Animal Updates

Last week was not a very good week for the animals that live in our lakou (yard) here at Leocadie Convent.

Sometime between Monday night and Tuesday morning, our dogs which are more like security guards than pets somehow got into the pen where our goat was kept.  They killed the goat but did not eat her.  If it had not been for the female goat's growing belly and assumed pregnancy she probably would have been part our Easter dinner.  Since she had not died of an illness and was found soon enough after death, she was butchered and her meat is currently in our freezer.  It turns out she had not been pregnant at all, just started gaining weight as soon as she got here, which prolonged her life.

This was taken on Easter day.  The goat was happy to be in the yard and not on our plates.  

On Friday a sister took her beloved cat to the veterinarian.  The cat was diagnosed with parasites and given medication and expected to heal fully.  Apparently, there was quite a traffic jam on the way home from the vet and the cat was very scared and did not to well during the prolonged transport.  Although the cats are normally left outside the sister took the ill feline to her room to care for him.  He died that evening while we were praying or eating possibly of the combination of stress and parasites.


On a couple of occasions recently, I got a glimpse of a small zandolit(a lizard) who seems to have moved into my bedroom.  When it sees me it hides behind my bureau.  I have no intention of evicting the little creature since it will not hurt me and will hopefully help control the mosquito population. 


On a happy note regarding animals, someone gave the orphanage a dog.  This new dog is of a pet rather than a guard dog.  It is gentle and playful and most of the children seem to enjoy their new friend.  It was a pleasure to see some of the children joyfully playing with the puppy, while I was there on Saturday.  The dog is named "Kado," which means gift.

Kado

Your presence and support is a gift to me.  Thank you for taking the time to read this. 

Have a good week.  Many blessings!   

Celebrations!

On Thursday there was a lively liturgy in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the sisters' school in the city.  Alumni had come from various locations in Haiti, the US, Canada, and Europe for the occasion.  Tents were set up in the yard to cover former and current students, teachers, sisters and others connected to the school in some way who were present. 

What I will remember most from the day was something I just happened to capture out of the corner of my eyes.  Towards the end of the mass, different groups of people were called forward at different times.  As the group of former students who reside locally walked towards the front, I happened to be looking in the direction of the former students who had traveled a great distance mostly from the US and Canada for the occasion.  I saw two women's eyes meet, one living locally and one who had traveled.  Their facial expressions went from recognition to pure joy as they spontaneously affectionately embraced.  Although I know neither of the women and can only infer the basic story because of the context, as an unknown onlooker I was overcome with a sense of momentary joy as I blinked away a happy tear.   

Friday was Flag Day here in Haiti.  I was at the orphanage when the children got out their little red and blue flags and paraded through the yard beating a drum and the wheelbarrow that contained the drum. They sang and marched through the orphanage and schoolyard. It did not matter that there was no one in the schoolyard to observe their festive parade.  In Haiti, Fèt Drapo, is an important day.   

Saturday night the 60th anniversary of College Regina Assumpta continued with a grand fèt.  There was a meal with many courses and live entertainment, in a celebratory atmosphere.  The high school students served as waitresses, bartenders, entertainers, hostesses and a probably a variety of other behind the scene roles.  I had to smile when one of my English students, who was supposed to be working at another table, came to my table to ask me specifically in English if I wanted something to drink.   
       
On Sunday the church celebrated the Feast of Pentecost.  May we all be guided by the Holy Spirit during times of celebration and in the more challenging moments of our lives as well. 

Many blessings!

     

Solèy Leve (Sunrise)

The mountains of Haiti and the sea can make magnificent sunrises especially spectacular.  These were taken in the town of Grand Goave, where I spent a few wonderful days recently.    

It is amazing to me how the sunlight gradually comes in to replace the darkness in the sky.   

 Things are going very well for me. I hope that you are well too. A more detailed update will be coming soon.  Take care. 

Many blessings! 

Daily Diversity

Each week in my work I encounter many children of varied ages and of diverse backgrounds. If you have never spent time in Haiti (arriving and leaving via cruise ship does not count) you may be surprised that I am claiming to encounter such diversity; after all, the children are all Haitian.

While the schools where I work are all ministries of the sisters and do have many commonalities they are also quite different from each other as are the children that they serve.  Even within any one school, there are a variety of personalities and children who have had different life experiences. 

One of the schools, though only about a half an hour away is located in the mountains of a rural community.  This large school has a special classroom for children of different ages who are coming to school for their first school year; their parents may have had very little or no education at all. 

This is only one of several buildings at this school; the top picture was taken at the same school.  

Another school is located on the grounds of a historical park right in the heart of what I would consider a medium-sized Haitian town.

The third is located right in downtown Cap-Haitian, not far from the tourist market and only a short walk from the city's Catholic cathedral.  Cap-Haitian, although much smaller than Port-au-Prince is one of the larger cities in the country. 

This is the primary school building; on the same campus, there is everything from preschool through university level educaiton.  

 One day I might check in on a very young preschool child, who was born in the Dominican Republic where a parent is still working, doing whatever is possible to send enough money to the extended family to support the child.  On another day I may be teaching high school seniors conversational English, at least a few of whom are hoping to and have means to attend universities in the United States.  Every grade and circumstance in between I encounter during a typical week.                      

One day I was doing a psycho-social education lesson for some children at one of the schools. When they talked about activities that are very enjoyable they focused on things like caring for the goats (which are more like livestock than pets) and preparing the gardens for planting.  At another school, (this did not occur in a  therapeutic/ context and I am careful not to include any identifying information) a child playing with a puppet after school told the puppet about an imaginary party the child wanted to plan for the puppet which included a wide range of foods and various drinks and even  expressed a plan to pour champagne over the puppet's head at the elaborate imaginary celebration.

It is a gift to encounter children of such a wide range of ages, circumstances, situations and of different socio-economic classes each week.  It reminds me that so much diversity exists within each culture and country and not to unconsciously assume that cultures I have limited or no contact with are homogenous; no culture is. 

 I can say that each school I have felt privileged to get a glimpse into the lives of the children and to learn a bit about their hopes, dreams, experiences, and challenges.  Each individual that I have had the possibility to get to know more than purely superficially is in some way amazing.   


 It is amazing to me too, that people continue to take the time read my updates, thank you.  I hope you are having a blessed Ascension Thursday.  Take care. 

      

May Day

When I was in kindergarten for May Day we learned about the May Pole dances people do on the first of May in some cultures and we made baskets out of construction paper to fill with flowers for our families.  That is the only specific memory I have related to actually celebrating the first of May. That and an awareness that is also (not coincidentally) recognized by the Catholic Church as the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

Yesterday at the school where I work on Mondays, the sister who directs the school spoke to the children after they raised the flag.  She reminded them that there would be no school today and encouraged them to do work in their gardens, yards, and houses. The years I worked at the orphanage, today was just another day that we were busier than usual because the children did not have school; honestly, this holiday just sort of slipped by me essentially unnoticed. 

In Haiti today is Agricultural and Labor Day.  It is a holiday; normally I would be teaching an English conversation class right now, but instead, since there is no school, I am writing this.  Last night I did a little research on the internet because I recognized my own lack of knowledge regarding the significance of the first of May.  It has a rich history including various themes, traditions, and spanning many cultures including traditional Celtic Spirituality(I will try to stay focused and simply offer this link that I found.) 

In church this morning, the parish priest spoke about this day, recognizing that so many people lack jobs in this country and the problems related to the agricultural situation here.  When I got home and opened my Facebook feed this morning I saw several posts about the first of May; one with similar sentiments to what the priest had shared.   

How do you celebrate labor and agriculture when there is a lack of available work and the country does not meet its agricultural potential? 

According to Index Mundi About 2/3 of people do not have formal employment in Haiti.  Many people who do work are not paid wages that are high enough to lift them out of poverty.  Teachers are not paid here even close to what would be considered minimum wage in the United States.  It is interesting to read articles about social justice issues in the US, such as this one I came across this morning by Network in honor of St. Joseph the Worker. The needs in the US are real; it is important that they bring attention to the plight of US teachers as this article does, and yet when I read such articles while I am here, I often think of how same general problem is so much worse in Haiti.       

The United States is at least partially to blame for some of the agricultural problems here.  The US continues to export to Haiti heavily subsidized American rice which is sold for less money than those who grow it locally are able to sell it for.  Many wonderful fruits, vegetables and grains are grown here.  Sometimes it seems that too many of the same things are available at the same time; at the height of mango season, you can see many merchants sitting side by side all trying to sell mangoes along the roadside. When I see that I wonder, do any of them actually sell enough to adequately meet the needs of their families?  Often it appears that there are many more sellers than buyers. 

So many people  here are working so very hard, simply to survive. People who are equally as deserving as any of us, to the possibilities, rights, and opportunities to thrive.     

Whether you are dancing around a  may pole,doing yard or housework, making construction paper baskets to fill with flowers, or working today, let us be aware of the justice issues related to work and agriculture and allow that awareness to move us to work for change until the last sentence in the Network article becomes a global reality.  Then, we will all really have something to celebrate!   

"All workers deserve dignity, fair compensation, and safe work environments that allow them to shape our shared future and contribute to the common good."   -Mary Cunningham April 30, 2108 (https://networklobby.org/201804302918work/)   

Happy May Day! Blessed Feast Day St. Joseph the Worker!  Bon Fèt Agrikilti ak Travay!  Happy International Workers' Day!