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.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
104
Another Sunday in Lagosette, a day where we can rest, catch up on sleep, and update our blog! We try to take it easy, because the other days fill up fast with responsibilities.
We've been blessed with many healthy weeks here so far, but this past week a tropical disease managed to sneak past Laura's strong immune system. She went to bed early Monday with the beginnings of a fever and woke up in the middle of the night with a raging temperature of 104 degrees. Laura was on the verge of hallucinations about meningitis and having to fly to the States for medical care, but after a combination of rest and medication, the fever subsided and she was back on her feet. The tropical disease was short-lived...but intense.
A big change occurred this week when Rebekah, the other nurse that was here, left to go home to Washington. Laura tried to ingest as much information as possible from Rebekah during the one month overlap, and now is taking over all the nursing responsibilities and tasks. There is still a lot to learn with each new day, so prayers are needed for this transition.
Thursday afternoon, we had rare but exciting visitors come to COTP. Clowns. That's right, Clowns Without Borders. A world-wide ministry aimed at putting smiles on kids faces. We were a little leary at first, thinking the kids may be scared or unsure, but the clowns were a hit. They spoke in Creole and did skits and songs complete with a set of stilts. It was fun to watch the kids faces as they experienced something new. Who knew there was a clown ministry?
Kurt's building project for the prenatal program is complete minus two windows and a door. He put in a lot of hours in the heat finishing the roof, and is glad to have it done. The program should be up and running in September. The building will also be used on a daily basis for preschool. Kurt's looking forward to spending more time with the kids and starting play therapy.
A highlight came at the end of the week, when we went out on a double-date with Jamie and Jenny for Jenny's birthday. We ventured into Cap Haitien to find some deals in the tourist market and then satisifed our longing for American food with cheeseburgers, fries, and Cokes. It was delicious. It was great to get away for awhile with friends and just relax for the evening. Driving through the city in the dark on the way home proved to be a challenging task because of heavy traffic volume and a lack of brake lights. But...we made it home safe with enough time to dominate Jamie and Jenny at Canasta Caliente:) It's a great game, you should all play.
Stay tuned for more updates...and we love to hear updates from home!
We've been blessed with many healthy weeks here so far, but this past week a tropical disease managed to sneak past Laura's strong immune system. She went to bed early Monday with the beginnings of a fever and woke up in the middle of the night with a raging temperature of 104 degrees. Laura was on the verge of hallucinations about meningitis and having to fly to the States for medical care, but after a combination of rest and medication, the fever subsided and she was back on her feet. The tropical disease was short-lived...but intense.
A big change occurred this week when Rebekah, the other nurse that was here, left to go home to Washington. Laura tried to ingest as much information as possible from Rebekah during the one month overlap, and now is taking over all the nursing responsibilities and tasks. There is still a lot to learn with each new day, so prayers are needed for this transition.
Thursday afternoon, we had rare but exciting visitors come to COTP. Clowns. That's right, Clowns Without Borders. A world-wide ministry aimed at putting smiles on kids faces. We were a little leary at first, thinking the kids may be scared or unsure, but the clowns were a hit. They spoke in Creole and did skits and songs complete with a set of stilts. It was fun to watch the kids faces as they experienced something new. Who knew there was a clown ministry?
Kurt's building project for the prenatal program is complete minus two windows and a door. He put in a lot of hours in the heat finishing the roof, and is glad to have it done. The program should be up and running in September. The building will also be used on a daily basis for preschool. Kurt's looking forward to spending more time with the kids and starting play therapy.
A highlight came at the end of the week, when we went out on a double-date with Jamie and Jenny for Jenny's birthday. We ventured into Cap Haitien to find some deals in the tourist market and then satisifed our longing for American food with cheeseburgers, fries, and Cokes. It was delicious. It was great to get away for awhile with friends and just relax for the evening. Driving through the city in the dark on the way home proved to be a challenging task because of heavy traffic volume and a lack of brake lights. But...we made it home safe with enough time to dominate Jamie and Jenny at Canasta Caliente:) It's a great game, you should all play.
Stay tuned for more updates...and we love to hear updates from home!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Water
Water here in Haiti is not good to drink as many of you know. The result of drinking unfiltered water can be as discomforting as stomach issues or something more severe of the parasitic nature. Most of the villages have wells that are roughly 30 feet deep where the people can manually access water. The water coming from these wells are good for Haitians to drink but does pose a risk for westerners. At the orphanage we have a well that is 40 feet deep with a mechanical pump that provides water to all the buildings.
This past week our pump broke. This would not be a big deal with a couple people but with 50 kids and 10 volunteers it becomes a huge problem. The kids are bathed twice a day and need clean drinking water. The cooks also need clean water to make food for everyone. Of course bathing ourselves and drinking clean water is also important. You can see the problem this cause and the urgency to get the pump working again. We can make do with countless trips to the village well and long trips to town for clean drinking water but this takes up all ones time.
I was put in charge of fixing the pump because our maintenance guy, Arlin, was visiting home for this month. Many of you can see the problem here. What are you going to do all you can do is paint? you might ask. Well, i was asking myself the same question. I have never seen a water pump before. Regardless, i was helped by a man in the community named Roni, pronounced Woni.
Woni and I took a trip to town after retrieving the pump at the bottom of the well. We went to a large machinery shot located in the back of a school. This shop was very impressive with large machines and ample work space. After inspecting our broken pump the shop employee rambled off some creole i could not understand. Woni, who speaks about as much English as i do creole, reported that the part could be fixed. We first had to take out the specific part in the pump before they would work on it. This required a trip up to a classroom in a different building and a guy named "the bos" who spent two hours taking apart our pump. He didn't charge us. With the pump taken apart we took the part needing fixing to the shop and left the rest of the parts in the classroom. After returning to the shop the power went out. Everyone in the shop went home. We were forced to head back to the village with no pump. We left all the parts at the shop, it was a frustrating hot day.
After a month with no rain God blessed us with rain to supply ample water for the kids to bath at night and water for flushing toilets.
The next day we headed back in to town and headed back to the shop to get the pump fixed. Upon arrival the power had gone off again and was not expected to go back on until 3 pm. This was not what I wanted to hear. I left Woni in the city and headed back to the village. Woni called at 5pm with good news. We sent another worker with money to pay for the pump. The pump reached the orphanage at 7pm. God again sent rain for much needed water.
With the pump at the orphanage we started the process of putting the pump back together and getting the necessary parts in the right places. We turned the pump on and got water in all the buildings by 9pm. I was overjoyed and relieved that the process was over.
Kind of a long story but i was taken back by the two nights of rain God sent us. We haven't had rain since those two nights and this time of year its rare.
This past week our pump broke. This would not be a big deal with a couple people but with 50 kids and 10 volunteers it becomes a huge problem. The kids are bathed twice a day and need clean drinking water. The cooks also need clean water to make food for everyone. Of course bathing ourselves and drinking clean water is also important. You can see the problem this cause and the urgency to get the pump working again. We can make do with countless trips to the village well and long trips to town for clean drinking water but this takes up all ones time.
I was put in charge of fixing the pump because our maintenance guy, Arlin, was visiting home for this month. Many of you can see the problem here. What are you going to do all you can do is paint? you might ask. Well, i was asking myself the same question. I have never seen a water pump before. Regardless, i was helped by a man in the community named Roni, pronounced Woni.
Woni and I took a trip to town after retrieving the pump at the bottom of the well. We went to a large machinery shot located in the back of a school. This shop was very impressive with large machines and ample work space. After inspecting our broken pump the shop employee rambled off some creole i could not understand. Woni, who speaks about as much English as i do creole, reported that the part could be fixed. We first had to take out the specific part in the pump before they would work on it. This required a trip up to a classroom in a different building and a guy named "the bos" who spent two hours taking apart our pump. He didn't charge us. With the pump taken apart we took the part needing fixing to the shop and left the rest of the parts in the classroom. After returning to the shop the power went out. Everyone in the shop went home. We were forced to head back to the village with no pump. We left all the parts at the shop, it was a frustrating hot day.
After a month with no rain God blessed us with rain to supply ample water for the kids to bath at night and water for flushing toilets.
The next day we headed back in to town and headed back to the shop to get the pump fixed. Upon arrival the power had gone off again and was not expected to go back on until 3 pm. This was not what I wanted to hear. I left Woni in the city and headed back to the village. Woni called at 5pm with good news. We sent another worker with money to pay for the pump. The pump reached the orphanage at 7pm. God again sent rain for much needed water.
With the pump at the orphanage we started the process of putting the pump back together and getting the necessary parts in the right places. We turned the pump on and got water in all the buildings by 9pm. I was overjoyed and relieved that the process was over.
Kind of a long story but i was taken back by the two nights of rain God sent us. We haven't had rain since those two nights and this time of year its rare.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Done with lessons
This past week was an exciting week. We completed our creole lessons in Milot. As you all could probably guess Laura scored much better than Kurt on the final exam. The exam was quite difficult and our teacher blamed Kurt's poor result on Laura's inability to speak enough Creole to him outside of our lessons. He seemed to miss the point about Laura's better than average intellect. We are glad to be finished with our lessons and back to the orphanage.
In other news, Laura faced the treacherous back roads of northern Haiti in a red diesel 4x4 pick up truck as she mastered the manual transmission. Laura was a natural and ruled the experience a success because all goats, roosters, and small naked children remained safe. Laura's newly developed skill should prove to be important with trips to the hospital in Milot or Cap Haitian.
The children are doing very well and enjoyed taking part in a small parade recently. Some volunteers that were left this week made hats and small drums to wear as they danced around under the mango tree. Any small special event that makes these kids light up is fun to see.
We have a few kids that need special care and spend the night in the rooms of volunteers. Over the weekend we had a little boy with hydrocephalus who has been here for the past few months since he got abandoned at the hospital. His head is getting bigger and is in a lot of pain because of the pressure. In our best efforts we try to make him feel comfortable. We have mixed feelings about his future. There is a desire for his pain to end but it won't be easy to see him go.
Please keep all the children in your prayers. The next few weeks could be very important for the orphanage because we are having the liscencing organization come to visit to potentially approve us to complete our own adoptions. Currently we have to go through Port a Prince in southern Haiti to approve an adoption. But they've been saying they are coming soon for the past few months, so it's really hard to know. Pray that we can get our creche liscence soon and we can get these kids to loving homes where they can be cared for better than we can.
Soccer is going well. Our team finished 4th in this past tournament. The whole village was disappointed by the result of the last game because of a goal that was scored but taken back. I couldn't figure out why. Two players asked me for shoes at half time because their shoes were worn out. I didn't expect that but I guess I can understand.
We can't believe its been a month already.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Night Game in Pom Grasia
This was an experience that I can not due justice with my words but i will try.
Soccer in Haiti is much different than in the states. Here we play on small fields with small goals. The fields are dirt and the goals are metal or wood. Dimensions are maybe 30 yd x40 yd for the field and 4ft x 3 ft for the goals. There are 4 field players and a goalkeeper on a team. The goal keeper can not use his hands and if he does the opposing team gets a penalty shot from half field with no goalkeeper in the goal. The game is played very fast and your touch on the ball must be good to survive.
Sunday during the day preparations were made for the game by the players in our village, Lagossette. This includes organizing uniforms, buying bags of water from town and putting them in a cooler, and finding shoes for all the players. Don't be fooled by the poor accommodations, these guys are very skilled and all could have started at Calvin.
The game was scheduled to start at 7pm, it gets dark around 6ish. The players and some supporters congregated by our gate at 7:15pm to head to the game. Transportation was one moped but we had 6 guys so 3 guys hopped on with the cooler and headed to the game while me and two other players walked through the dark. I can't tell who i am walking with because they are black as night. Anyways the moped comes back and picks the rest of us up and we speed down the dirt roads leading to Pom Grasia.
We arrive to an environment that i have never played in. The field is surrounded by a fence consisting of cactus and partially cement wall. There is a guy taking money at the gate that lifts the rope for us as we ride right up to the team bench. I am the only white person among over 100 people surrounding this tiny field. The atmosphere is exciting. People before the gate are gambling, food is being cooked, vendors are selling goods, and two huge speakers are blaring music atop a large cement slab used for a stage. I can taste the ash from whatever is being cooked and the dust is settled into my lungs. The lights are a string of light bulbs that dangle from wooden poles. The whole setup is powered by a generator which goes off twice while waiting for the game to begin. That means everything goes black and you can't see a thing.
More and more people stared making there way in through the gates paying 1 Haitian dollar which is equivalent to 20 cents US. The field is now surrounded with people 4 people deep. The fans are on the end lines and next to the goals. One side of the field is all cactus and you can play off the cactus. Also, i was told to push opposing players into the cactus when i was on that side of the field.
The game is delayed an hour because both sides cannot agree on a referee. The ref is decided on an is sporting red shorts and a Micheal Jordan jersey. We have been warming up for 45 minutes and i had sweat through every article of clothing I have on. Our jerseys are yellow with green lettering, green shorts, and yellow socks. My teammates change on the field but one of my teammates, Toto takes me to a more private place to change into my shorts. The shorts are very short and pairs nicely with the jersey. I wear number 9. Laura comes out of the crowd and takes a team photo.
The game begins and i am starting even though the coach has not seen me play before. The game is very fast paced and physical. Its loud from the fans and the guys on the mic doing play by play. He uses my nickname "Blan" which means white. I play ok and get a shot which the goalkeeper saves. This shot gives the crowd confidence in the white guy. It seems impossible to score. I get a handful of cactus which makes me a little angry and then begin to get physical. Physical play is encouraged and my teammates were also very physical. After an intense first half of 0-0 we all bit off the corner of a plastic bag and jugged some water. I opted to sit the second half because i was exhausted. So, I took my shoes off and gave them to another player to use for the second half.
I sit the bench and have 3 sets of hands touching my back, arms, and head. I feel claustrophobic and its like 100 degrees but i don't know what to do so i sit and focus on the game. The game remains scoreless and goes straight to penalty kicks. These are taken from half field with no goalkeeper.
We win on penalty kicks and the place erupts into an instant dance party. Reggae music is blaring and i am in the middle of the field with my teammates jumping up and down. The crowed lifts me and other players on there shoulders and start spraying water everywhere. This celebration lasted twenty minutes straight. The dancing was incredible and the players along with the Lagossette fans danced off the field and on to the street. Every one was so happy. The procession continued back toward our village. I got picked up by two players on a moped and went speeding through the dark back to the orphanage.
With this win we advanced to the semifinals. Due to my creole lessons in another village I wont be able to play on Wednesday night but hope to play in the finals on Sunday if we win.
This was soccer like i have never seen but i loved it.
-guy who had to pick cactus from underneath his finger nail
Soccer in Haiti is much different than in the states. Here we play on small fields with small goals. The fields are dirt and the goals are metal or wood. Dimensions are maybe 30 yd x40 yd for the field and 4ft x 3 ft for the goals. There are 4 field players and a goalkeeper on a team. The goal keeper can not use his hands and if he does the opposing team gets a penalty shot from half field with no goalkeeper in the goal. The game is played very fast and your touch on the ball must be good to survive.
Sunday during the day preparations were made for the game by the players in our village, Lagossette. This includes organizing uniforms, buying bags of water from town and putting them in a cooler, and finding shoes for all the players. Don't be fooled by the poor accommodations, these guys are very skilled and all could have started at Calvin.
The game was scheduled to start at 7pm, it gets dark around 6ish. The players and some supporters congregated by our gate at 7:15pm to head to the game. Transportation was one moped but we had 6 guys so 3 guys hopped on with the cooler and headed to the game while me and two other players walked through the dark. I can't tell who i am walking with because they are black as night. Anyways the moped comes back and picks the rest of us up and we speed down the dirt roads leading to Pom Grasia.
We arrive to an environment that i have never played in. The field is surrounded by a fence consisting of cactus and partially cement wall. There is a guy taking money at the gate that lifts the rope for us as we ride right up to the team bench. I am the only white person among over 100 people surrounding this tiny field. The atmosphere is exciting. People before the gate are gambling, food is being cooked, vendors are selling goods, and two huge speakers are blaring music atop a large cement slab used for a stage. I can taste the ash from whatever is being cooked and the dust is settled into my lungs. The lights are a string of light bulbs that dangle from wooden poles. The whole setup is powered by a generator which goes off twice while waiting for the game to begin. That means everything goes black and you can't see a thing.
More and more people stared making there way in through the gates paying 1 Haitian dollar which is equivalent to 20 cents US. The field is now surrounded with people 4 people deep. The fans are on the end lines and next to the goals. One side of the field is all cactus and you can play off the cactus. Also, i was told to push opposing players into the cactus when i was on that side of the field.
The game is delayed an hour because both sides cannot agree on a referee. The ref is decided on an is sporting red shorts and a Micheal Jordan jersey. We have been warming up for 45 minutes and i had sweat through every article of clothing I have on. Our jerseys are yellow with green lettering, green shorts, and yellow socks. My teammates change on the field but one of my teammates, Toto takes me to a more private place to change into my shorts. The shorts are very short and pairs nicely with the jersey. I wear number 9. Laura comes out of the crowd and takes a team photo.
The game begins and i am starting even though the coach has not seen me play before. The game is very fast paced and physical. Its loud from the fans and the guys on the mic doing play by play. He uses my nickname "Blan" which means white. I play ok and get a shot which the goalkeeper saves. This shot gives the crowd confidence in the white guy. It seems impossible to score. I get a handful of cactus which makes me a little angry and then begin to get physical. Physical play is encouraged and my teammates were also very physical. After an intense first half of 0-0 we all bit off the corner of a plastic bag and jugged some water. I opted to sit the second half because i was exhausted. So, I took my shoes off and gave them to another player to use for the second half.
I sit the bench and have 3 sets of hands touching my back, arms, and head. I feel claustrophobic and its like 100 degrees but i don't know what to do so i sit and focus on the game. The game remains scoreless and goes straight to penalty kicks. These are taken from half field with no goalkeeper.
We win on penalty kicks and the place erupts into an instant dance party. Reggae music is blaring and i am in the middle of the field with my teammates jumping up and down. The crowed lifts me and other players on there shoulders and start spraying water everywhere. This celebration lasted twenty minutes straight. The dancing was incredible and the players along with the Lagossette fans danced off the field and on to the street. Every one was so happy. The procession continued back toward our village. I got picked up by two players on a moped and went speeding through the dark back to the orphanage.
With this win we advanced to the semifinals. Due to my creole lessons in another village I wont be able to play on Wednesday night but hope to play in the finals on Sunday if we win.
This was soccer like i have never seen but i loved it.
-guy who had to pick cactus from underneath his finger nail
Photos
We're having trouble uploading pictures to our blog, but we are able to post some on facebook. So here's a link that everyone can access.
Glimpses of Haiti
Glimpses of Haiti
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
The Island
After our long week of creole lessons we got a chance to relax on the beach. It was about an hour and a half drive through the hills of northern Haiti, but our destination was worth the travel. We arrived at a small fishing village on the coast in view of a beautiful island not far from shore. The whole village gathered around our truck before we could open the doors. We paid a local man to take our group of eight to the island on his boat. The tide was out and about 12 guys were needed to push the boat into the water. This process involved a lot of yelling and recruiting of additional help including someone to go get the motor.
The island was small with a great beach and a reef near by for snorkeling. The appearance of the island was very reminiscent of LOST. There were a few other Haitians on the beach but otherwise we had the island to ourselves. When we got to the island we got out the snorkeling gear and cautiously ventured out into the ocean. We are not experienced in this area and were hesitant to get too far from shore. Because of the reef, many colorful fish were easy to find. It was fun to see all the sea life until Laura got too nervous and had to go back to shore.
The locals told us about some ruins of King Christophe from the mid 1700's. We went exploring through some rough terrain. I think they call it bushwhacking but we forgot our machetes and got tangled in more than a few vines. At the peak of the island we found a cannon belonging to King Christophe from 1767. (the date was on the cannon) It was just sitting in a pile of overgrown brush. We also found the remains of a fort and a deep well.
Our first Haitian beach experience was a success and we are looking forward to seeing a few more. It's a lot different then going to a beach at home but we really enjoyed it.
We are back in Milot for week two of improving our Creole. We have a lot of spare time here and love to get e-mails, so keep us updated about what is going on back home.
Kurt and Laura, a.k.a. Sawyer and Kate
The island was small with a great beach and a reef near by for snorkeling. The appearance of the island was very reminiscent of LOST. There were a few other Haitians on the beach but otherwise we had the island to ourselves. When we got to the island we got out the snorkeling gear and cautiously ventured out into the ocean. We are not experienced in this area and were hesitant to get too far from shore. Because of the reef, many colorful fish were easy to find. It was fun to see all the sea life until Laura got too nervous and had to go back to shore.
The locals told us about some ruins of King Christophe from the mid 1700's. We went exploring through some rough terrain. I think they call it bushwhacking but we forgot our machetes and got tangled in more than a few vines. At the peak of the island we found a cannon belonging to King Christophe from 1767. (the date was on the cannon) It was just sitting in a pile of overgrown brush. We also found the remains of a fort and a deep well.
Our first Haitian beach experience was a success and we are looking forward to seeing a few more. It's a lot different then going to a beach at home but we really enjoyed it.
We are back in Milot for week two of improving our Creole. We have a lot of spare time here and love to get e-mails, so keep us updated about what is going on back home.
Kurt and Laura, a.k.a. Sawyer and Kate
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Milot
So we're here in Milot for the first week of three attempting to learn as much Creole as possible. We're staying in a volunteer house in a mission near the hospital and having lessons 2 hours a day. The lessons have proved to be quite frustrating (especially for Kurt:)), since our teacher doesn't give instructions in English and can be very hard to understand. We'll probably learn better this way in the end, but it's a tough way to start. With her amazing French background, Laura wins the prize for pronunciation, while Kurt overemphasizes the accent and drowns in the sweat of embarrassment. In the midst of Kurt struggling to survive, Laura helps a ton by giggling like a little girl in church. To make it even better, our teacher sits there falling asleep in front of us. But, when we're not focusing on our Creole, we have a lot of free time to read and relax and catch up on sleep without babies crying.
In our explorations of Milot, we walked over to the only somewhat touristy place, the palace of King Christopher. It's set up at the base of the mountains and a good place to sit and relax...except when you're trying to study Creole and a huge group of kids sit around you and try to help. It is nice when they wipe ants of your leg for you, but personal space is limited under the voodoo tree.
We're still waiting for one more box to come of our stuff, including the Heroes DVDs we got as a gift from the most awesome Bible Study ever. So when that comes, we will probably watch it all day long when not studying Creole.
Our host at the volunteer house is an American named Jess, who has been here for over 2 years. She started a program for street kids in Cap Haitian and has given us a lot of insight into Haitian culture.
-couple with constant back sweat
In our explorations of Milot, we walked over to the only somewhat touristy place, the palace of King Christopher. It's set up at the base of the mountains and a good place to sit and relax...except when you're trying to study Creole and a huge group of kids sit around you and try to help. It is nice when they wipe ants of your leg for you, but personal space is limited under the voodoo tree.
We're still waiting for one more box to come of our stuff, including the Heroes DVDs we got as a gift from the most awesome Bible Study ever. So when that comes, we will probably watch it all day long when not studying Creole.
Our host at the volunteer house is an American named Jess, who has been here for over 2 years. She started a program for street kids in Cap Haitian and has given us a lot of insight into Haitian culture.
-couple with constant back sweat
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Arrival in Lagossette
We arrived safely to the village of Lagossette with few hiccups in our travels. We did end up waiting around in Fort Lauderdale airport for 3 and a half hours longer than expected. Our flight was smooth and Lynx Air improved service with a bigger plane and a stewardess with a New York accent.
At the orphanage we were not the only new arrival. Three new babies were admitted in the past 48 hours. This means more babies requiring special attention, including feedings throughout the night. It has been fun to see the growth of some of the previous babies we saw in March, especially the one we spent the most time with.
Our hours of sleep has decreased because we are taking care of a baby each night and are giving regular feedings. Good practice for ten years down the road. Adjusting to new people, food, pace of life, and a whole new kind of hot has been challenging. It feels strange to think we are not leaving anytime soon.
The village soccer team has invited Kurt to play with them. We're not sure if its the ball, access to a vehicle, or his actual skill level. Soccer is played on small dirt fields. As we wait for Kurt's soccer shoes to arrive we get to see him trudge around in a pair of old new balance tennis shoes.
Tomorrow we embark on our journey through the Creole' language in the neighboring village of Milot. We will stay in an old mission Monday through Friday for three weeks. The weekends will be spent back at the orphanage. More details to come but we are eager to improve our communication.
For some reason, it's not working to post pictures right now, so we'll try later so you can see where we live!
At the orphanage we were not the only new arrival. Three new babies were admitted in the past 48 hours. This means more babies requiring special attention, including feedings throughout the night. It has been fun to see the growth of some of the previous babies we saw in March, especially the one we spent the most time with.
Our hours of sleep has decreased because we are taking care of a baby each night and are giving regular feedings. Good practice for ten years down the road. Adjusting to new people, food, pace of life, and a whole new kind of hot has been challenging. It feels strange to think we are not leaving anytime soon.
The village soccer team has invited Kurt to play with them. We're not sure if its the ball, access to a vehicle, or his actual skill level. Soccer is played on small dirt fields. As we wait for Kurt's soccer shoes to arrive we get to see him trudge around in a pair of old new balance tennis shoes.
Tomorrow we embark on our journey through the Creole' language in the neighboring village of Milot. We will stay in an old mission Monday through Friday for three weeks. The weekends will be spent back at the orphanage. More details to come but we are eager to improve our communication.
For some reason, it's not working to post pictures right now, so we'll try later so you can see where we live!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy Independence Day!
We are currently sitting in a hotel room watching venus and serena in the wimbledon final in Florida. We arrived yesterday and are relaxing on the beach until Tuesday.
We got a chance to say our goodbyes and had a great week spending time with friends and family. We loved spending more time with Graham, our host for the last week, and waking up to him saying, "mama, maaa-maaa!"
Here's some pictures from last week. Hope everyone has a happy 4th of July!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Homeless and unemployed
That's right...as of Saturday, we're officially homeless and unemployed. Big shout-out to all who helped us move this weekend. Everyone was speedy and efficient.Helpful tip to anyone moving: always unscrew the TV cable before moving the TV out to the truck. If you don't, you will only get so far...
We're going to miss living in "the hill" and our first apartment together. But, we moved in with Drew, Amy, and Graham, and are taking advantage of their hospitality. Just finishing up some last minute packing and spending time with family and friends before we leave on Friday.
Goodbye apartment on College...we'll miss you.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Letter
We sent out a letter this week thanking everyone for their help and prayers. I hope you are receiving them. Laura is finishing up her last weekend shifts and then just has two more left on Wednesday and Thursday.
I am not sure how this blog thing works but i think you can respond to posts. If so, please reply without hesitation, it does not have to be well thought out or anything. This is my weakest post so far but i just wanted to start getting in the mode of blogging.
I am not sure how this blog thing works but i think you can respond to posts. If so, please reply without hesitation, it does not have to be well thought out or anything. This is my weakest post so far but i just wanted to start getting in the mode of blogging.
This is a picture of a Tap Tap, also known as a taxi. Little crowded.
-guy who is wondering how many people will actually read this
-guy who is wondering how many people will actually read this
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Update
We are leaving for Haiti on July 3, 2009. Our tickets are open ended and we are planning on returning around Christmas. In the last few months we have been getting ready to leave and be effective when we get there. Learning Creole is a challenge and we are not that good at it. I hope to do a blog in Creole eventually. Laura is excited to start taking care of babies medical needs. So, what is Kurtis doing? Well, I'm not going down there to paint walls. I have been doing some additional studying on Play Therapy. I will be doing therapy with the orphans on a regular basis. I am new to play therapy but am excited about using it to help these kids. I will not bore you with the therapeutic language that describes play therapy. Its simply a process of helping kids discovering self. The play therapy process should be fun and i think the kids will enjoy it.
Oh, no big deal but i will be graduating from graduate school in a few weeks. I can't wait to be done with school. Laura has 6 more shifts of work left before she is done.
We are going to start blogging more frequently now, i hope you find our post interesting and we will try to make it fun.
-couple who just got Chaco's to manage the treacherous terrain
Oh, no big deal but i will be graduating from graduate school in a few weeks. I can't wait to be done with school. Laura has 6 more shifts of work left before she is done.
We are going to start blogging more frequently now, i hope you find our post interesting and we will try to make it fun.
-couple who just got Chaco's to manage the treacherous terrain
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
I love babies
I wanted to add some of my thoughts on the week we spent at Children of the Promise (COTP) and more about what I will be doing there. Right now there is a nurse there named Rebekah, who has been there since January and will overlap with us in July for a couple weeks and then head back home to Washington. She's my age and worked with adults before going to Haiti, so that made me feel a little better about my lack in nursing experience with kids. Fortunately, Rebekah will be able to train me when we get there. She's a great nurse and was very welcoming to us on our visit. I'm sad that we won't be working together the whole time we're there.
So twice a day we passed meds to the kids. There are 3 HIV+ kids and 2 of them are on ARVs (which is great that they can get them for free!) But they need to take them on a strict schedule, so we did meds at 7am and 7pm. Most of the kids are great with taking their meds, with the exception of a few spitters:) My favorite part of the day was the kid's bedtime, because we'd go and give meds while Kurt brushed their teeth and then cuddle the babies and say goodnight. They're all clean and snuggly in their pjs and just love to be held...
As I've already told a lot of you, one of the best parts of the week was taking care of Alex. He was brought in on our third day there by his father and was only about 10 days old. His mom had died shortly after giving birth and his dad didn't think he could take care of him. At only 4lb 7oz, he was TINY but healthy overall. COTP agreed to take im for 3 months and then see if his dad was ready to have him back or go from there. So Alex spent the next 6 nights in our room and we got a little taste of having a newborn:) He didn't really cry when he was hungry yet, so I just set my alarm and woke up to feed him every 3 hours. But he was already gaining weight by the time we left (almost up to 5lbs) and starting to cry for food. I fell in love and can't wait to see him when we go back. They just emailed us some pictures of him and he's already looking chubby!
So to answer the statement of "I bet you'll come home with a baby" that I've gotten from many different people, I'll clarify once and for all that a) it doesn't work like that and b) you have to be 30 to adopt from Haiti. So we won't be coming home parents, but maybe someday...
COTP asks that pictures of their kids aren't put on other websites, so we won't be putting any pics of them on here, but you can see how precious they are on their website, http://www.childrenofthepromise.org/. And we can email some to you while we're there. They really are all beautiful. Adoption is such an awesome thing and it became much more real to us while we were there. Seeing the adoptive parents meet their kids and how excited the kids were for them to come was such a beautiful thing. I could barely keep the tears in. God's work is clearly evident at COTP, the children are accepted and loved and in great hands.
-girl that has a lot to learn
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Blogging is not in our routine yet
We are alive, sorry for the delay. The experience was ridiculous. Our travels down to Haiti were smooth and exciting. I barely fit in the plane, picture me touching my toes and shuffling forward. That's how i got to my seat. It was weird there was no security at the airport we just walked out to the plane and got on.
Once we got to the orphanage we got the tour of the facilities which are royalty compared to the surrounding village. Then we met the kids. We walked in and they came running to meet us. It was a heart warming experience.
So, what did you do? OK, Laura got a crash course in how to run the place as a head nurse which included medication, common diseases in the kids, and seeing where everything was to treat people. I picked up a paint brush and put my skills to work on the new building. What did you like the most? The kids are the best part. Ages 0-5. We tried to spend a lot of time just giving the kids much needed attention. Laura gave meds at night and i was in charge of brushing the kids teeth. It was great, man they love toothpaste. What else? Well we got to see three kids go to their adoptive home. This was also a moving experience.
The poverty is hard to describe. I guess the best way to say it is, they are surviving not developing or growing. These people are living day to day just trying to make it.
We are going to try to do better with the blogging. Laura may edit this post.
-couple that got diarrhea
Once we got to the orphanage we got the tour of the facilities which are royalty compared to the surrounding village. Then we met the kids. We walked in and they came running to meet us. It was a heart warming experience.
So, what did you do? OK, Laura got a crash course in how to run the place as a head nurse which included medication, common diseases in the kids, and seeing where everything was to treat people. I picked up a paint brush and put my skills to work on the new building. What did you like the most? The kids are the best part. Ages 0-5. We tried to spend a lot of time just giving the kids much needed attention. Laura gave meds at night and i was in charge of brushing the kids teeth. It was great, man they love toothpaste. What else? Well we got to see three kids go to their adoptive home. This was also a moving experience.
The poverty is hard to describe. I guess the best way to say it is, they are surviving not developing or growing. These people are living day to day just trying to make it.
We are going to try to do better with the blogging. Laura may edit this post.
-couple that got diarrhea
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Anticipation
Tonight we got all packed up, finished a pack Oreos, brushed up on our Creole, took out the trash, and organized our travel documents. We leave early for Florida tomorrow (or later tonight...), where we'll be meeting up with Bud Bonnema, director of Children of the Promise. Prayers are needed for our hop from Florida to Haiti...we hope Kurt will fit in the plane. We'll try and keep you posted this upcoming week as we get to know life in Haiti.
-couple who hopes they don't get diarrhea
-couple who hopes they don't get diarrhea
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