the road directing traffic. I think everyone was saying "who is this crazy blanc?" but I didn't care.
So, no hydro also means no internet so if I haven't written in a while please don't be mad. I'm hoping in the next few weeks things start improving and I'll start responding to e-mail again.

Preval is President

Preval has been declared the new president of Haiti. People are VERY happy and the celebrations went on all night long We woke up at 5:00 to A LOT of noise on the street. Things seem really peaceful right now. Apparently after the elections, two different kidnapping took place but when the kidnappers arrived at Cite Soliel they were told that they must release their captives. The gang members announced that if Preval became President they would put a stop to the kidnappings. Now whether this is true or not... we will see.
Things look hopeful with Preval as president. He did manage to accomplish some positive things when he was in power last time. The tricky part is that the gangs wanted him in and therefore are expecting some kickbacks from helping him get in power.
On a personal note. I spent the week at my friend Heather's house waiting to figure things out with my new best friend "Max". Ysmaille took some measurements today and will start making two barriers on Monday. We will keep Max contained in a section of the backyard and I hopefully won't have to worry about him. However, Jenny is going away next weekend (for Carnival) and I'm not crazy about staying there by myself. I guess I'll just take each day as it comes.
It'll be nice to open school again next week. We basically lost 2 weeks of school. I managed to get a lot of work done with very little distractions, however, it will be difficult for the teachers to finish all the curriculum by the end of the year.
Saturday morning Heather and I went to visit "Sisters of Charity" a orphanage run by Nuns. It was very sad. Rooms full of children crying out for attention. We picked up a few children (with VERY wet diapers) and held them for a bit but when we put them back down they started crying even more. I think I will try my best to visit there on a regular basis and give at least a few of the kids the attention they so badly need.

From Bad to Worse

Things are pretty crazy right now in Port-au-Prince. Rumours are flying and tempers are rising. Here's something I read today in a CNN article today:
"PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) -- Hundreds of smashed ballot boxes and bags apparently used to carry vote count sheets were scattered across a garbage dump Wednesday, more than a week after Haiti's disputed presidential elections.
U.N. officials sent troops to the garbage dump five miles north of the capital to recover the election material, according to U.N. spokesman David Wimhurst, who called the discovery "extraordinary."
The word on the street in Haiti is that the UN were the ones to dump the votes here, and several street kids claim they found them. Basically the whole election has turned into a sham and the rumour is that very soon the presidential house will be stormed and the people will declare Preval president themselves. Surprisingly, things remain calm and all the parades look like they are more part of Carnival than of a manisfestation. I had no problems getting to work today and some stores are even open. Schools have been closed for a week and a half now and we're losing lots of precious teaching time. I've managed to get lots of work done due to no interruptions, but the students are getting very behind.
On a personal note. Jenny has decided that she doesn't want to lose me as a roomate. We are going to ask permission to build two gates that will keep Max enclosed whenever I am home. We will let him out at night so he can still guard the house. Problem solved.

Exaggeration

We just received "current" (aka hydro) and I had a chance to check the international news. I thought I'd better write one more entry so that no one takes the news too seriously. The events of Port-au-Prince are very much exaggerated. The protests have been very peaceful and despite the one incident where 4 people were killed there was no other violence. There was a very LARGE group of people that marched up Delmas today but they only held signs and waved tree branches. Now, tomorrow who knows. The longer they take to announce the results the more upset people will become. I will keep you updated. Today we closed school just to be safe and it will be closed tomorrow as well. I was unable to get to my new house today so I am staying at Coram Deo. I didn't come with a change of clothes but my sweet little brother Cadeau is lending me some:)
To answer Gwen's questions. The oven mitts plan, although seemingly foolproof, did not proof to be successful. As to the type of dog, I think it's a German Shepherd but it may be mixed with something else.

Something Fishy???

So as I mentioned earlier the elections were a "success" and everyone was feeling pretty positive. Kidnappings had ceased and the streets seem ed very calm and safe. We had school Thursday and Friday last week but very few students came because all the other schools were still closed and people were still afraid to venture out.
So, we expected the results to be announced Friday night, maybe Saturday and at the very latest Sunday. Today is Monday and there is still no official word but lots of rumours. Today there is choas on the streets. There are many manifestations and most roads are blocked off. People are walking in large groups on the streets protesting the fact that no announcement has been made. Preval's percentage of votes seems to change every minute and everyone is getting pretty suspicious that something fishy is going on. I am being safe and not venturing out (except to the internet cafe I am sitting in right now:)
As far as my living situation... things are not looking good. I spent some major time this week bonding with Max and trying to convince him that I'm not a threat to him. So Sunday afternoon I was actually playing with him by myself (Jenny was inside.) All was going well when all of a sudden he freaked out again and attacked me. So I have fresh bite marks and I will never feel safe being near him again. It appears that I might have to move back to Coram Deo but Jenny is trying very hard to think of another plan... barriers, a longer chain, possibly even another house. She is not excited about living alone again, especially with all the uncertainty these days.
On another note. We had awonderful day on Sunday. We went hiking in the mountains and attended a church on top of a mountain (literally). One of my friends is afraid of heights so she waited on the bottom until the church service was over.
So there's a quick update. Don't worry about me I won't let curiously get me in trouble. When I hear noise on the street I will stay safely inside.

February 7, 2006

February 7th was a big day for the Gringhuis family as well as for the entire country of Haiti.
Olivia Ann (without an "e", although I'm sure she'll change that when she's older) Gringhuis was born just after 5:00am on Tuesday morning, weighing just over 8 pounds. I saw pictures of her this morning and of course she's absolutely beautiful.
February 7th was also election day here in Haiti. And despite what you might read in the newspaper the day was calm and peaceful. I had the opportunity to visit two voting stations and despite really long lines and hour long waits people were in good sprits and came out in droves to participate in the voting process. Some stations had a bit of violence with people shoving and police hitting those in line. One or two people were shot but overall, and in most places the election went very smoothly. It was well organized (for Haiti). The actual voting ballot was HUGE. It had a large picture of each candidate (all 33 of them) for those who cannot read.
We won't know the results (offically) until Friday or Saturday but many already see Preval as the new president. The actual results should be interesting.
Things seem really calm on the streets and we are opening school today. How many students will arrive is yet to be determined.

Good News and Bad News

Let's start with the good news. The move to my new house went very smoothly. I actually have very little stuff here so it didn't take much time to pack and move my stuff. The weekend was action packed and a lot of fun. Saturday night we were invited for dinner to a family's house and had a delicious meal there with lots of wonderful conversation. Sunday we went to church and then invited over several friends for lunch. We enjoyed a lazy day of sitting around, eating and talking. In the afternoon we went for a walk and took pictures of all the campaign posters. At night we went next door to a super bowl party. Of course I was really quite serious about cheering on Seattle. Unfortunately they didn't win.
Now for the bad news. The house I am living in comes with a dog. I am not normally afraid of any dogs and when people make comments about being afraid of this dog I never understand why. Max is a big dog but relatively calm... or so I thought. Well, Sunday afternoon we had him tied up because one of our friends is afraid of him. When we went to go Jenny was going to untie him but I offered. He's always been pretty calm around me. As I walked behind the house he was very calm. I petted him in the head a few times and talked to him and he was perfectly still. When I went to untie him he sunk his teeth into my arm and wouldn't let go. I had to pull my arm free. To say the least I was quite shook up. We cleaned the wounds and they look alright. Unfortunately, I am now terrified of the dog. All I could think of last night was the dog and how I am going to make myself unafraid of him. What drama!!!
Other than that things are pretty calm. The government told all school to close last Friday and all of this week. (for the elections) We are closed Monday through Wednesday this week only. Today the streets were very calm and I came into work. Although there's no students there's always work to be done.

Karate and Elections

On Sunday Cadeau had a karate exam for his black belt. It was a full day event starting at 9:30 in the morning and finishing at 3:00. The students being examined can't eat anything that whole time and they can't even drink!!!! ( I personally don't get that...) I went to church first and then went over the watch the exam after that. It was interesting to watch and the examiners really made us feel welcome. They put out an extra bench for Karen and I and even wanted us to be in the final picture with all the teachers and students. I declined but they managed to convince Karen:) Cadeau passed his test and although he had a few injuries thoughout the day he wasn't seriously injured. (They fight on cement with absolutley no padding)
Everyone's talking about the election these days. Some predict utter choas after the election and others say everything will be fine. I overheard someone say that if "Preval" is not elected all "hell" will break lose. Preval is the candidate from the same party as Aristide (the president that fled the country in 2004). Preval is currently the most popular condidate and many say that if he doesn't win the election then it was obviously fixed. On the other hand, many people are afraid to vote so anyway you look at it the election will not show the actual sentiments of the people.
Oh what a mess. The UN is receiving all sorts of slander in the papers these days and no one seems to have anything positive to say about them. Some people think they should never have come and others say they are doing nothing here but partying. I am of the opinion that I would like them to stay at least for a while after the election. It may appear that they're not doing much but who knows what will happen if they leave?
On a personal note. I'm feeling pretty good about being back in Haiti. I'm looking forward to my change of location and I'm starting to feel a lot more comfortable in general. My Creole is improving quite nicely and I'm understanding more and more of the conversations that float around me. The school is running quite smoothly and we've accomplished more than I had originally hoped. My next goal is to work on having some workshops for the teachers that really focuss on more hands-on learning.

Termites Take Over

So Karen has about 1,000 books in her bedroom on about every topic under the sun. Yesterday she pulled out a book to read and discovered that something had eaten through many of the pages. Today she asked Manman Manise to clean off that shelf of books as it looked like some ants had moved in. Today Manman Manise started to clean the shelf and quickly discovered that the "ant" problem was much bigger than ever imagined. Termites were really the culprits and they had eaten through MANY books as well as entire sections of the bookshelf. What a mess!!!! There are books EVERYWHERE in Karen's room and she has just left to buy some new wood to make a new bookshelf.
On another note. All the guys got into a bit of trouble this week. They got their report cards. 'Nuf said. They didn't score quite as high as Karen would have liked. In fact some of them are failing. Of course it is not their fault at all and they all have HORRIBLE teachers!!! Regardless they have spent the last few nights studying quite religiously and didn't even watch American Idol when it came on.
The excitement never ends at Coram Deo.
On a happier note. Things are going really well with the school. We had an excellent staff meeting on Monday morning and the teachers really seem to be warming up to my suggestions. I almost don't have to nag at all (I almost miss it:) as they are taking their responsibilities much more seriously. We are really starting to work like a team and it's a really great feeling. I am going to attempt some workshops again starting in February and hopefully they are more receptive to different teaching strategies/methods.

Dust Bowl and Elections

So, the weather here is almost perfect. It's a very pleasant 20 - 25 degrees everyday and the nights are almost cool. There's a cool breeze almost all the time and the sun shines EVERY day. There's only one small catch. Because it's the dry season the wind blows with it a lot of dust. Now I've never been much for dusting on a regular basis (much to my Dad's alarm and dissapointment) but it has become a necessity in my life. On Saturday afternoon I dusted my entire room, and by Sunday afternoon there was a thick layer of dust on everything!!! It's a never ending battle. My room has several lovely large windows that keep me somewhat cool throughout the year but they also let in a lot of dust. Oh... the trials and tribulations of life in the Carribbean.
Today is election day in Canada which of course makes me think of the upcoming elections here in Haiti. The election looks like it might actually happen next month. The date is now set for February 7th (the forth offical date) and many believe that this will be the real thing. We will close the school on the 7th and possible the 8th too. For the last election no cars were allowed on the streets. Everyone had a polling station within walking distance from their house and the police patrolled the streets to prevent any mischief. We just found out that the airport will also be closed all day. It has the potential to be a very interesting day and despite my love for excitement I pray that it will be a dissapointingly dull day. I'll keep you all posted as the day nears.
Other than that, all is well. Nicole and Freda leave tomorrow to go back home. It will be quiet without them here and I will miss the nice chats. It's been really nice having them here.

Presents and Moves

It's been a busy week. We have our parent/teacher meeting this Sunday so I've been busy with report cards and other preparations for the day. This week went really well overall. The teachers were on time almost everyday and the kids were really well behaved. Of course the first week back after a holiday is always a good one but it's still a nice feeling that things went so smoothly.
It's also been really nice having Freda and Nicole here. They have done several crafts with all the classes and the kids LOVED it. They are both board members so we've also had some good meetings about the future of Coram Deo.
Earlier this week, I was able to give out the presents that my family bought for everyone at Coram Deo. They were thrilled and have really enjoyed the gifts. I've put a few pictures in my photo album of them opening the gifts. I've decided to label all my albums from now on with the date that I post them so you know what's recent and what's old. Should have thought of that a long time ago, I know...
On another note, I've mentioned in several blog entries that I've been finding life in Haiti much harder than I ever imagined. I think the hardest part for me has been the lack of freedom and how difficult it is to spend all my time in such a small compound. I can't go out unless I find someone who is willing to go with me which is often not an easy task. I also can't go out after dark so that makes it even more difficult to leave. It sounds like such a silly think but it has really been hard on me. I have done a lot of thinking and praying about the situation and have decided I need a change in my situation in order to really enjoy my stay here and to produce my best work. I have therefore decided to move in with my friend Jenny who lives close to my church and closer to Petionville. She is currently living alone and house sitting for a missionary family. She is very excited about having a roomate and will feel much more secure with another person around. I will be moving in with her in February and think it will be a very positive move for me. Of course I will continue to work at Coram Deo every day. My friend Ysmaille will drive me back and forth everyday. He already has a route he drives everyday for several students and one teacher, he will simply add me to his route. I will continue to take many precautions and will never venture out alone. I'm very excited to be part of a larger missionary community that is quite active with Bible studies and women's meetings that I was not able to attend earlier. I mentioned this move to many people when I was home and received a lot of encouragement for this decision.
The security situation is a bit confusing. It feels and sounds very calm but there have been two UN soldiers killed in Cite Soleil this week. Around here it continues to feel safe... Keep praying nonetheless.

Safe Arrival in Haiti

Hello All,
I arrived safely in Haiti on Jan. 13th. My travels were very uneventful. My flight out of Miami was delayed by an hour but I was able to use this time brushing up on my Creole with the other passangers that were waiting. Unfortunately I was supposed to meet up with two other people (Nicole and Freda) in Miami and travel together with them to Port-au-Prince. However, their first flight was delayed and they missed the flight out of Miami. I was really looking forward to travelling with them so I was dissapointed but they should be arriving any minute now in Haiti so I will see them soon.
I was warmly welcomed by my Coram Deo family. They told me they missed me a lot. Not too much has changed around here. Apparently we have had VERY little hydro while I was gone and we are almost out of water. We may have to buy a tank of water for showering, washing clothes etc. Other than that they had a quiet and restful few weeks.
Overall it is good to be back but I find the first few days back are always the days I am the most homesick. When I start my routine again and I'm super busy I won't have time to be homesick.

A time of refreshment

The last 2 weeks have flown by and I've had an amazing time with family and friends. I've done more shopping in 2 weeks than I have in the 5 months I spent in Haiti. My family managed to buy a ton of gifts for every member of the Coram Deo household. (there are GREAT deals after Christmas:) When we had all the gifts assembled in one room it was very overwhelming. We managed to fill 3 suitcases, all of which are over the limit, leaving 1 suitcase for all the school supplies and my personal items.
The time I have spent at home has been a time of great refreshment. I have been blessed in so many ways throughout my visit home. I was able to visit my old school and do a presentation for the whole school about what I am doing in Haiti. I was able to visit my church in Toronto and I saw a ton of friends in a short period of time.
I continue to marvel at how much the Lord has blessed me with family and friends who understand why I am compelled to work and live in Haiti. I've been encouraged by so many individuals and prayed over by many others. I have shared stories and seen others moved by what is happening in Haiti and more specifically at Coram Deo. God has blessed me with an amazing amount of prayer support. I am continually amazed by how many people are praying for the work that happens in Haiti. As the political situation worsens these prayers are needed more and more.
Oftentimes since arriving in Haiti I have been overwhelmed by the task that I have taken on. More than once I was overcome by selfdoubt and fear that maybe I had taken on more than I could handle. This trip has been a gift of refreshment in so many ways because I was able to gain a new perspective on my work and the encouragement I received from so many enables me to go back with a renewed energy and passion.
I leave tomorrow morning VERY early and I think I'm ready to go. I'm ready to get back into a routine and I'm eager to get back to work at the school. So many ideas, so little time. If I was unable to see you when I was home I apologize. I hope you understand. Thanks for all your love and prayers.

Home at last!!!!

I arrived on Canadian soil at 10:45 p.m. Thursday night. I missed my connecting flight in Ft. Lauderdale and had to spend 5 hours killing time before the next flight to Toronto but it could have been so much worse.
It's been a whirlwind of activity since I got home. I've been to a wedding, two family dinner parties and now I'm off for a fun filled day of shopping with my mom. (I'm in withdrawal from shopping:)
Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm home safe and sound. I'll let you know when I'm back in Haiti and you can start worrying again!!!

A"'truly" Haitian Experience???

Christmas has come and gone and I can't say that it was all that interesting or exciting to spend it in Haiti. There were two reasons why I didn't find Christmas in Haiti all that interesting. First of all Christmas is not really a major holiday in Haiti. New Years Eve and Carnaval are much bigger holidays as far as Haitians are concerned. The other thing is that even if Haitians had a huge celebration I would not be able to go because it would be at night and unsafe for me to go. When I tell Haitians that I won't be in Haiti for New Year's Eve they seem so dissapointed and tell me that I will be missing out. In reality I wouldn't be able to go to any of the celebrations so I'm not too dissapointed.
The Christmas Eve candle light service was very nice. After church we ate some street food (my stomach did not thank me later) and watched some Christmas singing program on TV. After the kids went to bed and all the guys left to go to various parties, I helped Karen wrap some presents and then went to bed. The highlight was that my family called and I was able to talk to all of them. Christmas day was also pretty tame. The kids opened their presents in the morning and spent the rest of the day playing with them. I relaxed and watched a movie at a friends house. At night I was determined that everyone would sit together for our turkey meal. No one was as excited about it as I was but they all sat down. We ate our turkey with rice (of course) and it was delicious. Overall a quiet but nice Christmas.
Tomorrow morning I will be flying out of Haiti and the time just can't come fast enough for me. I am so excited about being home and seeing my family and friends. E-mail is an amazing and wonderful thing but nothing replaces talking face to face.

Christmas Eve

Our school Christmas party was a huge hit. The kids sang and read very well during the program and they loved the games and music. We gave them a small gift when they left and they were thrilled. Unfortunately we included a noise maker in the gift bag and I've had to listen to it constantly since yesterday afternoon:)
Well, we had a vote two nights ago on what we wanted for our Christmas dinner; turkey or fish. Thankfully turkey won hands down!!! I doubt we'll be having it with mashed potatoes and stuffing, but turkey is turkey and will be much appreciated!!!
We went shopping this week for presents for the kids. They are still very strong believers in "Papa Noel" AKA Santa Claus. They have no clue that we are buying them gifts and aren't snooping around at all. Karen managed to buy two bikes for the youngest two boys - Manu and Jacob. They will be THRILLED, they want one soooo badly. The bikes are currently hiding at Cadeau's house so they kids won't see them:)
Tonight we are going to the Christmas Eve service which I'm really excited about it. Tomorrow morning the kids will open their presents and then we'll go to church again. I always enjoy church but for some reason it's even more special at Christmas time.
I've like to thank everyone who sent me a Christmas card. As I've mentioned before snail mail is always appreciated but it is even more appreciated when you are far away from family and friends. Something that I appreciate even more than letters is prayer and I'd also like to thank all those who pray for me and more importantly for the work that happens here at Coram Deo. Haiti is a difficult country to work in because of the security problems and we appreciate your prayers so much. I am continually finding out about more people who have added us to their prayer list and I am so touched when I am told that they pray for me and Coram Deo every day.
Well, to all my faithful readers. Have a Wonderful Christmas with family and friends. Picture me sitting in my shorts eating turkey with my new family and friends in Haiti.

December in Haiti

Sunday morning I woke up at Jenny's house and went for a swim. I thought to myself, it's worth all the risks to wake up on a December morning the week before Christmas and go for a swim:) Seriously, the kidnappings just keep increasing and everyone's getting a little nervous. Up until now I'd refused to think about it and had convinced myself that it wouldn't happen to me. Lately I've been thinking maybe I should have a plan just in case. The good news for me is that I am not an easy person to kidnap because I leave the house very rarely and when I do it's never at a regular time and it's not usually to the same place. The people that have been kidnapped are followed for a few weeks first to find out their pattern. Since I don't have a pattern this works in my favour. However I am being very careful. Everyone tells me not to walk places but I have yet to hear about a kidnapping that happened to someone walking. Also, when I'm in a car I always lock the doors and we always stick to main roads and avoid roads that are desserted. As well, we never return the same way we went. So all you worry worts out there, I want you to know that I am taking precautions.
Well, the party we had for the kids on Sunday was a hit. We bought some junk food, let them listen to music, watch T.V. and drink coke. Overall it was a big hit:)
Ten days until I'm home. I can't wait!!!!!!

Christmas Carols

We have just started a new tradition here at Coram Deo. We now have devotions every night with all the people in the house and any visitors that wish to participate. We read the Bible, read a Devotional and pray together. The second time we meet together Cadeau asked if we could sing some songs. I was surprised but pleased that he wanted to do so. Yesterday Karen bought some song books (the ones they use in Haitian churches) and we sang some Christmas Carols last night. It was a great time. They have a lot of the same Christmas carols, but of course they sing in French not in English. Sometimes the tunes a bit different but if you have the words it's not too difficult to follow along. I always find that no matter where I am in the world, when you sing together or worship the Lord together you don't feel like your miles away from home.
Things with the school are winding down. Next week is the last week of school. The students are writting exams and the last day of school we're going to have a fun day with a bit of a Christmas program. Should be interesting. I have to think up some games for 100+ kids with almost no space to play them:) Good thing I was a camp counsellor. Who know it would come in handy so many times in my life?? I truly think that one summer at SMC can help prepare you for almost any job:)
Last Sunday Ysmaille had a B-day party at his house. The kids wanted to go so badly but he said no. Later he felt bad so now we are planning a party just for the kids for this Sunday. They are so excited they can barely contain themselves. The have asked me about 30 times (each) when we are going to his house. Should be fun... I'll take some pictures and let you know how it goes:)

Commercialism

It's funny that when you live in Haiti you almost forget about Christmas and all the comercialism that surrounds it. I don't go shopping much and even when I do you can't really tell that a major commercial holiday is just around the corner. Of course there's a few Christmas decorations up and a few more for sale, but other than that you hardly notice a change. The weather also really throws you off. When you are experiencing balmy temperatures and you're still wearing tank tops and sandals, Christmas and major shopping sprees don't even enter the mind.
This year my family decided to bypass present giving and instead buy presents for everyone at Coram Deo. I was thrilled by this idea and have already written their 'wish lists' for them. (with a little help from Cadeau) It's kind of funny that everyone who knows that I'm going to Canada for 2 weeks is expecting a present when I return. I don't know where they get the idea that I have enough money to buy EVERYONE a present but they are quite confident that I will be returning with a gift for them. Even people I barely know ask me what I am planning to bring back for them when I return:)
We already had a small taste of present giving around here. When John came he came with an entire box full of brand new running shoes. I think shoes are a big deal to teenage guys around the world but they were especially appreciated here. Everyone who needed a pair received a brand new pair of Addidas running shoes. Needless to say there were a lot of smiles that night.
I have a great pictures of everyone posing with their shoes. Speaking of pictures, I have tried several times to upload new pictures onto my yahoo photo album but it's experiencing problems at the moment so I apologize for the lack of new pictures.
Fifteen days until I'm home and I'm really excited. Of course it will be a whirlwind of a visit but that's okay. Who needs to relax anyway???

Update

We just said goodbye to a visitor that I previously forgot to mention. John, from our Canadian board, just came for a visit to see how we are doing. It was great to show him how the school is running and talk about some future plans. I told the teachers that if he asked if I was a good director to say that I'm the best. Fortunately for me none of the teachers speak English and John doesn't speak Creole so he'll never really know the truth:)
Someone just wrote me and asked how the language is coming along. Anyone who knows me well knows that if I'm not complaining about something it's probably going well:) To be honest, the language is really coming along. I can make myself understand most of the time, however I still have difficulties understanding when someone talks too fast or uses a lot of words I'm not familiar with. This is not really a problem because I enjoy talking more than I enjoy listening anyway:) It really is a lot more fun now that I can speak more and understand more. Ysmaille had a birthday party on Sunday at his house and I had a good time getting to know his friends (girls finally!!!) and they were thrilled that I knew Creole.
As for security. Things are not improving but rather getting worse. There have been several kidnapping and one Canadian man was shot during the kidnappping. He has since been released but he had to have his arm amputated. We continue to take precautions and definately avoid any bad areas of town. I don't go out too much so that increases my chance of safety. Don't worry about us too much. Just keep praying!!!

Noel

Well folks, I keep promising myself I won't complain about the lack of hydro because I'm sure you're tired of my complaints every week so I promise this will be the last complaint. We haven't had over 1 hour of hydro each day for the last 2 weeks. This would be okay if I wasn't so addicted to e-mail or if I didn't need my computer for so many work related things. On top of this the generator hasn't been working so needless to say it's been a boring few weeks. I try to stay busy but it's difficult when you know the work is piling up and there's nothing you can do about it. I wrote some stuff by hand and now all I have to do it type it but I hate to do work twice.
Enough about that... As many of you know I am spending Christmas here in Haiti. Christmas started early for me this year!!! This past week I received MAIL and not only was it mail it was GREAT mail. I got a lovely card from my dear friend Sarah, my biggest fan (my mom) sent me a little package and my dear friend Amy S. managed to convince a large group of people from my church to write me a Christmas card (even bought a card for a few people - right Matt?). What blessings. Later this same week I was hand deliverd a note from my mom and a small gift from my friend Marg H. Wow, am I blessed or what???
Surprisingly enough I'm not missing the snow you are all experiencing right now. It's been great weather here lately. Not too hot during the day (unless you are standing in the sun) and the nights cool off quite comfortably. However, although I don't miss the snow I will be walking in it before too long. I am coming home for the first two weeks of January. I am very excited to spend some time with my family and also to do some work for Coram Deo back home. I hope to visit some schools and do some educational research that will be beneficial to the school here. I am very excited about going home and although the time is short and I will only be able to see a few people it will be nice to be back 'home' and with those I have missed much over the last 4 months.
Thank you to all the people who have kept me and Coram Deo in their prayers over the last four months. Your prayers along with God's promises have helped me survive the considerable adaption I have gone through since coming to Haiti. With your continued prayers and God's continual support I know that great things can be accomplished here. Thanks again.

New faces at CD

It's Sunday morning and it's the first time we've had Hydro for over 1 hour in a row. This week was brutal. As soon as I'd finish checking my e-mail the hydro would go out and I wouldn't be able to reply. I even resorted to going to a internet cafe this week. I had just sat down and written a nice long e-mail when some guy came and turn off my computer without warning. He mumbled something in Creole that I did not understand and then we had to wait 10 mintues for the computers to start up again. T en the "n" on my computer didn't work half the time:) Oh life in a 3rd world country:)
This week there was another kidnapping. What would life be like in Haiti without a weekly kidnapping? An American was travelling back from one of the provinces in a bus with 13 kids. He had just obtained the necessary papers for a VISA for one of the children. The whole bus was kidnapped but the children were released shortly after. The kidnappers were asking for $300,000 American. Who has that kind of money? As of Sat. night we heard that he was released but we found out that he'd been shot in the arm during the whole event. The kidnappers dropped him off at the UN hospital (how considerate) where he was taken care of. No permanent damage has been reported.
Well, our household as grown again. (As if 17 people was just not enough:) Manman Manise's children live in Cite Soliel (the worse slum in Haiti) with her husband and there has been ALOT of shooting in that area lately. One night I was sitting on the roof with her listening to the sounds of gunfire and she started to cry. (She's ALWAYS very happy and cheerful). I told her we have to pray and leave it into God's hands. (easy for me to say) Karen offered for her to bring her two kids here (one already lives here) until things die down. So we now have Stephanie (3) and Oltens (5) brightening up our lives. They are adorable and Stephanie loves to follow me wherever I go:)
Unfortunately nothing else exciting has happened around here. This week John (from the board) is coming so we'll have a chance to discuss how things are going in the school which will be great. I'm really glad with the progess so far.