Kony 2012 and Why I Want to Stay in Haiti

(Republished from Rager's Rages, Rants, and Ramblings post)


In the beginning, my dream was to go to Africa. I mean, doesn't everybody at some point or another have a vision of themselves in the Motherland doing something, whether it be missions work, humanitarian aid, or even just a safari? My initial interest was sparked after seeing the animated film, Hugo the Hippo. It turned me on to Zimbabwe and the political strife of the region. Later, as I started seriously thinking of what type of work I would do in Africa, I realized I wanted to work with children. I looked into several options.  For a few years now I've been looking into positions with assorted NGOs and charities in Zimbabwe such as the Zimbabwe Project,  a Canadian orphan care organization. But as I do not have a Master's degree in the areas they require, I had been unable to catch a break. I guess true experience and expertise in a field doesn't mean squat when you have shareholders to answer to. 

Happy New Year!

Well, they say new year, new start. So far it's just more of the same. I know we are all battle weary from having all the kids off of school and trying to direct meaningful activities for them is getting tiresome. Also, it seems that the holiday break has stirred up a lot of discontent amongst our young adults. Hopefully some of this will abate when our little ones return to regular English lessons tomorrow. 


I'm looking forward to the start of the new term. Hopefully our teachers will get on board with the idea of showing up on time and being prepared for the day's lessons. It is my heartfelt prayer that some of these people start to be a little more conscientious about their work ethic. I try to lead by example, but when you are the only one trying to improve these things, it is an uphill battle with no oars! (sorry for the mixed metaphor, but it succinctly describes my sitch!)

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.

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. 

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.