My Favorite Day

I think Saturday was my favorite days in Haiti, of course I think that every few days. 

We hiked down to the creek bed where there were small puddles of water, as the children got wetter the clothes started peeling off. 

Pretty soon they were walking around mostly naked like the rest of the Haitians. 

Again the picture does the real thing absolutely no justice. This is a natural waterfall, I do not think any man could have designed it more beautifully.

As always we ended up with a few extra kidos helping up the waterfalls. The waterfall was up a narrow canyon surrounded by rock. Many adults were worried for us and telling us we should not be walking up the canyon in case another tranbleman (earthquake) came. One man was so mad at the Haitian kids going with us he spanked them. 

I LOVE this picture.
This is what Haiti will always remind me of happy adorable extra children, family time, outdoors, peace, tranquility, just an indescribable inner calmness. 

BT's helper. It seems that wherever we go an older child will "adopt" the babies. They carry them everywhere. Here is BT's friend holding a leaf in the waterfall creating a drinking fountain for him. It was so sweet and kind that I let him despite the fact that he will probably get diarrhea.  

 BT and his special friend. I am not sure they could look any more different and yet you can see they have the same kind gentle soul. 

SF and her friend. SF has very mild cerebral palsy. Her gait can be painful to watch at times, especially in this rough terrain. I try to make her work through it. 

The Haitians think I am awful and immediately pick her up, then they look at me like 'seriously lady, what is wrong with you?' SF also does not eat anything by mouth and has a feeding tube, imagine their disgust when we don't feed her in restaurants either. 

We ended they day with some "real" swimming at the pool. 

Haitians

Saturday we went on the most awesome hike down to the creek bed. 

We were of course the only Blans around. It was great to see Haitians doing what they do in their own environment. 

Shouldn't all 6 year old children carry a machete? 

 Some people standing outside their home

 A woman doing her laundry.

 Our hiking mates

 I loved this little girl with her white baby doll

 Velo and his friend

Preschool

I have always said I would never home school (not that I have anything against it, its just not for me). I also always said I would never run a preschool. 

Never say Never.

Now I do 24/7, and the preschool part of it is great.

I'm still unconvinced on home school.

The Chicken Kill

Warning: This post may make you a vegetarian!

Ever since we moved here, we have been wanting to buy one of those little chickens we see in a market and make it for dinner. 

So we did. 

My oldest child may never talk to me again.

All those who were not napping during the process (AKA the oldest 3), may need therapy.

Including me.

Roselie is as tough as nails.

All my Haitian squatters making friends with the chickens. 

 Then the deed. For those of you who do not know this boy, he can be a bit of a bruiser. He never feels pain and sometimes does not hesitate to give it out. So to see him terrified and disgusted at the slaughter tells you just how awful it was. 

 Plucking the feathers

 Then she held the raw, naked thing over my burner and sealed all of its skin.

 The finished product, there were a lot of leftovers!

Lesson learned, don't know your food before you eat it. 

Never a good choice. 

Random Pictures

To think in the states, I freak out when the kids are not in their car seats. 

While Adrah was here, she worked a lot with SF and Roxy. She thinks she may make a good therapy dog to help SF with her gait. They are getting to be good buddys.

Another story of haves and have-nots. Here is BJ at this really nice hardware store pointing out a "wrencher".  
 And the have-nots. We asked Angelo to get us a extension cord. But, in typical Angelo style this is what was made. He picked up pieces from the street and handmade an extension cord. Pretty talented. 

Two and a Half Years Later

It has been almost 2.5 years since the earthquake. In some areas it looks like it happened yesterday. Don't get me wrong many areas are much improved. One of the things that makes me sad about being here is hearing people who have not been here, not seen the indescribable damage, who don't know the cost of rebuilding and don't realize this country was in really bad shape before the earthquake be critical of relief efforts, or Haitian people in general. 

We have yet to talk to a Haitian person about the quake who did not loose at least one immediate family member on that day. Yet, it seems like so much of the world is pulling out or forgetting about Haiti. These people have not forgotten. 

Today, I was at the Apparent Project sitting on the balcony watching some ladies make bead necklaces. The wind picked up a little and started to rock a bowl that was sitting on the ledge. In just a few seconds it went from rocking to tipping over and spilling beads everywhere. The people absolutely freaked out. I think that rocking and spilling sound brought on some major post traumatic stress issues. They all jumped up and started pushing and shoving me and anyone else in their way to get to the stairs. It created a brief but mass hysteria as people who were in the house and had not even heard the bowl drop started running out because the people outside were. It was as close to an earthquake or mass hysteria as I ever want to get.

A sample of the damage. If you look closely you will see a pick-up truck in the middle of the picture, crushed beneath a level of the house. 

Respire Haiti

Respire Haiti. I have been wanting to write about this organization since we first met them back in March. I have had this post sitting in my draft box because I knew I just could not do it justice.
The woman/girl (she is 24) who started it, Megan Boudreaux, is amazing beyond words. Of any of the things I would suggest you read her blog is top on the list. She has amazing insight and puts beautiful words to a lot of the feelings we have had here in Haiti.
Long story short, she is a 24 year old girl who has moved to Haiti indefinently, built and started a school and kindergarten, a feeding program, a clinic and has MANY other things they are working on. She is AMAZING and inspiring beyond words.
The school they build;

The Kindergarten currently, they are in the process of building one that is like the grade school they already build

The inside of one of the classrooms, complete with desks, chalk board and decorations. By far the nicest schoolrooms we have seen here.Some of the kids checking out the "Timoun Blan" (white children). Wherever we go the kids have a beehive effect with a bunch of Haitian children following them around. And apparently white 2-3 years olds should not be walking as they are constantly being carried.
The boys at the feeding clinic hanging out with some of the kids.
One of their two feeding clinics, they help to support. What I love is that while they do supply the food and pay the cooks the local people run the clinic and preach the message and everything. This one is done on the hill by their school.
At this particular clinic they are still working on building the kitchen so the food is cooked off site and then served from the back of a tap tap.