a week of changes

I initially looked back on this week and thought nothing of significance happened. But then I realized that even though this seemed to be a slow week, it was the beginning of many changes that would soon take place.

To begin with: Teaching

I think my past posts made it very apparent how much I was enjoying teaching English. It was the unexpected surprise that was placed on my shoulders my first week down here. I cringed initially at the thought because I had no curriculum and I had never taught a language before. But then I realized that it could be just as challenging and just as fun as teaching was back in the states because I had the liberty to pace my own lessons and I got to decide how to teach the material. It has been a blast! I have had the privilege of having a translator these first few weeks to explain hard to understand concepts, but starting next week it will be complete immersion... AGGHH!! I'm a little nervous, but I think all will be well. Check out photos of our review day below. The girl's were having a wonderful time practicing telling time, translating common phrases from Creole to English, describing feelings, and identifying classroom vocabulary words.

But now, the change... teaching the ladies how to be teachers has been a thorn in my side from the first week. I realized after asking them questions about what they desired to do when they finished the program, not a one wants to teach in one of the branch schools. They all want to use the knowledge and skills for their own personal marketing of materials. Therefore, the girls couldn't care less about classroom discipline, assessing, or any of the other topics that I plan to cover. The women that are teachers in the school sit in on my class and seem to be benefiting greatly. They tend to be the only ones involved and the only ones not watching the clock :) So I finally talked to Olga about the issue, and suggested that I lead a workshop for the actual teachers at a different time and focus on other skills that the girls can benefit from like public speaking, organization, developing confidence, etc. We'll make the change when this trimester ends, but it looks like it's all a go! Please pray that I will continue to stay positive as I finish this trimester and hope that one of the girls gets something out of the material.

And the second change: Our House

I mentioned previously that when I first arrived in Haiti, June and the rest of the MTI staff were in the process of moving the clinic from the hospital to another location. Well, that other location is here, and I found out to the sound of sledge hammers demolishing concrete at 6am last weekend. The banging has yet to stop. They tore up the patio that was there to lay a more level foundation over the weekend and into Monday. All the work has been done by hand, and I admire the men who have been so dedicated working from sun-up to sun-down (although I have missed sleeping in until 6:30!). Marvin and Carmen came home from their conference in the middle of it, and all I could say was “SURPRISE!” They are building a production shop for the prosthetic limbs as well as adding a classroom area to train other Haitians to be PTs. As you can see from the photos, this is a big project that will bring about big changes for the house. I think it will be a major adjustment for us all to adapt to everything happening here. Hopefully all will go well.

The beginning of demolition

Marvin and Carmen are home!

I screamed when I saw this :)

The building has started

The men always hard at work

Arold and Reese checking the metal grating

Men pouring concrete with buckets, wheelbarrows, and Crocs

Every evening it's dominoes with 3 of the workers :)

Thank you all for the kind words and prayers. No, we have not eaten Diesel yet. Don't worry, I will let everyone know when it happens :)

contact info

Several people have asked me for my contact information in Haiti. I can be contacted as follows:

Mailing address:

June Hanks

Attn: Kelly Hine

Agape Flights; CAY #25555

100 Airport Ave.

Venice, FL 34285

(I can receive letters and packages at normal US postage fees!  If any item is over 2lbs, please include $1.50 per pound to cover the international handling fees.)

E-mail address:

kellyhine@juno.com

Cell Phone:

011 (509)36-06-31-45

(I can receive texts and phone calls. If you send a text, please include your name. If you do not mind receiving a text in return, please include the # sign. Please note that international text rates apply to send and receive for most US cell phone plans, so check with your phone company.)

month 1 memories

Unfortunately I am unable to blog everything that happens on a day-to-day basis. Some days are less eventful than others, and sometimes the internet is not working to give me an opportunity to update. As I reflect back on the first month in Haiti, I thought I would share a few humorous stories and some meaningful lessons learned.

Top 7 Memories

(listed in no particular order)

1. Attack of the ants

I'm glad I can now look back on this and laugh. At the time, it wasn't that funny.

There are always sacrifices to make when you live in a developing country. I had prepared myself for cold showers, no air conditioning, mosquitoes, eating rice and beans daily, etc. But, I failed to prepare for these annoying little ants. They seem to be everywhere... on the bathroom counter, walking in lines up my bedroom wall, on the cement outside. They have no destination, they are never carrying anything, they just walk.

At times I watch them in amazement. Other times, I simply ignore them. But that was not possible on Week 3.

You see, one evening I went to pull my toothbrush out of my toiletry bag and it was swarming with ants. I almost screamed, but quickly realized it wasn't an emergency worth waking the whole house over. I immediately threw the toothbrush away and went digging through my storage container to locate one from my extra supply (insert reminder about OCD packing tendencies). Now everything travels to and from the bathroom in a ziplock bag :)

2. Rat infestation
When I arrived to Haiti, the MTI staff was in the process of moving their clinic out of the hospital. Therefore, they were not working with patients, so much of those first days were spent cleaning the house and organizing the materials that they had in storage here. As is often the case, they discovered some rats who had made home within the cardboard boxes. Thankfully I never saw any myself, but I got to hear all the stories about how large they were and how many were still on the loose.

My bedroom is right beside the hallway where the boxes were located, but they were being moved to storage room on the other side of me. It was a pleasure listening to them gnaw at night in an attempt to find a new home in the middle of the move.  I was just glad they couldn't make it into my room.

The best memory, though, was a few days after the move. All of the MTI staff got hooked watching “24” (we watched the entire 1^st season in a week and a half!). One evening, we were watching it in the second floor living area, when a scratching sound came from the storage room. Carmen grabbed the flashlight, June had the doorknob, and Marvin was ready to hit the light switch as soon as the door was thrown open. What followed would have made Jack Bauer proud!

3. Early morning prayer meeting
Nothing is more beautiful than the Haitians singing hymns and praises to God. And, they are always singing. On the streets... while working... in the tap-taps... even at 4:45 in the morning!

Yes, it used to be beautiful until that one morning... I heard singing, and thought, 'Wow! That's really pretty!' Then I looked at my clock and saw 4:45am. This was the morning of my first day of teaching, and the last thing I needed was to be exhausted and tired. But did the singing stop? Absolutely not! Not only did it not stop, but it continued until 6am when my alarm finally went off.

While I gave them the benefit of the doubt, and thought, 'Maybe someone just died,' I couldn't help thinking of the verse in Proverbs 27:14 “He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, It will be reckoned a curse to him.”

Ends up that our next door neighbor is a preacher and they were just having an early morning prayer meeting at his house. All the MTI staff said this was a first.  I have not been disappointed that they chose to continue it at other church member's houses since. 

4. Diesel, the goat
June got a goat for her birthday. Not a pet goat, a “we'll eat you for dinner one day” goat. And she gave it a name. I'm pretty sure I will now be unable to eat him.
I feed him my banana peels and apple cores. I make goat sounds to him and make the dogs bark (thanks, Tiff, for teaching me such a great skill in college!). Could you eat him? Just look at him:

5. Back in first grade
I knew coming to Haiti that I would be teaching ladies how to be teachers. What I didn't know was that I was going to get to teach English as well. I love it because it takes me back to teaching first grade!

I get to make cute flash cards and pictures to help them remember the words. I get to come up with fun games and activities in class to help them remember and apply the information. I get to put up posters on the wall and decorate the room. The Haitians think I'm crazy :)

6. The Bible comes to life
For quite some time now, I have wanted to take a trip overseas to see the Holy Land. One of those 10-15 day tours where you get to see what the Bible speaks of and experience yourself.

I am learning that living in Haiti can give you much of the same perspective. The passage that speaks of Jesus washing the disciples' feet takes on so much more meaning when you see just how dusty and dirty and DISGUSTING your feet become after walking on the gravel streets around our area. You watch the children taking their family sheep for a walk and get to see just how stupid they really are (like when they walk in front of a bicycle and get run over)!. It makes you appreciate even more how much patience and care God has for His “sheep” when we stray and wander. It is one of the blessings of living in Haiti. There is always something to learn.

(PS – This does not mean that I no longer want to go to Israel. If anyone is out there who wants to go, let's get a trip together!)

7. Cornelius
While there are positive aspects to the ministry (as seen from what I have learned above), things can be difficult and challenging. Because I have no clue what is going on in the church services, I miss the spiritual food that I would get from my home church. Thankfully I am able to access the services online, but before that, I was listening to the Summit's podcast out of Durham. One of the services was such a great point for me to remember while in Haiti and it was just what I needed to hear at the beginning of my time here.
It's easy to get discouraged and wonder what my purpose is in being here. I know that God has a lot to teach me during the duration of time that I am here, but I also want to fulfill the purpose that He brought me here for. Then I was gently reminded of Cornelius.

Cornelius was a God-fearing man, but his life had not yet been transformed by the power of the Gospel. His heart was ready to hear the Truth, and Peter was sent to bring it to him. Peter had no idea why God had called him, but he was faithful to do what he did know and that was preach.

It is such a great reminder that I don't know what the Lord has planned for me, but He does and it's all in His control.  Anyone I meet could be a “Cornelius.” I just have to be faithful in what I know to do.

home alone!

Let me rephrase... I have not spent the week completely home alone, but it has been a week without English conversations. Marvin and Carmen left a week ago for a workshop in Costa Rica on how to develop better prosthetic limbs. On Sunday morning, June headed to Port au Prince with a group of staff that works in our house. The group is spending the week in Leogane to receive training on wheelchair maintenance and repair, and June flew to New Orleans early Tuesday morning to attend and speak at a conference.

I have been “home alone” in a sense of being at the house only with Marie Joe. Our morning cook and her family moved into the first floor of the house for the week to help watch over things. They make sure the generator is charged everyday, help if the power goes out (which it has), assist when water comes flooding from the 3^rd floor (which it has), and keep us well fed, even when the gas runs out on the stove (which it has). All of that basically to say that it has been an adventurous week!

Monday was much less dramatic than expected. It was supposed to be the final day of the current president's rule, but because of the mess with the election, he will stay on until the beginning of May. We anticipated uprisings and protests, but our area remained fairly calm. Please continue to pray for the political situation in Haiti as they have some very important decisions to make over the next few months.

On Tuesday I had the privilege to visit another school, this time in Bouffard (I will never forget the name, because the whole way there I kept thinking, “Boo! It's too far!”). We left Centre Lumiere at 11:00, but didn't arrive in Bouffard until 1:30! The entire ride was spent in the back of an uncovered “tap tap” on winding mountain roads. Unfortunately, I have to be very careful about taking photographs out in public because it is very offensive to the Haitians. (Do you like when strangers take pictures of you?) Therefore, no photos are available to show just how dusty I was. We all looked like a vacuum cleaner bag exploded on us. The inside of my glasses were actually dustier than the outside because the wind blew it off! Esther suggested when I return to the states, I visit a doctor to “get [my] body cleaned out.”

The dusty “tap tap” ride was followed by a mountainous moto-taxi ride. Esther had to jump off the back at one point because we were going at such a sharp incline that the bike was stalling out from the weight. The pastor came halfway down the mountain to meet us, so I rode the rest of the way up with him.

When we arrived, the students at the school were working on crochet under the instruction of Wadeline. They are all first year students, and obviously very excited about the opportunity to study. They shared what they were working on and what they had been learning through their studies. I was very excited to hear the girl beside of me share that she was learning from her mistakes. In a culture that has such a traditional school system, it was refreshing to hear someone admit that their challenges were helping them to grow as a student.

I was able to see Wadeline again Wednesday morning, as this is production week at the center. This was the first production week since returning from Christmas, so the staff was expecting a big turn out. Women throughout the community come to Centre Lumiere for the self-help program, where they are taught a skill and given the materials to complete it at home and bring it back for salary. They bring their items early in the morning, and they are evaluated, corrected, and paid for the work they did. Wednesday is the day for the teachers from distant schools to bring their students work, so Wadeline brought the items made by her students. Thursday is the production day for locals. Our foyer area was full of women all day crocheting, sewing, embroidering, and having their work critiqued. Thursday is the day that the students in the school work on cooking skills, so they brought “bon bon yo” (cookies) to the ladies to snack on. Enjoy the photos below of the week's adventures!

June and the team ready to leave Sunday morning

Welcome to Bouffard!

Wadeline, the teacher at Bouffard

Each school is so proud of their storage cabinet!

The pastor and one of the deacons at the church

The class (all first year students)

Ladies showing off their crochet work

More crochet work

Ladies participating in the devotional time on production day

One lady having her items checked for quality

Ladies practicing the new embroidery skills they learned

Ladies waiting to receive their new materials to take home for work

Marie Joe proud of her work!

Jetta (one of the workers at the MTI house) showing off her crocheted purse

Jetta and Mirose working outside

The cookies delivered by the students :)

show no fear!

This has been a week full of adventure. Specifically, I experienced a lot of firsts on Monday and Tuesday as we travelled to 2 of the extension schools of Centre Lumiere. Just like my trip to Boval last week, Esther, Marcelle, and I visited 2 more schools earlier in the week. We planned to visit the last 2 the second half of the week, but because of worries of political unrest on Wednesday, they have been postponed to next week.

On Monday, we travelled to Montoban to visit Christa's class. It was initially our intentions to to travel to Bouffard with was much further away, but no one told the American that sunscreen was needed for the 2 hour ride on the back of the truck :) Needless to say, I have slowly been learning what things I always need to have on hand. I feel like a mother carrying a diaper bag around! You must always have: water (clean water is not readily available), sunscreen (everyone fights for shade), sunglasses (dust and wind dry out contacts in no time), book/something entertaining (you will always be waiting for someone/something), cell phone and cash (emergency), camera (photo opportunities always abound), snacks (you DO NOT eat on the streets), handsanitizer (should be self-explanatory), and patience (people will continue to talk to you even after you say “I do not understand!” and “I do not speak Creole!”).

Back to Montoban... so, since I was unprepared for the trip to Bouffard, we decided to take a different course and head east 2 hours back toward Port au Prince. I knew that this included moto-taxis and “tap taps,” but, man, was I in for a surprise. Everyone stares at the “blanc” (white girl) anyway, so if you don't want to draw any more attention to yourself, you show no fear! The day began with a half-mile walk out to the main road from Centre Lumiere. That included crossing over a river by stepping on tires filled with stones. All I could think was, “Kelly, you're going to fall in...” until I made it safely across. I'm still fearful every time we cross that way.

When we made it out to the main road, we waited for our “tap tap” to take us into town. The Medical Team's staff is not allowed to take ANY public transportation in the country if that tells you much about the safety of these things. Basically it's a Nissan pick-up truck with bars welded to the sides to hold on to. After flagging down a “tap tap,” you climb into the back and stand amongst all of the people. When your stop is approaching, you stomp on the bed of the truck or slap the side to signal to the driver that you want off.  At one point, I counted 22 people standing in the back with me. Everyone holds on to everyone else for stability. They have no fear; I could not show any!

In the city of Les Cayes, we caught our second “tap tap” of the day. This time there was a covering over the bed of the truck. Lucky me, I got to ride in the back on the way there. There is a bench on each side for people to sit on, or you can stand on the tailgate and hold on to the top of the cover. I learned you don't want to be the person that sits right behind the crew cab, because every time the driver puts on breaks, you are squished more and more.

Our destination was off the main road, so we had to take “moto-taxis” about 5 miles up the mountain. Basically 3 people squeezed on the back of a motorcycle with no helmets riding through gravel and streams and speeding around large dump trucks. Every Haitian has a story about a horrible wreck they've had on their motorcycle. I don't want to add one to the list.

On the way back, Esther and I got to ride in the front of the “tap tap.” If I wasn't scared before, I was definitely scared then. With all the decals and dirt on the window, I couldn't see out the front; I have no idea how the driver could as well. And, when we stop for gas, you leave the vehicle running because it wastes gas (and money) to have to re-crank it. All in all, it was a great experience (insert sarcasm here).

On Tuesday we headed to Zanglais, and the experience was relatively the same. I knew what to expect this time, which was much nicer. Except, on the ride back, I thought a rock flew into the window and popped me on the arm. It didn't take 5 seconds, though, for me to realize that I had been stabbed, bit or stung by something because the pain shot up my arm nearly instantly. I watched as my arm turned red and began swelling. Since I had no idea what got me, I was determined to find it for myself. One person said it had to be a mosquito and I thought I was going to fall into the floor laughing. When I finally spotted the nasty yellow jacket on the ceiling, I was told that it couldn't be a sting because it didn't swell enough! Maybe the light wasn't very good in the bed of the truck? Anyway... the fever finally went out of the area and it's starting to itch today, so it's healing as it should.

Aside from the travel, I was very impressed with the schools. Churches all over the area are hearing about the program that Centre Lumiere has and have asked for the graduates to come and start one in their area. Krista and Rachelle are both great teachers and their students produce great work. I was very excited to see how the ministry continues to expand. Both of these ladies have a class of graduates this year as well and hopefully they will have opportunities to begin their own programs come fall. Enjoy the pictures below!

Welcome to the school in Montoban!

Meuze talking with Krista, the teacher at Montoban

The storage cabinet given by Centre Lumiere

The pastor and his wife in Montoban

Krista's Year 3 class... they will graduate in the Spring!

Meuze and Marcelle on their adventurous moto-taxi ride

The beautiful ocean as we passed on the "tap tap"

Welcome to Zanglais!

Rachelle, the teacher at Zanglais

The prized storage cabinet for the school

Three of the pastor's four kids at Zanglais

One student sharing her embroidery sampler

One student sharing her crochet work

Rachelle's Year 1 class

Rachelle's Year 3 class who will graduate in the Spring