PLEASE DO NOT THROW TRASH HERE BY ORDER OF PRESIDENT PREVAL
Everyday the students have work hour where they clean the school’s bathrooms and do general upkeep. There are 350 students and not enough work for all the people so these past few weeks we have started a new program; cleaning up the trash in the surrounding zone. We live in a neighborhood called Santo which is in Croix-des-Bouquets. There are different streets within Santo and we have begun trash cleanup on the street we are located on and National 3, the main road that is sort of adjacent to our school. So on a street in Delmas, there is a sign that says “Please do not throw your trash here by order of the police” and ironically there is no trash directly in front of that sign but piles to the right and left. We thought that idea was pretty clever so we painted a huge sign on the wall of National 3 saying “Please do not throw trash here by order of President Preval”. Even though President Preval did not say that, it seems to be the way things work in Haiti. You just do something until someone tells you not to.
Doing trash clean up has been so cool to do with the students. We decided that the Twazyeme and Second students would be the ones who participate in trash pick up. Those students happen to be all the students I teach! So I have been able to spend time with my students outside of the classroom in a special way; doing work that is going towards rebuilding Haiti. It’s also crazy to see how many students I have, close to 100! It is really interesting to see the change of their attitude towards this work. At first they were really apprehensive and didn’t want to go out on the main road, but now it has become something that they feel very proud of. A lot of times people will clap for us, say “Mesi”, and once a man donated a broom to us that he was going to sell! On the first day we worked all afternoon after a full day of school and at the end of our time spent working, as we were walking away, we looked back and saw our piles of trash burning beautifully and dramatically in the background. In this part of Haiti and I am going to venture to say all of Haiti, there is no system for disposing of trash, so people must burn their trash. Often times it is simply dumped on the side of the road. Seeing our burning piles was really special because many times when things are burning on the street, you think of violence or as Americans you would want to call the firehouse or something, but this was a sign of hard work and dedication to make the area around our school more beautiful. Our next goals are to paint more signs that are more inspirational and beautiful, possibly planting flowers if financially possible, and providing trash receptacles for people to put trash and then we will burn the trash on our campus.

Financial stuff
There are three things that I find exceptionally valuable about the school that I am working at: the values of equality and work ethic that are instilled in students, the amount of people that the school employs and the fair wages that they are paid, and the commitment the school has to Haiti and the immediate neighborhood that we are in. Because of a bigger volunteer group and difficult economic times, the school has been rePLEASE DO NOT THROW TRASH HERE BY ORDER OF PRESIDENT PREVAL
Everyday the students have work hour where they clean the school’s bathrooms and do general upkeep. There are 350 students and not enough work for all the people so these past few weeks we have started a new program; cleaning up the trash in the surrounding zone. We live in a neighborhood called Santo which is in Croix-des-Bouquets. There are different streets within Santo and we have begun trash cleanup on the street we are located on and National 3, the main road that is sort of adjacent to our school. So on a street in Delmas, there is a sign that says “Please do not throw your trash here by order of the police” and ironically there is no trash directly in front of that sign but piles to the right and left. We thought that idea was pretty clever so we painted a huge sign on the wall of National 3 saying “Please do not throw trash here by order of President Preval”. Even though President Preval did not say that, it seems to be the way things work in Haiti. You just do something until someone tells you not to.
Doing trash clean up has been so cool to do with the students. We decided that the Twazyeme and Second students would be the ones who participate in trash pick up. Those students happen to be all the students I teach! So I have been able to spend time with my students outside of the classroom in a special way; doing work that is going towards rebuilding Haiti. It’s also crazy to see how many students I have, close to 100! It is really interesting to see the change of their attitude towards this work. At first they were really apprehensive and didn’t want to go out on the main road, but now it has become something that they feel very proud of. A lot of times people will clap for us, say “Mesi”, and once a man donated a broom to us that he was going to sell! On the first day we worked all afternoon after a full day of school and at the end of our time spent working, as we were walking away, we looked back and saw our piles of trash burning beautifully and dramatically in the background. In this part of Haiti and I am going to venture to say all of Haiti, there is no system for disposing of trash, so people must burn their trash. Often times it is simply dumped on the side of the road. Seeing our burning piles was really special because many times when things are burning on the street, you think of violence or as Americans you would want to call the firehouse or something, but this was a sign of hard work and dedication to make the area around our school more beautiful. Our next goals are to paint more signs that are more inspirational and beautiful, possibly planting flowers if financially possible, and providing trash receptacles for people to put trash and then we will burn the trash on our campus.

Financial stuff
There are three things that I find exceptionally valuable about the school that I am working at: the values of equality and work ethic that are instilled in students, the amount of people that the school employs and the fair wages that they are paid, and the commitment the school has to Haiti and the immediate neighborhood that we are in. Because of a bigger volunteer group and difficult economic times, the school has been really trying to raise funds for this upcoming school year to help pay for technological advances (we only have 2 computers available for 350 students), materials for work in the community, and just the general cost of educating a student. All students and staff who live on campus eat for less than a dollar a day, but for whole year of education it costs about $950 per student. I know times are tight for everyone, but if you are in the position to contribute any financial assistance to our school, get in contact with me and we can talk about how to do that!
ally trying to raise funds for this upcoming school year to help pay for technological advances (we only have 2 computers available for 350 students), materials for work in the community, and just the general cost of educating a student. All students and staff who live on campus eat for less than a dollar a day, but for whole year of education it costs about $950 per student. I know times are tight for everyone, but if you are in the position to contribute any financial assistance to our school, get in contact with me and we can talk about how to do that!

Week #3: Hello, my name is Miss Russell

Wow, one of the weirdest parts about being a teacher is getting used to being called Miss Russell and not introducing myself as Samantha.  Being a teacher is so challenging.  I knew it was going to be hard, but it is definitely difficult in ways that I never imagined.  Weirdly enough, I am never nervous in front of my classes; it is not similar to times when I have had public speaking jitters.  I really expected to be a lot more nervous and can’t really explain why I’m not!  I’m not complaining though!!  So far the two biggest challenges have been behavior and understanding where each class is and what they need to learn.  I am pretty sure that both of those challenges go hand in hand and the students are misbehaving because the material is either too easy or too difficult.  There has been one class that has just been really really challenging, they are my younger class and even though individually as people they are such sweet kids, in class they are so disrespectful.  Whenever I ask them to do anything they roll their eyes or say something in return.  The hardest part for me is being strict and stern when my personality is much more easygoing and friendly.  The first day of school I was nice and friendly and my classes were completely out of control.  The following day I came to class with a much more serious attitude and the classes began to calm down.

I am learning…

So much about myself and what it means to teach people things.

How to talk very slowly and deliberately.

How to take 10 minute power naps.

That I am so sorry for ever giving a teacher an attitude in class.

I have a lot more patience than I thought, usually.

Being a teacher is HARD!

Like:  Food

So recently we had the chance to go to the grocery store for the first time!  We were dropped off at the grocery store with the principle of our school and told that we should stay in the store to ensure our safety.  The store had mostly food, but also lots of convenience items like perfumes, deodorant, and shampoo.  At this store I bought whole wheat bread, peanut butter, cookies, carrots (!!!), and V8 juice.  For all of that, I spent a little over US$15.

Dislike:  Dust

In Haiti, trash is burned instead of put in a landfill or disposed of in a different manner.  Here on campus we dispose of trash by burning items that are burnable (paper, plastic, and fabric), composting food items besides meat, and burying metal items which can’t be burnt.  This week one of my jobs was to clean out the incinerator with Meg (another volunteer) and a student to burn a whole lot of wood that was taking up space on campus.  Cleaning out the incinerator was so dusty!  It really explains why Haiti is so ridiculously dusty.  Just from about half a month of trash we encountered incredible amounts of ash.  When we were cleaning the incinerator out, we had to sift everything for metal so we could put those metal pieces in the metal pit and not just spread them in a field, where we put the ash.

Like:  The Mountains

We drove about two hours west to spend the day in the mountains at a friend’s house this weekend!  We drove out of Port-au-Prince through Petionville and about an hour into the drive the roads deteriorated into hiking trail-like quality and the scenery changed from dense city life to rural, colorful, and spacious land.  Trekking up into the mountains was such an adventure; as we came upon people carrying loads up the mountain; we let them hop in the back of our pickup trucks.  Some of them would have had to walk many miles on rough terrain or would have had to wait who knows how long for a Tap Tap (the privately owned cabs that people use in Haiti to get around) to come around those parts.  Once we got up to the house, we were ready to stretch our legs for sure!  It was so beautiful; even though it was foggy, the air was so fresh and the area was so lush with vegetation.  We spent the day up there hiking around, playing games with each other (Chinese checkers and casino being the favorites), and eating a lot of really amazing FOOD like hamburgers and hot dogs!  On our way down the mountain we took our time, giving people rides and stopping to check out the view.  The clouds were quickly rolling in as we sped down the bumpy roads and by the time we reached the city again, the rains had started.  Some of the people in our group were in the back of pick up trucks, so they were getting so cold and wet!  The rain was definitely the hardest and most extreme that we have experienced here as of yet.  After about 20 minutes of rain, the streets were filled with about a foot of rushing water.  Because there is not much soil and so much cement, when it rains, it just flows and flows down the streets until it reaches the sea—bringing the trash with it.  Once we got home safe, sound, and exhausted we made sure everyone who had ridden in the back got some warm tea and clothes!  It was definitely not the best day for a pick up truck ride!

UPCOMING FEATURE ATTRACTION:

School starts next Tuesday.  The kids come this weekend, will clean their dorms, and get ready to start the school year.  The theme of this academic year is emphasizing hard work and dignity within that work.  I am excited to teach English but am almost more excited to teach Gym class.  I will definitely update after the first week of classes!!!!!

Week 3:

I don’t want you to be lonely

I think that there are a few times in your life when you feel deep and raw human emotions.  Today some of us saw a side of humanity that cannot be found within the walls of this school that we so comfortably live in.  We went to an orphanage operated by the Sisters of Charity for the morning to hold the babies and play with the toddlers.  When I first walked in, I was awkwardly standing around taking in the scene of crying babies in white metal cribs and women standing everywhere.  For me, this scene was really difficult—there was so much going on and nobody telling me what to do in such a foreign environment.  Human instincts kicked in and I saw this girl who I thought was an infant sprawled in a crib breathing heavily.  This girl was so tiny and her head was so big; I wasn’t comfortable picking her up.  I sat next to her crib and rubbed her arm and back for a long time, just being with her.  She laughed when I played peek-a-boo and I realized that she was absolutely not a baby.  She had a full set of teeth.  This experience put all my problems and complaints into perspective.  I am so glad that I was able to go spend time with the kids, even though it was really hard to be in their world.  Suffering is never going to be pleasant.  Suffering is a large part of humanity though.  I really hope I get to go again sometime soon.

My prerogative

Beginning to do lesson planning for this upcoming year has been a little difficult to start.  I am teaching four English courses and then probably some gym classes also.  At first I started thinking about all the grammar that the kids would probably need to know but was completely uninspired and wasn’t able to really plan anything at all.  What got me really excited about planning these lessons was the thought of breaking the year up into different themes so that all the grammar and speaking practice would be geared towards bigger ideas and issues.  So far I have:  The history of people:  Our stories, Overcoming obstacles:  Everyday Heros to the Famous,  Leadership:  our values and how they affect our character, Making a Difference:  What is out there and how can we create possibilities. I think that everything I am going to teach can fit within these ideas and really keep me centered on what I want them to learn.  So, I think every semester would have two themes, ending with how the students see themselves making an impression on the world around them.  If anyone has any feedback, advice, or ideas for activities for these themes, let me know!

The two things I wrote about above are by far the two biggest themes of my week.  We have 2 weeks until school starts and everything will change then.  Our community will grow from about 30 people to 350!  Though there is always some sort of noise on campus now, I think that buzz will be amplified for sure.  Right now all I hear is the low rumble of voices going about their laugh, frequent laughter, and the beautiful Caribbean breeze.  C’est la vie! 

Don’t run into the door!!!

Friday

Today was a really great day.  It is really interesting how I experience so many emotions and activities throughout the day here in Haiti.  This morning I painted in the hot sun for hours and hours talking with Corey, another volunteer, about everything under the sun.  Our conversation distracted us from the work and the three hours passed so quickly. It was so difficult because I was so dehydrated and this evening I have been feeling really dizzy and sick because of that.

Saturday

Last night everyone learned how to do the Cha-Cha, but I was feeling really sick so I just watched the beginning of Hotel Rwanda (which I really want to finish) and went to bed early.  I really want to learn Cha-Cha!!  Today I cleaned my room, which really just gets dusty with dirt from the windows that are always open.  Its so nice to feel the breeze, but the dust is the downside I suppose.  In a few minutes I am going to be working with a few people to make lunch before Mass.  We are making Bouillon (the Kreyol word for stew), which is an amazing stew with meat and a whole bunch of roots (potatoes, mélange, yucca, and plantains).  Some of us were talking the other day about the difference between the US American view of cooking and the Haitian view.  In the US, we take into consideration what we want and what our desires are when planning a meal.  Here, the basis for planning a meal is determined by the availability of food.  There are a few staples (rice, beans, some vegetables, lots of fruits, and meats) that are the foundation for meals and we cook around those availabilities.  The whole idea of eating locally, or what is available, and eating simply is really inspiring to me.  A lot of times I only think about what I want as opposed to what is realistically available around me.  Anyways, Bouillon is really good, and takes a really long time to cook because we have to peel all of those roots.  Cooking is definitely a social activity around here; just taking your time and spending time with the people you are cooking with.  Nothing here is fast paced or “efficient”, it is a just a different way of occurring in the world.  I am learning to know what time it is because I am more present in the moment as opposed to distracted by 67 million things.

We have been doing some really exciting renovations in our kitchen and one of our projects was to find a way to keep the seven dogs who live on campus out of our eating area.  We resolved the problem by closing the glass door to the dining room and placing screens in the other open doors so the area is completely enclosed.  As we solved one problem, we definitely created a far funnier one.  Since everyone was used to the doors being open, expecting there to be no barrier, people, ran right into the glass, had a moment of complete confusion, and then proceeded to laugh their faces off.  For a while we would all just sit in chairs by the door to wait and watch the next person run face-first into the glass.  Sometimes it was funnier than others, like one guy who was definitely walking with a purpose smacked into the door and the people upstairs came down to see what the noise was.  As much fun as it was, after the tenth or so person, we decided it would probably be nice to put a sign up so we didn’t have to clean face prints off the glass so much and people could be relieved of their unnecessary headaches.  Sometime soon though, if we get bored, we might take the signs down for a while and have some fun.

It’s nice to meet you Haiti

‘Wow! So this is Haiti, or Ayti in Kreyol, the language that is spoken by everyone here. Though both French and Kreyol are the national languages, Kreyol is used in everyday conversation. Driving from the airport in Port au Prince through town and into Croix de Bouquet and into Santo, the town that we are in was such a whirlwind! Everything looked so strange and foreign, but it is crazy to know that this is my new home—Haiti. I’ve wanted to be here for so long and didn’t really realize until I got here how much this place calls to my heart.

So, on a lighter note, I haven’t stopped sweating since I got here and sleeping under a mosquito net makes me feel like I am in the Army, I’m not really sure why!! Learning Kreyol and talking with the Haitian staff about what they like to do, their lives, hopes, and dreams has been so exciting. The young people who are at the school now are all graduates of the school and most of them are attending University right now or are employed as Junior staff who will teach at the school. The world is so open to these guys and they have so many goals and aspirations; it’s really inspiring to talk with them because it reminds me of all of my hopes and dreams! While many of their peers have severe lack of opportunity, it is really awesome to see the future of Haiti standing right in front of me. The food here is amazing!! Beans and rice is definitely a staple and conservation is a must. We get enough to eat, but wasting food is definitely not an option. We compost everything and it is then used to make the gardens  This structured way of life is really important at the school because in a country which generally lacks structure, it is necessary to teach values such as routine and integrity to commitment so that Haiti can continue developing into a thriving and sustainable country.

Favorite things so far:
-The people (duh!!)
-Trees on campus
-Fresh fruit (kanaps, papaya, grenadia, limes, avocado)
-Yucca, mélange, and sweet potatoes
-Sleeping with a mosquito net (feel hardcore)
-The library
-The fact that in any one conversation there is the possibility of hearing English, French, Kreyol, or Spanish
-PRESTIGE BEER (I would compare it to the quality of Budweiser but lighter…)
-Cold water and the one time we had ice in our juice
-learning how to be a teacher

Not so favorite:
-Bug spray all the time
-Starving dogs growling at me because I stop them from eating the compost
-Biting ants
-Always sweating

Send me:
A burger and a cold beer. The end.

List post, for sure

So at certain points during our time in Haiti we are going to get to travel subject to the situation of the country.  My travel wish list for the next year is:

-Jacmel

Being the cultural capital of Haiti, this city is vibrant in its assortment of art, architecture, and history.  Every picture I have seen from this city is full of color and life; it looks really beautiful.

-Cap Haitien

This city used to the the capital of Haiti when it was colonized by the French and was then called Paris of the Antilles.  It seems to have a certain sense of volatility but also elegance attached to it.  This city is also full of rich history and has a vibrant market life.  Two landmarks to visit while in Cap Haitien are Sans Souci and La Citadelle Laferriere which were both built by Henry Christophe, the self appointed first king of Haiti.

La Citadelle Laferrière, the beautiful fortress on the mountaintop

Sans Souci

-The Dominican Republic

Being the neighboring country of Haiti, the Dominican Republic is a place where tourism is popular and work is sometimes found for Haitiens.  We are going to be visiting the DR over our spring break, so if anyone has any suggestions, definitely let me know!

One thing that I feel is really obvious from this post and that I am getting really present to is the fact that I really have no idea what to expect in Haiti or what it is like at all.  I have read some Haitian literature, studied a lot of the history of the Caribbean, and been involved with some relief organizations who do work in Haiti, but I have so much to learn and really couldn’t even pretend that I am any sort of authority when it comes to Haitian culture, history, or politics.  I am so excited to be there and experience Haiti for what it is, what it isn’t, and what it will become.

Bee stings, manual labor, a whole lot of reality&beauty

This morning we got done with our 5 day orientation for the organization I will be working for and have a whole lot of different emotions coming out of this week.  The most distinct are excitement and anticipation.  When I first met the group of people that I am going to be volunteering with, I was really excited but unsure as to the energy we were going to have as a group of people.  This group is so incredibly unique and remarkable; we are all so different in our personalities, interests, and even reasons for volunteering but we all click in a really exciting way.

Everyday of the orientation we did some sort of manual labor as a form of community service and building.  The first day I got stung by two bees after I apparently messed with a nest while clearing brush out a backyard.  Since I am allergic-ish to yellow jackets, I got some Benedryl right away and my ankle just swelled and hurt a bit.  In this weekend down in South Carolina we had 3 people get stung by bees, two of which were pretty bad incidents.  It was really hard to kind of take a back seat role after getting stung but it was really important for me to really understand the meaning of community.  A community is not about me and how I am feeling or what I am contributing but it is responding to what is needed around me and what I am able to give to the project.  There are going to be times in Haiti when I am going to be “stung by a bee” or when someone else in the group is, but the reason we are a community of v0lunteers is to gauge what is happening in the group and be able to come together to accomplish the greater good.

The last night of orientation, we all got together to “entertain” the staff and at the end it turned into one big dance party and constant eruptions of laughter.  I think that was the point when people knew for certain that this year we were going to accomplish a lot as a group.

The biggest thing that still gives me anxiety coming out of this week, when I let it, is the actuality of being in front of a classroom as a teacher with students who rely on me.  I am so excited about it, but I still have a lingering fear that is often present.  Not living in the past or future is going to be so important for me when creating my perspective and my framework for teaching.  Not psyching myself out, but just living in the moment and creating awesome educational moments for the other humans in the classroom, who happen to be my students, is what is going to inspire me towards success.

All in all, this week was really beautiful and encouraging and I am just that much more excited to GET TO HAITI!!

Matthew 10:14-15

Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words–go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.  Amen I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

A little more about the school that we will be volunteering at:

The school I am working at is a Catholic, co-educational, boarding school located in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti, is a community where nearly 400 people live and work together each day.  The community inside of the school is made up of approximately 350 students, 15-20 Haitian staff members who live at the school, 50 faculty & staff who work at the school during the day, and 6-8 volunteers.  Each member of the community has his or her own responsibilities and tasks that must be completed in a structured way that is important to both the school community and the greater community it serves.

Votre Connaissance

Last night I braved the traffic of Northern Virginia, and parallel parked (impressive, I know) to meet with a few members on the board of the organization I will be working with.  Most of them worked in offices in either Ohio or Rhode Island and one was from Port-au-Prince and has spent a lot of time at the school I will be working at.  Along with meeting a lot of the people who have created, sustained, and encouraged aspects of the Project, I also met a former volunteer and a couple who had spent a week at the school in June.  It was so cool to hear their stories about the school and hear how excited they were to go back someday.  I also found out that instead of 6 other people, there will be 10 volunteers total, which is so cool!  In about two weeks we are all going down to South Carolina to the President’s house for training.

I think it might be real now.

So this week I was hit with reality when an email came containing the email addresses and names of the other volunteers I will be working with in Haiti and in addition, the list of stuff that is recommended to take for the year.  I’m not exactly sure why that make me anxious but I think it really set in at that point that I am fully committed to this project and am leaving in about a month and a half.  My biggest fear is that relationships that I have cultivated and cherish so much will falter and not continue to grow; but I as anyone know that this way of thinking is a total cop out and only happens if you let it.  I intended on living a completely unreasonable life, from now until I’m 110, and for me right now that means fully immersing myself in this new and vibrant community that I am joining down South in the Caribbean, and also consciously keep in touch with the people that mean the most to me.

So, below there is a map of the country of Haiti, which is adjacent to the Dominican Republic in the Western Caribbean.  I will be just outside of Port-au-Prince, the capital, in a little city called Croix de Bouquets.  Croix de Bouquets is a city where the art is vibrant, organic food is grown, and the hometown of Wyclef Jean.  I mean, does it get better?  If the atmosphere of the country is secure I will be able to go out to the grocery with other volunteers on the weekends to get food to cook together!  So, besides all of that…this adventure is getting more and more real by the day and I am in nervous anticipation that this may be one of the most defining and spiritually awakening experiences of my life.