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.

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.

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!

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.

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.