Yesterday I did something I never thought in a million years that I would do. I rode a motor cycle taxi up the mountain to go see a friend. I know, before you say, Holy Cow Michele Has Changed! let me explain that there are only a few ways to get around. And only a few roads on which to do that. One, you have a POV that you can use to go places. Ours is a Ford Econoline van. And while it's a good sturdy vehicle, it is too long to traverse the dangerous hairpin turns on the mountain roads. Also, it doesn't have the power to get up many of the steepest roads, plus the roads have holes in them that make pot holes look like tiny pips. Secondly, you can hire a vehicle with a driver. This can cost anywhere from $35 US to $150 US depending on if it's a one way ride or a whole day, wait for you kind of excursion. After that, you have 2 choices for public transportation; tap-tap, which is like a mini bus - either a converted van or truck, or a motorbike taxi.
My Year in Haiti
It's All About the Children
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
Vacation all I ever wanted...
So I left on a Monday and came back on a Monday. Now my kids are convinced I am going to leave this Monday. I keep trying to convince them that I will not be going anywhere for quite some time. I am all vacationed out for now, budget wise at least! So every day another one will ask me, "You go on Monday?" and again I have to tell them no, I stay, every Monday for a long time. But really, what is a long time to a 4 year old? A week is an interminable time when you are waiting for something you really want. Or how about a night? I remember Christmas Eve's that seemed to last for at least 700 hours!
So for now, I will have to bide my time until enough Mondays have past for them to understand that I am here for a good little stretch of time. One way that I have discovered will set them on another track is to tell them that my daughter, Emily, may be coming in the Spring. To which they then want to know when my boy, Nikolas, will be coming. Everyone here loves Nikolas. Now to work on getting his passport and setting aside some money for a plane ticket.
All for now, come back later for tales of my yoga antics with the kids.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Calamitous Saturday Morning
It's not a full moon, so I'm not sure where the bad juju came from, but we've had quite the morning. A few of the kids have some odd bacteria or virus or another. It causes blister-like lesions in close proximity to their noses and often inside their noses. The first one with these symptoms was put on Amoxicilline and it seemed to respond to it. Then two more kids presented with symptoms so on the antibiotic they went. Now this morning the first one has all of her symptoms again. Guessing it must be viral and not bacterial, but waiting to hear from the doctor.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Things to be thankful for
Every day brings new challenges, and often new reasons to want to go home. I am resolved to see this through. I am certain I was called here for a reason. Whether it is about helping with the growth of these children, or just to help with my own personal growth, or maybe both, I do not know. What is certain is that I am not the same person I was 4 months ago.
In many ways I am become more cautious and reserved and in other ways I am letting go of that caution and reservation. I am hoping to achieve a higher level of enlightenment either way.
One of the most difficult things to do is to practice what you preach. Even to practice what you believe. To say you believe in something is one thing. To actually have the conviction to live it is not an easy life.
In many ways I am become more cautious and reserved and in other ways I am letting go of that caution and reservation. I am hoping to achieve a higher level of enlightenment either way.
One of the most difficult things to do is to practice what you preach. Even to practice what you believe. To say you believe in something is one thing. To actually have the conviction to live it is not an easy life.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Mamma said there'd be days like this
My vacation is coming in two short weeks. I say this even though I know they will be the longest weeks of my life! I have nearly battled off what I'm assuming was a case of strep. I had the swollen glands for only a few days, but the malaise is lingering. Oh, and I guess I haven't been doing a good job of replacing my proteins, my hair is falling out in chunks! I'm going to have to get a case of green beans or spinach and start beefing up my diet.
Or I could just let it fall out. That would be one less thing to worry about. There is an awful fungal infection that keeps passing around the kids. It mostly affects their scalps. Some of the girls are losing small patches of hair. There is little we can do. The fungus is common in dusty regions like Delmas. Aside from living in a bubble, we are providing the next best thing for these little ones. They have the best meds and care available. It's just one of those things you have to get used to. Meanwhile, I think I will start adding tea tree oil to the hair grease they use.
So, I'm headed to Universal Studios for two days of fun in the sun. Besides the Harry Potter Adventure, what MUST I do when I get there?
more later...
Or I could just let it fall out. That would be one less thing to worry about. There is an awful fungal infection that keeps passing around the kids. It mostly affects their scalps. Some of the girls are losing small patches of hair. There is little we can do. The fungus is common in dusty regions like Delmas. Aside from living in a bubble, we are providing the next best thing for these little ones. They have the best meds and care available. It's just one of those things you have to get used to. Meanwhile, I think I will start adding tea tree oil to the hair grease they use.
So, I'm headed to Universal Studios for two days of fun in the sun. Besides the Harry Potter Adventure, what MUST I do when I get there?
more later...
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Things to Ponder
Monday, November 14, 2011
School Daze, School Daze, Dear old Golden Rule Days
So, today begins our 3rd week in the new school. I am amazed at the progress so far, both from our students, and from our Haitian staff. The cornucopia of Montessori materials that were brought have taken the English lessons to a whole new level. No wonder these programs are so awesome! Aside from a few kids that have some developmental or behavioral issues, all of the kids are really enjoying the access to these resources.
This week we will attempt finger paint for the first time. I'm a little trepidatious, but the kids have really taken to the new format well. I am hoping to be pleasantly surprised.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Life in Haiti
So, I've lost over 30 pounds since I've been here. How you may ask? Mostly because it's so dang hot here I sweat and sweat and sweat. But fear not, it isn't water weight that I've lost. Maybe at first it was. But I'm up to 4 quarts of drinking water a day, some days more. So I know it's actual fat loss. I'mt having a hard time keeping XL shorts up. I have to cinch my belts so tight I look like Jethro (I'd say Ellie May, but I have a ways to go before I'm that cute!) Also, I hardly ever get to finish a full meal when I eat with the kids. Which is okay by me. The cook dishes out humongous portions of red beans and rice with vegetables. And the bowls of spaghetti? Faggedaboudit! I usually get a few bites in and the boys have finished their food and are looking for me to share!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Like Ripples In a Pond
One of the hardest parts about parenting is making decisions about what to expose your children to. I've known parents that have gone to extreme measures to inhibit the introduction of "worldly" influences on their children. As most of us know, this is never a good plan. These are the kids that head off to college and next thing you know it's like that reality show "Rumspringa". Next thing you know they are featured on the latest "Co-eds Gone Wild".
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have those parents who don't believe in inhibiting their childrens' creativity. They have a "free-love" style of parenting and let their children determine their own limits. As well you can imagine, this is not the best tack either, for equal and opposite reasons.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have those parents who don't believe in inhibiting their childrens' creativity. They have a "free-love" style of parenting and let their children determine their own limits. As well you can imagine, this is not the best tack either, for equal and opposite reasons.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
New Items For The Wish List
Please check out the items in the wish list. The kids LOVE their new shirts provided by Majik Graphics and the Think & Link networking group. Now we would like to do shorts to go with them. If anyone happens upon elastic waisted tan or khaki shorts in sizes 2T thru 10 boys husky, please feel free to pick up as many as you can and make arrangements to get them to the organization. (you can email me for details at micheleisinhaiti@gmail.com)
Thanks for coming, enjoy the show.
Thanks for coming, enjoy the show.
Friday, October 14, 2011
A Lesson On Love
Last night I was having a conversation with some of the older young ladies and young men that live here at the mission. The topic was Godly love, or Agape love. I was explaining that loving kindness is the best defense against people that we don't favor. One of the girls said that if she said good morning to someone and they never said it back, then she would stop talking to them. I told her then that would mean that person had control over who she is. I explained that if we let someone else's actions or inactions affect the way we behave, think, or feel, we have given that person control over us.
I then went on to explain that how we see people is a reflection of what is going on inside of us, not the other person. When we see someone who is unkind or rude, we should remember that 1) that person is fighting demons we don't know about; and b) how we perceive them is a reflection of what we are experiencing inside of us.
Interestingly enough, as the discussion continued, I was able to work the "Pen is a Pen or Pen is a Chew Toy" demonstration into the conversation. As per usual, the response is generally, "but in Haiti..." to which I always reply that God doesn't care where you come from, only where you are going.
The point was clarified even further when, at devotions, the missionary had the group read from 1 Chorinthians, Chapter 13, and 1 John Chapter 4 about agape love. All of the older kids gave me looks of surprise to see that they were getting the same message directly from the Bible that I had just been teaching them earlier in the evening.
I love when everything aligns in this way! It really reaffirms that I am doing exactly what I was meant to do.
"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." Alice Walker
I then went on to explain that how we see people is a reflection of what is going on inside of us, not the other person. When we see someone who is unkind or rude, we should remember that 1) that person is fighting demons we don't know about; and b) how we perceive them is a reflection of what we are experiencing inside of us.
Interestingly enough, as the discussion continued, I was able to work the "Pen is a Pen or Pen is a Chew Toy" demonstration into the conversation. As per usual, the response is generally, "but in Haiti..." to which I always reply that God doesn't care where you come from, only where you are going.
The point was clarified even further when, at devotions, the missionary had the group read from 1 Chorinthians, Chapter 13, and 1 John Chapter 4 about agape love. All of the older kids gave me looks of surprise to see that they were getting the same message directly from the Bible that I had just been teaching them earlier in the evening.
I love when everything aligns in this way! It really reaffirms that I am doing exactly what I was meant to do.
"The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any." Alice Walker
Monday, October 10, 2011
Character Building - the Old School Way
Today I had the distinct pleasure of being surprised that one of the children whom I least expected to listen to me had learned a very important lesson. Little Slandie, pronounced Sah-lahn-dzee, came to me to tattle that some of the children had crushed a butterfly with some rocks.
She led me to the poor, unfortunate moth, who had been rendered incapable of flight, yet still had the ability to flap its wings and hop around. We performed alittle victim relocation service, using a stick to rescue him and place him in a nearby bush, out of reach of prying children. Then i rounded up the children anddid a little group interrogation. What i surmised is that Jonathan, our burliest 8yea old,was the leader of the pack. Iexplained how this made God sad when we harmed any of His creatures, and how this made Miss Michele very sad. We said a prayer of forgiveness, promised to be kind to one another, and went on our way.
Not ten minutes later I hear Djouna wailing like Sophie! Turns out wile the kids where waiting for us in the classroom, Jonathan decided to hit Djouna with a rock! Oy vey! Really? So I decided Jonathan needed to get more intimately acquainted with his weaon of choice of weaponry. We have a 40 ft shipping container coming in a week or so and we need to clear a space to pour a concrete pad to set it on. There are a boat load of rocks scattered in the yard where it will go. So, I set Jonathan upon the task of collecting the fist sized rocks and putting them in a pile.
He moved about 50 of them before begging to go back to class.
Character building - check
Lessons learned - check
Chores done - check
tune in next time for the continued misadventures of Miss Michele
She led me to the poor, unfortunate moth, who had been rendered incapable of flight, yet still had the ability to flap its wings and hop around. We performed alittle victim relocation service, using a stick to rescue him and place him in a nearby bush, out of reach of prying children. Then i rounded up the children anddid a little group interrogation. What i surmised is that Jonathan, our burliest 8yea old,was the leader of the pack. Iexplained how this made God sad when we harmed any of His creatures, and how this made Miss Michele very sad. We said a prayer of forgiveness, promised to be kind to one another, and went on our way.
Not ten minutes later I hear Djouna wailing like Sophie! Turns out wile the kids where waiting for us in the classroom, Jonathan decided to hit Djouna with a rock! Oy vey! Really? So I decided Jonathan needed to get more intimately acquainted with his weaon of choice of weaponry. We have a 40 ft shipping container coming in a week or so and we need to clear a space to pour a concrete pad to set it on. There are a boat load of rocks scattered in the yard where it will go. So, I set Jonathan upon the task of collecting the fist sized rocks and putting them in a pile.
He moved about 50 of them before begging to go back to class.
Character building - check
Lessons learned - check
Chores done - check
tune in next time for the continued misadventures of Miss Michele
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Welcome Home!
So, I arrived back home with little issue. My boy child dropped me at the airport in the wee early hours. I bawled my eyes out. I can't believe what a fine young man he's turning into. None of my worst fears have been realized. A quick coffee and muffin for breakfast started my trip. I ate in a lovely little wine shoppe/bistro in Miami airport. it felt truly decadent to be drinking a cab/sauv at 10:30 in the morning, but what the heck, life is too dang short!
I had to share theairport with Martelly, the current president of Haiti. It's no lie when they teas my Hatin son and call him "ti Martelly". He literally looks loke a 9 year old version
of the man himself.
So, bad news first: not four hours after arriving back at my second home, some little bastard reached thru the half-opened window of our van and snatched my blackberry from my hands. I don't even want to discuss it. I should not have let my guard down. I was way too chill feeling all secure with my comforts here in this third-world country. Lesson learned the hard way usually stays longer.
On a more positive note, finally drove! At first I offered to park the van so the fellow I was with could head in to the store. Otherwise we may have been waiting all day to park. But when he came out he insited i keep going. I didn't do any great lengthy traversing, but i did get o demonstrate my confidence and abilities. It may sound silly, but confidence is a big part o driving down here.
Anyhow, wanted to get this up before I fall unconscious. I'm so tired I can't see straigh!t
I had to share theairport with Martelly, the current president of Haiti. It's no lie when they teas my Hatin son and call him "ti Martelly". He literally looks loke a 9 year old version
of the man himself.
So, bad news first: not four hours after arriving back at my second home, some little bastard reached thru the half-opened window of our van and snatched my blackberry from my hands. I don't even want to discuss it. I should not have let my guard down. I was way too chill feeling all secure with my comforts here in this third-world country. Lesson learned the hard way usually stays longer.
On a more positive note, finally drove! At first I offered to park the van so the fellow I was with could head in to the store. Otherwise we may have been waiting all day to park. But when he came out he insited i keep going. I didn't do any great lengthy traversing, but i did get o demonstrate my confidence and abilities. It may sound silly, but confidence is a big part o driving down here.
Anyhow, wanted to get this up before I fall unconscious. I'm so tired I can't see straigh!t
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Top 5 Reasons I Know I'm Getting Used to Haiti
#5 I don't wince in the shower any more. I am actually enjoying the briskness of the cold showers
#4 It no longer phases me that fine dining establishment don't have running water. I now carry TP and hand sanitizer whenever I go out.
#3 I don't break a sweat just thinking about moving my body. I have to actually do something to get all sweat and gritty.
#2 I am starting to know the shortcuts to get around.
And the number 1 reason I know I am getting used to Haiti
(drum roll please...)
I walked aroumd the entire day with a popcorn husk stuck in my bra and didnt find out till i got in the shower!
#4 It no longer phases me that fine dining establishment don't have running water. I now carry TP and hand sanitizer whenever I go out.
#3 I don't break a sweat just thinking about moving my body. I have to actually do something to get all sweat and gritty.
#2 I am starting to know the shortcuts to get around.
And the number 1 reason I know I am getting used to Haiti
(drum roll please...)
I walked aroumd the entire day with a popcorn husk stuck in my bra and didnt find out till i got in the shower!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
The spirit of Haiti
One of the things I love the most about my new home is the enduring spirit of the people I share my days with. Regardless of the long hours, the meager wages, the burden of caring for 35 cildren and young adults, more often than not without the convenience afforded by electricity, the women that work here show up with smiles on their faces, loving kindness abounding, and diligently perform their work. Well, at least for the most part.
Most of them great me with the customary kiss on the cheek, smile and tell me they love me. And danged if I haven't come to love them in return. It's the little things that count. I firmly believe that. What to you may seem like such a trivial gesture may be more compassion than the recipient has ever been shown before.
For example, one day I asked the cook to change two American dollars for me. $1 US is worth $8 Haitian, but there are no Haitian dollars. The country's currency is in Haitian Gourde, (pronounced good). There's 5 Gourde to a Haitian dollar and about 40 Gourde in a US dollar. She didn't quite have enough to change the whole $2and I told her that was fine with me. The next day she came with 3wonderful Mangoes They had to have cost more than the entire $2! But she insited. So I had her show me the Haitian way to cut a Mango, and then i shared it with everyone, including the entire staff. Then I doled it out to my nest of peeping baby birds to cries of "mwen, mwen"
The woman who does our laundry always has a smile for me. Even on the days when we have no city power and she has to wash, ring, and hang clothes and linen for 20 plus people by hand. One day she came and asked me for more clothesline. I had some picked up the next time we were out. You would have thought I split my Lotto winnings with her for the joy that gave her!
I've thoroughly impressed most of the men that come to the Mission to work on various mechanical or trade related chores. It really surprises them that I have a working knowledge of so many areas that are typically not in the realm of "women's work" For that I owe an eternal debt of gratitute to my papa for instilling in me a sense of wonder at the way things work to the point that iI know my way around a combustible engine, plumbing, and how to throw a hammer at a nail. Today I taught Kervens (my hHitian son) how to hammer naills imto a piece of board and we made a key organizer.
Well, my friends and followers, my Ipod just finished my playlist which means it is time to go to bed.
TTFN
Stay tuned!
Most of them great me with the customary kiss on the cheek, smile and tell me they love me. And danged if I haven't come to love them in return. It's the little things that count. I firmly believe that. What to you may seem like such a trivial gesture may be more compassion than the recipient has ever been shown before.
For example, one day I asked the cook to change two American dollars for me. $1 US is worth $8 Haitian, but there are no Haitian dollars. The country's currency is in Haitian Gourde, (pronounced good). There's 5 Gourde to a Haitian dollar and about 40 Gourde in a US dollar. She didn't quite have enough to change the whole $2and I told her that was fine with me. The next day she came with 3wonderful Mangoes They had to have cost more than the entire $2! But she insited. So I had her show me the Haitian way to cut a Mango, and then i shared it with everyone, including the entire staff. Then I doled it out to my nest of peeping baby birds to cries of "mwen, mwen"
The woman who does our laundry always has a smile for me. Even on the days when we have no city power and she has to wash, ring, and hang clothes and linen for 20 plus people by hand. One day she came and asked me for more clothesline. I had some picked up the next time we were out. You would have thought I split my Lotto winnings with her for the joy that gave her!
I've thoroughly impressed most of the men that come to the Mission to work on various mechanical or trade related chores. It really surprises them that I have a working knowledge of so many areas that are typically not in the realm of "women's work" For that I owe an eternal debt of gratitute to my papa for instilling in me a sense of wonder at the way things work to the point that iI know my way around a combustible engine, plumbing, and how to throw a hammer at a nail. Today I taught Kervens (my hHitian son) how to hammer naills imto a piece of board and we made a key organizer.
Well, my friends and followers, my Ipod just finished my playlist which means it is time to go to bed.
TTFN
Stay tuned!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Long Overdue
So, turn out Murphy had it right. So many things went sideways after I got here and this is my frst opportunity to post. I'm posting from my Kindle so I'll keep this short. hopefully we will have power tomorrow and I'll have a chance to update. I've got several posts typed up and just need to get them uploaded.
I'e lost 20 pounds so far, but not my spirit. My first trip home is in 13 days and I finally got a chance to call home! I can't wait to see every one.
A special thanks goes out to Vince amd Marci at Majik Graphics and all the business owners and emplyees of the Macomb County Chamber's Think & Link networking group for the geneous donation of over $400 in school uniform shirts with custom lettering for the Have Faith Haiti school. The children will look so nice!
All for now. Stay tuned for more!
I'e lost 20 pounds so far, but not my spirit. My first trip home is in 13 days and I finally got a chance to call home! I can't wait to see every one.
A special thanks goes out to Vince amd Marci at Majik Graphics and all the business owners and emplyees of the Macomb County Chamber's Think & Link networking group for the geneous donation of over $400 in school uniform shirts with custom lettering for the Have Faith Haiti school. The children will look so nice!
All for now. Stay tuned for more!
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Photos from week 1
picaso photo album to go with previous post
Click on the link above to view album.
eventually I will learn how to use this!
Click on the link above to view album.
eventually I will learn how to use this!
Checking In
Well, It's been an exciting first 10 days. I could not possibly talk about everything I have experienced but here are some of the highlights:
If you think you cannot possibly take the oppressive 96* heat with 80% humidity for even one more minute, just wait. The children do the chicken dance and all is well in the world.
I taught the kids to do the hokey pokey. Without saying anything about it, they all giggle wildly when we "put your bottom in and shake it all about".
Maybe the rest of you make hay while the sun shines, but in Haiti you tend to move a little slower when the sun shines. However, when it rains you better bet your bottom dollar this girl runs out and dances in the sweet wetness as it washes the dust from my face and arms and feet!
It's funny, the Haitians are very superstitious about the rain. I was letting some of the children put their hands in the rain and one of the ladies told me that they had always heard it was bad to go in the rain, that it will make you ill. I told her that when I was a child I remember that dancing in summer rain was one of my favorite things to do.
We celebrated birthdays for two of the children: Samanza turned 9; and Lowinsky turned 22.We ordered a cake from Epi D'oh. The young lady in the cake place seemed confused when I asked what flavor the cake was. The first cake was mocha raisin. I said no way because I remembered the children don't like raisins in their oatmeal. When I mentioned this to one of the older girls she laughed and said they would like raisins in cake, it's just they don't like it in the oatmeal. Funny kids! The second choice was weygan with marshmallow. Mr. Alain, the director, was with us and helping with interpretation. He wasn't familiar with this flavor so it was a gamble. Turns out it was coconut in a type of yellow cake. It was VERY heavy, but very yummy!
At dinner time I presented Samanza with the birthday crown generously donated by Melanie Spranger of Let 'Em Be Little in Madison Heights www.letembelittle.com . She makes custom decorated crowns. She can be contacted at letembelittle@gmail.com If I discover her website I will add it here. I met her during a craft fair in Mt. Clemens, MI and when I mentioned that I was going to Haiti for the year and what I planned to do with the birthday crown tradition started by my BFF, she offered to provide a birthday crown gratis.
The children love story time and DVD movies and singing. They cannot get enough. Some of the stories keep them in rapt attention and some fall on dead ears. It just depends. They have such limited exposure that some things don't make sense to them. But don't despair too much. You would be amazed at the things they pick up! One of the boys loves to break out in these gangsta rapper hip-hop poses. It's enough to crack you right up! But the stories are their favorite. The older girls, and some of the boys, help me interpret them so the little ones can understand. Some of them are very good at acting out the stories.
The other day, I read Tap-Tap to the children. It is a story about a Haitian girl and her mother taking fresh oranges to the market. The girl is excited because she is finally old enough to go with her mother but she is disappointed because she wanted to ride in a tap-tap, which is a type of mini-bus used as a share-cab in Haiti: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_tap . This book was purchased by my dear friend, Pat Hill, owner of Bodhi Seed Yoga and Wellness http://www.bodhiseedyoga.com/ The children really enjoyed this story. The older girls liked it so much they borrowed the book to read again and have been passing it around ever since.
So, I hear former prezo Cigar Smoker is in town. I think that must be why we have electricity. That is fine with me. I hope he stays until November!
That is all for now...stay tuned for more!
If you think you cannot possibly take the oppressive 96* heat with 80% humidity for even one more minute, just wait. The children do the chicken dance and all is well in the world.
I taught the kids to do the hokey pokey. Without saying anything about it, they all giggle wildly when we "put your bottom in and shake it all about".
Maybe the rest of you make hay while the sun shines, but in Haiti you tend to move a little slower when the sun shines. However, when it rains you better bet your bottom dollar this girl runs out and dances in the sweet wetness as it washes the dust from my face and arms and feet!
It's funny, the Haitians are very superstitious about the rain. I was letting some of the children put their hands in the rain and one of the ladies told me that they had always heard it was bad to go in the rain, that it will make you ill. I told her that when I was a child I remember that dancing in summer rain was one of my favorite things to do.
We celebrated birthdays for two of the children: Samanza turned 9; and Lowinsky turned 22.We ordered a cake from Epi D'oh. The young lady in the cake place seemed confused when I asked what flavor the cake was. The first cake was mocha raisin. I said no way because I remembered the children don't like raisins in their oatmeal. When I mentioned this to one of the older girls she laughed and said they would like raisins in cake, it's just they don't like it in the oatmeal. Funny kids! The second choice was weygan with marshmallow. Mr. Alain, the director, was with us and helping with interpretation. He wasn't familiar with this flavor so it was a gamble. Turns out it was coconut in a type of yellow cake. It was VERY heavy, but very yummy!
At dinner time I presented Samanza with the birthday crown generously donated by Melanie Spranger of Let 'Em Be Little in Madison Heights www.letembelittle.com . She makes custom decorated crowns. She can be contacted at letembelittle@gmail.com If I discover her website I will add it here. I met her during a craft fair in Mt. Clemens, MI and when I mentioned that I was going to Haiti for the year and what I planned to do with the birthday crown tradition started by my BFF, she offered to provide a birthday crown gratis.
The children love story time and DVD movies and singing. They cannot get enough. Some of the stories keep them in rapt attention and some fall on dead ears. It just depends. They have such limited exposure that some things don't make sense to them. But don't despair too much. You would be amazed at the things they pick up! One of the boys loves to break out in these gangsta rapper hip-hop poses. It's enough to crack you right up! But the stories are their favorite. The older girls, and some of the boys, help me interpret them so the little ones can understand. Some of them are very good at acting out the stories.
The other day, I read Tap-Tap to the children. It is a story about a Haitian girl and her mother taking fresh oranges to the market. The girl is excited because she is finally old enough to go with her mother but she is disappointed because she wanted to ride in a tap-tap, which is a type of mini-bus used as a share-cab in Haiti: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tap_tap . This book was purchased by my dear friend, Pat Hill, owner of Bodhi Seed Yoga and Wellness http://www.bodhiseedyoga.com/ The children really enjoyed this story. The older girls liked it so much they borrowed the book to read again and have been passing it around ever since.
So, I hear former prezo Cigar Smoker is in town. I think that must be why we have electricity. That is fine with me. I hope he stays until November!
That is all for now...stay tuned for more!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Mwen yo te rive ( I have arrived)
Oy! What was it that guy Murphy was wont to say from time to time? Something about things going wrong, blah, blah, blah...I think Murphy may have spent time in Haiti!
So, here's what I've learned so far: You can never drink too much water; you can never wear too much bug spray, and wicking fabrics are a chubby girls best friend.
Take care and keep checking back. My access to the computer is limited so I'll catch you later!
Day four and I'm still gettnig my bearings. The kids are enjoying the many gifts that were provided by so many of you that I will need to run a seperate post for the thank yous...suffice it to say, the toe shaped flip flops were a huge success, so if any of you Chamber ladies are reading this, we need several more pairs of the size M and L and XL of the toe shaped ones, and several more pairs of the adult sizes of each size. I was suprized to realize how large the older girls feet were. It didn't seem so when I was here last, but then again I'm not sure I was really pauying particular attention to that.
So, here's what I've learned so far: You can never drink too much water; you can never wear too much bug spray, and wicking fabrics are a chubby girls best friend.
Take care and keep checking back. My access to the computer is limited so I'll catch you later!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
New Move Date
So I finally have a confirmed move date, for now. Sigh. This assignment will surely be a life changing opportunity in more ways than I can count. Any body that knows me knows that I thrive on being on top of things. I am a do-er, not a watcher. If you give me a job to do, you generally don't need to come back to see if I am a) doing the job or 2) doing it correctly because I generally 1) do it ASAP and b) get it done better and more efficiently than you expected.
Maybe this is a side-effect of all of my military training, or perhaps related to my OCD and Type A personality combined, who knows. The point is, all of this "not being in charge" "not being in control" "waiting for the stars to align" will be a growth opportunity for me to learn to be more patient and accomodating of the way the rest of the world operates!
Anyhoo, my move date is August 8th. Between now and then I will be spending as much time doing the things I enjoy with the people I enjoy spending time with. Hopefully I will make it to the 8th with all of my hair still attached!
Stay tuned for a message from our sponsors:
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Saturday, July 23, 2011
Learning to be patient
Still waiting to hear about my departure date. Things have been a little slow going with the final plans. The best I can say is that this is good preparation for when I finally get there. It will help me to learn to deal with the incredibly slow pace.
Meantime, I've been doing a LOT of meditation, so it can't be all bad. Although, it is starting to effect my level of excitement.
Pray for me! :)
Meantime, I've been doing a LOT of meditation, so it can't be all bad. Although, it is starting to effect my level of excitement.
Pray for me! :)
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Day Two continued
The long awaited final leg of the trip. My apologies for the delay, but you know how it can get when you have a million and one things to do. Sometimes you just sit and look at the list and say to yourself, where do I even start? Well, here, I guess:
So when I left off I was begging off the end of the church "sermon" Oy Vey! I'm sure I'll have plenty to say about that subject as the year unfolds. If you know me at all you know I don't like to put God in a box, or to tell others what I think God is thinking. It is such a personal relationship each one of us has with the Creator. Sigh.
So as I drift back to the staff area in search of some cold water I also go check on the young lady in charge of the cooking for the day.
Now we are preparing to go on a tour of the city. Alain, our daytime director, will take us for a drive through the city and surrounding area. Dona will come along for the ride. Chad and I hop in the van and off we go. As we meander through the Delmas settlement it just amazes me how little these people have. Some live in tarp tents, some in boxes, some in steel or wooden huts. Entire families share spaces smaller than my bathroom. Many of them are merchants of a sort. There are so many stores and carts and stalls. They carry loads upon their heads, on the backs of motor bikes, in wheel barrels. The fences are strewn with items hanging from the links. Every THING is for sale in Haiti.
As we make our way into the city, the worst of the earthquake's damage is becoming more clear. Great structures lay in piles of rubble. The presidential palace still lays to waste. Their symbol of their nation, laying there, literally untouched in the 18 months since the quake. The cathedral is now home to many of the cities homeless. I saw a report that said 750,000 remain without homes since the quake.
After viewing the devastation in the city we turn and head up into the mountains. I guess living near the Grosse Pointe/Detroit border has taught me that it isn't all that odd to see wealth juxtaposed along side poverty, but I was utterly unprepared to see the extremes of this. As we wandered the winding roads up, up, up, we passed through some of the most affluent areas of Port Au Prince. Beautiful mansions sitting among the beauty of the mountains within yards of cardboard or tarp towns. Citizens driving Mercedes SUVs passing babies with no clothes, no shoes, no food, no medical care.
It is incredible to me that these people are living in what should be a tropical paradise, yet through circumstances are living in a waking hell.
When we realized how much time had passed since we left the mission, we decided it was time to head back. Down the mountain we went. As we headed back into the heavily populated areas we could smell that the brakes were nearly fried. Fortunately when they finally gave out, we were on a nearly level street going quite slowly and Alain was able to glide us sideways into a concrete wall. It did considerable damage to the front right fender of the van and we had to borrow water from a local citizen to cool off the brakes and a pipe and two by four to bump out the quarter panel in order to continue driving. Alain was pretty nervous so Chad offered to drive. Having grown up in Lebanon, driving the streets of Port Au Prince was a cinch for him. I will need to remember my combat driving lessons before I attempt to do the same.
We finally returned to the mission in time to supervise the final preparations of the dinner meal. The chicken and rice where well received and nobody got sick this day. After showers the children do devotions. They were quite thankful for not getting sick. This was a big improvement for them. We got them tucked in and I headed over to my room. All I wanted was a shower and to get to bed.
All for now. Stay tuned, there's more to come...
So when I left off I was begging off the end of the church "sermon" Oy Vey! I'm sure I'll have plenty to say about that subject as the year unfolds. If you know me at all you know I don't like to put God in a box, or to tell others what I think God is thinking. It is such a personal relationship each one of us has with the Creator. Sigh.
So as I drift back to the staff area in search of some cold water I also go check on the young lady in charge of the cooking for the day.
Now we are preparing to go on a tour of the city. Alain, our daytime director, will take us for a drive through the city and surrounding area. Dona will come along for the ride. Chad and I hop in the van and off we go. As we meander through the Delmas settlement it just amazes me how little these people have. Some live in tarp tents, some in boxes, some in steel or wooden huts. Entire families share spaces smaller than my bathroom. Many of them are merchants of a sort. There are so many stores and carts and stalls. They carry loads upon their heads, on the backs of motor bikes, in wheel barrels. The fences are strewn with items hanging from the links. Every THING is for sale in Haiti.
As we make our way into the city, the worst of the earthquake's damage is becoming more clear. Great structures lay in piles of rubble. The presidential palace still lays to waste. Their symbol of their nation, laying there, literally untouched in the 18 months since the quake. The cathedral is now home to many of the cities homeless. I saw a report that said 750,000 remain without homes since the quake.
After viewing the devastation in the city we turn and head up into the mountains. I guess living near the Grosse Pointe/Detroit border has taught me that it isn't all that odd to see wealth juxtaposed along side poverty, but I was utterly unprepared to see the extremes of this. As we wandered the winding roads up, up, up, we passed through some of the most affluent areas of Port Au Prince. Beautiful mansions sitting among the beauty of the mountains within yards of cardboard or tarp towns. Citizens driving Mercedes SUVs passing babies with no clothes, no shoes, no food, no medical care.
It is incredible to me that these people are living in what should be a tropical paradise, yet through circumstances are living in a waking hell.
When we realized how much time had passed since we left the mission, we decided it was time to head back. Down the mountain we went. As we headed back into the heavily populated areas we could smell that the brakes were nearly fried. Fortunately when they finally gave out, we were on a nearly level street going quite slowly and Alain was able to glide us sideways into a concrete wall. It did considerable damage to the front right fender of the van and we had to borrow water from a local citizen to cool off the brakes and a pipe and two by four to bump out the quarter panel in order to continue driving. Alain was pretty nervous so Chad offered to drive. Having grown up in Lebanon, driving the streets of Port Au Prince was a cinch for him. I will need to remember my combat driving lessons before I attempt to do the same.
We finally returned to the mission in time to supervise the final preparations of the dinner meal. The chicken and rice where well received and nobody got sick this day. After showers the children do devotions. They were quite thankful for not getting sick. This was a big improvement for them. We got them tucked in and I headed over to my room. All I wanted was a shower and to get to bed.
All for now. Stay tuned, there's more to come...
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
For Future Use
<a href="http://www.expat-blog.com/en/destination/central-america/haiti/" title="living in Haiti"><img src="http://www.expat-blog.com/logo/logoExpatBlogOrange.gif" border="0" alt="living in Haiti" /></a>
pardon the odd HTML - this is for my web builder's use at a later date, just didn't know a better way to save the code.
pardon the odd HTML - this is for my web builder's use at a later date, just didn't know a better way to save the code.
Catching Up
Well it looks like I owe you a post or two or three! I got a Kindle a week ago and have been raptly catching up on my leisure reading. I was "loaned" a few books from friends and since the "loans" are only good for 14 days I felt like I needed to really charge thru. So far I have read books one and two of the Hunger Games and am 38% of the way thru book three. Also I read Water For Elephants (and then felt the need to watch the movie!) I am always a little disappointed in how much a story is changed when transferredd to celluloid. It seems like some of the most important elements are removed to make room for the titillating stuff that draws audiences. I think this is what I like most about Indie flicks. They don't pander to the lowest common denominator.
Anyhoo, I am headed out in the morning for a 3 day trip. Number one son and I are going white water rafting. This means I will probably not be catching up on my posts until this weekend. I apologize and promise to get cracking upon my return!
stay tuned for the final leg of my first trip down there...
Anyhoo, I am headed out in the morning for a 3 day trip. Number one son and I are going white water rafting. This means I will probably not be catching up on my posts until this weekend. I apologize and promise to get cracking upon my return!
stay tuned for the final leg of my first trip down there...
Monday, June 27, 2011
A Tour of the Mission
Here is a satellite picture of the mission I found on Google Maps. It is mid-way through the work the Muscle Crew has been doing so I've drawn a few outlines to help:
1. School bldg - still needs to be finished up - 3 classrooms to separate out the different levels of younger students
2. Toilets - boys and girls
3. enclosed Kitchen with running water and a fridge and deep freezer
4. Dorms and Dining Hall
5. Showers
6. Staff quarters, Soon-to-be-finished guest quarters, and storage
7. Front Gate
8. covered courtyard with benches - families sit for hours in here waiting to talk to Mitch
9. Old schoolroom/church
10. Terrace over offices and equipment storage
11. Well house and family room
 |
| Off of Delmas 33 |
1. School bldg - still needs to be finished up - 3 classrooms to separate out the different levels of younger students
2. Toilets - boys and girls
3. enclosed Kitchen with running water and a fridge and deep freezer
4. Dorms and Dining Hall
5. Showers
6. Staff quarters, Soon-to-be-finished guest quarters, and storage
7. Front Gate
8. covered courtyard with benches - families sit for hours in here waiting to talk to Mitch
9. Old schoolroom/church
10. Terrace over offices and equipment storage
11. Well house and family room
The First Trip Down - Day 2
Morning comes early!!
Because we are at a latitude of 18* the sun is up and at it by 5am. This really confused me because I set my alarm for 5:30 but when it went off I remember that my phone is still on DST so it is only 4:30 Haiti time and it is still pitch dark. I also notice that the A/C, which had only knocked the temp down to 85 by the time I fell asleep has now gotten it down to almost 75! It felt so good that I reset my alarm and laid back down.
What I will tell you about the equatorial sunrise is that it is not gradual. It went from pitch to "oh my frick, it's HOT!" in seconds flat. Withing minutes the A/C said "FAGGEDDABOUTIT" and the temp started to rise again. Now I understand why the staff is up at 5 am. No sense laying around in "au jous".
So, this is Sunday. Church day. Everyone is buzzing with anticipation. One Sunday a month the families are allowed to come visit so there are a few sets of parents waiting in the courtyard for church to begin so they can sit with their darlings and enjoy the word.
After showers, the children dress in their Sunday finery. There are 2 buckets of "dress shoes" through which the kids pick to put together a pair of "nice" shoes to wear with their fancy clothes. The pairs of pink sparkly Sketchers go fast, a prized find. The baby is dressed in a cute little pink dress with plenty of frills. She squeals and spins in her organza.
By the time everyone is dressed and assembled in the dining hall the oatmeal went from blah to bleck. It wasn't that far a trip to begin with. Several of the children look a little under the weather. One of them falls asleep at the table. After eating (overly large portions for such tiny tummies) the kids go out for a little playtime before church. Then they assemble in the old school room and the service begins. I attempted to stick it out, but after what seemed an eternity, (and most of the little ones are now laying in comas across the front few rows) some hellfire and brimstone Creole pastor comes out to "say" prayers. When I say "say" I mean scream. This is the norm. Haitian preachers are very passionate. They make the Rev. Jeremiah Wright seem all demure and Lutheran-like. I am stunned that this is the service set up for children, mostly under the age of 10! I bow out to get some water. I don't need to get angrier about their circumstances than I already am.
All for now...stay tuned for more adventures
Because we are at a latitude of 18* the sun is up and at it by 5am. This really confused me because I set my alarm for 5:30 but when it went off I remember that my phone is still on DST so it is only 4:30 Haiti time and it is still pitch dark. I also notice that the A/C, which had only knocked the temp down to 85 by the time I fell asleep has now gotten it down to almost 75! It felt so good that I reset my alarm and laid back down.
What I will tell you about the equatorial sunrise is that it is not gradual. It went from pitch to "oh my frick, it's HOT!" in seconds flat. Withing minutes the A/C said "FAGGEDDABOUTIT" and the temp started to rise again. Now I understand why the staff is up at 5 am. No sense laying around in "au jous".
So, this is Sunday. Church day. Everyone is buzzing with anticipation. One Sunday a month the families are allowed to come visit so there are a few sets of parents waiting in the courtyard for church to begin so they can sit with their darlings and enjoy the word.
After showers, the children dress in their Sunday finery. There are 2 buckets of "dress shoes" through which the kids pick to put together a pair of "nice" shoes to wear with their fancy clothes. The pairs of pink sparkly Sketchers go fast, a prized find. The baby is dressed in a cute little pink dress with plenty of frills. She squeals and spins in her organza.
By the time everyone is dressed and assembled in the dining hall the oatmeal went from blah to bleck. It wasn't that far a trip to begin with. Several of the children look a little under the weather. One of them falls asleep at the table. After eating (overly large portions for such tiny tummies) the kids go out for a little playtime before church. Then they assemble in the old school room and the service begins. I attempted to stick it out, but after what seemed an eternity, (and most of the little ones are now laying in comas across the front few rows) some hellfire and brimstone Creole pastor comes out to "say" prayers. When I say "say" I mean scream. This is the norm. Haitian preachers are very passionate. They make the Rev. Jeremiah Wright seem all demure and Lutheran-like. I am stunned that this is the service set up for children, mostly under the age of 10! I bow out to get some water. I don't need to get angrier about their circumstances than I already am.
All for now...stay tuned for more adventures
Saturday, June 25, 2011
The First Trip Down - Day 1
I was summoned to WJR on June 8th for a meeting with Mendle and Herbert Studstill, two of the gentlemen that run the foundation, so that Mitch could introduce me and they could vet me. The meeting went well. I'm not entirely sure I won over Mr. Studstill, but I think I at least reassured him that I wasn't some delusional housewife who got a bug up her but to fly off into a third world to do some mission work.
After that, the flight confirmation came and all that was left to do was pack.
Needless to say, but I didn't sleep a wink the night before I flew out. The flight departed at 7:15 from Metro so I arrived at the terminal at 5am. Good thing, too. The line for security went almost out the door! I got to the gate and waited. Mitch arrived with Chad Audi, the COO of Say Detroit, at nearly the last minute. When my section finally got to board I stopped by their seats to say good morning. Luckily I got a window seat. Off we go!
I was lucky enough to sit in a row with a woman headed to the Bahamas and a young girl also going to the Bahamas. We had much to talk about. The woman next to me was gracious enough to give me her purse size tube of sunscreen as I relate to her how security took mine away, as they consider spray cans as liquids! Have you seen my pasty white veneer? This was not the best moment of my life! TSA confiscated 2 bottles of sunscreen and one of bug spray. They let me keep one bottle of bug spray since it was a combo sunscreen/bug spray. A 3 day trip to one of the hottest tropical islands in the Caribbean with only 4 oz of bug spray/sunscreen! ugh!
We landed in Miami and had a 2 hour layover. Mitch advised Chad and I to purchase sandwiches in the airport as we were warned that we shouldn't eat the food prepared at the mission. Yeah! Great! I only carried a limited amount of cash with me as I didn't know what to expect as far as safety goes and Miami airport capitalizes on travelers last chance for fresh food before departing the country. Those sandwiches were $10 apiece! I only had enough money to get two and leave enough cash for the trip home! Good thing, like my Girl Scout training told me to do, I had packed a bunch of dry goods in the bottom of my suitcase! Note to self, next time bring more gummi bears!
We finally arrived in Haiti. The view from the flight was spectacular! Such beauty amongst such tragedy! We could really see the damage the earthquake did to the island as we approached the airport. After deplaning we were whisked thru security to buses and taken to customs and immigration. They don't seem overly concerned with the riff-raff they allow to enter their ports!
We were met by Alain, the day-time director. He ushered us thru the sea of Garcons as we headed out in the stifling heat. Only 2pm and it was unbelievable how bright the sun is that close to the equator! Haiti lies between the 18th and 20th parallel (think Myanmar, Thailand, Luzon in the Philippines) as well as the 71st and 75th meridians (think, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts, approx equal to the Boston Harbor and Straights of Magellan.)We found a shady spot to stand in while Alain went to get the van. All along the fence as we walked to the parking area we were treated to the calls of hungry children and teens. It's heartbreaking!
The ride to the mission was a real lesson in poverty. The streets of Port Au Prince are all still in great disrepair. Huge, gaping holes remain unfilled as drivers perilously swerve to avoid them. Meanwhile giant piles of ruble sit just feet away. I wondered out loud why the citizens don't just push some of the ruble into the holes, if not to repair the roads, to at least make them less severely treacherous? The answer is the same reason the people are still in such desperate situations, it would never occur to them to do that.
The mission is not far from the airport. I was so anxious to meet the kids! Before the van was even stopped the little ones were surrounding us. They rushed to Mitch, hugging and tugging. I was overcome by gladness at what I was seeing! And then they turned there attention to me. As they pulled and tugged and hugged and introduces themselves I tried desperately to glean discerning characteristics. I wanted to make a good impression and try to remember their names the best I could. We were finally able to make it thru the flurry of love and welcome and set our bags down. Chad and I were given a quick tour as families had been waiting for days to get a meeting with Mitch. Once we had seen the main areas we were left to our own devices to check out the rest of it. I let the children show me their favorite places.
As the afternoon went on, I was asked to sit in on a few of the family interviews to get a feel for the circumstances that led many of these children to become residents. What started out as 18 kids under age 10 soon swelled to 24 before we left on Monday.
Mitch asked me to help the young lady responsible for dinner. That was an adventure in and of itself. Her name is Natalie and she is 18. She is responsible for cooking on Saturdays. This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. No small chore when there are 50 mouths to feed. Soon Natalie had me mincing garlic and green onions in a wooden mortar and pestle. She laughed because I was not grinding hard enough. I laughed because if she knew how limited my kitchen skills were it wouldn't astonish her at all to know I barely can operate a food processor/electric chopper, much less to do it by hand!
Once we had the seasonings prepared for spaghetti, she had me help bring water in from the cistern. This involves hanging precariously over the mouth of the well and dipping a bucket in, then slopping it back up the sloping yard over uneven concrete that not only showed signs of upheaval from the earthquake, but probably hadn't been properly poured to begin with. Good thing I was wearing tennis shoes and not flip-flops like the rest of the kids! I surely would have killed myself!
Then the big surprise came out. Natalie handed me a knife that can only be described as a close cousin to a machete. She then handed me the tiniest vegetables and asked me to chop them. Hardy har har! Boy did she look at me like I was the most domestically challenged person in the world! I did my best. I kept all my fingers intact! Meanwhile we had some great conversations about growing up in the mission, chores, missing families. I told her my story and how I lost my mother at a young age. This went quite a ways toward forgiving me for my lack of kitchen skills.
Then Natalie did something that will for the rest of our relationship cause me to pause before ever making an enemy of her. She pulled out three cans of tomato sauce and used the very large kitchen knife to crack open the cans and peel back the tops. I now understand why the knife edge is dull but also have great respect for how these kids adapt and overcome their limited resources.
On my list of belongings to move with me: kitchen knives!
So the spaghetti sauce is made from a minced beef, chopped carrots, rice, tomato sauce, sauteed garlic and onions, and mixed veggies. Natalie also added some local herbs that I didn't catch the description of because I am very limited in my Creole.
Samples were doled out and the consensus is that I made a very good sauce. I gained the respect of the older girls while being able to see first hand the food prep process. There are many changes that will need to be made. But this first foray was more about bonding with the girls.
That night I got to be a part of the shower process. Imagine stripping down 24 little ones and running them through the showers and getting them into pajamas. Not an easy task. Once they were all in pjs we assembled in the common area of the dormitory for devotional time. They sang hymns, bible songs, and read from the Good Book. Then they were introduced to Chad and I and each of them said prayers of thanksgiving for their visitors as well as their benefactors in Detroit. We got the little ones tucked in and then headed over to the staff quarters for a little bit to eat and to discuss the first experiences.
Once we had sleeping arrangements settled, I headed off to my room and had a shower (which I shared momentarily with a 4 inch cockroach) and then off to my air mattress in the kitchen, because in their infinite wisdom, those that came before me put the A/C in the kitchen instead of in the bedroom! So needless to say, I slept with the light on. I figured if things were going to crawl on me, it would be better to be able to see where they were going. No mystery guests for me, thank you very much! This also meant that every little hair that blew or every time my pajama bottoms got blown from the fan I would sit bolt upright with visions of bugs and lizards all over me!
The A/C managed to get the temp down to 85 by the time I became mildly unconscious. It got almost down to 79 by 4:30 am and then the sun came out at 5 and the temp slowly went back up. Time to get up anyways. The staff are up by 5, the kids shortly after that.
Stay tuned for Day 2
After that, the flight confirmation came and all that was left to do was pack.
Needless to say, but I didn't sleep a wink the night before I flew out. The flight departed at 7:15 from Metro so I arrived at the terminal at 5am. Good thing, too. The line for security went almost out the door! I got to the gate and waited. Mitch arrived with Chad Audi, the COO of Say Detroit, at nearly the last minute. When my section finally got to board I stopped by their seats to say good morning. Luckily I got a window seat. Off we go!
I was lucky enough to sit in a row with a woman headed to the Bahamas and a young girl also going to the Bahamas. We had much to talk about. The woman next to me was gracious enough to give me her purse size tube of sunscreen as I relate to her how security took mine away, as they consider spray cans as liquids! Have you seen my pasty white veneer? This was not the best moment of my life! TSA confiscated 2 bottles of sunscreen and one of bug spray. They let me keep one bottle of bug spray since it was a combo sunscreen/bug spray. A 3 day trip to one of the hottest tropical islands in the Caribbean with only 4 oz of bug spray/sunscreen! ugh!
We landed in Miami and had a 2 hour layover. Mitch advised Chad and I to purchase sandwiches in the airport as we were warned that we shouldn't eat the food prepared at the mission. Yeah! Great! I only carried a limited amount of cash with me as I didn't know what to expect as far as safety goes and Miami airport capitalizes on travelers last chance for fresh food before departing the country. Those sandwiches were $10 apiece! I only had enough money to get two and leave enough cash for the trip home! Good thing, like my Girl Scout training told me to do, I had packed a bunch of dry goods in the bottom of my suitcase! Note to self, next time bring more gummi bears!
We finally arrived in Haiti. The view from the flight was spectacular! Such beauty amongst such tragedy! We could really see the damage the earthquake did to the island as we approached the airport. After deplaning we were whisked thru security to buses and taken to customs and immigration. They don't seem overly concerned with the riff-raff they allow to enter their ports!
We were met by Alain, the day-time director. He ushered us thru the sea of Garcons as we headed out in the stifling heat. Only 2pm and it was unbelievable how bright the sun is that close to the equator! Haiti lies between the 18th and 20th parallel (think Myanmar, Thailand, Luzon in the Philippines) as well as the 71st and 75th meridians (think, New Hampshire, Maine, and Massachusetts, approx equal to the Boston Harbor and Straights of Magellan.)We found a shady spot to stand in while Alain went to get the van. All along the fence as we walked to the parking area we were treated to the calls of hungry children and teens. It's heartbreaking!
The ride to the mission was a real lesson in poverty. The streets of Port Au Prince are all still in great disrepair. Huge, gaping holes remain unfilled as drivers perilously swerve to avoid them. Meanwhile giant piles of ruble sit just feet away. I wondered out loud why the citizens don't just push some of the ruble into the holes, if not to repair the roads, to at least make them less severely treacherous? The answer is the same reason the people are still in such desperate situations, it would never occur to them to do that.
The mission is not far from the airport. I was so anxious to meet the kids! Before the van was even stopped the little ones were surrounding us. They rushed to Mitch, hugging and tugging. I was overcome by gladness at what I was seeing! And then they turned there attention to me. As they pulled and tugged and hugged and introduces themselves I tried desperately to glean discerning characteristics. I wanted to make a good impression and try to remember their names the best I could. We were finally able to make it thru the flurry of love and welcome and set our bags down. Chad and I were given a quick tour as families had been waiting for days to get a meeting with Mitch. Once we had seen the main areas we were left to our own devices to check out the rest of it. I let the children show me their favorite places.
As the afternoon went on, I was asked to sit in on a few of the family interviews to get a feel for the circumstances that led many of these children to become residents. What started out as 18 kids under age 10 soon swelled to 24 before we left on Monday.
Mitch asked me to help the young lady responsible for dinner. That was an adventure in and of itself. Her name is Natalie and she is 18. She is responsible for cooking on Saturdays. This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. No small chore when there are 50 mouths to feed. Soon Natalie had me mincing garlic and green onions in a wooden mortar and pestle. She laughed because I was not grinding hard enough. I laughed because if she knew how limited my kitchen skills were it wouldn't astonish her at all to know I barely can operate a food processor/electric chopper, much less to do it by hand!
Once we had the seasonings prepared for spaghetti, she had me help bring water in from the cistern. This involves hanging precariously over the mouth of the well and dipping a bucket in, then slopping it back up the sloping yard over uneven concrete that not only showed signs of upheaval from the earthquake, but probably hadn't been properly poured to begin with. Good thing I was wearing tennis shoes and not flip-flops like the rest of the kids! I surely would have killed myself!
Then the big surprise came out. Natalie handed me a knife that can only be described as a close cousin to a machete. She then handed me the tiniest vegetables and asked me to chop them. Hardy har har! Boy did she look at me like I was the most domestically challenged person in the world! I did my best. I kept all my fingers intact! Meanwhile we had some great conversations about growing up in the mission, chores, missing families. I told her my story and how I lost my mother at a young age. This went quite a ways toward forgiving me for my lack of kitchen skills.
Then Natalie did something that will for the rest of our relationship cause me to pause before ever making an enemy of her. She pulled out three cans of tomato sauce and used the very large kitchen knife to crack open the cans and peel back the tops. I now understand why the knife edge is dull but also have great respect for how these kids adapt and overcome their limited resources.
On my list of belongings to move with me: kitchen knives!
So the spaghetti sauce is made from a minced beef, chopped carrots, rice, tomato sauce, sauteed garlic and onions, and mixed veggies. Natalie also added some local herbs that I didn't catch the description of because I am very limited in my Creole.
Samples were doled out and the consensus is that I made a very good sauce. I gained the respect of the older girls while being able to see first hand the food prep process. There are many changes that will need to be made. But this first foray was more about bonding with the girls.
That night I got to be a part of the shower process. Imagine stripping down 24 little ones and running them through the showers and getting them into pajamas. Not an easy task. Once they were all in pjs we assembled in the common area of the dormitory for devotional time. They sang hymns, bible songs, and read from the Good Book. Then they were introduced to Chad and I and each of them said prayers of thanksgiving for their visitors as well as their benefactors in Detroit. We got the little ones tucked in and then headed over to the staff quarters for a little bit to eat and to discuss the first experiences.
Once we had sleeping arrangements settled, I headed off to my room and had a shower (which I shared momentarily with a 4 inch cockroach) and then off to my air mattress in the kitchen, because in their infinite wisdom, those that came before me put the A/C in the kitchen instead of in the bedroom! So needless to say, I slept with the light on. I figured if things were going to crawl on me, it would be better to be able to see where they were going. No mystery guests for me, thank you very much! This also meant that every little hair that blew or every time my pajama bottoms got blown from the fan I would sit bolt upright with visions of bugs and lizards all over me!
The A/C managed to get the temp down to 85 by the time I became mildly unconscious. It got almost down to 79 by 4:30 am and then the sun came out at 5 and the temp slowly went back up. Time to get up anyways. The staff are up by 5, the kids shortly after that.
Stay tuned for Day 2
Friday, June 24, 2011
May 31, 2011
So now I've had my interview with Mitch. He's invited me to fly down with him on June 11 through the 13 to check out the mission and see what the operation looks like. That's great, except I don't have a passport! The heat is on!
I left the restaurant that afternoon and my heart was racing! I couldn't believe that everything I've ever wanted is withing reach! I drove straight to the Bodhi Seed Yoga Studio http://www.bodhiseedyoga.com/ because I knew I needed to ground myself. Otherwise I was afraid I might just float away!
I ran into the owner, Pat Hill, and as I stood there panting, she and I did the happy dance as I related the story to her. Fortunately she has a student that also has a travel agency and was able to refer me to the passport expediters in Troy: http://www.intlexpressservices.com/
For the right price you too can get your passport in less than a week. I had to make a trip out to Lansing to get a valid copy of my birth certificate just in case the copy I had was no good.
So on June 8th I picked up my passport and was ready for my adventure to begin.
Time to hit the sack, yoga in the morning.
Stay tuned for the continuing adventures...
I left the restaurant that afternoon and my heart was racing! I couldn't believe that everything I've ever wanted is withing reach! I drove straight to the Bodhi Seed Yoga Studio http://www.bodhiseedyoga.com/ because I knew I needed to ground myself. Otherwise I was afraid I might just float away!
I ran into the owner, Pat Hill, and as I stood there panting, she and I did the happy dance as I related the story to her. Fortunately she has a student that also has a travel agency and was able to refer me to the passport expediters in Troy: http://www.intlexpressservices.com/
For the right price you too can get your passport in less than a week. I had to make a trip out to Lansing to get a valid copy of my birth certificate just in case the copy I had was no good.
So on June 8th I picked up my passport and was ready for my adventure to begin.
Time to hit the sack, yoga in the morning.
Stay tuned for the continuing adventures...
The kids of Have Faith Haiti
The kids of Have Faith Haiti, a set on Flickr.
okay...I think I've figured out how to work this flickr thingy! For tose who do not have access to my Facebook fotos - Here is the link to my flickr fotos. Enjoy!
Monday, June 20, 2011
The Kids in Haiti
The Kids in Haiti, a set on Flickr.
Here are some picks of the kids. I spent an hour on flickr captioning and tagging. I don't know what happened to them?
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Where it all began
Most people ask me how I got this job. My answer is always that it isn't really a job at all. I have volunteered to go do this. It is what I have always felt I was meant to do. And then they follow it up with, yeah, but how did you end up here? For that, we have to track back to March.
As Director of Business Development for the Chamber, I sit it on several of our "Networking Groups". These are teams of professionals that get together on a weekly basis to help one another solve routine business issues, offer advice on marketing, and give business referrals and leads to one another as a way of growing their prospective businesses. It works pretty well if the individuals on the team understand how to create the close relationships that lead to this type of benefit. I mean, personally, if I don't like you, I'm not going to recommend your service or product to anyone who's opinion I care about, right?
So, at these meetings, I often throw out some of the sales and marketing training I've received over the past few semesters at ole Macomb Community College. Mostly I dole out social media marketing tips as they tend to be easy-to-use and virtually free in most cases, so perfectly ideal for the small business owner who doesn't have much of a marketing budget. It has increased my position in the groups as more of the business professionals look to me as somewhat of an expert and are more inclined to recommend me to their friends! Win-Win for everyone!
As it happens, one of the participants, Greg Vishey of Vishey Home Inspections http://www.a1-homeinspection.com/ asked me if I would come and help him with a few of these websites and in exchange he would treat me to a frosty beverage. He gave me the grand tour of his home, showed off many of the improvements he's made over the years. We talked about many of his projects as a project engineer. The man is a consummate professional. His tag line is "I look for trouble and I always find it." and he does! He is a home buyer's best friend! If you know of ANYONE that is looking to buy a home, or looking to buy an investment property, you MUST call Greg and let him give the property the once-over. It will be the best few bucks you've ever spent! Ok, so that might sound like a commercial, but after seeing what this man is capable of, I can't imagine anyone not having a reason to get to know him!
Our conversations ran high and low of many topics. He is a very knowledgeable guy. We got his business Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In accounts up to snuff and headed off for some food and drinks at the Shores Inn. During our conversation Greg asked me what he could do to help me be more successful at my job. I thought about it for a second and realized that I didn't want to become more successful at my job. I had always considered the job at the Chamber to be temporary, but while I was busy slaving away full-time at work and full-time at school, I hadn't really put a lot of front-end time into preparing to pursue my dreams. In fact, I was so sure I was never going to achieve my real dreams that I had settled myself to the idea of moving to the West Coast (where I've always wanted to eventually retire to) and was content with the idea of finding some menial sales job there, too.
So when I told him I didn't want to be more successful as my current job, he asked me what my dream was. I told him he would probably think I'm crazy, but I've always wanted to work in the orphanages, particularly in Africa. For as long as I can remember, I have always seen myself doing this kind of work. If only I had a Master's Degree, I could find a job with an NGO and finally start living the dream! But I was just weeks away from finishing my associates degree, so I didn't really see that in my future.
Greg asked why Africa. I said well, I've just always felt pulled in that direction. I recall seeing an animated movie when I was young called "Hugo The Hippo". It was a strange tale but the seed was planted. Someone needed to do something for the poor orphaned African children that were starved and neglected. Now, how I got that out of this story at such a young age is beyond me. Maybe it was the influence of Peter Pan and Little Orphan Annie, but having lost my mother at the age of 9, I suppose I have always felt endeared to their plight.
So, because Greg is a wunderkind of a problem solver, he asks me if I've ever considered Haiti instead? I replied that I had not discounted it. He informed me that his Alma mater, Gilmore Academy, in Ohio, was putting together a mission trip to Haiti and that may be one way to get me there. He said, but better than that, did I know of Mitch Albom's mission in Haiti? Maybe there was potential for me to get in touch with Mitch and perhaps leverage some of the network I've developed at the Chamber to help him with his mission and in return, maybe Mitch could help me.
In fact, Greg said, better than that, why not work something out where we create a network of Macomb
So we formulated a plan. He would draft a letter introducing me to Mitch. He would send this letter through multiple channels and we would keep networking our connections until we got close enough to Mitch to pitch the idea. I immediately began a Twitter and Facebook campaign letting everyone know what we were doing. I figured the more ways this gets into the universe, the more likely it was to land on the right ears.
So the end of the semester comes, I graduate Magna Cum Laude as Most Distinguished Graduate and get to deliver the commencement speech. During my speech, I voice that I have this desire to be doing aid work in Haiti by the end of the year. I begin to tell everyone that I have an interview tentatively scheduled with Mitch for the end of May. A few days later, Greg has lunch with another participant of our networking group and reveals his plans for me. That gentleman calls him back in a day or two and tells him that Mitch is going to be the speaker at their Gratiot Avenue Business Association meeting the following Tuesday. He invites Greg as his guest. Greg takes the opportunity to introduce himself to Mitch and hand him a copy of the letter he had drafted. He asks Mitch to look it over and give him a thumbs up or thumbs down.
Meanwhile, I've gotten my picture on the school website, as well as an article in several local newspapers. My 15 minutes of fame are burning brightly and I begin the daunting task of sending my resume out to dozens of NGOs. I go about my business attending events and signing up new members and dreaming of actually getting to do something really meaningful with my life. That Thursday, I come out of a meeting and turn on my phone to realize I have several voice mails waiting. One text is from the girls in the office telling me to keep my phone on because Mitch's office will be calling. I almost faint! I check my voicemail and it's Mitch's assistant asking me to call!!! I almost drove in to the river!!!
I was on my way to pick up a check from one of our members, Pat Hill, the owner of Bohdi Seed Yoga and Wellness, and a new dear friend. When I got there I shared my news and we jumped up and down and squealed for a few minutes while I tried to compose myself. I got back to the office and went into the other room and returned the call. I had never felt so excited and nervous as I did dialing that number. Not even when I spoke at commencements in front of over 2,000 people!
My nerves settled as soon as Kerri answered the phone. It was as if she was a dear aunt or neighbor I'd known all my life. We laughed and chatted and she asked me a little about my desires and my background. By the time I hung up the phone, it was as if I already had the job! She had mentioned that she was going to give my number to Mitch so he could call to make lunch plans with me. But then she called back in 10 minutes and said he was busy, could I just check my calendar and see if I was free the following Tuesday at 3 to meet him at Hogans in Bloomfield Hills. Was I free? bwahahahaha! As if! I would have cancelled my wedding to make that lunch!
Glory be to God! That was by far the best Memorial Day Weekend of my life! On that Monday my son moved back home so I was a bit too busy to really contemplate what I was doing. That Tuesday morning, I was so excited I left the house wearing two different shoes!
The drive out to the restaurant was long, slow, and full of orange barrel jockeying. It gave me time to really collect myself. I was the picture of calm when Mitch arrived. We talked about the mission and what type of work has gone on there. We talked about my extensive and illustrious background. We talked about what I wanted to do and why. He remarked that it just so happens that he had a desire to have an American on site and my experience and background made me uniquely qualified for the role he had in mind.
At the end of the meeting, he asked if I could fly down for a weekend and see the operation and then we could talk more after that. I agreed that would be ideal and off to the races we went!
Well, that's enough for tonight. Golf Outings start early and I'm still only 50% over this sinus/allergy/bronchial whatever.
Stay tuned for a message from our sponsor:
As Director of Business Development for the Chamber, I sit it on several of our "Networking Groups". These are teams of professionals that get together on a weekly basis to help one another solve routine business issues, offer advice on marketing, and give business referrals and leads to one another as a way of growing their prospective businesses. It works pretty well if the individuals on the team understand how to create the close relationships that lead to this type of benefit. I mean, personally, if I don't like you, I'm not going to recommend your service or product to anyone who's opinion I care about, right?
So, at these meetings, I often throw out some of the sales and marketing training I've received over the past few semesters at ole Macomb Community College. Mostly I dole out social media marketing tips as they tend to be easy-to-use and virtually free in most cases, so perfectly ideal for the small business owner who doesn't have much of a marketing budget. It has increased my position in the groups as more of the business professionals look to me as somewhat of an expert and are more inclined to recommend me to their friends! Win-Win for everyone!
As it happens, one of the participants, Greg Vishey of Vishey Home Inspections http://www.a1-homeinspection.com/ asked me if I would come and help him with a few of these websites and in exchange he would treat me to a frosty beverage. He gave me the grand tour of his home, showed off many of the improvements he's made over the years. We talked about many of his projects as a project engineer. The man is a consummate professional. His tag line is "I look for trouble and I always find it." and he does! He is a home buyer's best friend! If you know of ANYONE that is looking to buy a home, or looking to buy an investment property, you MUST call Greg and let him give the property the once-over. It will be the best few bucks you've ever spent! Ok, so that might sound like a commercial, but after seeing what this man is capable of, I can't imagine anyone not having a reason to get to know him!
Our conversations ran high and low of many topics. He is a very knowledgeable guy. We got his business Facebook, Twitter, and Linked In accounts up to snuff and headed off for some food and drinks at the Shores Inn. During our conversation Greg asked me what he could do to help me be more successful at my job. I thought about it for a second and realized that I didn't want to become more successful at my job. I had always considered the job at the Chamber to be temporary, but while I was busy slaving away full-time at work and full-time at school, I hadn't really put a lot of front-end time into preparing to pursue my dreams. In fact, I was so sure I was never going to achieve my real dreams that I had settled myself to the idea of moving to the West Coast (where I've always wanted to eventually retire to) and was content with the idea of finding some menial sales job there, too.
So when I told him I didn't want to be more successful as my current job, he asked me what my dream was. I told him he would probably think I'm crazy, but I've always wanted to work in the orphanages, particularly in Africa. For as long as I can remember, I have always seen myself doing this kind of work. If only I had a Master's Degree, I could find a job with an NGO and finally start living the dream! But I was just weeks away from finishing my associates degree, so I didn't really see that in my future.
Greg asked why Africa. I said well, I've just always felt pulled in that direction. I recall seeing an animated movie when I was young called "Hugo The Hippo". It was a strange tale but the seed was planted. Someone needed to do something for the poor orphaned African children that were starved and neglected. Now, how I got that out of this story at such a young age is beyond me. Maybe it was the influence of Peter Pan and Little Orphan Annie, but having lost my mother at the age of 9, I suppose I have always felt endeared to their plight.
So, because Greg is a wunderkind of a problem solver, he asks me if I've ever considered Haiti instead? I replied that I had not discounted it. He informed me that his Alma mater, Gilmore Academy, in Ohio, was putting together a mission trip to Haiti and that may be one way to get me there. He said, but better than that, did I know of Mitch Albom's mission in Haiti? Maybe there was potential for me to get in touch with Mitch and perhaps leverage some of the network I've developed at the Chamber to help him with his mission and in return, maybe Mitch could help me.
In fact, Greg said, better than that, why not work something out where we create a network of Macomb
So we formulated a plan. He would draft a letter introducing me to Mitch. He would send this letter through multiple channels and we would keep networking our connections until we got close enough to Mitch to pitch the idea. I immediately began a Twitter and Facebook campaign letting everyone know what we were doing. I figured the more ways this gets into the universe, the more likely it was to land on the right ears.
So the end of the semester comes, I graduate Magna Cum Laude as Most Distinguished Graduate and get to deliver the commencement speech. During my speech, I voice that I have this desire to be doing aid work in Haiti by the end of the year. I begin to tell everyone that I have an interview tentatively scheduled with Mitch for the end of May. A few days later, Greg has lunch with another participant of our networking group and reveals his plans for me. That gentleman calls him back in a day or two and tells him that Mitch is going to be the speaker at their Gratiot Avenue Business Association meeting the following Tuesday. He invites Greg as his guest. Greg takes the opportunity to introduce himself to Mitch and hand him a copy of the letter he had drafted. He asks Mitch to look it over and give him a thumbs up or thumbs down.
Meanwhile, I've gotten my picture on the school website, as well as an article in several local newspapers. My 15 minutes of fame are burning brightly and I begin the daunting task of sending my resume out to dozens of NGOs. I go about my business attending events and signing up new members and dreaming of actually getting to do something really meaningful with my life. That Thursday, I come out of a meeting and turn on my phone to realize I have several voice mails waiting. One text is from the girls in the office telling me to keep my phone on because Mitch's office will be calling. I almost faint! I check my voicemail and it's Mitch's assistant asking me to call!!! I almost drove in to the river!!!
I was on my way to pick up a check from one of our members, Pat Hill, the owner of Bohdi Seed Yoga and Wellness, and a new dear friend. When I got there I shared my news and we jumped up and down and squealed for a few minutes while I tried to compose myself. I got back to the office and went into the other room and returned the call. I had never felt so excited and nervous as I did dialing that number. Not even when I spoke at commencements in front of over 2,000 people!
My nerves settled as soon as Kerri answered the phone. It was as if she was a dear aunt or neighbor I'd known all my life. We laughed and chatted and she asked me a little about my desires and my background. By the time I hung up the phone, it was as if I already had the job! She had mentioned that she was going to give my number to Mitch so he could call to make lunch plans with me. But then she called back in 10 minutes and said he was busy, could I just check my calendar and see if I was free the following Tuesday at 3 to meet him at Hogans in Bloomfield Hills. Was I free? bwahahahaha! As if! I would have cancelled my wedding to make that lunch!
Glory be to God! That was by far the best Memorial Day Weekend of my life! On that Monday my son moved back home so I was a bit too busy to really contemplate what I was doing. That Tuesday morning, I was so excited I left the house wearing two different shoes!
The drive out to the restaurant was long, slow, and full of orange barrel jockeying. It gave me time to really collect myself. I was the picture of calm when Mitch arrived. We talked about the mission and what type of work has gone on there. We talked about my extensive and illustrious background. We talked about what I wanted to do and why. He remarked that it just so happens that he had a desire to have an American on site and my experience and background made me uniquely qualified for the role he had in mind.
At the end of the meeting, he asked if I could fly down for a weekend and see the operation and then we could talk more after that. I agreed that would be ideal and off to the races we went!
Well, that's enough for tonight. Golf Outings start early and I'm still only 50% over this sinus/allergy/bronchial whatever.
Stay tuned for a message from our sponsor:
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Flash back
The first few posts for this blog will be in flash back since it took me so long to get it together. I will be updating all of the happenings from that day in March when I was shaken out of my coma all the way up to current status some time weekend. I have a phone conference with Mitch tomorrow and hopefully I will have some hard dates and timelines to announce. So much has happened already and I have an entire journal to transpose to this blog so bear with me. I will try to keep it sequential, but if you know me, you know that I get super excited about this stuff and my mind bounces all over the place!
On a forward thinking note, I can't ait to tell you the ingenious idea my intelligent, creative, generous and beautiful daughter has come up with. I think we are definitely going to be able to reach my fundraising goal while I am there.
Stay tuned
On a forward thinking note, I can't ait to tell you the ingenious idea my intelligent, creative, generous and beautiful daughter has come up with. I think we are definitely going to be able to reach my fundraising goal while I am there.
Stay tuned
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Find a job doing something you love and you will never work another day of your life
So I have graduated from school - it is finished. Time to move on to the next phase of my life. I have always known that I had a calling to do some sort of mission work. If you ask anyone, they will tell you I have a gift with children and have always wanted to be able to work with them. The problem has always been that unless you pay for years of education and attain advanced degrees, the best you can do is get a job taking care of children, often for low wages and long hours in less than desirable conditions.
They say that life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans. This has been the true story of my life. I have gone far and wide, done every sort of job imaginable, had every kind of training as well as conducted most kinds of training. I am a well rounded individual, spiritually, experientially, (and physically, teehee!) As I related to a friend over a Boomba at Shores Inn in St. Clair Shores that my burning passion was to work in Africa with Orphans, I realized that I had been in a sort of holding pattern since losing my job at a major automotive supplier two years ago. I was going to school so I suppose there was some forward momentum, but mostly I was not really contemplating my future. It was more of a zombie walk through the daily grind.
Well, imagine my surprise when, upon being shaken awake by this good friend, I realized that I had an incredible source of support within all of the networks that I had built in my lifetime and if I leveraged them correctly, I could actually find myself doing the work I was passionate to be doing!
At my friends urging, I began to formulate plans to get to Haiti instead of Africa. The reasons were simple, a) there was a great need for this type of work, and 2) there was a local celebrity currently running a foundation that supported a mission in Haiti that operated an orphanage. Oh, snap! I might actually see my life-long dreams come true!
Well, that is all for now. Stay tuned for the continued adventures.
They say that life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans. This has been the true story of my life. I have gone far and wide, done every sort of job imaginable, had every kind of training as well as conducted most kinds of training. I am a well rounded individual, spiritually, experientially, (and physically, teehee!) As I related to a friend over a Boomba at Shores Inn in St. Clair Shores that my burning passion was to work in Africa with Orphans, I realized that I had been in a sort of holding pattern since losing my job at a major automotive supplier two years ago. I was going to school so I suppose there was some forward momentum, but mostly I was not really contemplating my future. It was more of a zombie walk through the daily grind.
Well, imagine my surprise when, upon being shaken awake by this good friend, I realized that I had an incredible source of support within all of the networks that I had built in my lifetime and if I leveraged them correctly, I could actually find myself doing the work I was passionate to be doing!
At my friends urging, I began to formulate plans to get to Haiti instead of Africa. The reasons were simple, a) there was a great need for this type of work, and 2) there was a local celebrity currently running a foundation that supported a mission in Haiti that operated an orphanage. Oh, snap! I might actually see my life-long dreams come true!
Well, that is all for now. Stay tuned for the continued adventures.
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