Merry Christmas

On Christmas Eve I spent the morning with the children at Kay Ste. Anne.  In the afternoon with all of the children and workers we went to Ste. Louie, the home for the children over the age of six.  There a big meal was served to all of the children and they had an enjoyable Christmas party.  One of the most enjoyble activities was the pinatas.  This is not a Haitian tradition, but a Mexican one, but the first NPH orphanage was in Mexico and the man who oversees the Angles of Light program (which includes St. Anne, St. Louie and the schools) is from Mexico. 

Later, I went with another sister and two medical volunteers from Italy to the Sisters of Charity (Mother Theresa's congregation) for midnight mass.  It really started to feel like Chirstmas especially when we sang familar Christmas hymns in english.  Everyone removes thier shoes when they enter the chapel and the sisters sit on the floor during the liturgy.  Afterwards we had cake and hotchocolate before returning home, in record time since there was no traffic at all. 

Yesterday morning, I went to Kay Ste. Anne, wanting to spend Christmas morning with the children.  There were no special activities planned there for Christmas morning.  When gifts are exchanged in Haiti, they are given more often around the first of January which is when Haiti celebrates independence day, or on the feast of the Epiphany.  Chirstmas is generally celebrated in Haiti by attending church and a family meal.  I enjoyed spending the morning with the children, appreciating their presence and the gift of their laughter and lives. Special moments yesterday morning, had to do with a successful step twords toilet traning for one little girl, and a negative cholera test for a little boy with diareha (better than anything you can put in wrapping paper.) 

  There was liturgy at 5:00 in the chapel, a beautifully simple and reflective mass.  There were two bodies in white bags on the floor of the chapel, cholera victims whose names we did not know.  At 6:00 on the roof of the former volunteer house we continued our Christmas celebration.  It was a fun  party and a delicious meal.  At my invitation Sr. Mary and another friend from Matthew 25 came.  It was great to see them.

Thanks to skype, I was able to wish my family a Merry Christmas.  My relatives including aunts, uncles and first cousins on both sides of my family, have chipped in to purchase a portable library of children's books in Haitian Creole for the children I work with.  This was done instead of choosing names and buying gifts for each other.  I am so touched by their generosity, their willingness to change a family trandition to benefit the children here that just thinking about it, causes my eyes to water.  I am unable to explain to anyone that this is what may family is doing for Christmas gifts this year without crying.  So many people have been so generous to the people of Haiti, and so supportive of my work here in so many ways.  Thank you.

Thanks to for all those in my community, family and friends who sent greetings.  Be assured of my appreciation and prayers.  May you enjoy these days of Christmas!             





Quick and varied updates

This week is going better than last.  No new cases of Cholera among the children at Kay St. Anne, thanks be to God.  At the school yesterday there was a party for Christmas and the beginning of the holiday vacation.  School will resume the 8th of January.

Here are a few unrelated updates you might be interested in:

The child who I was with in the United States while he was recovering from surgery was here at the hospital earlier this week.  The other volunteer who has spent time with him contacted me and brought him over to the school so that I could see him.  He looks healthier, as he has put on some weight.  It was truly a gift to see him, a wonderful Christmas surprise.

Katiana, the child who died of Cholera was buried last week by the chapel here on the grounds of St. Damien Hospital, by the chapel.  On one side of the chapel earth quake victims were buried, now in the ground on the other side, lie the remains of people who died from Cholera. A couple of relatives of Katiana's were present at the funeral.  After the liturgy they decided to take her twin sister home, that maybe they could care for her after all.  I hope and pray that the surviving twin will thrive with her relatives. 

There have been changes in the Cholera hospital.  The sickest people have been moved from tents into prefabricated houses which are more comfortable.  They are the same type of house that I am living in, but in a different location. There is also consrtuction going on there for a premanant structure.

After the comptuer that had previously been my grandmothers broke completely, and my seven year old comptuer failed to connect to internet either wirelessly or when plugged in, someone here gave me a new small computer which is wondreful because I can get internet more easily and more frequenlty. 

Politically things have been fairly calm and it has been safe to go out.  There is apparently a gasoline shortage in the country though which could cause serious problems if it last a long time. 

Well those are my updates.  It is begininng to feel like Christmas. 

May your days be blessed and filled with  joy! Merry Christmas! 
Peace,
Kathleen  

Cholera and Christmas

It really does not seem like Christmas is less than a week away.  Many years it seems like in the busyness of life Christmas just sort of sneaks up on me, but this year it feels different.  There are a few decorations around here and there, but I would not be surprised if the average US shopping mall has more lights and decorations hangining than all of Haiti.  This past week, when it seemed most days we were taking at least one child for Cholera treatment, it was hard to think about Christmas.

Yet, at some point I did think about Christmas.  The story of the first Christmas after all did not take place under a well lit pine tree, but in a make shift shelter surrounded by animals.  Actually, in Haitit there are many make shift shelters; they are the norm for most of the children attending the school where I work.  The hyms and songs we associate with Christmas were not sung in the manger, instead there were the sounds of cows and the sound of a woman giving birth.  Actually, everday I hear these sounds since the little house I live in is right near the the materity ward of St. Damien's hospital, and I pass cows every morning on my way to the school,(which is also in make shift shelters.)  Maybe the gift for me this Christmas is to recognize the presence of God, in the unexpected places, amongst the animlas I see eating trash in the filed,  in the people for whom we there is no roon in the inn or in anything other than a disingrating tent, in babies born in places that do not seem fit for human habitation, in children who could so easily killed not by a jelous power hungry king, but by preventable diseases like Cholera which spread because people have not taken steps to ensure that all the world has acess to clean drinking water and adaquate sanitation.  I am in a place where hope needs to be born everyday; I can not think of a better place to celbrate the true meaning of Christmas.

 Of course that does not mean there are not or will not be moments when I might be wishing for a more comfortable Christmas with my family, my community, or long time friends, delicious desserts and a place where I can take a warm shower.  Yes, I have moments, like on Wednesday just after Katiana died, and while I was somewhere between the school and the cholera camp, I caught a glimpse of an American Airlines plane which had just taken off from the nearby airport and at least for a few seconds felt a bit jelous of the passangers who were leaving Haiti.  Yet when I stop and reflect, I know that yes this is where I am called to be at this time.  If given the choice I would not really leave right now.  It is truly a gift to believe that at this moment in my life I am in the place where I am called to be.

I hope to write again before Christmas, but in case, I don't Merry Christmas.  May you experience the presence of God both in the places you expect and in the people and places you would least expect to find love, joy and hope.  Many Blessings!       



      

Cholera came

On Monday Choera arrived at Kay Ste. Anne.  Working in the cholera camp last week when it was not safe to travel the short distance to Kay Ste. Anne provided me with an ability to recongize it; actually it was the smell which gave it away.  Cholera has a distinct smell, not a pleasant scent, although certainly I have smelled seemingly worse odors though probably less deadly.   The first child from Kay Ste. Anne was taken over to the cholera tents on Monday afternoon.  He tested positive on arrival was given rehydration intervenously and orally, as well as some medication.  He recovered quickly and returned to Kay Ste. Anne aproximetly 24 hours later where he was happily reunited with his baby sister.  Around the same time he was returning another child became ill and was taken over to the Cholera tents.  I visited  him this afternoon, he is doing well; they will send him back to Kay Ste. Anne shortly.

The third child was not so fortunate, a four year old girl name Katiana.  She became ill quite quickly this morning.  Apparently dying within a very short time of the onset of symptoms while staff was in the process of getting her to the hospital.  When I got news of her death I was actually at the school with her twin sister.  It breaks my heart that this little girl who was laughing and playing yesterday is dead today.  A little girl who lost her mother in the earth quake and had experienced so much trauama and loss, now dies so tragically.  My heart breaks today not only for Katiana, but for all of the staff at Kay Ste. Anne, all of the children especially for her beloved twin sister.

Steps have been taken in attempt to prevent furhter tragedy at Kay Ste.Anne. A nures has been hired to spend the night there.  Everything was sanitized very well today.  There is serum oral mixed ready to be given to anyone who does become sick to prevent dehydration.  Staff are becoming vigilent about having children wash their hands more frequently.  

I generally am reluctant to post pictures of the children because I am probably overly cautious about confidentiality, but here is a the picture of Katiana that went out on an email to inform many people associated with NPH of her death.  She was a beautiful child, with a great smile and wonderful laugh.

As you can imagine these are difficult times here.  Please keep the people of Haiti, especially the children of Kay Ste. Anne and in particular the twim sister of Katiana in your prayers.    
      

Katiana

      

What a week!

The week started out more or less like a fairly typical week for me.  Monday and Tuesday I went to the school in the morning to do the groups with the children and some individual play therapy.  In the afternoon I wen to Kay Ste. Anne to do activities with the children.  Then on Wednesday, as a result of the announcement of the elections results everything was different.  People do not believe, and for good reason, that the process was fair, that one of the two candiates announced as the winners who will be candidates in a run off elections really received more votes than another.  People were burining tires, gathering and protesting in different places.  I hardly left the premisis for the rest of the week. Other than remenents of tire fires and distant smoke, I did not directly witness any violence and never personally felt unsafe.  School was cancelled.  Since people could not get to work, there was help needed in the rehydtration center, previously referred to as the cholera tents.

I primarliy helped in the pediatiric tents. I gave children serum oral to drink, fetched sheets and supplies from the depo, changed diapears on babies and older children who needed them not because they are not toilet tranied, but because their diarhea was so frquent and sudden.  Even though my Creole is still quite basic, at times I was able to translate for a doctor or nurse, such as those volunteering from Italy,  who could speak english but not Creole.  I watched children who had almost no energy and frequent diarhea when they arrived one day, smile, laugh and prepare to leave within a day or two.  I saw pain in the eyes of  mothers, a few of whom had multiple children who were ill.  In one family there were three children who were all sick; the oldest sister and baby recovered quickly and then spent a day wathcing their brother who continued to suffer from frequent and severe diareah (there is hope that he will recover.)  Sometimes in the children's tents one meets an ill woman being treated on a bed beside her baby's crib since both are ill.  As most people do recover fully and quickly it is actually a place of hope.  What is of concern is that since there were no tap-taps on the roads for a few days, and people were afraid to travel it is possible that there were people in need of treatment who could not find transportation to the tents.

Today, things seem calmer.  Tap taps are running.  It was considered safe to leave.  I was able to go to Kay Ste. Anne.  It was wonderful to see the children there again.  The calm of course is not likely to continue as the situation has not really been resolved, but let's hope for peaceful, just and quick resolutuion.    

Know that I am well and safe as the grounds here are quite secure, but please keep the people of Haiti in your prayers.

Also, please excuse any spelling errors, as I am using someone eles's computer and I can't figure out how to change the blogspell check from french to english.
    

Anpil Bagay (many things)

A view of the mountains from outside the room where I stayed in Kenskoff. 

It has been two weeks since my last update.  Last weekend, I went to Kenskoff, which is in the mountains.  NPH has an orphanage there, and on the grounds there is a guest/retreat house.  I traveled to Kenskoff on Saturday in a van of children from the orphanage there who had been here, and a sister, Lorraine, who works here in Tabarre. We got off at the Baptist Mission, an interesting place, that has an American style fast food restaurant, a gift shop, bakery, hospital and other program.  I rarely it fast food in the states, but enjoyed it especially the milkshake, since it is not typically an option here.  There were volunteers from Ireland staying in Kenskoff.  I actually had a decent cup of tea (they had brought tea bags with them from Ireland!)  Just sitting around the table drinking tea was enjoyable; a very normal thing, that I have rarely done here in Haiti; I don't even crave tea when it is so hot, but in the mountains it was much cooler. There is little light pollution there as well, and on an unusually clear night, the sky was beautiful so many stars, that are usually impossible to see in other places.  What a wonderful place to begin the season of Advent, as the image of light and darkness is such a powerful one.  Last Sunday, I took a quiet prayer day, enjoying the beauty of the mountains.  Last year during Advent, I really sensed that God was calling me to something different, that I was walking in the dark, barely able to see the next step ahead of me.  Now, a year later here I am in Haiti, a year ago I really did not see that this is where the Spirit was leading, but now here I am, confident that at this moment this is where I am called to be, and where the path through the darkness will lead does not matter so much as being present here, now.   

The presidential election took place last Sunday in Haiti. Apparently, and unsurprisingly, there were many alleged flaws with the process.  The results as far as I know are still unknown.  There have been protests in response to the elections in various places in Haiti, although I have not personally encountered or witnessed any of them.

There are more tents treating Cholera victims here.  A week ago Tuesday I spent some time helping out, mostly organizing supplies and mixing serum oral.  In the past weeks, on the days when there are no bodies in white bags or cardboard coffins on the floor of the chapel it seems almost empty.  One day one of the youngest children in our program was taken to the tents, but fortunately she did not actually have cholera, but diarrhea caused by something else.  After spending a night and getting treatment including rehydration she was sent back to the home, and is doing fine.

On Friday afternoon, I had visitors.  Dr. Coletta who works for Holy Redeemer Health System, was in Haiti with a group of medical professionals doing surgery in Croix de Bouquet, which is not too far from here.  His entire team came for a tour.  It was a truly enjoyable visit!  He brought medical supplies from Holy Redeemer that surely will be put to good use here and are of course very appreciated.  

Every three months there is a family day for the children at Kay St. Anne and Saint Louie.  This occurred yesterday.  While all of the children are considered orphans many of them do have some relatives who may not have the means to care for them, but do love them and are able to come to the family days.  If the poverty was not so extreme and life so harsh for so many, probably many of the children would not have been sent to our programs.  It was an interesting and emotional day.  Some of the children were so happy to see their relatives, and so sad when they left.  Many other children had no visitors at all.  I spent time sitting with, holding, playing with or simply just trying to be present with these children.  The older children had prepared a program of songs and dancing for the visitors; it was well done.   

My work continues in the mornings at the school and in the afternoons at Kay St. Anne.  It is such a privilege to be able to offer play therapy to children, to journey with them, to witness their playing and processing of trauma and loss, and to watch them grow.

I am doing well here, and hope all of you are as well.  Many blessings during this season of Advent

Happy Thanksgiving! (and more typical updates.)

The weeks are going by quickly and although the mornings and evenings are pleasantly cool (at least relative to when I arrived in August,) it certainly does not feel like late November to me.

My groups with the kindgerten children are going fairly well.  The children really like the puppet I am using.  It is a turtle puppet, which I have decided to call "Ti Toti," which means "little turtle."  Now when some of the young children see me walking around the tents which is their school, they will ask for Ti Toti, I respond, "Ti Toti ap donmi", which means he is sleeping.  It is quite fun to work with the young children.  I began play therapy with a second child as well this past week.  My hope is that the workers at Kay St. Anne will do activities with the children after school even if I am not there.  This will enable me to start working some afternoons with groups of the children ages six and over, who live in the orphanage at St. Louie, which is on the same site as the school. 

All volunteers have been asked if possible to try to give some time at the Cholera tents to help out and be a supportive presence to the people, at least temporarily until administrative workers are hired.  I went over there yesterday for the first time.  There were a couple of large tents for children and a couple of large tents containing adults.  It seems over the past few days people have arrived soon enough after symptoms began that they could be re-hydrated quickly.  Yesterday during morning liturgy Farther Rick announced that nobody had died at our cholera tents for a few days.  While I was there for a few hours yesterday, I helped with copying some of the paper work for record keeping purposes and worked with another volunteer to mix water and re-hydration salts to form a serum that patients drink.  The tents seemed better organized than I expected and many established protocols are in place to prevent the spread of the illness, such as  soft mattresses soaked in bleach water people must walk on when leaving to kill any cholera germs that may have attached to one's shoes.  it seems that such prevention startegies are successful, as even those working directly with patients everyday for many hours are not catching the illness.  On one hand it seems under control at the moment, as there seem to be 40-50 patients there at a time, but there are several empty tents because some are predicting that it could get worse before it gets better.  The fears are around the crowded tent communities that lack sanitation.  I think I was a little nervous about going over there, mostly fearing that it would be chaotic and somehow overwhelming.  This was not the case at all.  As I sat helping with record keeping in the depo tent, I could actually hear singing coming from a tent of Cholera patients.  

While this coming Thursday is not a holiday in Haiti, I do believe that my being here has increased my thankfulness as my gratitude for what I have grows especially for what I have often taken for granted, but realize so many don't have.  I am also thankful for my family, friends, community, and all who are supportive of me in many ways especially at this time.  I say thank you to you, anyone interested enough to read this.    

Happy Thanksgiving!                  

This week was filled with a variety of activity.  I spent Monday at Kay St. Anne after I learned that there was no school, (which was after I showed up at the school.)  It had been canceled because they had taken down the tents that are used for classroom in anticipation of the hurricane that occurred the end of the previous week, and needed the day to resurrect the tents. This week, I started doing play therapy with one of the children who attends the school and lives in the orphanage; I felt that went well.  Yesterday, I went shopping with a child who needed underwear and watned to buy a birthday gift for the couple that works at Kay St. Anne.

We now have electricity and running water and even a working air conditioner in our house.  Much appreciated luxuries!  Another volunteer, a speech therapist from Luxembourg has moved into our house the other day.  I must say I do meet a variety of kind people who come here to work.  This week there was a group from Ohio who came to do medical care, who I enjoyed meeting as well.

The Cholera problem has come closer.  If I go on the roof of the building where I am sitting, I can see what is now referred to as the cholera tents.  It was decided to create a separate area for cholera victims rather than put them in the pediatric or adult hospitals here; to prevent contaminating other patients.  Yesterday morning, when I arrived for daily mass at the chapel, there were a few bodies of cholera victims in body bags and in small card board coffins on the floor of the chapel.  The daily liturgy was actually, a funeral mass for a few individuals of various ages, who probably arrived at a hospital when it was too late to help them, perhaps after making long journeys.  If people get IV fluids and immediate treatment, then they recover fully and quickly, sometimes within a few hours. 

Often from my little house, I can hear the cries of women in labor since my house is behind the maternity wing of the hospital.  This morning I heard such cries, and then later as I sat praying I was facing a nearby field.  On the other side of the field is a crematorium.  I watched as a truck pulled up to the crematorium, as a bag containing a body was removed, and a few minutes later a gentle almost clear smoke came from the chimney.  As I sat, a butterfly came close, and I became aware of the full cycle of life which surrounds me and all of us everyday.

Well, hopefully you are doing well.  Please continue to keep the people of Haiti in your prayers.
Take care,
Kathleen  

Pa malad

The child I accompanied last week is doing well.  He was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon.  The local contact person from the Marco Island Rotary Club who paid for the surgery, was working the polls and was unable to come for us on Tuesday.  We could have spent the night in the clubhouse (like a Ronald McDonald House), but as life has a way of working out, my parents were on vacation in Florida and were willing to come for us.  It was great to see them!  How grateful I am for them.  They were able to help me figure out the directions and measure the medications he needed that evening. They reminded me that they had done this before (36 years earlier my own twin sister, who was an infant had a similar surgery herself.) 

It was a privilege to spent time with this little boy.  On Friday we returned to the hospital for a check up.  I translated for him when the doctors told him he is fine, all is well.  When he asked me in Creole if he is no longer sick and I could tell him, "wi, ou pa malad," I almost cried tears of joy.  I was touched by the kindness of the people.  The hospital staff who worked hard to find foods that he would eat, the woman behind the counter at Publix who was Haitian who gave him a piece of chicken to try, and thanked me for helping her people, the security guard at the hospital who because I had the bracelet on that parents usually wear, told me I did not have to wait in line because I need to save my energy for my child, the couple from the Rotary Club who sacrificed to take us around, my parents who donated the use of their condo and were so helpful during their own vacation. The little boy himself, the courage he had to come to a foreign land with strangers and the hope of getting better. 

I am also feeling better.  As I had been sick the previous week, spending time with one sick child mostly in  air conditioned places in the cooler (than Haiti) weather up North in Florida, was good for my recovery from those parasites and amebas that were living in me.  I am also grateful to the doctor in Naples who saw me for free for follow up based on my lab results from Haiti.  I am still taking the antibiotic but have felt fine for a week now.     

The week went quickly.  I returned to Haiti yesterday.   Hurricane Tomas, had come through the area the day before, but it was not nearly as severe as some predicted or feared it would be.  On the way from the airport to NPH we did have to drive through some very large puddles, but otherwise there was not any apparent damage on the route that we took.  Apparently other areas of the country did get heavier rains which caused some problems.  It seems too that at least at this point, from what I have heard, the Cholera has  not really reached this area in epidemic proportions, let us hope and pray it stays that way. 

I hope that you are well.  Many Blessings!Take care. 

Love, Kathleen
(Is that better?  I did get accurate feedback that the previous entry ended kind of abruptly.)

   

There are so many things I could write about since my last update.  Last Monday, I took groups of children from kindergarten to at least introduce them to the psychoeducational program I will be doing.  There were  challenges, like finding something to put on the ground so the children could sit, since the program is in a tent without a floor which sits on stony ground.  The tent I was going to use did not have any walls; at one point there was a generator running   nearby and older children had recess; they kept coming into the tent in groups mostly out of curiosity; so I kept asking them to leave. 
On Wednesday I was sick; we were all pretty certain it was not Cholera as it  had not reached to Portapince area and I did not have the symptoms which differentiate Cholear from other stomach problems.  Since this was the third time I had gotten sick in approximately two  months, even though each time I had recovered with in a day, it was recommended that I go to a hospital to get checked out.   It turns out that some parasites and amoebas, (no where near as serious as Cholera)had made their home in my gut, thanks to antibiotics they are being evicted and I am feeling better.  Being sick teaches me a lot about humility.  Once again, in the midst of my simple suffering I realize how fortunate I am, as I have heard stories s of people who are suffering from the more devastating illness, Cholera in other places in Haiti, who do not have easy access to clean water and what most of us consider basic necessities, never mind for the the means to go to a private hospital like the one I was sent to. 

I am updating this blog from the Connie Clubhouse of the Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Florida.  I am responsible this week for a Haitian child who had surgery last week.  After open heart surgery he was discharged, but when fluid developed around his heart he was readmitted.  He is a delightful child.  I will be with him until Saturday when the volunteer who is his official guardian while he is in the USA, returns from an NPH meeting in Nicaragua.  It is truly a privilege to accompany a child in this situation.  It is also truly an injustice that due to fears of illegal immigration the child's mother is not with him. 

As the plane was descending to land in Miami, I clearly identified the Florida International University Campus, the dorm  and library where I had class last summer were both easy spot. 

Kenscoft, Ministry, Cholera, Child, Kay, Province

Kenscoft
Last Sunday I went with Fr. Rick, another sister, a volunteer from Ireland, a man who is from Mexico who oversees the Angels of Light program, a man from Haiti, and a driver to a place called Kenscoft, which is in the mountains, where NPH has had an orphanage for many years.  The drive was long and beautiful.  It was considerably cooler up there, I borrowed a jacket from a long term volunteer to wear during the liturgy.  I enjoyed meeting some of the children and especially some of the children and young adults who have disabilities. After the liturgy we had a lunch which consisted of popcorn, then soup and lastly chicken.  On the way home we stopped at a place that sold statues , and Fr. Rick bought the only two that did not appear to me to be broken, both statues of the Blessed Mother, one was placed in front of the crematorium which is behind the children's hospital, the other is for St. Luke, which is the adult hospital.

Ministry
Well my ministry is evolving.  After observing at the school for several days and having discussions about what I might be able to do to address the needs of the school, it was decided that I would implement a pscychoeducational program, beginning with kindergarten.  I will teach skills such as conflict resolution.  In the afternoons I am still going to Kay St. Anne to do activities with the children there.  Eventually I will probably do activities and lessons to reinforce the psychoeducational program in the afternoons at both orphanages.  I am excited about this idea.  I will be using ideas and adapting concepts from a curriculum used at my previous ministry.  I am quite excited about this.  Since I knew the classes were large, I decided I will work with the kindergarten classes in groups, taking half of the class at at a time.  Then when I get the list of the names of the children in the four year old class, I thought I wish I had said I would divide them into eighths when I saw 97 names of the enrollment list!  

Cholera
There is a cholera epidemic in Haiti.  The region where it began is a distance from here, but it is likely it will reach the Portaprince area quiet soon, if it has not already.  The children's hospital is planning for it.  I worry about the children at the orphanages and school here as there are certain conditions that I think could cause an illness like that to spread easily.  On the radio, the government UNICEF and others are reminding people to wash their hands.  The fear is that cholera will spread quickly and be especially devastating for the thousands of people living in crowded tent communities.  You can probably get better details by watching the news and reading newspapers and websites, than I can tell you.

Child's surgery
There is a child who was sent to the United States for open heart surgery last week.  He is doing quite well, surgery went smoothly and he will be discharged soon.  When the volunteer who is with him goes to Nicargua for a meeting, I will go to Florida to stay with the child.  I will be state side from November first through the sixth.

Kay mwen
The other day air conditioners with remote controls were installed in our houses!  This is very exciting, although we can't use them yet, because we don't have electricity, but we expect to get both electricity and running water in the next few weeks.

Province Gathering
Today, thanks to the technology of webcams and internet (SKYPE) I was able to sit at a kitchen table in Tabarre Haiti, while attending a pre-chapter province gathering in Huntingdon Valley Pennsylvania.  It was a pleasure to see so many of my sisters!

Well, as you can see there is a lot going on here. 
Please keep Haiti in your prayers.         

A few brief updates

So, as I have not had any success recently in getting my computer to connect to the internet, I am writing this blog update on Word and hopefully can copy and paste it into the blog either when I can connect my computer to internet or if I save it to a thumb drive and paste it when I borrow someone’s computer. 

Since there are only four babies at Kay St. Anne in the morning, I am now going to St. Louie which is the school the children ages three and over attend.  The school is located where the children in the residential program who are over the age of six live.  In addition to the orphaned children, many other school age students come most from nearby tent communities where they reside with their families.  This week I mostly observed in different classrooms to get ideas as to how I can be supportive to the children and their teachers.  One of my biggest frustrations is that it is still often difficult for me to comprehend what people are saying to me in Creole.  At the school I  understand considerably less, because many of the lessons are taught to the children in French.  When I am with many of the youngest children I realize that they don’t fully understand the songs they are singing or what the teachers are saying either, after all, those going to school for the first time are essentially hearing the French language for the first time.  All of the classes are held in large tents which don’t have electricity.  The primary educational methods used in Haiti are route learning, recitation, copying, memorizing, and singing in the kindergarten classrooms.  I was able to participate when they sang the only French song that I kind of know Fera Jaques (I don’t know how to spell it though.)  The school day ends around 12:00, then the children eat a meal usually of rice and beans in their classrooms.  After school I go with the children who live at Kay St. Anne to their home where I am assisting the staff with doing activities with groups of children.  The centers I set up on the roof for the children to play are working out reasonably well. 

Tomorrow another volunteer from the United States and a nine year old Haitian child who most likely needs to have open heart surgery are leaving for Florida.  Assuming he has the surgery as planned, and needs a few weeks to recover, I will likely replace the volunteer, for several day in early November when she needs to go to a meeting somewhere else.  This is not definite as there are several factors that could cause the plan to change, but there is a possibility that I will be Florida caring for a child for several days in early November. 

Last weekend I went to Matthew 25 to visit my friend Anne who was my study buddy in Creole class last summer.  It was great to see her again, and I enjoyed spending a night at Matthew 25.  While there is no doubt that I am now in the ministry that is a better fit for me, I also find that I am grateful for the connections and people at Matthew 25.                            

Well, while I am unable to connect to the wireless which may or may not be working, since nobody else seems to be waiting here to plug thier computer in for internet, I will try to catch up. 

Nearly two weeks ago on a Friday afternoon, we had a bad storm which came quickly.  It was extremely windy and the rain was quite heavy; it may have been the remnants of a tropical storm; it felt to me like a mini hurricane, fortunately it did not last too long.  At Kay St. Anne, where I work the storm blew some tree branches to the ground but did no real damage.  There were problems however where the children over the age of six live.  There was one mild injury of an teenage who comes to the program for the day because something blew off the roof of a container and hit her in the mouth.  There, tents blew around, water got into the tents and places where the children stay (shipping containers converted into long term shelter), look-out towers that security guards used at night blew down. 
 
Compared with the problems there and in the many tent communities in the area, the water in my house was minimal.  The irony is that the tent I used to live in stayed perfectly dry and all of the new houses like mine which were supposed to be hurricane and earth quake proof had water in them.  We learned that the crew who assembled the prefabricated houses had not put on some finishing touche which include sealing the seems of the houses; they have completed them now.  My cardboard box bookshelf seemed more clever before it got wet.   Recently, I was given real shelves for which I am very grateful. 

Last week all 40 of the children were home all day, as there was no summer camp or school program.  Kay St. Anne was quite a busy place!  Everyday the children bring a smile to face and most days break my heart as well.  It is such a privilege to watch as a baby learns to walk.  Yet, I felt a deep sadness upon hearing a two year old orphan with a fever cry out, "momma, momma."   

The children at Kay St. Anne have started their school year this week.  All of the children who are three and over are going to school in the mornings now.  This week I am using the mornings to help the cook who works there use some of the large supply donated food since the directions are in English.  This morning on a typical Haitian charcoal stove, we heated up large precooked packages of rice and Beef Burgundy which was created for the US army.  I am also in the process of organizing a space in a porch like area that is on the roof of the house, for the children to play in the afternoons.  We are planning activities for them for after school; although the past two days for reasons related to transportation they did not come back until after 2:00.   

I had been asked a couple of weeks ago if I would like to go on a bus trip to the beach with the people who gather for liturgy near Matthew 25.  I expressed interest, but then the date changed.  I found out on Saturday that they would be going on Sunday, but I had no idea how I would get there, as I don't have a car, and have yet to develop any sense of direction here, nor would it be safe for me to take a tap tap by myself to Matthew 25, so said I would not be going.  Then, I was offered a ride.  Never do I remember being so excited about going to the beach.  A driver, the priest, a volunteer who is at Matthew 25 and about five others arrived at the gate by St. Damien hospital in a crowded SUV at 10:00 am.  There was also a full school bus which they had charteded for the day as well.    Like many buses and vehicles in Haiti, the school bus was likely a hand me down from the United States, at least I don't think there is a Pottsville Area School District in Haiti which can afford a school bus like that and if there is they would have painted the word "lekol" on it instead of "school."  The drive to the beach was wonderful.  It was really the first time I had left the general Purtaprince area.  We drove for about two hours through smaller towns and rural areas.  We saw large tent communities on the sides of mountains which I was told have sprouted up more recently as some people who were living in the city were relocated, although there did not seem to be much around them in terms employment or resources; the only visible advantage I could think of was that the tents and shelters were not so close together as they are in the city.  As we got closer to our destination, there were tall mountains on our right and beautiful ocean views and occasional resort signs on our left (including a sign for the Obama Hotel.)  The beach was a piece of land someone said had been left to the diocese.  The water was clear, calm and a beautiful turquoise color.  There were people on the trip of varied ages and it was wonderful to see so many people really enjoying themselves.  I  learned that for my Irish skin applying a number 70 sunscreen four times is insufficient when spending three hours at the beach in Haiti, oh mezami!
 

      
            

Very brief update

Greetings! 
I have much to say but as the internet has been spotty and there are a lot of misquotes in the room where I am using a computer that is actually able to access the internet; I will exclude the details for now.  Things are generally going well.  I am fine.  My days are full.  I am enjoying working with the children.  I truly feel that at the moment I am where I am called to be.  There are many challenges that are truly stretching me in a good way.  Know that I appreacite the love and support of all of you at home or wherever you are at the moment.
Many Blessings!
Love, Kathleen  

Hello!  I hope you are well.  The wireless is not working here.  I will update the blog once it is when I have more time to be online.  In case  you heard about the storm we had on Friday, or was wondering why I have not responded to emails for a few days, I am perfectly fine, but the storm did seem to effect the internet.  In case you did not hear about the storm, maybe I'll write a bit about it, when the wireless is fixed.

Community and Friends in Philly, I hope Oktoberfest went well.  I was thinking of you!

Take care.
Love, Kathleen
  

Ti kay

I have moved.  I am now living in a house.  It is very near where the tents are, on the same property.  In fact, as the house does not yet have running water, I am using the toilets and showers and am eating by the tents.
Living in the tent was a good experience for me.  At times it had challenges of course.  Sometimes I felt like I lacked privacy, because I certainly had less privacy than I am accustomed to.  When I wanted a moment to  myself someone would come into the tent.  Yet, as I recognized the challenge of this, I also realized how even as I perceived that I was lacking something, I still had so much more than most people who live in this country and most people on the planet.  Certainly, the tent I was living in assured me more privacy and was considerably safer and more comfortable than most of the many many post earthquake tents, some of which are makeshift, that are found throughout the city and surrounding areas.   

A a few of the articles of clothing I brought with me have become stained and ruined. When this happens I feel disappointed, as I think oh, I liked this shirt and now I won't wear it out in public again. Then, I realized I still have many other shirts, and I think of the children at Kay Ste. Ann.  They do not have their own clothes, they wear whatever fits them.  A long dress worn by a toddler one day is washed by the laundry women the next, and the following day the same dress may be seen on a five year old girl, coming down to her knees.  The individual child there really has nothing at all which is considered his or her own.

Being here has truly been an experience of simultaneously tasting poverty, while recognizing my abundance and becoming aware of how privileged I am.  I imagine, that there are a couple of people who after reading the first sentences of the previous paragraph started thinking about how to get clothing to me, to replace what has become ruined, but I truly do have more than enough.  I have supportive family, community and friends who have the means to help me replace whatever material possessions I loose, to fix what breaks.  Oh, how I wish everyone had that! There is nothing I have done to earn this, and those who don't have it are no less worthy of such support than I am.

This week at Kay Ste. Ann, I began working with small groups of children.  I have crayons colred pencils (which are also called crayons) and paper and allow them to draw whatever they want to draw.  I think it is going well, and the children seem to enjoy it. .  This appears to be quite different than what is typically done in this culture, as I have watched the children sit and wait while the teacher draws pictures for the children to color in.  On a couple of occasions while children were drawing their own pictures, adults came by and tried to draw shapes on the children's papers and told them to color them in.  I try to explain in Creole that I am using a different philosophy and would prefer the children make their own pictures.  I often need to remind myself that I am in a different culture where people think differently and where what I expect to happen is not what will actually occur.  One day the workers at the house turned on the generator and put on Chipmunks Movie for the children; an American movie, dubbed in French.  When the chipmunks were dancing and singing the children seemed to enjoy it, however as they could not understand the story well; most lost interest after a little while, (all of the children who were home are four and under.)  After a while most of the children drifted out of the room, nobody called them back in when they did, so I was playing outside with them.  At some point I realized that two children were still watching the movie with three adult workers.  I asked the adults, why more adults are watching the movie than children.  I was expecting at least two adults would come outside to assist me with the children, instead they immediately called all of the children back in the house and told them to "chita" (sit) and "gade" (watch.)  I had to laugh at myself for being so surprised by this.       

Oh Rats!  
I liked living in the tent especially in the beginning.  One night though I heard something in the tent, which scared me.  It sounded like a big animal.  It was difficult to go back to sleep.  I tried shining the flashlight on it, and making enough noise to scare it, while not making so much noise that I would awaken the other women in the tent; this proved impossible, actually.  As it was the middle of the night, I hoped I was just dreaming.  The next morning, there was a wrapper and a little piece of a chewed granola bar as well as a lovely little present on the floor of the tent.  The next night I zipped the doors well and checked that the velcro on the bottom of the door was attached to the Velcro on floor of the tent under the door.  I was convinced that this would prevent any large rodent from entering.  No such luck! It came even earlier, announcing its arrival with the sound of the Velcro coming unfastened. It found another one of the Italian lady's granola bars.  When I went to girl scout camp as a child, they would not allow us to keep food in the tent because they said we would get animals in the tent.  So, a couple of weeks ago, that when I did purchase a few snacks I also purchased a plastic container with a lid which sealed well, made sure packages were closed well, and placed the container on a bench.  I don't think the Italian lady ever went to Girl Scout Camp.  I tired to ask her, to zip the flaps and be sure food was put away, but since she still does not understand English or Creole, and I have not learned more than one word of Italian, this was a challenge.  She responded by saying a word that sounded a lot like "disinfected." 

So, between rats and bedbugs and challenging communication, when on Thursday, I was told that if I wanted to I could move into one of the little houses, with other long term volunteers, I did not hesitate to say yes!  The houses are new, prefabricated, and quite lovely. There are two long term volunteers in each house.  We were told that we would eventually get electricity and running water.  Then we were allowed to run an extension cord from the hospital for electricity!  We were given two brand new lamps; I was able to use the cardboard boxes from the lamps to make a book shelf.  I am still able to come to the house that was for long term volunteers but will soon be offices for the nearby adult hospital, to use the internet.  (There could however, at some point be a short period of time when I will not have internet access.)

Because some Americans were coming to do surgeries at the hospital, and they would be staying in the tents, the sister who is the administrator of the hospital put out some traps and caught a few rats.  I think she caught the one that came into my tent, because I did not hear it at all during my last night in the tent.  The other morning, from a distance I saw a rat.  During daylight hours, when the rat was outside and a quite a distance away, I must say, it was kind of cute!    

Ti Kay yo (the little houses)

Home Sweet Home

The picture is a little dark, but this is my room.

This week my heart broke when the most malnourished child I have ever met, the smallest three year old I have ever seen, ofered me the cookie she was eating.  It broke again when the same child sat next to a baby I was feeding and tried to catch drips from the baby's chin so she could eat it. 

I could not help but laugh when in the midst of a temper tantrum a young three year old started yelling "wo jezi, wo jezi" (king Jesus) repeatedly.

The baby house as Kay Saint Anne is sometimes called, is certainly a busy place.  There are many social and emotions needs that the children have.  Sometimes I feel frustrated about situations and have to remind myself that the staff there has a different cultural perspective and has not had many educational opportunities.  Some concepts related to cultural perspective are more challenging to understand and accept.  Somethings may not be possible for me to compromise very well, for example, my western understanding of disease transmission, as a result I insist that when I give the children water on not using the same cup for all of the children, unless I was going to wash it in between each child.  I say things to the kids like, "lave men ou apre ou itilize twalet (wash your hands after you go to the bathroom),which I suspect many of the children are not used to hearing.    
My frequent use of handsanatizer did not prevent me from getting sick though, but I am getting better.  I was in bed most of the day and just got up to check email, try to skype with my parents, update this blog and then I'll probably go back to bed; I expect to be better tomorrow.

The smiles of the children, make it all worth it.  When I arrive at the house and say bon jou, I tell them mwen kontan we' ou jodia, I am happy to see you today, and everyday it is true.         

My first full week working with NPH completed.  The children at Kay St. Anne are beautiful.  I am really feeling like this is where God has called me to be.  It is truly a gift to have that sense, that at this moment I am where I am supposed to be. 

This does not mean that this is always easy.  While I have made some progress in learning Kreyol, I am still far from fluent.  The children usually seem to understand me, but I don't always understand the adults.  Even when I do understand the words or what is being said, I am sometimes puzzled because of cultural differences and perspectives.  At times because of their culture and understanding the workers in the house are strict about things that would never occur to me to expect of children, but may not encourage the children to do or not do things that I because of my upbringing and educationwould would want children to do.  Such situations cause me to learn about myself and at times challenge me, as I wonder what is simply opinion and what is truly best for the children. 

Several new children came to the house this week.  It is now full to capacity.  One little girl who arrived on Friday, is extremely malnourished.  Although she is three years old she is smaller and weighs less than most one year olds.  Her body is scarred and bruised as well.  It is a sad situation, but there is hope for her because the program is able to provide her with a safe place, and nourishment physically and emotionally. 

Fr. Rick, who is also a doctor is the person who oversees all of the NPH programs in Haiti.   He returned to Tabarre in the middle of the week.  Daily liturgy resumed in the chapel.  His first day back the list of children who had died, in the hospital while he was away was read.  There were many names.  The following day the liturgy was also the funeral mass for the people who Fr. Rick and others were going to be burying; every Thursday they bury the unidentified dead from the area.  On Friday Fr. Rick spoke about Haitians who were detained for no reason. While liturgy is happening we can hear sounds of mothers and children waiting to be seen for medical care, or babies crying from their hospital rooms.  My challenges are quickly put into perspective.   
   
For all of you, in the United States Happy Labor Day.  I hope you are having a good weekend.
Love, Kathleen

Today and Tent

I spent the day at the house where the younger children. Some of those children go to the school/camp program during the day, but the youngest stay at the house.  A woman comes and does activities with them. It was a lot of fun.  Two new children arrived around lunch time.  Later when I was playing outside with the children, one of the new arrivals looked at me and said, "manman mouri." (mom's dead.) 

It amazes me how people can do so well without things we in the United States generally consider necessities.  Without highchairs, bibs, special baby dishes, baby spoons, or napkins, Haitians seem able to feed babies while sitting with them on the floor, and without getting food all over their own or the baby's clothing.  I fed a baby too, but I will not comment in details on the condition of the clothing of baby or me when we were finished.  Actually, I think I have been to American baby showers where one can find more things for babies than you find in this house where 40 young children reside.
 
I am now sharing the tent with a short term volunteer from Italy.  She seems very nice, however we do find communication a little challenging. If I understood her correctly, she is a midwife; I don't think she understood me when I tried to explain that I am a social worker.  She tells me things in Italian, which I don't understand, I respond in a mixture of English and creole, or say something in English and then try to say the same thing again in Creole; she understands neither language.  She smiles frequently and is quite pleasant.  She gave me a couple of granola bars, which are tasty.  When she was unpacking she showed me things she brought with her which include packages of pasta and little jars of pesto.  Since she moved in, I have learned to say "grati" (thank you in Italian, although I may not have spelled it correctly.) 

The front and side of the tent.  It is in a cluster of identical tents.  

 

The front door! Welcome!  

Yesterday I had time to take pictures of the tent, so you can say that it really is a nice place to live.  I took a few pictures of the grounds which I may post another time.  I have not taken any pictures of the children and at this point I would not feel comfortable posting anyway, in time I will get a better sense of what is appropriate and if I am comfortable may ask permission to post some pictures of the children.  The reason I don't typically post pictures of people is in many circumstances I feel like I probably should get  their permission first; at times I am probably overly cautious about this; but I hope you enjoy the pictures of the tents.          

My bed, belongings and much appreciated fans (they were there when I arrived as was the mosquito net!) There are 6 beds in the tent.  Only mine and now one other are being used. 

  

Kay

Today I went to the house where the youngest children in the program live.  In the house, there are 40 children under age 6 who live there.  A couple lives and works there, and there are several other workers as well.  The children are beautiful.  In the coming weeks, the plan is for me to spend a lot of time there, helping out, and observing.  Eventually my supervisor and I are going to do some training for the staff working there.  The program is new, so some staff development on topics related to childhood development, and social emotional needs could be helpful.  At some point I may do some individual or group work with some of the children depending upon the observed needs.  I look forward to returning to the house tomorrow.  Have a good weekend.
Love, Kathleen     

New Beginning

Greetings from Tabarre, Haiti!  Thanks to many of you for prayers, support and birthday greetings. 

Before I left Matthew 25 yesterday, Mary gave me a delicious little birthday cake which we ate for dessert after lunch.  I will miss her and the people who work at and visit Matthew 25.  I am grateful for the experience I had there; I feel like it was a good place for me to be while I was transitioning into Haiti.

Yesterday afternoon, I arrived here on the grounds of St. Damian's hospital in Tabarre.   Last night I went out to dinner with my supervisor, a sister who works at the hospital here, a long term volunteer, and a Haitian American woman who is a doctor, she works at a hospital in Philly most of the time but comes here to work for one week each month.

  I am beginning to work with the Angels of Light program for children who have been displaced since the earthquake.  Some of the children live here; because they were identified as being orphaned or lacking family they could stay with.  Others come for the day, from nearby tent communities.  The children are beautiful.  I enjoyed meeting some of them yesterday afternoon and this morning.  The children participate in a wide variety of activities during the day such as dance, sewing, drumming, and calligraphy.  There are a few other programs on the grounds including the hospital, and a day program for children with disabilities.  

Obviously, I do have internet access here for which I am grateful.  My tent has electricity, lights and a couple of much appreciated fans; it is probably a lot nicer than most people imagine a tent to be.  I am the only one staying in that tent, even though there is plenty of space and six beds!  It is in a group of tents  for volunteers.  The grounds here are beautiful.  I have met some very nice people.  There are two other sisters working here, one in the hospital and one in the program for children with disabilities.  Someone pointed out that now each program on the grounds has its own sister!
           

Today and Tomorrow

Today I was able to go for a ride with to some volunteers who are staying here and a man who works here.  We went to down town port a prince.  I brought my camera but I had no desire to take pictures; so my camera remained in my bag.  Most of the historical places were surrounded by tent communities or else were in ruins or both.  There was a group of people praying by a fence which surrounded the crumbled cathedral.  We saw poverty which I can't describe.  We also saw beauty in the people, in the distant mountains and sea, in the art work we passed. 

On the way back, my phone rang.  They have a space ready for me to move into the program called Angels of Light in Tabarre.  Most likely I will move there tomorrow afternoon.  I am looking forward to it.  The first weekend in September I am going to come back here to Matthew 25 to help out just for the weekend since Mary will be at a board meeting and there are guests coming.  That will be good.  

Table

Here are some pictures of the table we painted over the weekend.  A volunteer named Nancy, is truly a talented artist.  I helped with some of the simpler things. It was great fun!  I took these pictures before it was sealed with polyurethane.  Once this table was finished she went to work on the other table; perhaps I'll post some pictures of that soon.    

I had a nice weekend.  It was relatively quiet here at Matthew 25.  On Saturday night we went out to eat, thanks to someone who stayed here and gave us money to do something.  We went to an excellent Chinese restaurant.  A couple of times over the weekend, I walked around and visited with some people in the tent community.  It is always enjoyable to talk with the children and interesting to talk with the adults.  Another highlight of the weekend was on Sunday when I was able to  use skype to talk with family and a couple sisters from my community; technology is amazing.  

Today I was able to meet with a Haitian woman who does EMDR therapy.  We had an enjoyable lunch.  She was able to help me to better understand the culture and shared some of her experience and expertise with me.  For this I am very grateful! 

Painting

Yesterday I helped to paint a wall in the kitchen here at Matthew 25 and applied a second coat today.  I helped someone who is volunteering here for several days to paint a dinning room table.  It was the table that was used for surgery just after the earthquake. If you would like, you can guess why there is a picture of a foot on the table.  The woman who is volunteering has a lot of artistic ability.  She did most of the work, I helped by paining in some of the easier things.  It seems that I have had a lot of opportunity to do things here that I don't consider myself to do well, but I have basically done okay and for the most part have enjoyed them.  I do make an effort to find time to walk though the tent community and talk with people most days, I will miss them.  There are many beautiful people.  Some people are amazingly joyful even in the midst of challenges I can't imagine.    

I am still not sure exactly when I will move to the other program.  They are in the process of moving things around, and hope to have a space, well actually a tent, (but a really nice one) ready for me by early next week.  There is someone who is interested in coming to Matthew 25 to volunteer long term.  Apparently she expressed an interest previously and was turned away because I was coming.  I am glad that she may have the oppertunity; it is a great place, just not what I am feeling called to right now.  Hopefully it will work out well for her, maybe she will be good at and enjoy book keeping and laundry. 
I hope you are all doing well.  Take care.
 Love, Kathleen

Bookkeeping, Revisited.

I asked Mary what needed to be done. She had a pile of receipts and a paper a volunteer had written which had some kind of record of the receipts which were handwritten and not in order.  She asked if I could put the receipts in order of date, and we decided that it would make sense to type the list of receipts instead of having them on the handwritten page and total them up.  I was about half way through this task, when I realized that I was doing the one thing I most resisted and doubted I could not well, Bookkeeping!
Okay, so, I am more capable of doing bookkeeping than I thought, although I still believe most others would do this more efficiently.   Even though it was not quite as difficult as I thought, I am glad it is not what I do everday.  Of course I might regret saying that, because someone else may expect it of me at some point, so don't tell anyone.    

Angels of Light

Today I went to visit and learn more about a program which serves children who have been affected by the earthquake.  Each day some children come from nearby tent communtities for school, although since it is summer vacation now in Haiti, much of the day is more like a summer camp.  Other children live there, because they may be orphans or do not have family able to care for them.  I got a tour of the program, met some of the staff and children.  What a wonderful  program.  There were a variety of activities going on for the children while I was there.  It feels like a place where my skills will be utalized, and where I am feeling led by the Spirit.  The program I will be working with is called Angles of Light.  It is one of many programs in Haiti run by an organization called, Nuestros Pequanos Hermanos, which has various programs, mostly orphanages in several countires in latin america and the caribbean. Fr. Rick Frachette, a passionist priest oversees the programs in Haiti.  The grounds are well maintained, large, and feel safe.  It is located just outside of Purtaprince, very near the US embassy.  I will be able to do some clinical work there, and perhaps help with training some of the staff about trauma and therapy.  It seems the program itself is evolving.  They are in the process of creating housing out of large shipping containers for the children who live there.  Many of the children are still in tents.  I expect to move there sometime next week and begin work.  As I did not go through the normal volunteer application process, the first month is a trial, and if that goes well, I will likely be for a couple of years. 

      

Exploring other Options

The hospitality house is an interesting place to work. There are many good things about it. While it has been a good experience, I am not really doing work that I feel called to do, not using the skills I have, and I often find myself trying to do things that I am not especially good at. An 11 year old child came by and helped me hang sheets and towels on the clothes line yesterday because she noticed I was not doing a very good job of it; she truly had a much better method than me.  Apparently I did a poor job of folding or putting the sheets in the closet yesterday as well.  It is important that places like Matthew 25 exist and that people flying in to do missionary or humanitarian work out in the provinces have an affordable, safe, comfortable place to stay on their way into or out of Haiti.  I truly have an appreciation for it, and for all that Sister Mary does to make this place run smoothly.  It is just not the work I am feeling called to do at this point in my life.        

I am exploring other options here in Haiti which will hopefully be a better match for my skills and hopefully benefit those who are in need.  I am going to visit a program for children this week.  Hopefully this will work out, if not something else will.  Please, pray that I can truly be open to the Spirit. 

Please also pray for Sr. Suzanne who died recently and all of the Sisters of the Holy Redeemer as we mourn her loss and will miss her presence.   

One of the guests was going to check out a solar oven program for a group he is volunteering with, and asked if I wanted to come along; it was great to get out a little.  We walked some of the way and took a tap-tap part of the way.  My first ride on a Haitian tap-tap! 

There is pleanty to do around the house as we have lots of guests coming and going.  Today I took a ball to the tent camp and played with the children; it was fun. 

I do enjoy talking with the visitors. 

Gourds and Dollars

Greetings from Haiti!
 
Today two people wanted to pay for either items from our giftshop or lodging using a combination of Haitian gourds and american dollars.  This was complicated but once I knew what number to multiply by, and with a little assistance from a caluculator, I figured it out.   

A young woman who lives in the tent community had expressed an interest in learning English.  I brought the picutre English/Creole Oxford Picture Dictoranry which we used in Creole class and a few people sat with me as we looked at a few of the pages and I practiced my Creole and they learned a little English.  It was enjoyable, but I left a little sooner than I otherwise would have because a thunderstorm was coming. 

The people who stay here are typically very generous and kind.  I enjoy meeting people from all over the United States but do wish I could have more time to interact with the people of Haiti. 

Today I joined a group of people from a parish in Iowa who went to home for children who are sick run by Mother Theresa's sisters.  Volunteers can go at certain times to play with the children and hold the babies. It was a good experience.  The children were beautiful.  Some appeared to be so much younger than their actual ages, which was sad; a few of them seemed quite sickly. Playing with them was quite enjoyable. 

We have many beautiful things here at Matthew 25 hospitality house, which are made by local artisans which we sell to the people who stay here.  The items are quite varied and of great quality.  Everytime I go in the room where the itmes are kept I see somthing new and feel amazed.  Some of the paintings seem to me to be of the same quality as the ones hanging in the art exhibit we went to during the Haitian Summer Insititue at the museum on campus at FIU.

Yesterday they said that the cistern is full, a rarity here, so we don't have to be quite as careful about water usage as usual at the moment.  The rain at night seems to cool everything off, but it does create a lot of  mud and can cause difficulties for the many people living in the tents.    

Finally, Skype and my webcam were both working this afternoon.  A little while later I found out, that we did not have internet.  There is some kind of a limit to the amount we can download and skype is too much. So after spending a lot of time in Miami and some time here trying to get this to work, which caused problems for the internet connection for the house; I uninstalled the programs.  There is a cybercafe accross the street which I may try using.  Apparenlty it costs $1 an hour.

 We have two mission groups staying here tonight. One is coming in from woking in a mission, preparing to return to the states; the other group just arrived and will go out to thier mission. 
I did go out and just walk around in the tent community today for a while this afteroon.  I enjoyed that a great deal. 
   

First full day

Yesterday morning, Sister Mary and I went to liturgy.  It was held in someone's yard.  At first, I thought this was probably due to a church being damaged from the earthquake, but that was not the case, the neighborhood does not have a church building and did not prior to the earthquake.  It was mostly in Creole, though some of it, and about half of the music was in French.  I like that it is held at someone's home, that is afterall how the early church began. 
 
In the afternoon, I walked though the tent community in the soccer field.  People are very welcoming and friendly.  I was able to talk with people, they are amazingly patient with my poor creole.  For a little while I kicked a soccer ball around with some of the kids.  So many people seem to live in such a small area.  It was enjoyable to be with them for a little while. 
 
Mary and I were invited to dinner at the family house of the priest who presided at the liturgy yesterday.  He, his sister and brother were all very kind and hospitable.  A true Haitian meal.  The food was delicious.  It was a very large and beautiful house.  There were a couple other people from the community which gathered for litugry that morning also there for dinner.  It seems we are located in a very nice area of Portaprince. 

We are expecting 17 guests tonight, which should be interesting.  Hopefully I will soon have Skype and the webcam my parents gave to me working on the same computer at the same time soon.
Take care,
Kathleen         

Safe Arrival

I arrived safely in Haiti today.  I am writing from the hospitality house.  It is very nice.  My accommodations are very good.   

There were no major problems getting here, just a couple tiny glitches which were worked out relatively quickly.  For example, I was sharing a taxi from the dorm to the airport with another student because the dorms closed yesterday and I was flying out today.  This made sense because we were both going to the Airport Days Inn; only I did not know that there were two Days Inn Hotels in Miami that have airport in their title.  So I ended up at the one that did not have my reservation; my classmate did have a reservation there, but they could not switch mine, fortunately they both have free airport shuttles, which is how I got from one to the other. 

I used the hotel airport shuttle this morning as well and apparently dropped my wallet in the airport shuttle, which I realized I did not have at the baggage check.  I called the hotel as soon as I realized I had lost my wallet.  They found it in the van and the shuttle driver brought it to me quickly.  I am so grateful for the Days Inn Airport shuttle drivers!

It took a little longer for me to get picked up at the airport than I expected, but things have a way of working out. 

We passed many people in the streets on the way to the house.  It is a densely populated city.  There is a lot of rubble from buildings damaged during the earth quake.  We passed many tent communities all around.   It is hard to describe; my words are not doing it justice.  I got a tour of the house, met some people.  Sr. Mary took me through the tent community in the soccer field.  There are a lot of children.  People are friendly.  We went to the grocery store which was not too different from a small grocery store you might find at home. We bought frozen pizza which we had for dinner; it was quite good. 
It just started raining and there is a wonderful breeze which is cooling everyhting off. 
I hope you are all doing well. 
Take care,
Kathleen   

Exam Today, Haiti Tomorrow!

The next time I update this blog, I will be in Haiti, si Dye vle.
 

Mesi Anpil!

I had a wonderful weekend.  Ana's perpetual profession was beautiful.  It was wonderful to see community members, family, and friends in Philly.  The missioning for me during Sunday liturgy was very inspiring for me.  Thank you, thank you, and thanks be to God. I am fortunate to have so many people in my life who are so supportive.   

I returned to Miami late Sunday night for my last week of class.
Now, I am finishing a paper, preparing for a presentation, and have a final exam to study for, while taking care of a few last minute things, as I prepare to leave on Saturday.   
I will write more later.  Know that I am grateful for the support of so many.  Please be patient with me if you are awaiting an email response or a thank you note.
Many Blessings!
-Kathleen
    

Time is going quickly.   I had a great a weekend, the highlight was seeing manatees!  We had a test yesterday, and have a paper due on Thursday. 

The unexpected conversation about specific expectations with the executive director of the parish twinning program did leave me feeling a bit confused. I have since communicated with Sr. Mary who actually works in Haiti at the hospitality house. I believe that there will be a way that the skills I have will be used well in Haiti.       

Thank you to many people who have emailed.  I have gotten behind in responding, but I do enjoy reading them and appreciate the support of so many and I intend to catch up soon.  

This coming weekend I will be in Philly for Ana's perpetual profession and a missioning for my ministry in Haiti.   I look forward to seeing my community, as well as some family and friends this weekend. 
Take care,
Kathleen

Bookkeeping???

Two weeks from tomorrow, I will arrive in Haiti, si Dye vle. 

Today, I had a voice mail message stating that someone who I was going to be working for in Haiti, was trying to reach me. All of my communication before today has been with Sister Mary; and that was not the name of the person trying to reach me now. Fortunately, as I mentioned earlier Anne who is in class with me has been to Matthew 25, and is much more familiar with the program there than I am. She recognized the name and confirmed that the person trying to reach me is in charge of the entire parish twinning program, which includes Matthew 25.

I called the person during my lunch break from class.    She wanted to touch base with me and talk about the expectations they have for what I will do at the hospitality house.  She was very nice and provided me with some basic information about the parish twinning program and history of the hospitality house.  Of course, I expected that I would have some responsibility at the  house where I am planning to stay, but that the focus of my ministry would be with people in need, thinking especially of those living in tents in the soccer field.  While all along I have assumed that I won't really know exactly how ministry will work out until I am there, and have felt a need to be open to possabilies, and let it unfold, I did not really consider that I would be expected to do a couple of the things mentioned during this phone conversation, especially the bookkeeping for the hospitality house. For any readers who may not know me well, while I think I do a pretty good job of managing my $80 personal monthly stipend, I have very limited experience and did not inherit my mother's genes in this area (she is an accountant and always loved math.)     

I reread many of the emails to and from Sister Mary; I think I was clear about my desire to use my social work skills, to serve those in need and never falsely indicated that I had desire, aptitude, nor felt called to bookkeeping.    

I went for a walk after class to try to make sense of this.  I am puzzled by a few things, which I am seeking clarification about, but I am confident that things will work out, because they always do, although often in unexpected ways.  Life is interesting!  

Yes, two weeks from tomorrow, I will be arriving in Haiti, si Dye vle!