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. 

The Crazy That is Haiti

So, tonight we (me and Laura Beth), well, mostly me, hired a taxi recommended by my friends, to take us to a jazz concert up in Petionville. First off, understand that nothing in Haiti works the way it is described. So, I am assured this "taxi driver" speaks "beautiful English", 1st lie...secondly, he drives a brand new Mercedes. I've seen less bondo on a Roseville Saturday night Gratiot cruisers special! And thirdly, I was told he charges $500 HTG ($40 gourde to a US dollar so about $12.50) each way. I call the guy, he doesn't speak 2 words of English. He shows up, he wants $100 dollars to drive us 4.5 miles and back. We finally try to negotiate a ride there, figuring, well, we are a couple of cute American girls, we have to be able to find a ride home, and he comes down to $25 to drop us off...


So we politely decline his services and apologize, "desole, we misunderstood your fees." And decide to stay home and drink rum and Coke and play rummy. Then one of the guys tells us he can get us a moto, the guy across the street will take us. We negotiate a price, $80 HTD ($8 HTD to $1 USD, so 10 bucks) to get us there and back and off we go, in sandals and capris and no helmets, 3 on a bike...I would so never approve of this for anyone I loved in the states, but I haven't been out since New Years Eve!


Off we go, teying not to breathe in the funk that is our driver's eau du naturale, and keeping our eyes mostly closed to avoid the Pink Eye that is nearly inevitable from traveling around the streets of Delmas. He takes us up some of the worst roads. I nearly fall off several times. I think my kidneys are just about to revolt. We get about 3/4 of the way to the club when his moto breaks down. It just stops. I don't know what happened because he only speaks money in English. He flags down a couple of other moto drivers to arrange to get us to the club. Now, realize that he barely understood where to take us. He checks on the registration of the two bikes that showed up and approves us to go on the one. I check the price, which was silly, because we really had very few options at this point, and off we go. 


Well, I'm really so glad we went! I got to see my friends for the briefest moment before they left. But meanwhile, I met this awesome jazz club owner from Seattle. He is coming to visit the mission on Monday. Also, the older guy that has been pursuing me was there. I tried to set him straight again that I am only in him on a platonic level. He insisted on introducing me to his family, :( - who turned out to be great people. Laura Beth got to meet this awesomely delicious French guy. We were about to call our moto driver to come fetch us when Richard insisted on having his friend drive us home. Turns out the friend is a missionary Dentist. I'm going to have him visit the mission and possibly donate some much needed dental care to the kids! 

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!

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!
   

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...

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:

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.