Sorry for the long delay between posts. We have had Internet issues and a couple of busy weeks.
The DR
Laura and I took a trip to the Dominican Republic about a week or so before thanksgiving. This was our first real getaway since our arrival in July and we were looking forward to it. We traveled to the DR via tour bus. The bus was great, air conditioning, bottled water, and Haitian music videos kept us comfortable. We slept most of the four hour trip to Santiago, DR. Crossing the border from Haiti to the DR feels like leaving the dying city of Detroit and entering the flourishing East Grand Rapids. We were exposed to clean streets and organized traffic. The border itself proved to be interesting as we were shuffled off the bus for customs to check our bags and wandered back on to find three new faces in the back of the bus. Two were comfortable with there side arms holstered and the other was confined to a pair of handcuffs.Laura and i just found our seats and enjoyed the rest of the bus ride.
We arrived in Santiago to switch buses to get to Puerta Plata and the transition went smoothly with the help of our bus driver. We arrived in Puerta Plata and took the unconventional mode of transportation for tourists and jumped on a motorcycle taxi. We arrived at the resort to find out that motorcycles were not allowed in the complex. However, our motorcycle driver parked the bike and took off his vest, identifying him as a taxi driver, and walked us to the resort check in. What a great guy.
Laura and I enjoyed the resort. We sat by the pool and read books or fell asleep. The food was a change of pace and we like the variety of choices provided. We didn't do many exciting things at the resort besides eat, sleep, and lounge by the pool. We did do our best to avoid catching a glance at all the European men in their speedos.
We were excited to leave because our next stop was seeing Laura's parents in Santiago. Bob and Sharon treated us to a great dinner at our hotel that overlooked the city of Santiago. It was a great view and fun to have dinner with the folks. Bob and Sharon traveled back to Haiti with us to see where we have been working.
It was great to be able to have family around and see what we are experiencing. Bob and Sharon enjoyed their experience and really loved the kids. Bob was able help out in the shop in the construction of the playground and Sharon was able to help Laura with the kids.
We also took Bob and Sharon to the Citadel which we enjoyed with them. Bob and Sharon also made us a Thanksgiving dinner that felt like home and tasted delicious.
Things have been busy around the orphanage with new babies coming and some long term volunteers leaving. Our staff have been flexible with the changes. We are now in our last week here and its hard to believe we will be headed home. We are not looking forward to saying good bye to the kids, but we feel ready to come home. This week will consist of preparing for other volunteers to take over our roles here.
continue to keep us in your prayers during this upcoming transition
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Waterfalls
On Saturday we decided to take a day trip to some near by waterfalls we had heard about. The falls were found previous by another volunteer via google earth. All six of us fit into the pick up and headed out.
The drive to the falls got us within about an hour's hike of the falls. The water was low in the river leading to the falls so we were able to drive through the riverbed at times with ease. The narrow road took us through small villages and fields.
The hike was not difficult and had little elevation change. The trail switched back and forth over the river. We saw locals doing laundry in the river and bathing themselves as we passed. Cows, donkeys, and horses littered the landscape grazing on the vegetation. Laura tried to get a picture next to a cow but the cow wasn't interested and it was in her best interest to keep her distance. The river gradually got colder as we neared the falls and was refreshing in contrast to the air temperature. As we rounded a bend in the river we caught a whiff of a very awful smell. Most of us wrote it off as cow poop, but as we continued the stench increased in strength. We then found the source as we came upon a dead horse. The horse had been decapitated and pieces of its mane were on the ground. It's carcass had been almost picked clean by scavengers. We had limited knowledge to try and explain what may have transpired.
Being up wind from the decaying horse made the hike more enjoyable. When we reached the falls they seemed small but the water was cold and felt good. We climbed up the first step of falls to find a pool that entered into a small cove with steep walls accessible only by swimming. The water was deep and we initially lost our breath when we entered the cold water. We bumped into small boulders beneath the water as we swam in the cove. There was a current coming from the waterfall that pushed us back as we swam near the falling water. We took turns swimming under the falls and trying to stay under before being pushed away by the current.
The large rocks provided a comfortable place to sit and dry off after our swim. We all kept commenting on how quiet it was and relaxing to just sit by the water.
After drying in the sun we headed back and enjoyed the lack of attention we received from the local residents as we hiked. Laura and I again made comments regarding Lost throughout this experience because of the similar landscape to the 'island'.
On our way back, we stopped for lunch in the city, capping off a great Saturday. Far different from last year's Halloween, but still fun.
Things have been relatively calm lately here at COTP. Last weekend we got the chance to see one of the kids, Simon, go home with his family to Oregon. It's always exciting and emotional to see kids with their adoptive parents.
This past week, we broke ground on building a new playground for the kids. The supplies should arrive in the next few weeks and then things will really get underway. It's going to be sweet by the time it's done.
Looking forward to a trip to the Dominican Republic in a couple weeks and then spending a few days with Bob and Sharon!
The drive to the falls got us within about an hour's hike of the falls. The water was low in the river leading to the falls so we were able to drive through the riverbed at times with ease. The narrow road took us through small villages and fields.
The hike was not difficult and had little elevation change. The trail switched back and forth over the river. We saw locals doing laundry in the river and bathing themselves as we passed. Cows, donkeys, and horses littered the landscape grazing on the vegetation. Laura tried to get a picture next to a cow but the cow wasn't interested and it was in her best interest to keep her distance. The river gradually got colder as we neared the falls and was refreshing in contrast to the air temperature. As we rounded a bend in the river we caught a whiff of a very awful smell. Most of us wrote it off as cow poop, but as we continued the stench increased in strength. We then found the source as we came upon a dead horse. The horse had been decapitated and pieces of its mane were on the ground. It's carcass had been almost picked clean by scavengers. We had limited knowledge to try and explain what may have transpired.
Being up wind from the decaying horse made the hike more enjoyable. When we reached the falls they seemed small but the water was cold and felt good. We climbed up the first step of falls to find a pool that entered into a small cove with steep walls accessible only by swimming. The water was deep and we initially lost our breath when we entered the cold water. We bumped into small boulders beneath the water as we swam in the cove. There was a current coming from the waterfall that pushed us back as we swam near the falling water. We took turns swimming under the falls and trying to stay under before being pushed away by the current.
The large rocks provided a comfortable place to sit and dry off after our swim. We all kept commenting on how quiet it was and relaxing to just sit by the water.
After drying in the sun we headed back and enjoyed the lack of attention we received from the local residents as we hiked. Laura and I again made comments regarding Lost throughout this experience because of the similar landscape to the 'island'.
On our way back, we stopped for lunch in the city, capping off a great Saturday. Far different from last year's Halloween, but still fun.
Things have been relatively calm lately here at COTP. Last weekend we got the chance to see one of the kids, Simon, go home with his family to Oregon. It's always exciting and emotional to see kids with their adoptive parents.
This past week, we broke ground on building a new playground for the kids. The supplies should arrive in the next few weeks and then things will really get underway. It's going to be sweet by the time it's done.
Looking forward to a trip to the Dominican Republic in a couple weeks and then spending a few days with Bob and Sharon!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Big Women, Big Guns
We have neglected our blog over the last few weeks, please except our apologies.
The prenatal program is grant funded by an organization in Canada called the Tides Foundation. This grant was acquired by the previous director of Children of the Promise about a year ago. The program took time to start because of the small numbers of volunteers at any one time. When Laura and I came this project was given to me.
The first two months here were spent preparing for the start of the program. This primarily was spent building a structure to hold the weekly meetings and developing a staff. With the majority of the pieces in place we started last week.
Once all the details of our first meeting were taken care of we began to see women gathering outside the gate. I was quite excited to see more than ten to be honest. I had no idea what to expect. The women kept coming and in time we had 65 women waiting for this meeting. We were prepared to take up to 35 women and therefore the remaining were put on a list for a new group that would meet on another day each week.
The women waddled in representing many different demographics. Age ranged from 18 to 42. 15 different villages were represented. For some, this was their first child while others had multiple children already. One women had as many as 9 children. As information was gathered many women did not know when they were due to have the baby.
We gave the women water as they listened to the professor. The professor was from Cap Haitien and she seemed to be quite seasoned in her approach. After prayer, she had the women sing 'How Great Thou Art'. (we have a video of it, of course in Creole) She followed the hymn with a song about the benefits of breastfeeding until your child is 2 that seemed to be new to the women. The rest of the class I had little comprehension of and was busy dividing vitamins.
Each women is given a bottle of 7 prenatal vitamins to last until the next meeting. They also receive an ID card that they must bring with them each time. Of course, the most exciting parting gift is the sack of rice and beans they get.
That concludes the first meeting which was deemed a success by the shear number of women interested.
Special thanks to all those who sent down prenatal vitamins.
The Citadel
This week we took two volunteers to the famous tourist attraction, The Citadel. (or, the only thing resembling a tourist attraction in Northern Haiti) The Citadel is a fort built by King Christophe in the late 1700's. The fort stands high atop a mountain and took 14 years to build. It required a mere 50,000 men to construct. From the top you can see the ocean and the city of Cap Haitien. The fort is packed with heavy artillery, but was never once used.
We drove our pick up through the city of Milot and up the winding stone road to a parking area. From this point you take a horse up or you hike up a stone path. We hiked and it took about 20 minutes for us to feel the effects of our physical fitness. It took another 20 minutes to get to the fort. We had a guide with us who I don't think took a heavy breath the whole time despite being 50 years of age. Our guide spoke some English and had only one eye. He was very good.
The fort was very impressive and we toured the whole place. We even ventured into the dark prisons. We were the only tourist there so we attracted a lot of attention. The safety standards for this fort were non existent and one could look down a 100 ft drop with no guardrail to protect them.
We finished our decent by bartering with some women selling souvenirs and headed back to the village.
We can't wait to take Bob and Sharon up there on horse back in a month.
The prenatal program is grant funded by an organization in Canada called the Tides Foundation. This grant was acquired by the previous director of Children of the Promise about a year ago. The program took time to start because of the small numbers of volunteers at any one time. When Laura and I came this project was given to me.
The first two months here were spent preparing for the start of the program. This primarily was spent building a structure to hold the weekly meetings and developing a staff. With the majority of the pieces in place we started last week.
Once all the details of our first meeting were taken care of we began to see women gathering outside the gate. I was quite excited to see more than ten to be honest. I had no idea what to expect. The women kept coming and in time we had 65 women waiting for this meeting. We were prepared to take up to 35 women and therefore the remaining were put on a list for a new group that would meet on another day each week.
The women waddled in representing many different demographics. Age ranged from 18 to 42. 15 different villages were represented. For some, this was their first child while others had multiple children already. One women had as many as 9 children. As information was gathered many women did not know when they were due to have the baby.
We gave the women water as they listened to the professor. The professor was from Cap Haitien and she seemed to be quite seasoned in her approach. After prayer, she had the women sing 'How Great Thou Art'. (we have a video of it, of course in Creole) She followed the hymn with a song about the benefits of breastfeeding until your child is 2 that seemed to be new to the women. The rest of the class I had little comprehension of and was busy dividing vitamins.
Each women is given a bottle of 7 prenatal vitamins to last until the next meeting. They also receive an ID card that they must bring with them each time. Of course, the most exciting parting gift is the sack of rice and beans they get.
That concludes the first meeting which was deemed a success by the shear number of women interested.
Special thanks to all those who sent down prenatal vitamins.
The Citadel
This week we took two volunteers to the famous tourist attraction, The Citadel. (or, the only thing resembling a tourist attraction in Northern Haiti) The Citadel is a fort built by King Christophe in the late 1700's. The fort stands high atop a mountain and took 14 years to build. It required a mere 50,000 men to construct. From the top you can see the ocean and the city of Cap Haitien. The fort is packed with heavy artillery, but was never once used.
We drove our pick up through the city of Milot and up the winding stone road to a parking area. From this point you take a horse up or you hike up a stone path. We hiked and it took about 20 minutes for us to feel the effects of our physical fitness. It took another 20 minutes to get to the fort. We had a guide with us who I don't think took a heavy breath the whole time despite being 50 years of age. Our guide spoke some English and had only one eye. He was very good.
The fort was very impressive and we toured the whole place. We even ventured into the dark prisons. We were the only tourist there so we attracted a lot of attention. The safety standards for this fort were non existent and one could look down a 100 ft drop with no guardrail to protect them.
We finished our decent by bartering with some women selling souvenirs and headed back to the village.
We can't wait to take Bob and Sharon up there on horse back in a month.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Man Time
The title explains most of it but here are some details. "Man Time" has been established for the development of the older boys masculinity. There are 5 boys from ages 3-5 years old that need some strong male role models. The current form of modeling that these boys get are from the nannies, who are feeding babies, cleaning, changing diapers, and doing children's hair. Though men surely do these activities, we wanted to expand these boys opportunities by exposing them to more masculine stereotypical activities.
We have made time on Thursday afternoon's each week to do a man activity. This process always begins in the shop where we are surrounded by tools. We are approaching our third week and the boys are thoroughly enjoying themselves.
The first week we built wooden cars. This process involved the boys pounding nails into pre cut wood and painting the car either cherry red, forest green, or cobalt blue. After the cars were built, a ramp was inevitably constructed and races began.
Week two we decided to help build boats with the boys. This process went quickly as far as construction goes, but we had to wait for the paint to dry. During drying time the boys wanted rides on the motorcycles. I took the mo ped out and took each one on a ride around the yard. They loved it! We have great pictures of them with over sized helmets on.
The paint dried and we tested the boats in a little blow up pool. Floating boats were only entertaining for so long, the light splashing of water escalated into a water fight. The boys began knocking each other into the pool and laughing. They also got there hands on the hose and came after us.
It was fun to see the boys experience new things and get much needed male attention.
We have made time on Thursday afternoon's each week to do a man activity. This process always begins in the shop where we are surrounded by tools. We are approaching our third week and the boys are thoroughly enjoying themselves.
The first week we built wooden cars. This process involved the boys pounding nails into pre cut wood and painting the car either cherry red, forest green, or cobalt blue. After the cars were built, a ramp was inevitably constructed and races began.
Week two we decided to help build boats with the boys. This process went quickly as far as construction goes, but we had to wait for the paint to dry. During drying time the boys wanted rides on the motorcycles. I took the mo ped out and took each one on a ride around the yard. They loved it! We have great pictures of them with over sized helmets on.
The paint dried and we tested the boats in a little blow up pool. Floating boats were only entertaining for so long, the light splashing of water escalated into a water fight. The boys began knocking each other into the pool and laughing. They also got there hands on the hose and came after us.
It was fun to see the boys experience new things and get much needed male attention.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
A Day in the Life of Kurt and Laura
You probably spend most of your day thinking about what Kurt and Laura are doing. Well, here is a glimpse of our daily lives at Children of the Promise.
Laura takes charge of her day starting at 7 am with ARV meds for the HIV+ kids, then gives out meds to all the other kids. Giving meds can take upwards of 35 to 45 minutes depending on how many fires she has to put out in the process. Kurt gets up in the mean time and usually takes care of the baby that was in our room through the night. If we don't have a baby he goes to the office and prepares for play therapy. Before that he eats jelly toast so he can make it to breakfast, thanks for the jelly mom.
From 8 to 9 there is usually down time for Laura to grab a cup o' joe and plan her day. During this time Kurt has made a trip out to the yard guys to engage in conversation about what they will be doing that day. Two days a week Kurt makes juice with a special reverse osmosis system donated to us by a company in Oregon. The system takes any polluted water and creates a juice with a similar taste and substance to Gatorade. This juice is given to the older children at snack time.
9 am is prayer time in the baby house. The nannies sing worship songs and read Bible verses and one of them usually preaches a short message. Laura uses this time to sit with a baby on her lap and try to comprehend at least a little bit of the rapid flow of Creole.
After prayer, breakfast is served. Laura's favorite day is Tuesday spaghetti day while Kurt enjoys French Toast Fridays.
At 10 am, Kurt begins the walk over to grab his first kid for play therapy. The kids have caught on to why he comes over in the morning and a chorus of "me, me, me" partnered with a couple kids running and attaching to his legs. After prying the kids off his legs he takes one to the playroom that is littered with toys. The child plays for about 30 to 45 minutes while Kurt assesses their interactions and tendencies. Kurt usually does 2 sessions between 10 and 12.
During this time, Laura's activities vary. Often, people come from outside the gate with a sick child, or machete wound, so this can keep her occupied for different lengths of time. If there are sick babies, she will take care of them or delegate to other willing volunteers:) She also tries to stay on top of charting in each child's medical file. Tuesday is weigh day, once a month for all 53 kids, but once a week for about 25 of the babies and smaller children. This can go fairly quickly with other volunteers helping and catching the kids right after lunch and bath time.
2 pm brings lunch, which usually alternates between typical Haitian cuisine (rice, beans, chicken, pate) and more American style meals (tortillas, lasagna, casseroles). Many volunteers take this time to drink their Coke for the day, which comes in large 1/2 liter glass bottles. Yes, Laura drinks regular Coke every day. Apparently they don't have diet Coke here.
Recently, Kurt has been working on the starting of the prenatal program. This includes organizing employment for the teachers, researching vitamin options, and building benches for the women to sit on. The start date for this project is September 30 and will be once a week after that.
In the afternoons, Laura does what she didn't get finished earlier and tries to take a walk around 5pm. These walks rotate in pace between speed walks to the pye bwa (big tree at the end of the road) or slow walks with a baby in her sling.
Every other day, Laura draws up all the medications for the next 2 days, which includes a lot of iron and vitamins that like to spill on her clothes and leave nice stains. Sometimes she can convince others to help her so it goes faster, but it usually takes about an hour to get everything in order.
At 6:30pm, Laura gives a tube feeding to one of the special needs kids who has a G-tube. He eats normally during the day, but benefits from the extra calories at night.
7pm is a busy time for most (not Kurt). Laura goes and gives ARVs again and all the rest of the meds. Other volunteers brush teeth, turn on the kid's movies, and give the nannies the supplies they need for the night. Kurt usually plays Dad and watches the babies in the volunteer house. This includes managing the diapers and feedings. Laura goes to each room in the baby house and checks on the kids, making sure everyone is doing okay. This takes roughly 45 minutes, depending on how many nannies ask for ti cados (small gifts) for their headaches, tummy aches, toothaches, and back aches. Tylenol and Tums solve most problems.
When everyone finishes their night-time duties, we sit down and discuss what we're going to make. We have a cook for breakfast and lunch, but we're on our own in the evening. Sometimes, one of the volunteers will make something yummy, but most nights some form of pasta is eaten (mac & cheese, ramen, spaghetti).
Wednesday night is Bible Study, which Kurt has been leading. Friday night rotates between game night and movie night (this week was Teen Wolf). But most nights, we're usually tired and ready to call it a night, that we'll go to our room and read or watch a couple episodes of 30 rock or Heroes on our computer.
Most nights we have a baby sleeping in our room, which can determine how much sleep we'll get for the night.
This is a rough estimation of a common day here, but many times other things come up such as trips to town (Cap Haitien) or to the hospital in Milot or to the airport to pick people up. Weeks seem to fly by here and so much can happen in one day.
We are both loving our roles here and our time spent with the kids. We feel blessed to be here and appreciate all the prayers and support we continue to receive.
Laura takes charge of her day starting at 7 am with ARV meds for the HIV+ kids, then gives out meds to all the other kids. Giving meds can take upwards of 35 to 45 minutes depending on how many fires she has to put out in the process. Kurt gets up in the mean time and usually takes care of the baby that was in our room through the night. If we don't have a baby he goes to the office and prepares for play therapy. Before that he eats jelly toast so he can make it to breakfast, thanks for the jelly mom.
From 8 to 9 there is usually down time for Laura to grab a cup o' joe and plan her day. During this time Kurt has made a trip out to the yard guys to engage in conversation about what they will be doing that day. Two days a week Kurt makes juice with a special reverse osmosis system donated to us by a company in Oregon. The system takes any polluted water and creates a juice with a similar taste and substance to Gatorade. This juice is given to the older children at snack time.
9 am is prayer time in the baby house. The nannies sing worship songs and read Bible verses and one of them usually preaches a short message. Laura uses this time to sit with a baby on her lap and try to comprehend at least a little bit of the rapid flow of Creole.
After prayer, breakfast is served. Laura's favorite day is Tuesday spaghetti day while Kurt enjoys French Toast Fridays.
At 10 am, Kurt begins the walk over to grab his first kid for play therapy. The kids have caught on to why he comes over in the morning and a chorus of "me, me, me" partnered with a couple kids running and attaching to his legs. After prying the kids off his legs he takes one to the playroom that is littered with toys. The child plays for about 30 to 45 minutes while Kurt assesses their interactions and tendencies. Kurt usually does 2 sessions between 10 and 12.
During this time, Laura's activities vary. Often, people come from outside the gate with a sick child, or machete wound, so this can keep her occupied for different lengths of time. If there are sick babies, she will take care of them or delegate to other willing volunteers:) She also tries to stay on top of charting in each child's medical file. Tuesday is weigh day, once a month for all 53 kids, but once a week for about 25 of the babies and smaller children. This can go fairly quickly with other volunteers helping and catching the kids right after lunch and bath time.
2 pm brings lunch, which usually alternates between typical Haitian cuisine (rice, beans, chicken, pate) and more American style meals (tortillas, lasagna, casseroles). Many volunteers take this time to drink their Coke for the day, which comes in large 1/2 liter glass bottles. Yes, Laura drinks regular Coke every day. Apparently they don't have diet Coke here.
Recently, Kurt has been working on the starting of the prenatal program. This includes organizing employment for the teachers, researching vitamin options, and building benches for the women to sit on. The start date for this project is September 30 and will be once a week after that.
In the afternoons, Laura does what she didn't get finished earlier and tries to take a walk around 5pm. These walks rotate in pace between speed walks to the pye bwa (big tree at the end of the road) or slow walks with a baby in her sling.
Every other day, Laura draws up all the medications for the next 2 days, which includes a lot of iron and vitamins that like to spill on her clothes and leave nice stains. Sometimes she can convince others to help her so it goes faster, but it usually takes about an hour to get everything in order.
At 6:30pm, Laura gives a tube feeding to one of the special needs kids who has a G-tube. He eats normally during the day, but benefits from the extra calories at night.
7pm is a busy time for most (not Kurt). Laura goes and gives ARVs again and all the rest of the meds. Other volunteers brush teeth, turn on the kid's movies, and give the nannies the supplies they need for the night. Kurt usually plays Dad and watches the babies in the volunteer house. This includes managing the diapers and feedings. Laura goes to each room in the baby house and checks on the kids, making sure everyone is doing okay. This takes roughly 45 minutes, depending on how many nannies ask for ti cados (small gifts) for their headaches, tummy aches, toothaches, and back aches. Tylenol and Tums solve most problems.
When everyone finishes their night-time duties, we sit down and discuss what we're going to make. We have a cook for breakfast and lunch, but we're on our own in the evening. Sometimes, one of the volunteers will make something yummy, but most nights some form of pasta is eaten (mac & cheese, ramen, spaghetti).
Wednesday night is Bible Study, which Kurt has been leading. Friday night rotates between game night and movie night (this week was Teen Wolf). But most nights, we're usually tired and ready to call it a night, that we'll go to our room and read or watch a couple episodes of 30 rock or Heroes on our computer.
Most nights we have a baby sleeping in our room, which can determine how much sleep we'll get for the night.
This is a rough estimation of a common day here, but many times other things come up such as trips to town (Cap Haitien) or to the hospital in Milot or to the airport to pick people up. Weeks seem to fly by here and so much can happen in one day.
We are both loving our roles here and our time spent with the kids. We feel blessed to be here and appreciate all the prayers and support we continue to receive.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
The Big Field
I recently discovered that some big soccer fields do exist in northern Haiti. After my experiences with tournament play on the small fields I was asked to play with a team in a neighboring village called Loire. This team selected two players from our village to come and practice with the team. I was asked simply out of curiosity about the white guy or more commonly referred to as “Blan.” The practice left a bad taste in my mouth because of the way I was treated. The team was made up of 18 men from age 21 to 26 that enjoyed making fun of the new white guy that could not understand what anyone was saying. I felt extremely isolated but was determined to earn respect by how I played in practice. I didn’t really succeed at that because after practice I walked the two miles back to our village at dusk with more comments aimed at me to complete the comedy hour.
I was shocked when I was asked to come and play in a game two days later. I skeptically agreed to play but was anxious about the interactions with the players. Popito is the other player from our village and he can speak English pretty well. He is the link to information about games and other happenings. Popito came to the orphanage and told me we would be playing at 3pm but had to meet at 12:30 to go to Loire to meet with the team.
At 12:30 I printed off a picture from the computer for my player identification card and thought it’s really going to be hard to miss the white guy, just follow the stares and the chorus of “blan, blan.” Cynical I know. Transportation is sometimes the most exciting part of the experience when I go play. This trip began with a short moped ride to Loire with Popito. We were dropped off and headed past a wall of cactus down a dirt path to the house where we would be meeting the players. Only one player had arrived at the scheduled time and he was lounged under a mango tree on a straw mat half asleep. We walked up and were greeted by the home owner. I was invited to sit with our goalie on the straw mat. The food came before I could fully sit down. I was served a huge plate of rice, beans, potatoes, and goat meat. It is custom to prepare food for the team before the match. I had eaten breakfast about 2 hours prior and saw no way of consuming this large quantity of Haitian cuisine. I dug in and got about half way until I was full. The goalie licking his plate across from me continued to encourage me to eat more, stating, “W’ap bezwen gwo force” and flexing his arm. He was saying I need to be strong for the game. Juice was also paired with the food and it was delicious, I showed too much enjoyment and was served three glasses despite my resistance.
Players filtered in throughout the next 2 hours and all had a comment about the “blan” that was going to play with them today. Some tried to speak to me in English and felt that raising their voice would somehow improve their ability to communicate which I found humorous. Our uniforms were distributed next and consisted of donated P.E. uniforms with Harrison Panthers on the chest and bottom of the shorts. A number had been spray painted in black on the back. I liked the uniforms because they were big and actually fit my tall frame. We changed into our P.E. uniforms behind the house in a half built section of the house. A man showering also in the area we were changing asked Popito to ask me if it was ok that he was naked. I didn’t have a problem with it if he didn’t.
The town we were playing in was called Owbiya; it was about an hour away by bus. After the bus secured all its wheels and the battery was rewired we were ready to go. Oh, when I say bus, I mean a flat bed truck with a metal cage arching over top and two benches running alongside the sides of the flat bed for seating. I was told to ride in the cab of the truck with the driver, our goalie, and by far the oldest man in the village. A tight squeeze for four men with no shortage of sweat was lost by my focus on balancing my weight through the shifting road way. The road was terrible and looked like a mixture of waves and moguls.
We arrived to the field complete with grass, PVC goals, and nets. We warmed up and I started the game on the bench which I had expected. Before the game started music was being played and a little person was coaxed into going out to dance at half field to entertain the crowd of 400. The play by play announcer persisted throughout the first have despite the rain and yelling of irate fans. At half time I was told I was going to play the second half. They wanted me to play forward and shoot a lot. I was told to warm up along the sideline which turned the attention of all the fans to watch the blan jog up and down the sideline. Then I was grabbed and shoved on to the field, to then be motioned off the field and then told to go on to the field. There was reason for the indecisiveness but I had no gauge as to what that might be.
I used my head a lot and was encouraged by the crowd each time. The play was fast but I got free at one point and crossed the ball to an open player in the goal box who was ripped down as he headed the ball wide. This play sparked an interest from the other team’s players in me. I began to get multiple forearms to the back throughout the rest of the game regardless of where the ball was on the field. I was double teamed and slammed in the back constantly. I kept my cool but made the mistake of telling a player to relax when play had stopped and he got in my face and rattled of a string of Creole I was happy not to translate.
They scored twice in the second half and as the game was coming to an end I got behind defenders and was taken out at the edge of the penalty box. A penalty kick was awarded to our team and we converted. The game ended 2-1, we had lost and our coach was furious about the refereeing of the game. After the whistle blew he came out to mid field and proceeded to punch the ref in the face, cutting him just above the eye. The ref grabbed a piece of metal to go after our coach but the crowd got between the two parties and only words were exchanged.
I left the field and was complimented by many people with handshakes and big smiles. “jwe bon” was the phrase used meaning “you played well.” I felt good about my play but was ready to get back. It was dark before the bus arrived to pick us up. As the skeleton of a bus pulled up a horde of people piled on and the driver turned the bus off and started the process of getting access people off the bus so we could travel without being overly weighed down. I sat in the cab of the bus again, this time against the door that was revealing its insides and had trouble latching. This proved true as the door swung open during the ride back almost taking me with it. I was held in by the other passengers.
We got back to Loire and the players wanted to know when I could play again. I think they were beginning to give me some respect. Popito and I got a ride with a fan on his motorcycle back to our village. The day proved to be long but a good experience playing on the big field and another interesting experience. I was told by the older men in the village that I am officially the first white person to ever play competitive soccer in northern Haiti.
I was shocked when I was asked to come and play in a game two days later. I skeptically agreed to play but was anxious about the interactions with the players. Popito is the other player from our village and he can speak English pretty well. He is the link to information about games and other happenings. Popito came to the orphanage and told me we would be playing at 3pm but had to meet at 12:30 to go to Loire to meet with the team.
At 12:30 I printed off a picture from the computer for my player identification card and thought it’s really going to be hard to miss the white guy, just follow the stares and the chorus of “blan, blan.” Cynical I know. Transportation is sometimes the most exciting part of the experience when I go play. This trip began with a short moped ride to Loire with Popito. We were dropped off and headed past a wall of cactus down a dirt path to the house where we would be meeting the players. Only one player had arrived at the scheduled time and he was lounged under a mango tree on a straw mat half asleep. We walked up and were greeted by the home owner. I was invited to sit with our goalie on the straw mat. The food came before I could fully sit down. I was served a huge plate of rice, beans, potatoes, and goat meat. It is custom to prepare food for the team before the match. I had eaten breakfast about 2 hours prior and saw no way of consuming this large quantity of Haitian cuisine. I dug in and got about half way until I was full. The goalie licking his plate across from me continued to encourage me to eat more, stating, “W’ap bezwen gwo force” and flexing his arm. He was saying I need to be strong for the game. Juice was also paired with the food and it was delicious, I showed too much enjoyment and was served three glasses despite my resistance.
Players filtered in throughout the next 2 hours and all had a comment about the “blan” that was going to play with them today. Some tried to speak to me in English and felt that raising their voice would somehow improve their ability to communicate which I found humorous. Our uniforms were distributed next and consisted of donated P.E. uniforms with Harrison Panthers on the chest and bottom of the shorts. A number had been spray painted in black on the back. I liked the uniforms because they were big and actually fit my tall frame. We changed into our P.E. uniforms behind the house in a half built section of the house. A man showering also in the area we were changing asked Popito to ask me if it was ok that he was naked. I didn’t have a problem with it if he didn’t.
The town we were playing in was called Owbiya; it was about an hour away by bus. After the bus secured all its wheels and the battery was rewired we were ready to go. Oh, when I say bus, I mean a flat bed truck with a metal cage arching over top and two benches running alongside the sides of the flat bed for seating. I was told to ride in the cab of the truck with the driver, our goalie, and by far the oldest man in the village. A tight squeeze for four men with no shortage of sweat was lost by my focus on balancing my weight through the shifting road way. The road was terrible and looked like a mixture of waves and moguls.
We arrived to the field complete with grass, PVC goals, and nets. We warmed up and I started the game on the bench which I had expected. Before the game started music was being played and a little person was coaxed into going out to dance at half field to entertain the crowd of 400. The play by play announcer persisted throughout the first have despite the rain and yelling of irate fans. At half time I was told I was going to play the second half. They wanted me to play forward and shoot a lot. I was told to warm up along the sideline which turned the attention of all the fans to watch the blan jog up and down the sideline. Then I was grabbed and shoved on to the field, to then be motioned off the field and then told to go on to the field. There was reason for the indecisiveness but I had no gauge as to what that might be.
I used my head a lot and was encouraged by the crowd each time. The play was fast but I got free at one point and crossed the ball to an open player in the goal box who was ripped down as he headed the ball wide. This play sparked an interest from the other team’s players in me. I began to get multiple forearms to the back throughout the rest of the game regardless of where the ball was on the field. I was double teamed and slammed in the back constantly. I kept my cool but made the mistake of telling a player to relax when play had stopped and he got in my face and rattled of a string of Creole I was happy not to translate.
They scored twice in the second half and as the game was coming to an end I got behind defenders and was taken out at the edge of the penalty box. A penalty kick was awarded to our team and we converted. The game ended 2-1, we had lost and our coach was furious about the refereeing of the game. After the whistle blew he came out to mid field and proceeded to punch the ref in the face, cutting him just above the eye. The ref grabbed a piece of metal to go after our coach but the crowd got between the two parties and only words were exchanged.
I left the field and was complimented by many people with handshakes and big smiles. “jwe bon” was the phrase used meaning “you played well.” I felt good about my play but was ready to get back. It was dark before the bus arrived to pick us up. As the skeleton of a bus pulled up a horde of people piled on and the driver turned the bus off and started the process of getting access people off the bus so we could travel without being overly weighed down. I sat in the cab of the bus again, this time against the door that was revealing its insides and had trouble latching. This proved true as the door swung open during the ride back almost taking me with it. I was held in by the other passengers.
We got back to Loire and the players wanted to know when I could play again. I think they were beginning to give me some respect. Popito and I got a ride with a fan on his motorcycle back to our village. The day proved to be long but a good experience playing on the big field and another interesting experience. I was told by the older men in the village that I am officially the first white person to ever play competitive soccer in northern Haiti.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Challenged
It's been awhile since we've written anything, but it's not because we've forgotten or didn't feel like it. It has been a crazy week and a half here and I'm not sure where to start. I (Laura) had an easy few days after Rebekah, the other nurse, left and I was starting to think I had things under control. But...God had a different plan for me and really put me to the test over the next week.
It all started last Wednesday when a little boy, named David, who've we've been trying to help get to the U.S. for surgery, came in for formula and we decided to admit him because he was losing too much weight. We want him to be as healthy as possible for surgery, so an NG was necessary to get the calories he needs. But right after that, the vaccination team that travels around immunizing kids, decided to show up unannounced ready to deal out pikis (shots). Luckily, I had made a beautiful, color-coded spreadsheet a few weeks before saying what each kid needed, so it actually went quite smoothly. Just a lot of crabby kids that night:)
But then after that, things continued to go downhill. More and more kids got sick, including another named Herly that needed an NG tube for feedings. He's been staying with Kurt and I for the past week and is now starting to drink more and more on his own so hopefully will get rid of the tube soon! We've had to get creative with babies trying to pull out their NG tubes since it's not a lot of fun having to put it back in. We've found that keeping their arms inside their onesie and then tying the sleeves with hairties works quite well:) As long as the neck doesn't get too stretched out, the make-shift straight jacket keeps their hands away from their face.
Two other kids, Mikenson and Joshua started having seizures this week and both were admitted to the hospital. Mikenson had never had them before, so it was totally out of the blue and really scary. He's back now and doing better, but keep both of them in your prayers as we try and figure out what's going on with them. Nothing is easy in Haiti, particularly medical tests, so in order for them to get EEG's they will need to go to Port Au Prince, which is a flight away.
Yesterday, I traveled to Port Au Prince with three little boys and their moms that we're working on medical visas for. They all needed CT scans and it's the only place that does them. It was fun to see the capital of Haiti and how different it is than here in the north. It's only a 30 minute flight, but if you were to drive it takes 6-8 hours because of the awful roads. It was a good challenge for me to practice my Creole, though I haven't really mastered small talk yet, so it was a quiet day with the 3 women:)
Things are starting to settle down a bit, and I think that's just how life goes here...many ups and downs. We're going to the beach tomorrow to get away for the day and relax. It will be wonderful.
It all started last Wednesday when a little boy, named David, who've we've been trying to help get to the U.S. for surgery, came in for formula and we decided to admit him because he was losing too much weight. We want him to be as healthy as possible for surgery, so an NG was necessary to get the calories he needs. But right after that, the vaccination team that travels around immunizing kids, decided to show up unannounced ready to deal out pikis (shots). Luckily, I had made a beautiful, color-coded spreadsheet a few weeks before saying what each kid needed, so it actually went quite smoothly. Just a lot of crabby kids that night:)
But then after that, things continued to go downhill. More and more kids got sick, including another named Herly that needed an NG tube for feedings. He's been staying with Kurt and I for the past week and is now starting to drink more and more on his own so hopefully will get rid of the tube soon! We've had to get creative with babies trying to pull out their NG tubes since it's not a lot of fun having to put it back in. We've found that keeping their arms inside their onesie and then tying the sleeves with hairties works quite well:) As long as the neck doesn't get too stretched out, the make-shift straight jacket keeps their hands away from their face.
Two other kids, Mikenson and Joshua started having seizures this week and both were admitted to the hospital. Mikenson had never had them before, so it was totally out of the blue and really scary. He's back now and doing better, but keep both of them in your prayers as we try and figure out what's going on with them. Nothing is easy in Haiti, particularly medical tests, so in order for them to get EEG's they will need to go to Port Au Prince, which is a flight away.
Yesterday, I traveled to Port Au Prince with three little boys and their moms that we're working on medical visas for. They all needed CT scans and it's the only place that does them. It was fun to see the capital of Haiti and how different it is than here in the north. It's only a 30 minute flight, but if you were to drive it takes 6-8 hours because of the awful roads. It was a good challenge for me to practice my Creole, though I haven't really mastered small talk yet, so it was a quiet day with the 3 women:)
Things are starting to settle down a bit, and I think that's just how life goes here...many ups and downs. We're going to the beach tomorrow to get away for the day and relax. It will be wonderful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
