Living in Haiti is strange stuff. It really is.
Now there's the regular strange stuff - no hot showers (only cold ones,) near-daily stomach issues, sweating your brains out, and throwing your used toilet paper in the trashcan instead of flushing it down the toilet. However, that's not all that's strange about living here.
First of all, living in Haiti is more expensive than it may seem. Some things are extremely pricey here and other things are extremely cheap here. For example - laundry. The laundry at the Guest House costs $1.50 for pants, $1.00 for shirts and shorts, and $0.50 for underwear. That adds up quite quickly. Not that it's not a fair price - the woman who washes my clothes (Mire) works really hard - but it's MUCH pricier than it would be in the States for much less clothes. Also, things like office supplies are more expensive. Mike says he and Doug went to go buy some pens, but then turned around and decided not to when they saw that a pack of 12 pens rang up to be $20. Yikes! However, strangely enough, things like water and (most) food are much cheaper here. It's very, very weird.
Beyond that, certain sights and sounds and smells around Haiti become almost normal - you just don't even blink an eye at it anymore. For example, I am now totally used to seeing random goats wandering the streets. Yes, goats. They're all over the place in Haiti! Also, the roosters that roam Freres Campus don't seem to wake me up at night anymore. Hallelujah. I am also used to seeing exposed body parts. I won't go into any more detail there. Things I also accept as normal: people carrying things on their heads, car horns constantly honking, and garbage being everywhere.
Of course, one of the things that I've become used to is seeing rubble and demolished buildings. It's kind of sad how some of them don't even faze me anymore. It is such a part of the Port-au-Prince and Petionville landscape that I rarely notice it anymore. However, there are times when I'll see a building for the first time and I'll be deeply saddened by the sight of it. And there are a few buildings that still get me every time I see it - the hospital we pass on the way to the UMCOR office in particular. Very sad stuff.
I've also become almost TOO used to people/kids asking me for money. You almost get to the point where you become apathetic to it - or get upset at them asking for food thinking "I just gave them a whole chicken leg yesterday" or "I gave them 25 goudes this morning - that should have been enough to hold them all day." You almost get to the point where you see them as greedy - expecting to get something every time they ask for it. However, it's at these moments that you have to remind yourself that often times what you're able to offer is all they have. So that one chicken leg you gave them yesterday may have been all they've eaten in the past two days. Or that 25 goudes may have gone to get a nice breakfast or lunch - but could you eat only 25 goudes worth of food and not be hungry at night? Probably not.
And then of course, there are those times that you have nothing to offer and you feel almost as desperate as they do. You want so much to be able to offer something - anything - to help them. Tonight was one of those moments when my boys came to me asking for food. Now, there are two boys who are ALWAYS asking for food. It's possible that they don't get much other food, but I think it's also possible with them that we just have BETTER food so they come around asking for it a lot. "Beth, give me some chicken." But tonight, boys who normally don't ask for food were asking for some sustenance tonight. I think that there probably hasn't been a food drop in a while and so all of them had fairly slim pickings.
I went into the kitchen and asked Marie Claude if there was any food that I could give to the kids. She told me that there wasn't anything left that I could offer them. I felt desperate. I didn't have any small goudes to offer them and I didn't have any food. On top of that, Mike didn't really have any small goudes on him either or any extra food. I eventually ended up searching my room and found a snack package that I still had from my flight to Atlanta. It wasn't much, but I suppose those 4 pieces of Chex Mix is better than nothing... maybe. It was pretty puny. I still feel terrible about it. I hated knowing that they all really needed food, but also knowing there wasn't much else I could do. I mean, I had bigger bills I could have used to get them food - but that might have made things even more difficult. It's hard to explain, but unless you can give each boy the same amount, then you shouldn't give any money at all. And if you hand one boy some money expecting them to share it with the rest - that may or may not happen. Also, at this time in the night, I couldn't go out and get them food myself so I was just stuck. I hate that.
I suppose it really stinks being in Haiti when you're not a millionaire.
Regardless of all the weirdness, though, I really am having an amazing time. I know God is continuing to change and mold me every day. I'm so glad to be here. It's exactly where I need to be. However, I think the reverse culture shock when I return to the States is going to be pretty bad. How do you go back to living an affluent American life after living in the poorest country in the western hemisphere? I imagine it's going to be very difficult.
Anyway, I need to get to bed. I'm super tired. Also, I have a meeting with Beyond Borders tomorrow morning so that's exciting! I'm stoked to hear about their program to end the restavek system.
I hope you're well. I'm sending Haiti hugs to all my friends and family!
Beth
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
I meant to blog yesterday but between the busyness of yesterday, coming back to the Guest House at 7:30, eating dinner, and then having a long chat with Bryan... it didn't happen. However, yesterday was fairly eventful so I still wanted to blog about it. So here I am! Early Monday morning Beth update! w00t!
So yesterday was... (for the most part) good, but it also had some very strange parts in it that were not so good.
Starting at the beginning of the day, it was all good stuff. Robenson (one of my boys) came to visit me yesterday morning after breakfast and I got him to do his Michael Jackson dance for Oge. Hilarious. I also introduced him to some of the members of a group staying here for the week. He had a good time interacting with some new people and teaching them the patty cake game that I taught him.
Around 8:45 Bryan and I walked down to the Methodist church on Freres Campus. It's a middle to upper class church so it was HUGE and beautiful. We were soon joined by Mike and Nate and we all enjoyed the gorgeous singing in the gorgeous church together. They even sang a song that I knew in English! (I think it's called Agnus Dei.) Since I didn't have the words in Kreyol, I actually sang it in English so I could sing along. It felt good to finally know what they were singing! Haha.
After that we went back to the Guest House and prepared for our beach day of fun. Since Nate is here visiting, Mike wanted to do at least one fun thing while he's around. We decided to go to "Wahoo Beach" because we had heard it was fun - a sand beach with a live DJ. Awesome. So Mike, Doug, Bryan, Nate, Petersen, Donette, Ablamy, Davidson (as Donette and Ablamy care for Davidson and we wanted him to join us on this fun trip,) and I all piled into the van with Ablamy as our driver.
However, it was during our trip to the beach that the first bad thing occurred. I saw the first dead body I have ever seen in real life. And it was gruesome. We think a woman got hit by a car walking come from church as she was dressed in a nice blue dress. Also, there were several people gathered on both sides of the road looking at her body as well as a man with a rifle standing nearby to direct traffic to move around her. I wish I never saw it. Nate said that he didn't see her because he was paying attention to the man with the gun. I noted, "You're lucky. It's not really something you can un-see." That experience kind of put a damper on my mood, and the mood of the entire van for a while. Luckily, though, we soon found new things to laugh about and talk about and were able to put that picture in the back of our minds - although I do not think it can ever be erased completely.
About an hour after that traumatic experience, though, we arrived at Wahoo Beach. After parking we went to their restaurant - which is where the 2nd bad thing happened. The service at this place was TERRIBLE. Like, beyond bad. It's another long story, but it certainly put us in a bad mood. Luckily, though, there was the amazing Argentina/Mexico game on TV at the time so that put us in a better mood. Seriously, if you did not watch that game - you missed out. Also, if you did not watch that game in Haiti - you missed out. Haitians root for either Argentina or Brazil so it was a ton of fun to watch it with a room FULL of Argentina fans. Each goal was such a joyful experience it's hard to describe. By the time Argentina got their 3rd goal it was a full on celebration as everyone was fairly certain at that point that Argentina was going to win. Luckily, they did end up winning 3-1 and I am now an Argentina fan since USA is out of the World Cup.
Once the 3rd goal was made, I took Davidson and we got changed into our swim wear and then met up with Bryan, Nate, and Petersen on the beach. Davidson can't really swim so he was clinging on to me in the water at the beginning. He was cracking me up at how scared he was to let go in the water. Adorable. Donette, Doug, Mike, and Ablamy soon joined us in the water. We swam around, threw a soccer ball around, danced to the music provided by the (really good) DJ, and just had a generally great time. It was a good stress reliever. Relaxing, fun, cool time.
However, on the beach is when the 3rd bad thing happened. Two French men who had too much to drink got into a rather big fight. At first it started in the water, but their friends broke them up quickly and it never amounted to anything. However, they went up to the bar/DJ area and got back into the fight and started throwing punches. Apparently one guy also found a board and hit the other guy in the face with it. It was kind of scary, and none of the staff at Wahoo stepped in to calm it down. The guys friends kept on trying to hold them back - but they were drunk and angry so it was difficult. At this point to "create some order" one of the security guys at Wahoo fired a shot into the air. The whole beach went silent at that point and people started frantically moving out of water. No one knew where the shot came from at that point and so people tried to move back on land to figure out what was going on, as well as get to place where it would be easier to get away if things got out of control. Once everything calmed down, though, people got back into the beach, the music resumed, and people went back to having a good time. Crazy.
Around 5:30 we packed up and headed home, right as the rain started to come in. Overall, it was a great day - full of joy, laughter, relaxation, and friends. But those three things mixed in there just made it... strange. I'm hoping today will be less strange - but just as great.
Sending love your way,
Beth
P.S. Pictures from Wahoo Beach can be found here.
So yesterday was... (for the most part) good, but it also had some very strange parts in it that were not so good.
Starting at the beginning of the day, it was all good stuff. Robenson (one of my boys) came to visit me yesterday morning after breakfast and I got him to do his Michael Jackson dance for Oge. Hilarious. I also introduced him to some of the members of a group staying here for the week. He had a good time interacting with some new people and teaching them the patty cake game that I taught him.
Around 8:45 Bryan and I walked down to the Methodist church on Freres Campus. It's a middle to upper class church so it was HUGE and beautiful. We were soon joined by Mike and Nate and we all enjoyed the gorgeous singing in the gorgeous church together. They even sang a song that I knew in English! (I think it's called Agnus Dei.) Since I didn't have the words in Kreyol, I actually sang it in English so I could sing along. It felt good to finally know what they were singing! Haha.
After that we went back to the Guest House and prepared for our beach day of fun. Since Nate is here visiting, Mike wanted to do at least one fun thing while he's around. We decided to go to "Wahoo Beach" because we had heard it was fun - a sand beach with a live DJ. Awesome. So Mike, Doug, Bryan, Nate, Petersen, Donette, Ablamy, Davidson (as Donette and Ablamy care for Davidson and we wanted him to join us on this fun trip,) and I all piled into the van with Ablamy as our driver.
However, it was during our trip to the beach that the first bad thing occurred. I saw the first dead body I have ever seen in real life. And it was gruesome. We think a woman got hit by a car walking come from church as she was dressed in a nice blue dress. Also, there were several people gathered on both sides of the road looking at her body as well as a man with a rifle standing nearby to direct traffic to move around her. I wish I never saw it. Nate said that he didn't see her because he was paying attention to the man with the gun. I noted, "You're lucky. It's not really something you can un-see." That experience kind of put a damper on my mood, and the mood of the entire van for a while. Luckily, though, we soon found new things to laugh about and talk about and were able to put that picture in the back of our minds - although I do not think it can ever be erased completely.
About an hour after that traumatic experience, though, we arrived at Wahoo Beach. After parking we went to their restaurant - which is where the 2nd bad thing happened. The service at this place was TERRIBLE. Like, beyond bad. It's another long story, but it certainly put us in a bad mood. Luckily, though, there was the amazing Argentina/Mexico game on TV at the time so that put us in a better mood. Seriously, if you did not watch that game - you missed out. Also, if you did not watch that game in Haiti - you missed out. Haitians root for either Argentina or Brazil so it was a ton of fun to watch it with a room FULL of Argentina fans. Each goal was such a joyful experience it's hard to describe. By the time Argentina got their 3rd goal it was a full on celebration as everyone was fairly certain at that point that Argentina was going to win. Luckily, they did end up winning 3-1 and I am now an Argentina fan since USA is out of the World Cup.
Once the 3rd goal was made, I took Davidson and we got changed into our swim wear and then met up with Bryan, Nate, and Petersen on the beach. Davidson can't really swim so he was clinging on to me in the water at the beginning. He was cracking me up at how scared he was to let go in the water. Adorable. Donette, Doug, Mike, and Ablamy soon joined us in the water. We swam around, threw a soccer ball around, danced to the music provided by the (really good) DJ, and just had a generally great time. It was a good stress reliever. Relaxing, fun, cool time.
However, on the beach is when the 3rd bad thing happened. Two French men who had too much to drink got into a rather big fight. At first it started in the water, but their friends broke them up quickly and it never amounted to anything. However, they went up to the bar/DJ area and got back into the fight and started throwing punches. Apparently one guy also found a board and hit the other guy in the face with it. It was kind of scary, and none of the staff at Wahoo stepped in to calm it down. The guys friends kept on trying to hold them back - but they were drunk and angry so it was difficult. At this point to "create some order" one of the security guys at Wahoo fired a shot into the air. The whole beach went silent at that point and people started frantically moving out of water. No one knew where the shot came from at that point and so people tried to move back on land to figure out what was going on, as well as get to place where it would be easier to get away if things got out of control. Once everything calmed down, though, people got back into the beach, the music resumed, and people went back to having a good time. Crazy.
Around 5:30 we packed up and headed home, right as the rain started to come in. Overall, it was a great day - full of joy, laughter, relaxation, and friends. But those three things mixed in there just made it... strange. I'm hoping today will be less strange - but just as great.
Sending love your way,
Beth
P.S. Pictures from Wahoo Beach can be found here.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Long Days
Whew.
Two long days in a row!
Yesterday we set off earlier to take some of our lovely UMCOR friends on a visit to Mellier. It was awesome to be there and see how far the project has come in the short time I've been here for.
We weren't there for too long, though, because Melissa and Lauren had a meeting with President Paul at 1 and needed to get back. Also, we had to get back to pick up Mike's other son, Nathan, who is visiting for a week.
We dropped them off at the UMCOR Haiti office and then went to the airport. Bryan really wanted some bread or something to munch on, though, and I wanted water, so we stopped by a gas station before the airport. Walking inside, though, I saw the guy that I sat next to on my flight to Atlanta. During that flight he told me that he lived in Haiti and traveled to Port-au-Prince fairly regularly to pick teams up at the airport. We laughed and said, "Maybe we'll run into each other!" Lo and behold - we did! Crazy.
After that we met up with Nathan and decided to get lunch. As we had gone to the Epid'or the day before, we wanted to do something else for lunch. We found a restaurant that was good... but it took two hours. We left "lunch" at 4:15. When the dinner bell rang an hour and a half later at the Guest House - I just had a fruit cup.
I woke up thinking today was going to be a slow day. However, it quickly picked up. I took Melissa, the communications person at UMCOR, around Freres campus a bit and introduced her to Davidson. We colored outside my building a bit and she was able to take lots of pictures. It was fun to hang out with Davidson and she thought he was a hoot - it's hard not to love that boy!
Around 9:30 or 10 the COR team came back from Arcahaie and told me that they had an AMAZING time. So good to hear! They asked if they might be able to visit College Bird (a Methodist school that collapsed.) I know that it will probably become a big focus of COR so I really wanted to visit it, too. It's right by the Presidential Palace and it's... very sad. Actually, they've already done most of the rubble removal so you can't even tell that a building used to stand there. Crazy. I'll have some pictures up sometime soon.
Also, we went inside the College Bird church on the campus. It was the most beautiful church I have been to in Haiti - mostly because of the AMAZING stained glass at the front of the church. It was just... wonderful.
After that, we went back to the Epid'or for lunch and then went back to the Guest House. Shortly after arriving back, the team wanted a tour of campus. I didn't take them too far because classes were still in session... but we went far enough for them to see some of the buildings and the students enjoying recess. I also introduced them to McKinley and Steven. :)
Just 15 minutes after that, Belorne, Oge, and I left for a shopping trip. We have a team going to Mellier on Sunday and so we had to buy food for their week there. It was a TON of stuff. Definitely necessary to have two people (me and Belorne) simply because you have to drive two carts! Crazy.
After going to the Big Star store, Belorne wanted to get the eggs and rice off the street because it's cheaper. Oge parked the van and Belorne told me to wait inside with him. Right outside the van was a group of guys selling Haitian CDs so I asked Oge if any of them were good. He got out of the van and talked to the guys about a few Haitian artists. He worked out a deal for me and I am now the proud owner of two Haitian CDs - they're both pretty good! Oge did well.
Finally I arrived back to the Guest House right before dinner feeling hungry and exhausted. After dinner we gave some of my boys some food and laughed and chatted with them a bit. Now, though, I am exhausted... and feeling a bit... under the weather and I'm just really ready for bed. So goodnight world!
Beth
Also, here is the recent photo update if you're not friends with me on Facebook!
Two long days in a row!
Yesterday we set off earlier to take some of our lovely UMCOR friends on a visit to Mellier. It was awesome to be there and see how far the project has come in the short time I've been here for.
We weren't there for too long, though, because Melissa and Lauren had a meeting with President Paul at 1 and needed to get back. Also, we had to get back to pick up Mike's other son, Nathan, who is visiting for a week.
We dropped them off at the UMCOR Haiti office and then went to the airport. Bryan really wanted some bread or something to munch on, though, and I wanted water, so we stopped by a gas station before the airport. Walking inside, though, I saw the guy that I sat next to on my flight to Atlanta. During that flight he told me that he lived in Haiti and traveled to Port-au-Prince fairly regularly to pick teams up at the airport. We laughed and said, "Maybe we'll run into each other!" Lo and behold - we did! Crazy.
After that we met up with Nathan and decided to get lunch. As we had gone to the Epid'or the day before, we wanted to do something else for lunch. We found a restaurant that was good... but it took two hours. We left "lunch" at 4:15. When the dinner bell rang an hour and a half later at the Guest House - I just had a fruit cup.
I woke up thinking today was going to be a slow day. However, it quickly picked up. I took Melissa, the communications person at UMCOR, around Freres campus a bit and introduced her to Davidson. We colored outside my building a bit and she was able to take lots of pictures. It was fun to hang out with Davidson and she thought he was a hoot - it's hard not to love that boy!
Around 9:30 or 10 the COR team came back from Arcahaie and told me that they had an AMAZING time. So good to hear! They asked if they might be able to visit College Bird (a Methodist school that collapsed.) I know that it will probably become a big focus of COR so I really wanted to visit it, too. It's right by the Presidential Palace and it's... very sad. Actually, they've already done most of the rubble removal so you can't even tell that a building used to stand there. Crazy. I'll have some pictures up sometime soon.
Also, we went inside the College Bird church on the campus. It was the most beautiful church I have been to in Haiti - mostly because of the AMAZING stained glass at the front of the church. It was just... wonderful.
After that, we went back to the Epid'or for lunch and then went back to the Guest House. Shortly after arriving back, the team wanted a tour of campus. I didn't take them too far because classes were still in session... but we went far enough for them to see some of the buildings and the students enjoying recess. I also introduced them to McKinley and Steven. :)
Just 15 minutes after that, Belorne, Oge, and I left for a shopping trip. We have a team going to Mellier on Sunday and so we had to buy food for their week there. It was a TON of stuff. Definitely necessary to have two people (me and Belorne) simply because you have to drive two carts! Crazy.
After going to the Big Star store, Belorne wanted to get the eggs and rice off the street because it's cheaper. Oge parked the van and Belorne told me to wait inside with him. Right outside the van was a group of guys selling Haitian CDs so I asked Oge if any of them were good. He got out of the van and talked to the guys about a few Haitian artists. He worked out a deal for me and I am now the proud owner of two Haitian CDs - they're both pretty good! Oge did well.
Finally I arrived back to the Guest House right before dinner feeling hungry and exhausted. After dinner we gave some of my boys some food and laughed and chatted with them a bit. Now, though, I am exhausted... and feeling a bit... under the weather and I'm just really ready for bed. So goodnight world!
Beth
Also, here is the recent photo update if you're not friends with me on Facebook!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Homecoming
The rest of the UMCOR/EMH (Eglise Methodiste d'Haiti) meeting went really well. I feel like we really identified some critical issues in areas of agriculture, micro-credit/micro-finance, health, and literacy. I was in the literacy group and it was... fantastic. We had really amazing, passionate people and we all seemed to be on the same page. It was awesome. We got really far and ended the two day conference with a full plan, and timeline, on how to execute our plan for free literacy classes in communities all over Haiti. Also interesting was that I ended up being the spokesperson for our group and gave the presentation of our ideas each time we presented to the larger group. The last time I presented, the translator for the event said, "Are you an education professional?" I laughed and said, "No." His eyes got really big and he said, "Well, you sure do fake it well. You're very well spoken." Good public speaking skills for the win!
Today we had a few more meetings, we watched the USA/Algeria game, and had one more meeting. Around 10:30 we loaded up the van... or more like squished into the van... and drove back to the Guest House. However, we left before the USA/Algeria game concluded. We ended up driving by a small community that was gathered around a TV set and we heard them suddenly cheer very loudly. Someone asked Oge who scored, so he turned up the radio and announced, "US goal!" The whole van cheered and we honked our horn in celebration. It was a ton of fun.
We were almost at the Guest House when we hit a big traffic jam. We ended up being stopped at the back gate to Freres Campus - where our tent city is. I saw three recognizable faces - Michle, Son Son, and Robenson. I quickly opened up the window and waved. Their eyes became HUGE and they waved excitedly back and motioned back towards where the Swiss House (where I'm staying) would be. I nodded, and they started running. By the time we FINALLY parked the van, I had 6 faces peeking at me from the fence saying, "Beth!"
I got my stuff out of the van, moved everything back in and came out to say hello again. It was soon quickly discovered that I had my camera in my pocket suddenly all I could hear was "Foto! Foto! Foto!" Deciding to appease them, I started snapping away.
Let me tell you, they LOVED it. It was a flurry of excitement on my porch with each of them coming up with new poses and asking me to take their photo. It was fun for me, too, as it brought me much laughter. Johnny also came and joined us and helped to translate some of my requests. Thanks to him, I actually got them to pose and take one NICE photo. I love it. Seriously. It's probably going to become my computer background here pretty soon. Gotta love my boys.
After that I hung out with Oge some - helped him to navigate his Facebook more and pick out music for his next mix CD. I really missed him. I was really happy to see him again today. Tomorrow, we're hoping to hang out and play some speed in the afternoon. I'm stoked.
It felt good to be home. It felt good to be given such a hearty, excited welcome by my boys. Even Doug and Oge commented later on how excited they were to see me. Although I may not be fully aware of how my ministry here is impacting others - I know I'm making a significant, positive impact on my boys. Belorne commented to me tonight that the boys "don't have enough supervision and parenting - but they're really nice boys." I agreed. They don't have all the resources they deserve, but they're still really great boys with beautiful spirits. I am truly blessed.
Lastly, I would ask for prayers for my own personal discernment. I don't want to go into any more detail than that right now, but prayers that God would make a clear way for me by opening or shutting doors would be helpful. I have a lot of thinking and praying and discerning to do.
Sending love your way,
Beth
P.S. Also, big props to UMCOR for sending so many people my way! I hope my new readers (and people who have been reading from the beginning, for that matter) are being blessed by reading my entries. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to share this experience with you! Also, a few folks were asking for my e-mail. The best way to contact me is to e-mail me at bethisinchina@yahoo.com (it's an old e-mail, but still the one I check the most consistently.)
Today we had a few more meetings, we watched the USA/Algeria game, and had one more meeting. Around 10:30 we loaded up the van... or more like squished into the van... and drove back to the Guest House. However, we left before the USA/Algeria game concluded. We ended up driving by a small community that was gathered around a TV set and we heard them suddenly cheer very loudly. Someone asked Oge who scored, so he turned up the radio and announced, "US goal!" The whole van cheered and we honked our horn in celebration. It was a ton of fun.
We were almost at the Guest House when we hit a big traffic jam. We ended up being stopped at the back gate to Freres Campus - where our tent city is. I saw three recognizable faces - Michle, Son Son, and Robenson. I quickly opened up the window and waved. Their eyes became HUGE and they waved excitedly back and motioned back towards where the Swiss House (where I'm staying) would be. I nodded, and they started running. By the time we FINALLY parked the van, I had 6 faces peeking at me from the fence saying, "Beth!"
I got my stuff out of the van, moved everything back in and came out to say hello again. It was soon quickly discovered that I had my camera in my pocket suddenly all I could hear was "Foto! Foto! Foto!" Deciding to appease them, I started snapping away.
Let me tell you, they LOVED it. It was a flurry of excitement on my porch with each of them coming up with new poses and asking me to take their photo. It was fun for me, too, as it brought me much laughter. Johnny also came and joined us and helped to translate some of my requests. Thanks to him, I actually got them to pose and take one NICE photo. I love it. Seriously. It's probably going to become my computer background here pretty soon. Gotta love my boys.
After that I hung out with Oge some - helped him to navigate his Facebook more and pick out music for his next mix CD. I really missed him. I was really happy to see him again today. Tomorrow, we're hoping to hang out and play some speed in the afternoon. I'm stoked.
It felt good to be home. It felt good to be given such a hearty, excited welcome by my boys. Even Doug and Oge commented later on how excited they were to see me. Although I may not be fully aware of how my ministry here is impacting others - I know I'm making a significant, positive impact on my boys. Belorne commented to me tonight that the boys "don't have enough supervision and parenting - but they're really nice boys." I agreed. They don't have all the resources they deserve, but they're still really great boys with beautiful spirits. I am truly blessed.
Lastly, I would ask for prayers for my own personal discernment. I don't want to go into any more detail than that right now, but prayers that God would make a clear way for me by opening or shutting doors would be helpful. I have a lot of thinking and praying and discerning to do.
Sending love your way,
Beth
P.S. Also, big props to UMCOR for sending so many people my way! I hope my new readers (and people who have been reading from the beginning, for that matter) are being blessed by reading my entries. I'm blessed to have the opportunity to share this experience with you! Also, a few folks were asking for my e-mail. The best way to contact me is to e-mail me at bethisinchina@yahoo.com (it's an old e-mail, but still the one I check the most consistently.)
Monday, June 21, 2010
Development
Right now I’m sitting at the gorgeous Moulin Sur Mer – a beachside hotel in Haiti. I’m attending a 2.5 day conference between UMCOR, UMVIM, and the Methodist Church of Haiti. The purpose is to determine community needs within categories like agriculture, health, micro-enterprise/micro-credit, and literacy/education. We’ve been exploring what programs have worked well in the past and what didn’t work well in the past. From there we’re determining what current community needs are and how to address those needs. The day started kind of slowly, but once we split into our different groups – it was awesome.
You know, since I’ve been here I’ve been in a constant state of discernment. Before coming to Haiti I was fairly certain that God was calling me to work on the more administrative/leadership side of things. I think my gifts really make me a good person for logistics, execution, and innovation. I’m constantly thinking of how we might be able to make things better. However, after coming to Haiti and playing with the kids, I started to really doubt that. I recognized how much I enjoyed being “in the thick of it.” It’s also very easy to label playing with the kids as ministry. It’s more difficult to label sitting through meetings planning things as ministry. I thought, maybe God is calling me more to one particular on-the-ground ministry that I might be able to really invest in. That could be cool.
But after tonight, I was reminded of just how much I love to use my gifts to address big issues on the higher level leadership side of things. I felt like I was really able to contribute something and that I could help provide some guidance and thoughts for my education/literacy group to consider. I left the meeting feeling energized and excited about what things could happen in Haiti. It really re-affirmed what I had thought all along – I need to be working with a group to help alleviate some real problems in the world on a wide scale.
Now, this is not to say that the ministry I’m doing with “my boys” is not important. It’s vital. And actually, it’s because of experiences like the ones I have with them that this “big picture” stuff is so energizing to me. To know that “my boys” might benefit from programs like these in the future brings me great joy and, honestly, some relief. If programs like the one’s we’ve been talking about exist and work like they’re supposed to – then I know there will be resources available for them to be successful in life. It was helpful, when thinking of literacy and education, to have specific people in the back of my head – the boys, Oge, Claire, Daniel, Marie-Claude, Eric, the three girls that call me “poupe,” Peterson, and Johnny. How would folks, like these friends of mine, benefit from programs like the ones we’re designing? Although I’m not certain about the answer, the idea is very exciting.
Speaking of “my boys,” though, I have a story to share.
Yesterday, I had one of THE HARDEST conversations that I have ever had. Granted, there was a communication barrier that made it even more difficult, but it would have been difficult if we were all speaking Kreyol or English, too.
Yesterday morning I was packing for Moulin Sur Mer in my room and listening to music. The boys came by and started dancing to the music. While they were there, I got a phone call about the COR group that would be landing in the airport. As soon as I got off the phone, the boys asked “Are you leaving on an airplane?” (I used Google translator to figure that out.)
I used Google translator again to explain that I was not leaving now and that I would be leaving on July 24th. They nodded but then got really sad and asked why I would be leaving. I told them that I needed to go home then… back to the United States. (You can’t say America because they’re from “America” too.) They then got really excited and said, “Okay, well then we’ll come with you.”
Thump. It was like a cement block plummeted through my body from my throat to my feet. How on earth can I explain to them that they can’t come with me?
I thought, explaining that it’s too expensive and that I don’t have enough money would do the trick. I told them that and they asked “Why?” After all, to them, I’m a wealthy American and a friend they trust. Why wouldn’t I spent the money to get them out of Haiti?
So I explained that I am still a student and that I don’t have a job and it’s very expensive. They asked how expensive. I told them it was over $1000 US for a plane ticket alone. That SHOCKED them. It was obvious that most of them had never even seen that much money in their life, much less spent it.
At that time, one of the boys, Stanley, spoke up and said, “My mom will give you $5000 goudes (approximately 128 American dollars) to help pay for it.” Oh yikes. Oh yikes.
What do you say to that? How do you acknowledge that generous offer, make the child feel wanted and loved, but also tell them that you can’t help them?
I tried everything. I explained that their parents would miss them. I explained that I didn’t have a bed for them to sleep on in America. I explained that Americans were put in jail in Haiti for taking kids out of the country without proper paperwork. I explained that the paperwork takes upwards of 2 years sometimes – and it’s a much more difficult process if they have parents or a parent still living.
However, nothing seemed to get through. I was their friend. I love them. They love me. They trust me. They know I’m a good person who wants to help them. All of that added up to them believing it was much easier for me to take them to America than I was explaining.
That conversation has been weighing quite heavily on my heart ever since then. I keep on trying to think of families who might be willing to visit Haiti while I’m here, meet my boys, and start working towards legal adoption in collaboration with their parents. However, I know that the reality of that is highly unlikely. So I’ve also been thinking about what I might be able to provide for these boys so that their future can be bright and so they don’t continue along the cycle of poverty. Or if I can’t provide it – who can? And what would that look like? And how would I keep in contact with them to make sure they’re still okay?
I don’t know. A lot of thoughts. A LOT of thoughts. Prayers needed/appreciated.
Love, Beth
You know, since I’ve been here I’ve been in a constant state of discernment. Before coming to Haiti I was fairly certain that God was calling me to work on the more administrative/leadership side of things. I think my gifts really make me a good person for logistics, execution, and innovation. I’m constantly thinking of how we might be able to make things better. However, after coming to Haiti and playing with the kids, I started to really doubt that. I recognized how much I enjoyed being “in the thick of it.” It’s also very easy to label playing with the kids as ministry. It’s more difficult to label sitting through meetings planning things as ministry. I thought, maybe God is calling me more to one particular on-the-ground ministry that I might be able to really invest in. That could be cool.
But after tonight, I was reminded of just how much I love to use my gifts to address big issues on the higher level leadership side of things. I felt like I was really able to contribute something and that I could help provide some guidance and thoughts for my education/literacy group to consider. I left the meeting feeling energized and excited about what things could happen in Haiti. It really re-affirmed what I had thought all along – I need to be working with a group to help alleviate some real problems in the world on a wide scale.
Now, this is not to say that the ministry I’m doing with “my boys” is not important. It’s vital. And actually, it’s because of experiences like the ones I have with them that this “big picture” stuff is so energizing to me. To know that “my boys” might benefit from programs like these in the future brings me great joy and, honestly, some relief. If programs like the one’s we’ve been talking about exist and work like they’re supposed to – then I know there will be resources available for them to be successful in life. It was helpful, when thinking of literacy and education, to have specific people in the back of my head – the boys, Oge, Claire, Daniel, Marie-Claude, Eric, the three girls that call me “poupe,” Peterson, and Johnny. How would folks, like these friends of mine, benefit from programs like the ones we’re designing? Although I’m not certain about the answer, the idea is very exciting.
Speaking of “my boys,” though, I have a story to share.
Yesterday, I had one of THE HARDEST conversations that I have ever had. Granted, there was a communication barrier that made it even more difficult, but it would have been difficult if we were all speaking Kreyol or English, too.
Yesterday morning I was packing for Moulin Sur Mer in my room and listening to music. The boys came by and started dancing to the music. While they were there, I got a phone call about the COR group that would be landing in the airport. As soon as I got off the phone, the boys asked “Are you leaving on an airplane?” (I used Google translator to figure that out.)
I used Google translator again to explain that I was not leaving now and that I would be leaving on July 24th. They nodded but then got really sad and asked why I would be leaving. I told them that I needed to go home then… back to the United States. (You can’t say America because they’re from “America” too.) They then got really excited and said, “Okay, well then we’ll come with you.”
Thump. It was like a cement block plummeted through my body from my throat to my feet. How on earth can I explain to them that they can’t come with me?
I thought, explaining that it’s too expensive and that I don’t have enough money would do the trick. I told them that and they asked “Why?” After all, to them, I’m a wealthy American and a friend they trust. Why wouldn’t I spent the money to get them out of Haiti?
So I explained that I am still a student and that I don’t have a job and it’s very expensive. They asked how expensive. I told them it was over $1000 US for a plane ticket alone. That SHOCKED them. It was obvious that most of them had never even seen that much money in their life, much less spent it.
At that time, one of the boys, Stanley, spoke up and said, “My mom will give you $5000 goudes (approximately 128 American dollars) to help pay for it.” Oh yikes. Oh yikes.
What do you say to that? How do you acknowledge that generous offer, make the child feel wanted and loved, but also tell them that you can’t help them?
I tried everything. I explained that their parents would miss them. I explained that I didn’t have a bed for them to sleep on in America. I explained that Americans were put in jail in Haiti for taking kids out of the country without proper paperwork. I explained that the paperwork takes upwards of 2 years sometimes – and it’s a much more difficult process if they have parents or a parent still living.
However, nothing seemed to get through. I was their friend. I love them. They love me. They trust me. They know I’m a good person who wants to help them. All of that added up to them believing it was much easier for me to take them to America than I was explaining.
That conversation has been weighing quite heavily on my heart ever since then. I keep on trying to think of families who might be willing to visit Haiti while I’m here, meet my boys, and start working towards legal adoption in collaboration with their parents. However, I know that the reality of that is highly unlikely. So I’ve also been thinking about what I might be able to provide for these boys so that their future can be bright and so they don’t continue along the cycle of poverty. Or if I can’t provide it – who can? And what would that look like? And how would I keep in contact with them to make sure they’re still okay?
I don’t know. A lot of thoughts. A LOT of thoughts. Prayers needed/appreciated.
Love, Beth
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Futbol
Today was filled with friends, laughter, heat, and refreshing rain.
This morning, after I updated a few documents, Mike, Bryan, Oge, and I set out to go guitar shopping. Mike has a friend in Beinet that plays guitar and loves to play guitar but he does not own one. Either he's never owned one, or the one he had was destroyed... I'm not quite sure.
Mike was given some money by friends before coming here simply to "spend on the Haitians" and put money into Haitian economy. He thought some of those funds would be well spent at a guitar - especially since this friend of Mike's used to play guitar all the time for the Beinet community. We went to one store that was super expensive and then we found another store that had a great guitar, it came with extra stuff, and it was super cheap! It was a great deal. However, Mike is kind of in love with it. He's considering going out and buying another one for himself. Haha.
After that excursion, we went to the newer Epid'or in Petionville for lunch. It was delicious, as always, and I splurged a bit and bought some ice cream for dessert. It was a divine blessing. Seriously. I had never truly appreciated ice cream until I came to Haiti. Glorious.
We then went back to the Guest House and had some down time. Bryan and I played a few rounds of multi-player "Castle Wars" with him winning the majority of the time. We also listened to music and shared a few life stories. Good times.
In the midst of that, though, my tutors arrived again asking to borrow Bryan's soccer ball. Bryan gave it to them, but told them they needed to play with it outside our home. However, because they can't really understand English, they ran off to play with it. Wanting to be sure his soccer ball would not be harmed, he left to go find them saying he would be right back.
After 15 minutes passed, though, I realized he probably wasn't coming back. I journeyed out until I found Steven, McKinley, and Fedley behind the Guest House. I asked, "Kote Bryan?" (Where is Bryan?) They instantly grabbed onto my hands and led me through the campus until we came across a group of boys playing soccer (futbol) in the most open space they could find. Bryan was watching at that point, but would join in at times.
The kids first invited me to dance to songs on the radio and then invited me to sit and watch the game. It was a ton of fun. I was cheering for both sides, it was obvious everyone was having a blast, and there was good shade and a decent breeze where I sat. On a hot day such as this one, it was a great, relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Haiti. Also amazing was that there had just been a water drop to our tent city so a few of the kids had these huge bottles of clean water. However, just because one child was carrying it did not mean that they were not willing to share. Although it probably wasn't very sanitary, it was in that moment that it really hit me how much of a community that tent city had become. I couldn't tell who was related to whom because they all hung out together. They played together, shared precious drops of water, and supported each other.
I also went on another sandal excursion for a boy named Christopher. Both his left and right sandals were unusable so I found Mike and asked if we could help. He handed me 100 goudes and I set off to find Oge to come with me (as we're not supposed to go past the outside of the Guest House alone.) As we were walking down the road to the Guest House to get to the main road, Oge kept on saying "mesi" and "mesi bokou." I turned to him and said, "What do you keep on saying 'thank you' to?" He laughed and said, "They keep on telling me that I am walking with a nice (looking) lady. So I just said thank you." I laughed. It is very strange being in a place where men are sexual hunters and they're fairly aggressive about it. Also strange is being considered extremely attractive. Not that I have super low self esteem or anything, or that my friends and family don't tell me I'm pretty... but I have been told I look nice many times here.
Tonight a few folks from UMCOR arrived early before the big conference starts. (I'll explain about the big conference tomorrow, when I arrive.) We had good dinner and good conversation with Pastor Paul and Samuel also joining us for dinner. However, we did have a HUGE rainstorm this evening because I guess we're in a tropical depression. It's cleared up now but I'm guessing it will continue to be fairly rainy tonight and tomorrow.
Also, tonight I was mother Beth for "my boys." I was sitting in the Guest House lobby and I heard "Beth. Beth! Beth!" I came outside and saw the small group gathered at the gate between the Guest House and the Swiss House. I walked over to them and Robenson tried to tell me something about Fedley. I didn't understand it so he pantomimed throwing up. The whole group nodded. I went inside my room and grabbed some Pepto Bismol tablets for Fedley to calm his stomach. However, he was hungry... as were the rest of the boys. Luckily, I talked to Donette and Mike and they both agreed that the boys could have some rolls. I felt blessed to provide them with some nourishment tonight.
Lastly, Haitians love to sing. They absolutely love it. Tonight "my boys" asked me to sing to them. Donette had suggested earlier that they learn "Up Above My Head" because it's an easy repeat song. Let me tell you, their voices were beautiful, and it brought me so much joy to sing that song with them. They really liked it, too. Afterwards Robenson asked me to sing it in Kreyol, I told him I didn't know it in Kreyol but that I would try to learn so they could understand what they were singing. Even though they didn't understand the words they continued to hum or sing it even after we were done. Awesome.
Alright well that's all for tonight. I'm exhausted! Goodnight world!
Beth
Some Kreyol for ya:
Grangou - hungry
Mesi/Mesi bokou - thank you
padekwa - you're welcome
malad - sick
glo - bottled water
mezic - music
woch - rock
pyebwa - tree
manje - food
This morning, after I updated a few documents, Mike, Bryan, Oge, and I set out to go guitar shopping. Mike has a friend in Beinet that plays guitar and loves to play guitar but he does not own one. Either he's never owned one, or the one he had was destroyed... I'm not quite sure.
Mike was given some money by friends before coming here simply to "spend on the Haitians" and put money into Haitian economy. He thought some of those funds would be well spent at a guitar - especially since this friend of Mike's used to play guitar all the time for the Beinet community. We went to one store that was super expensive and then we found another store that had a great guitar, it came with extra stuff, and it was super cheap! It was a great deal. However, Mike is kind of in love with it. He's considering going out and buying another one for himself. Haha.
After that excursion, we went to the newer Epid'or in Petionville for lunch. It was delicious, as always, and I splurged a bit and bought some ice cream for dessert. It was a divine blessing. Seriously. I had never truly appreciated ice cream until I came to Haiti. Glorious.
We then went back to the Guest House and had some down time. Bryan and I played a few rounds of multi-player "Castle Wars" with him winning the majority of the time. We also listened to music and shared a few life stories. Good times.
In the midst of that, though, my tutors arrived again asking to borrow Bryan's soccer ball. Bryan gave it to them, but told them they needed to play with it outside our home. However, because they can't really understand English, they ran off to play with it. Wanting to be sure his soccer ball would not be harmed, he left to go find them saying he would be right back.
After 15 minutes passed, though, I realized he probably wasn't coming back. I journeyed out until I found Steven, McKinley, and Fedley behind the Guest House. I asked, "Kote Bryan?" (Where is Bryan?) They instantly grabbed onto my hands and led me through the campus until we came across a group of boys playing soccer (futbol) in the most open space they could find. Bryan was watching at that point, but would join in at times.
The kids first invited me to dance to songs on the radio and then invited me to sit and watch the game. It was a ton of fun. I was cheering for both sides, it was obvious everyone was having a blast, and there was good shade and a decent breeze where I sat. On a hot day such as this one, it was a great, relaxing way to spend a Saturday afternoon in Haiti. Also amazing was that there had just been a water drop to our tent city so a few of the kids had these huge bottles of clean water. However, just because one child was carrying it did not mean that they were not willing to share. Although it probably wasn't very sanitary, it was in that moment that it really hit me how much of a community that tent city had become. I couldn't tell who was related to whom because they all hung out together. They played together, shared precious drops of water, and supported each other.
I also went on another sandal excursion for a boy named Christopher. Both his left and right sandals were unusable so I found Mike and asked if we could help. He handed me 100 goudes and I set off to find Oge to come with me (as we're not supposed to go past the outside of the Guest House alone.) As we were walking down the road to the Guest House to get to the main road, Oge kept on saying "mesi" and "mesi bokou." I turned to him and said, "What do you keep on saying 'thank you' to?" He laughed and said, "They keep on telling me that I am walking with a nice (looking) lady. So I just said thank you." I laughed. It is very strange being in a place where men are sexual hunters and they're fairly aggressive about it. Also strange is being considered extremely attractive. Not that I have super low self esteem or anything, or that my friends and family don't tell me I'm pretty... but I have been told I look nice many times here.
Tonight a few folks from UMCOR arrived early before the big conference starts. (I'll explain about the big conference tomorrow, when I arrive.) We had good dinner and good conversation with Pastor Paul and Samuel also joining us for dinner. However, we did have a HUGE rainstorm this evening because I guess we're in a tropical depression. It's cleared up now but I'm guessing it will continue to be fairly rainy tonight and tomorrow.
Also, tonight I was mother Beth for "my boys." I was sitting in the Guest House lobby and I heard "Beth. Beth! Beth!" I came outside and saw the small group gathered at the gate between the Guest House and the Swiss House. I walked over to them and Robenson tried to tell me something about Fedley. I didn't understand it so he pantomimed throwing up. The whole group nodded. I went inside my room and grabbed some Pepto Bismol tablets for Fedley to calm his stomach. However, he was hungry... as were the rest of the boys. Luckily, I talked to Donette and Mike and they both agreed that the boys could have some rolls. I felt blessed to provide them with some nourishment tonight.
Lastly, Haitians love to sing. They absolutely love it. Tonight "my boys" asked me to sing to them. Donette had suggested earlier that they learn "Up Above My Head" because it's an easy repeat song. Let me tell you, their voices were beautiful, and it brought me so much joy to sing that song with them. They really liked it, too. Afterwards Robenson asked me to sing it in Kreyol, I told him I didn't know it in Kreyol but that I would try to learn so they could understand what they were singing. Even though they didn't understand the words they continued to hum or sing it even after we were done. Awesome.
Alright well that's all for tonight. I'm exhausted! Goodnight world!
Beth
Some Kreyol for ya:
Grangou - hungry
Mesi/Mesi bokou - thank you
padekwa - you're welcome
malad - sick
glo - bottled water
mezic - music
woch - rock
pyebwa - tree
manje - food
Friday, June 18, 2010
The Airport
Yesterday was a long day, but fairly boring. We set out early in the morning to retrieve the tap-tap we purchased but didn't end up receiving it until about 4:00 p.m. Not only was it late but they didn't do everything on the tap-tap that we had contracted for so that caused some issues. However, I will say that I had one of the best meals I've had in Haiti thus far yesterday. We ate at a great buffet by the airport and the food was AMAZING.
Today, however, came with some stories. This morning was kind of lazy around the Guest House. Mike and Doug worked on financials, Bryan and I played games, and later I created the logo for the UMVIM Haiti program. It's not super fancy, but it looks good and will function for the purpose of purchasing a stamp and possibly staff polos to wear in more official settings.
After lunch, though, Mike was going to go to a music store to look at guitar prices and then to the airport to transport of a group of seven to the domestic airport for a flight to Jeremie, Haiti. However, we left later than we intended to and instead had to go straight to the airport. Being a group of white folks (plus Oge) with laptops (as I was still working on the logo, Mike was working on scheduling stuff, and Bryan was playing games) we were like sitting ducks. Pretty soon we had different kids cycling through asking for money.
They also never believed me when I told them I didn't have any money. I was telling the truth, too! I hadn't brought any money with me! I think seeing the laptop they were all too aware of how much wealthier I am compared to them. I felt terrible, but I had to keep on saying no.
Also, me being me, I am all too aware that a good portion of the kids asking for money are more-than-likely slaves. ESPECIALLY since they were kids I'm guessing many of them are slaves. It hurts to say "no" but at the same time, it feels good that I'm not giving money to a trafficker. However, it's kind of a lose-lose situation. If I give the kids money, the trafficker gets it. If I don't give the kids money, and they "don't make enough" for the day, then they are beaten.
However, I did get to help some of them. One little boy in particular stood at the window and kept on saying something that I didn't understand. I responded with "No komprann" which means "I don't understand." He finally stuck his hand inside the car and grabbed the half full water bottle in the vehicle. It was one of my extra, disposable water bottles. I smiled and nodded. Later two other boys came by and they noticed Oge's water bottle from three days ago stuck in between two seats. As it still had some water left in it, they wanted it, as well as the last drops of the Coke Oge bought me this afternoon. (Yeah, he's a good guy to have around... he bought all of us drinks while we were waiting for the group!) I nodded again and they happily took the bottles.
Although giving money can be a slippery slope, I was happy to give them drinks because I know they reap the benefits of that donation. Maybe if I go to the airport again I'll try to have a few more extra water bottles on me.
The kids were very cute, though. One little boy came up to me and said "Hello." So I said, "Hello." Then he said, "I am hungry." And I said, "M pa gen lajan." That means, "I don't have any money." He responded with "I'm sorry." That made me laugh and smile. I don't know if he understood what he said, but if he did understand it, it was adorable.
After waiting for TWO HOURS, though, we finally picked up the group we were supposed to transfer, but they were very late. The person they were supposed to meet in Jeremie called the airlines, though, and had it arranged for the plane to wait. We shuttled the team there and unloaded the van quickly. The team went inside and got through security and then the airline officials said "Sorry, you can't fly out today."
At that moment, we started scrambling. Figuring out plans for them to stay at the Guest House tonight as well as trying to find a way to pack the van so we weren't so crammed in there like we were for the brief ride from the international airport. Halfway through packing up the van, though, a man came up to Oge and said, "I know the pilot and if you slip me some cash I can talk to him and have him take this group to Jeremie."
Oge explained the situation to Mike and Mike called their group leader over. The group leader handed the man a $10 and within minutes the group was going through security again. We got a call around dinner time with news they safely arrived in Jeremie. So weird. In fact, Mike said it was one of the strangest experiences he's ever had in Haiti. That's saying quite a bit.
Alright! Well I'm off to bed. Goodnight world!
Beth
Today, however, came with some stories. This morning was kind of lazy around the Guest House. Mike and Doug worked on financials, Bryan and I played games, and later I created the logo for the UMVIM Haiti program. It's not super fancy, but it looks good and will function for the purpose of purchasing a stamp and possibly staff polos to wear in more official settings.
After lunch, though, Mike was going to go to a music store to look at guitar prices and then to the airport to transport of a group of seven to the domestic airport for a flight to Jeremie, Haiti. However, we left later than we intended to and instead had to go straight to the airport. Being a group of white folks (plus Oge) with laptops (as I was still working on the logo, Mike was working on scheduling stuff, and Bryan was playing games) we were like sitting ducks. Pretty soon we had different kids cycling through asking for money.
They also never believed me when I told them I didn't have any money. I was telling the truth, too! I hadn't brought any money with me! I think seeing the laptop they were all too aware of how much wealthier I am compared to them. I felt terrible, but I had to keep on saying no.
Also, me being me, I am all too aware that a good portion of the kids asking for money are more-than-likely slaves. ESPECIALLY since they were kids I'm guessing many of them are slaves. It hurts to say "no" but at the same time, it feels good that I'm not giving money to a trafficker. However, it's kind of a lose-lose situation. If I give the kids money, the trafficker gets it. If I don't give the kids money, and they "don't make enough" for the day, then they are beaten.
However, I did get to help some of them. One little boy in particular stood at the window and kept on saying something that I didn't understand. I responded with "No komprann" which means "I don't understand." He finally stuck his hand inside the car and grabbed the half full water bottle in the vehicle. It was one of my extra, disposable water bottles. I smiled and nodded. Later two other boys came by and they noticed Oge's water bottle from three days ago stuck in between two seats. As it still had some water left in it, they wanted it, as well as the last drops of the Coke Oge bought me this afternoon. (Yeah, he's a good guy to have around... he bought all of us drinks while we were waiting for the group!) I nodded again and they happily took the bottles.
Although giving money can be a slippery slope, I was happy to give them drinks because I know they reap the benefits of that donation. Maybe if I go to the airport again I'll try to have a few more extra water bottles on me.
The kids were very cute, though. One little boy came up to me and said "Hello." So I said, "Hello." Then he said, "I am hungry." And I said, "M pa gen lajan." That means, "I don't have any money." He responded with "I'm sorry." That made me laugh and smile. I don't know if he understood what he said, but if he did understand it, it was adorable.
After waiting for TWO HOURS, though, we finally picked up the group we were supposed to transfer, but they were very late. The person they were supposed to meet in Jeremie called the airlines, though, and had it arranged for the plane to wait. We shuttled the team there and unloaded the van quickly. The team went inside and got through security and then the airline officials said "Sorry, you can't fly out today."
At that moment, we started scrambling. Figuring out plans for them to stay at the Guest House tonight as well as trying to find a way to pack the van so we weren't so crammed in there like we were for the brief ride from the international airport. Halfway through packing up the van, though, a man came up to Oge and said, "I know the pilot and if you slip me some cash I can talk to him and have him take this group to Jeremie."
Oge explained the situation to Mike and Mike called their group leader over. The group leader handed the man a $10 and within minutes the group was going through security again. We got a call around dinner time with news they safely arrived in Jeremie. So weird. In fact, Mike said it was one of the strangest experiences he's ever had in Haiti. That's saying quite a bit.
Alright! Well I'm off to bed. Goodnight world!
Beth
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