Sunday night, we were invited to St. Anne’s in Anse A Veau. Pere Louis, who I met briefly once last year and then became friends with via What’s App is the pastor there.  We got together with him for a beer at Francoville Saturday when we took the kids swimming and then came to community dinner Sunday.

It was a group of around twelve that live in community in the rectory at the church: Three priest, Pere Louis, Pere Adelaide and Pere Toto, along with a seminarian, Sè Natalie, a few admin people and a few guests. Pere Louis is one of those people who just effuses incredible positive energy.  He was born in Haiti, left when he was twelve, went to college and seminary in the US and then was called back to Haiti. He is also one of the most spiritual people I have ever met.  I can’t help thinking that Haiti would be so much better if there were more Pere Louis’ in the world and especially in Haiti.

Dinner was excellent.  There was fresh fish and diri koule (First time we had any since getting here!)  I wrote Pere Louis before we came and told him that we had a philosophical question for him.  He said he couldn’t wait to hear it.  So after dinner, we shared our question and it became a thoughtful, enriched discussion.

The question is:  If we were to bring bike parts to Boss Edner (We had just rode the day before), how would we do it?  If we gave him parts, aren’t we unfairly giving him an advantage and thus hurting other bike repair guys?  How would we ask him to share with the bike club kids?  At first, Pere Toto, the oldest guy there, suggested we ask Boss Edner to call a meeting with the other repair guys and they decide together what would be fair.  Then, everyone discussed it and one of the guys said, isn’t it true that Boss Edner is really the one that is helping the kids form the bike club?  (This is really true and he also started a crafts club for kids.) So maybe he could best support the kids if he had the advantage?  And how much competition does he have?  (Our response is not much at least in his neighborhood.)  So maybe it wasn’t a problem to give him the advantage as long as the kids benefitted.  And so they talked about maybe giving the kids in the club a big discount on work down with the parts.  (I’m guessing that already is the case, if he charges anything.)  It was really wonderful to be with a group of altruistic Haitians and listening to them discuss a complicated idea and how to make it work.

The evening finished with each person sharing a cross and a joy, something that was difficult during the week and something that gave joy.  It was interesting to hear crosses from a tooth ache to the death of a five-year-old to kidnapping, such a range, it is sobering.  And many spoke of the kids singing that morning in church as their joy.  The stars of the show were kids from another school and I sensed that it is not a great school.  Pere Louis, especially, talked about how cool it was that the kids from all the schools cheered on the singers. It was so special that all of them mentioned it. We finished each person’s recitation with Mesi Bon Dye Mesi.  Even Dan the almost atheist, shared a Mesi Bon Dye Mesi! (FYI- Mesi Bon Dye Mesi means, thank you God thank you.)

After a two hour dinner, we headed home feeling a bit awestruck by Pere Louis and filled with hope about such a group of caring, intelligent people working in Anse A Veau.

For one week, we held art classes for grades third year kindergarten to sixth grade.

The plan was to hold two sessions for each class except the kindergarteners. Monday, we saw the first through third grades, Tuesday the fourth through sixth graders and Wednesday the kindergarteners.  Thursday and Friday were a repeat of Monday and Tuesday.

There is so much to unpack with these classes.  My main takeaways are that kids all handle art differently and kids definitely have very different attention spans!  Mostly, that it is an amazing thing to watch kids experience art, to discover their own creativity, sometimes hesitantly, sometime with vigor.

Each student started with paper and pencil to create an idea for their final product. Then half way through the first session, we asked them to switch to working on their canvas (The final product).  The switch was difficult for many.  They wanted to finish the first piece as a work of art and struggled thinking of it as just a practice piece to develop their idea.

For the older kids, 4^th through 6^th, we supplied photos of ideas, artworks, pictures of flowers, different styles of design.  Some of the kids really took to them and some did their own thing. During that first day, they struggled to add a creative touch.

During the second session when the paper was completely gone, and they had oil pastels to work with, they began to break out a little.  Some show true talent for recreating the designs they chose from the photos and a few really were able to experiment a bit on their own with color, form and design.  Regardless, it was an hour where they were able to relax and concentrate on their designs.

It was an experience working with the different classes. There are definitely classes that are crazier and more out of control.  It tends to be the bigger classes.

There are 34 second graders and the first day we had no tables or chairs.  Therefore, the situation was a bit chaotic, noisy and unorganized.

There are around 38 fifth graders.  These are the same kids that were the crazy, crazy fourth grade last year.  We found out the number the first day and asked to split the class.  That was helpful but not perfect.  Man, are they a handful!  I led one girl back to her classroom.  We were constantly rearranging the trouble makers to create a calmer, more isolated space for them.  That really helped.  Putting them almost by themselves, allowed them to focus and most did really well.

The standouts were the first, fourth and sixth grades.  The first were just so happy to be there and loved everything.  It was so fun to see them between sessions on campus.  Before it had been a few who knew us and now it’s like we’re friends with the whole class.

The fourth graders turned out to be our last class on the last day.  After the fifth graders, they were delightful.  And the sixth graders were old enough and mature enough to understand the concept and run with it.

As far the project we choose, I learned a lot.  After the first day, we realized that the paints would never be possible.  Just too much and to be honest, Dan was petrified of the introduction of paints and water into the already brimming chaos.  Ideally, what we did would have fit well into a three-day project.  The first day totally devoted to drawing their idea on paper.  The second day, transferring and enhances the design on canvas.  And the third day, adding the color. And if water colors were going to be involved, they would be a separate day as well.

As you can see, I haven’t discussed the kindergarteners yet.  I would take a class of thirty kindergarteners any day.  They were wonderful.  They sat at the tables, a girls’ table and a boys’ table. We worked only with the oil pastels.  Each student had all twelve colors (the sets of 240, 20 sets of 12 were fantastic.)  It was so cool to see the kids choose colors.  Some concentrated on a few colors and some tried them all.  Nathalie and Genevieve were a huge help.  They constantly walked around and encouraged the kids.

For all the work and preparation, it was worth every minute and all the stress and rowdiness. I only lost my patience about a hundred times but for each time I lost my patience, there were a hundred more amazing moments.  We started each class with deep breathing and trust me, I’m the one who needed it most!

Deep breathing with the fifth graders.  We all needed it!

Niaka- sometimes a little time alone makes all the difference.

We talked to the kids in our tight little neighborhood (Called a lakou, it’s the homes right around yours, usually sharing the same property) about going on an outing to the ocean.  I think we first mentioned it around Wednesday and I think we were asked daily, multiple times, which day, when?  Sadly, we had to keep the number of kids going to just the kids in the lakou, not the wider neighborhood, no room in the car.

We decided to go to Anse-A-Veau, a little town six miles away instead of the beautiful swimming hole close to our house.  The swimming hole is all deep, jumping in off the rocks and while it is wonderful if you are a swimmer, it felt too dangerous for Dan and I to take five kids with unknown swimming ability.

There is a little hotel-resto in Anse-A-Veau called Francoville that has the most incredible view and where you can walk into the water. (FYI- Pres. Jovenel spent the night at Francoville after his speech in Baconnois!)

We enjoyed the drive out, listening to Haitian music, for the kids, a great part of the outing.  Upon arrival, we immediately went into the water.  We probably only stayed in the water for a half an hour but what a time it was.  There were some waves and the shoreline wasn’t great.  Dan and I both wished we had worn water shoes.  But the kids definitely didn’t notice and splashed and swam around with joyful exuberance. They all seemed really comfortable in the water, still not sure I’d trust taking them to the swimming hole but for Francoville, they were great. For Dan and I, the water was a wonderful temperature.  But within fifteen minutes, Wen Kerry was shivering.  Soon after Wilderson was too.  I think their complete lack of body fat might have been a contributing factor.

After our swim, everyone had a drink and popcorn.  Pere Louis came to have a beer with Dan and I (See Blog post, Mesi Bon Dye Mesi).  The kids happily entertained themselves sliding on the ceramic tiles of the walkway.

It was a great Saturday afternoon and I won’t forget especially throwing Wen Kerry back and forth in the water!

What an adventure!  So lucky to have ridden with this great group in Petit Trou, Saturday, February 8.

We had twenty five jerseys that were mis-sized for Team Bobs, they were way too small!  So we thought about bringing them down here to Boss Edner’s CCACC (Club Cyclisme Amateur Carrfour Cadet) bike club.  We wrote him before we got here telling him we wanted to ride with the club, Saturday, February 8.  We took the jerseys over the day before the ride so the kids could be ready.

We arrived Saturday morning with Jamesley at 6:00 AM and in front of Boss Edner’s house was around forty kids with a few adults sprinkled in.  Obviously, they didn’t all have a Team Bobs jersey but they all wanted to be a part of this special ride.

We didn’t go as far as usual, just up the road past Karfou Berjen, turned around and rode all through Petit Trou.  Being out there with the kids on the bikes, man, it was beautiful.  And Boss Edner was in fine form, riding around on the back of a moto managing the whole group and blowing his whistle!  (Nonstop with the whistle.)  I think about the control he was using and I try to imagine us in the US going along with it.  But everyone, kids and adults alike, were patient with his stops and tolerant of the whistle blowing.

One special moment I’ll always remember is a boy who lost his pedal.  After he gave up on the thread of the pedal, he tried using a stick.  He got it jammed in but when he tried riding and putting pressure on the stick, it kept slipping down.  Finally he gave up and his buddy rode along next to him and pushed him.

All in all, it was a amazing morning, when I think of the terrible road between Karfou Berjen and Karfou Cadet, I’ll now remember riding single file (Boss Edner’s insisting), being with the kids and the very cool adults riding with us and looking up at the hills on that cool Saturday morning.

On our second day in Baconnois the President of Haiti, Jovenel Moise, made a visit and gave a speech in Baconnois on Sunday night. He was visiting the southern peninsula to announce his rural Electrification program.

We, along with many of our fellow townspeople, stood by a hastily constructed stage next to Saint Francis Catholic Church to hear him speak. His special security guards armed with what looked like M16 rifles stood careful watch. The speakers blared his voice – more than a little too loudly. Of the 300 or so people there only about 25 responded to him enthusiastically. It seemed they were strategically planted in the audience.
On the road nearby was parked a fleet of large tractor trailers carrying the long concrete poles that will eventually carry the electrical transmission wires. This was proof positive to the people that Jovenel’s program was actually going to happen. He promised electricity within 2 months. Many are skeptical that it can happen that quickly.
There were also 5 shiny new red tractors behind the stage – another program to make farm implements available for use to local farmers.
Nonetheless it was remarkable to see Haiti’s very controversial President in our own little town and to see the beginnings of some real infrastructure improvement. Our neighbor kids were not interested in Electrification but we’re instead mesmerized by Jovenel’s security forces equipped with camouflaged uniforms, black helmets, black gloves,  and semi-automatic rifles.
WenKerry let me put him on my shoulders for a while so he could see his President!

It’s early February, 2020 and we are on our way home from Haiti.  As of now, we won’t have a long stay, at least not for awhile. (But that’s another story to be shared over a beer or a glass of wine.

I reread our introduction to last year’s blogging.  And somethings have changed and some things are very much the same.  Dan and I are much more focused on what we feel our role is with the kids, blogs to come will talk about that a bit.  But let me just say, Dan has gotten comfortable working with small groups of kids on math.  It fits his Kreyol level and ability to handle rowdy kids.

I discovered over the course of the last year a true love for teaching art.  It is an amazing experience to watch and help kids discover their own creativity.  I have spent three months learning more about teaching art and am eager to keep learning and working with kids.  (All ages are great but I’m especially fond of the five to seven year old artists.)

Our love for the community has stayed the same.  Leaving Petit Trou Monday, we weren’t an hour and a half out of town and I turned to Dan and told him how much I missed Jamesley and Wen Kerry.

The country continues to struggle.  It was a very rough fall for Haiti with the country on lockdown by the opposition.  There was no school in the capital for the entire semester!  And the folks in Petit Trou told me how tough it got for them.  Nothing was in the market.  With all roads blocked, they were left without much and struggled.  The lock is gone but now the level of crime has risen in Port au Prince.

So if you are interested, stay tuned.  We will continue to blog.  We want to share with you all and we want to be able to remember Haiti and our friends and incredible experiences when we are too old to get down there!

Wen Kerry and Jamesley on our first day in town!

What a week it was; so many endings and good-byes, presentations, parties and anpil plezi! We knew it would be tough to leave and we have both felt the loss already (Although not always at the same time). We are now left with a low but constant tug on our hearts and a pull back to Baconnois and our life there.  How will it be in eight months when we return…

The week or actually two-week good-bye started with a party on Memorial Day Sunday for our little neighborhood.  We invited the three families around us, the Pitons, the Presmys, and the Jean-Jacques.  There were, of course, four or five uninvited guests that just showed up or were brought by the invited guests. (This tradition is a constant and still hard for Dan and I to manage and understand.)  We bought hot dogs and ice cream at a town about an hour and a half away and rushed it home with lots of ice.  We hired a wonderful woman, Madam Francoise, who cooks fritay every day to cook for us.  We expected Banan Peze but also got Akra and lots and lots of Pikliz!  She was amazing.  The evening was delightful ending with dancing on the roof!

We spent the next week organizing “Should it stay or should it go?”  Isn’t that a song? We stayed somewhat organized until the final week when we got too busy to take time or really care about an organized storage room.

We took Jamesley and Wynn Kerry to the cliffs in Petit Trou to see the “spout”.  The spout was a little disappointing.  When we discovered it, it blew off our hats and totally surprised us.  Since then, it’s been lying a bit low.

We had our final “English” class with the neighborhood kids.  It was so fun.  We had given a “Test” to the advanced kids the week before and now they all got certificates.  Actually all the kids got certificates but the advanced kids got certificates of completion from the Dan and Teresa’s “Make It Up as We Go Along” English school.  And Dan had always wanted to see Abu and Daphca jump rope and they brought their rope.  Dan got into it in a big way, almost losing his shorts and definitely losing his flip flops.  We ended with a video (Thank you Fran for the Lego Movie) and ice cream.  It was a huge hit!

We biked and walked around our neighborhood and Dan did a final visit to the Thursday Karfou Lendi market.

That evening, Ti Pa Ti Pa came over to say good bye.  It was so sweet.  They all dressed in the Ti Pa Ti Pa shirts and gave us a frame to remember and thank us.  We were blessed to have them as part of our lives all spring and they were so gracious to say farewell in such a meaningful way.

Finally, on Friday, we participated all day in the 3^rd annual Agriculture Fair at St. Paul’s.  It was our planned last event…  The day started with my bike needing a third bearing change in two weeks.  I got to St. Paul’s and handed it over to Kenson for immediate repair.  He is so cool.  He is never rattled and always says “Yes”!  He always calms me down.  Anyway, the reason for a need for immediate repair was because my bike was to be the raffle item for the fair that day.

Dan and I were under the impression that the fair started at 9.  I arrived at 7:30 to set up my art booth and Dan brought 11 neighborhood kids for the start at 9.  Being Dan, he arrived at 8:45 and it being Haiti, the actual event really got off the ground at about 1.  Needless to say it was a long morning! So we just took photos with all our school buddies!

To set off the event, a DJ with monumental speakers had been hired.  The music was at about 120 decibels (I looked it up and it said 120 D is painful and it was!) and lovely konpa.  To talk you had to shout, it was definitely a drag on the day and caused me to have to walk out a couple of times just to spare my head.

My art booth was a display of all the artwork the kids did over the semester.  It was fun to have students visit and especially the kids who had created a piece.  They were so excited.

At about 1, they started a program of skits and dancing and music by the students.  The theme was the environment.  There was a skit about trees as friends and one about the dangers of chemical pesticides.  There was a rap about danger of plastics and garbage.  And there was a presentation of all the kids who worked with me building schools out of paper in the after-school art program.  I was so proud!!

Dan and I were beginning to wonder if they were ever going to begin the raffle so the kids could get their tickets.  We finally mentioned it to Vladimy who was announcing.  So about a half an hour before the end of the event, they explained the raffle. It was just for students and to get a ticket they had to collect 10 empty water sachets, which are all over!  It was a mad rush for collection and tickets, Dan and Wynn handled it and they were fairly overwhelmed.

The announcement of the raffle winner was a beautiful moment and something I will never forget.  Around 75 kids had collected the plastic sachets and thus held a ticket.  They sat there with rapt attention.  They all had a chance to win.  It was so cool to sit among them feeling their excitement.  This is not a common occurrence; having a chance to win a bike.

And Raphael’s announcing!  He was masterful.  He drew out the announcement (I think Wynn coached him on this a bit), talking about how all the kids were already winners because they had helped clean up the campus and take the plastic off the ground and head it to recycling.  He talked about the student who would get the bike and how they would not be adding pollution with a car or a motorcycle.

Finally came the big moment.  And the winner is…Schneider!!!  10^th grade Schneider also known as BonBon.  Schneider is a great kid and the bike will be a huge help as he lives in Baconnois not far from us.  His ride will be 3 & ½ miles to school.  And the 10^th grade class is so close.  They are like family.  Within 30 minutes of Schneider receiving the bike, I saw 4 different 10^th graders riding it.Schneider with his bike along with Vladimy, Maxo and Raphael.

The fair was ended with a soccer match between St. Paul’s and Baconnois but after our early morning arrival and the ear-splitting music, we had had enough and headed home.  It was a great but exhausting day for us and all the neighborhood kids.

The actual saying good bye was so hard, especially with Jamesley.  We talked about the “Leaving” a couple of times to help him understand.  It was still so painful.  The night before, we discussed it and he put his head down on the table and just couldn’t talk.  Dan and I cried a bit and Saturday morning, we hugged and kissed Jamesley and Wynn Kerry and finally took off.   Wilderson, Jamesley and Olvenson

The final good bye to Haiti was not without Haitian troubles.  Driving away we quickly realized that in sleepy little Petit Reviere (Ti Riv) there were major problem. Wynn and his crew had left about three hours ahead of us and found Ti Riv blocked.  It was a local issue, there was a group upset with a local magistrate but they were very well organized.  They dug a ditch in the road and closed off the back roads.  Fortunately, Raphael is from Ti Riv and so we called him.  He had us meet his brother, Alfred, at their mom’s house.  Alfred then recruited a friend and they hopped in our overcrowded car. We didn’t even try the blockade but headed straight down the back road.  They had to get out a couple of times and use their local influence to talk their way through.  There were wood blockades they had to move aside, there was a barbed wire blockade they had to lift for us to drive under.  And there were groups of angry Haitians, they had to sweet talk into letting us through.  It was a tense 30 minutes but after that we flew.

We actually left Petit Trou on Saturday because we heard Sunday was going to be a day of major protests and we wanted to be in Port au Prince.

We were right, all the roads were blocked on Sunday and most of the stores were closed around us (Even the Stop-N-Go!).  The area right around us was quiet and no one was on the road.  We walked around the not-too-scenic streets close to Lakay Poze but we were safe, if a bit sad and there was air-conditioning.

Post Script- July 3, 2019

We’ve been home for three weeks now and as I reread this blog, I am homesick so much for Baconnois, St. Paul’s and especially our kids.  I miss them every day and so wish I could spend a little time, just an hour with them.  We are already conniving to get back there.  I am hoping/working on a plan to get there in September for a short visit and we’re talking about next spring.

A sad post script is that since that Sunday, June 9, the situation in Haiti has been awful.  I think it has bypassed February and last November for length of time for the unrest.  I am afraid that nothing is settled or will be settled any time soon.  I don’t know what is needed to finally bring peace to Haiti but it isn’t happening any time soon.

A happy post script is the Haitian national soccer team.  They made it to the semi-finals in the Gold Cup and played their asses off!  Way to go, Haiti.  I heard that the rioting actually stopped for a while during the matches.

So signing off for a while.  Colorado life is wonderful but maybe not blog worthy for a bunch of Coloradans, no?

Much love and if you made it this far, let me know and I’ll buy you a beer or a glass of wine!

Had to share a bit of the beauty of Taina in Grand Goave.  Both Hotel Taina and Lakay Taina have become a refuge for us.  We are thankful and lucky to have found these places, thank you Tate!  We come about every two weeks for night.  We stay in this amazing small boutique hotel where plants and flowers cover every inch of their patio.  Then we spend our time at Lakay Taina, a French-Canadian restaurant right on the Caribbean.  It makes us forget the heat and discomforts of no running water or air conditioning.  We are forever grateful to Madam Solange, Christian and all the folks at Lakay Taina.

And now for some eye candy!

Do you know when the US Flag Day is?  June 14 for those of you who don’t know.  It’s not really a big deal unless you are a flag owner who wants to put it up at every chance possible.

In Haiti, it is a very big deal, much closer to the US 4^th of July.  If fireworks were available here, they would be flying!

Flag Day for us started at 8:00 a.m. on the St. Paul’s campus.  We took our four neighborhood boys there for the day’s celebration.  The St. Paul’s kids planned on marching to Petit Trou centreville about 3 miles away and we were to drive and provide water along the way.

Everyone was dressed in blue and red and flags were flying everywhere.  No one walked down the street without one.

It was a long and tiring march for the kids, blisters, sun, and lack of food and water. Dan and I took turns joining them and also allowing for an extra seat in the car for the weary. We went through 180 water sachets and the last mile home had all cars and motos available ferrying kids back to the school.

Back at school there was the traditional hour or two of waiting around with little activities thrown in.  There was jump rope, hopscotch, and dancing performances.

Finally, around 2:00 p.m. the championship soccer game was played.  First Year High School (NS1) won handily 6-1.  FYI- check out the little guy to the left.  He is a first grader, Holy- pronounced Oly, who somehow was part of the NS1 team.  He even got to play for about 10 minutes once the score was 5-1.  You should have seen his goal scoring celebration when they made that 6th goal.

It was fun and best of all the kids got to eat after it was over.  They went without much food from 8-3 but then were given an incredibly hardy meal of rice, bean, pasta, chicken, and beets!  The true champions of the day were the women who cooked for the almost 300 people.