Beach, Madi Gra, Airport

Beach 

Yesterday was our annual trip to the beach with all of the children.  Everyone enjoyed a wonderful day at the beach.  The day was very enjoyable but similar to last year's trip and the the previous year's trip so I will not bore you with redundant details.

When we went to the beach one of the mini buses we typically use was not available, so we borrowed a driver and an SUV from another convent.  We used one mini-bus, the SUV, and the orphanage pick-up truck, all of which were full.  In order for all of the children, sisters, two visitors and the mothers who care for them, many of the oldest children rode it the back of the pick-up truck.   On the back seat of the SUV, where I sat which (by American standards) was designed for three adults, there were three adults and six children.  Recently I saw a motorcycle with one driver and five children. It seems to me that, you can take the number of people the vehicle is designed for and multiply by three and that is the number of people you often find in a single vehicle in Haiti, many more if it is a pick-up with people in the back especially one that has been transformed into a tap-tap.          

  

Madi Gra Masks made by children decorate a window

Madi Gra

The children had a little Mardi Gras celebration on Friday.  Relatives of one of the Canadian sisters who are visiting helped the children to make masks.  They paraded into the nearby school yard singing, dancing and playing the drums.  It was an enjoyable activity for them.  The masks were quite creative.

For a community activity on Friday night, the sisters and postulants where I live danced around the community room in celebration of Madi Gra and just for fun. We really enjoyed ourselves.  I hope you had a happy Mardi Gras!

Airport 

While outside at the airport sitting on a bench waiting for the orphanage mail on Thursday, I watched as local people were trying to sell various items.  One man had a basin filled with what seemed to be a collection of vitamins and pills.  Because he took the container off of his head and put it on the ground near where I was sitting, I could see that some of the pills would require a prescription in the US ( antibiotics for example.)  Others tablets seemed to be out of their original containers and not well marked. I wondered if the seller knew what illnesses the pills were supposed to treat.  Someone walked by carrying a few used books that were also for sale.  A man had some radios that looked new.  Another guy was selling phone chargers, passport covers, and flashlights.  I did not see anyone buying anything.   In the past, I have encountered people selling paintings, nuts, oils of some kind, shoes, and things like superglue and padlocks.

There are so few formal jobs here in Haiti. There are so many people trying to find a way to make enough money so that they and their families will survive, and maybe have enough for their children's school fees.  While I watched these sales people who were not having much luck I felt compassion for them.  Just carrying their items to the airport area in the Haitian sun required effort.   The night before I had been reading on-line information about how the Unites States is increasing the deportation of immigrants who are "illegally" in the US.  It is easy to understand why local people would leave their country (even without proper visas) in search of employment prospects and possibilities that are so scarce in their homeland.  What will happen if all of the Haitians in the US who are not fortunate enough to have proper documentation are forced to return?  What is the government of the United States sending people home to?  What will they do?  What is the motivation for deporting people?  Who will benefit?  Who will be harmed?          

 A couple of links about the situation:
 http://www.ijdh.org/category/topics/immigration-topics/
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/immigration/2017/02/17/united-states-accelerates-deportation-haitian-migrants/96956498/
     
 

Let us pray for one another as the season of Lent begins tomorrow.  Many blessings!  

Funeral and Other Updates

Funeral
The sister who died two weeks ago was buried on Saturday.  Relatives of the sister came from Port-au-Prince an New York.  We enjoyed hosting her relatives at the convent where I live.  There was a prayer service Friday evening and another one Saturday morning.  After the Saturday morning prayer service which was at the high school in the city, we processed on foot to the nearby cathedral for the funeral liturgy.  Next, we walked in procession to the Holy Cross cemetery which is on the property of school sponsored by the priests and brothers.  A reception at a nearby convent followed.  The funeral and prayers were very well planned, almost entirely in French, a little longer than I would have expected but certainly a wonderful tribute to a woman who lived her religious life fully and faithfully.

Other Updates:

I finally learned the name to the flowering tree that I have written about several times during the past year.  It is called a Shaving Brush Tree.  I had expected a prettier name, but I suppose the flower does resemble and old fashioned shaving brush.   

Although I refuse to blame the little tree frog (see my post from two weeks ago) and see it is a comical coincidence I actually seem to have a very small wart developing on my right thumb.  Nanna Nealon is probably smiling from heaven.  Oh well, at least my eyes are still intact!    

I hope that you are well.  Thanks for taking the time to read this.  Take care.  Many blessings!



        

Valentine's Day and my Sunday off

This was written on Tuesday afternoon; it is only being published now because I was unable to get a decent internet connection on my laptop since writing it.  

Happy Valentine’s Day!  For me, some years Valentine’s Day passes by with my just barely noticing it.  Honestly, I don’t remember doing or having anything special for Valentine’s Day last year.  This year here at Leocaide Convent chocolate was placed by each sister’s and postulant’s door during the night.  The dining room table was well decorated for the occasion.  At each person’s spot was a little pretty paper Valentine basket, which had been hand made by the postulants.   We even used the good china at both the noontime and evening meals!  There was a box of chocolates on the table at supper tonight too.  The chocolates had melted and then solidified, but they still tasted great.  

I had planned to spend this week in Pilat working at the school.  There was apparently a lot of rain in Pilat making it impossible for the driver to come for me, so I did not go. Plans can change so easily, so much is beyond our control.   At one point, I had planned on going to Pilat on Sunday, but even before they got a lot of rain, I learned that no driver would be available on Sunday.  I had already told the older children at the orphanage that there would be no groups on Sunday.  I decided to take Sunday off because I figured I would be working on Tuesday which is normally my day off.  It was nice to not work on a Sunday.  When we got home from church, I actually took a long nap; I very rarely ever nap so this was surprising to me.  That evening the postulants and one of the sisters were going to a concert and since I was actually home I was able to go with them.  The biological sister of one of the sisters is an excellent singer.  The school auditorium where the concert was held was full of people.  Some songs were in Creole, others in French.  In addition to the sister’s sister, there were other talented singers, musicians, and dancers.  It was an enjoyable evening out, for which I am very grateful. 

Have a great week!  Many blessings!  

Krapo (Frog)

Krapo
I am not sure why frogs get such a bad rap, after all, they eat mosquitoes which are scientifically known to cause illnesses.  When I was a child, my Irish grandmother told me, that if I touched frogs I would get warts.  I never believed her, and being the nature lover that I was (and still am) this never stopped my twin sister and me from going to a little pond in a neighborhood vacant lot and catching frogs.  Several years later I did get warts on my fingers from time to time, but I never did blame the frogs.

One day last week, I passed a group of school children who were supposedly doing homework but were obviously quite distracted by the presence of something on the ground.  I asked what was going on and they said there was a frog.  I suggested they leave it alone and do their homework.  Then I heard a child tell me that the frog could pee in someone's eyes and make their eyes pop.  There have been a few occasions when I have accurately understood Haitian Creole but thought to myself I must not be understanding; this is one such example. When I asked, "what?" trying to imagine how a frog would come to urinate in a child's eye, never mind the image of the possibility of an eye "popping."  Other children started telling me the same thing, convincing me that they really believed this.  I asked, "where is the frog?"  They pointed to the ground.  There was green tree frog just barely bigger than my thumbnail.  I scooped it up into my hand; it did not move.  If it was still alive it was in terrible shape having been damaged by fearful children.  The children said, "Sister Kathleen, you're not afraid of frogs?!"  I told them I was not afraid of frogs; I decided not to tell them that my twin sister and I liked to look for and occasionally catch frogs for fun when we were their age.  I explained that I did not really believe that the frog would pee in my eyes and make my eyes pop.  I gently threw it into the grass away from the picnic table where the children were doing homework, hoping that it would survive and maybe even eat a few mosquitoes.  Thankfully, it did not urinate on me.  If I do develop warts on my hand in the next few days, then I will know that the Irish superstition is the true one.      

I don't have any good frog pictures, so I'll share this newly taken flower and bee picture instead.

Other Updates:
This morning we received news that one of the elderly Haitian Sisters of Holy Cross died.  Her death was not expected. She did not wake up this morning.  Please keep the sister who died, all of the Sisters of Holy Cross and the family of the sister in your prayers.  Thank you.

Haiti's new president officially took office today.  Let us pray for him and for Haiti.

I hope that all is well with you.  Have a good week.  Many blessings!