Haiti, Eye-Opening

It's not always been easy communicating across the miles but I have communication from Shelley-Ann and these are in her own words....

Haiti has been quite eye-opening.

I understand that I really just don't understand.

There was so much that I didn't expect. I expected the people to be beautiful, but I didn't know that they would look so much like family. They are so varied in so many ways. There are buildings that are completely untouched by the quake. Others, like the ones that are completely devastated or the ominous piles of rubble standing by roadsides that make you clutch your chest and leave your tongue stuck to the roof of your mouth.

I didn't expect the country itself to be this beautiful!! Watching the news media you would think that the hot, dusty inland cities pulsing with people and teeming with piles of garbage was all there is. There is more than the scenes of the thatch roofed market places and open sewers running with dirty water.

The views here are breathtaking. The country is green and luscious and the soil has a fertility that our bustling metropolis and industrial farms could only dream of.  Our row upon row of monogenetic plants cannot compare to the beauty of these rolling hillside farms stretching upwards from gigantic yawning valleys and surrounded by fruit bearing trees.

I didn't expect to be late.  It is already business as usual.  When survival is first and foremost in your mind and when you are reminded daily that your life is your most precious commodity, you have no time for rocking back and forth on your heels. There is no time for an existential crisis. Human beings are resilient. Haitians are resilient. When you need to feed your family, you do.

Life has changed for them, yes. There are football fields full of people sleeping in tents. I am worried about what will happen in a couple of days when the hurricane season begins.

Life has changed. But life, TRUE LIFE is comprised of more than what is currently happening to you.

I will never say "Why me?" again.

Lesson Learned. Life changes, and the beat goes on.
.

Photo Story

Shelley-Ann in Haiti with children, her favourite people

Hatians Learning English
Shelley-Ann brought some lined booklets with her thinking
that she would need them for the children activities she planned. 
Instead, they came in handy for the ESL classes that she taught.

Some ESL Students from Haiti, now residents of the Dominican Republic.

Haitian girl showing off the toothbrush from Shelley-Ann.

Game on! Children at play with Shelley-Ann and Staff

"Campimento" EDIFY

What a Ride!!

“The English class was awesome!”  I was unable to get more information immediately about the ESL classes that she taught to Haitians but the one line above says a lot.

Let me continue by saying, although Shelley-Ann's heart has been for missions, she’s never actually had experience working in the field – well, not that I know of.  She now completely understands why there are few people who feel called to do Missions....

"Who could keep up this pace for any length of time??" she says.  She affectionately nicknamed Pastor Iris "Iris 'wastes no time' Hernandez!! That woman does not stop moving if she can help it."

Shelley-Ann went to Valiente and mentioned that it was fantastic.  She says the kids were simply fabulous!! They put on several dances and sang many songs. They were young but they were like little dynamos!"  She was able to to speak to the kids a little bit and although she didn't tell me what was said, I can imagine that she inspired and encouraged them to be their best selves.

She mentioned that the poverty of the kids was evident and that the church which is their main meeting place was basically a poured concrete floor and wood walls.

She talked about how there was only one light bulb hanging somewhat precariously from the ceiling.  Pastor Iris explained that they were just recently able to provide electricity for these children and they were so proud of the light! Everyone brought a flashlight though just in case the generator ran out.

When reading her note, I started to think about how privileged I am and that I take everything for granted. 

I remember last year sometime that the electricity went off.  I was beside myself with confusion….. and was not impressed that they (whoever they were) waited until it was getting dark to cause the light to go away.  I grumbled as I scrounged around to find the candles that are always so elusive when I really need them. That wasn’t all, the TV wasn’t working, the radio wasn’t working…. now what? What am I suppose to do?

When was the last time you turned on the light and didn’t expect it to come on? In 2003 when power was gone for days maybe?.

These children didn’t even have light much less have the chance to expect it.

Shelley-Ann shared with me that it is not unusual for the power to be gone for hours at a time, every day, at certain times of the day.  I puzzled over that for a while because I know that there is a lot of tourism there yet the locals sometimes don’t have electricity daily? I can only imagine why.

She also went to La Romana and described it as ‘REAL poverty’. and indicated that “it's hard to explain”.  I read through several articles myself on the internet and Haiti has been described by the majority of the articles as “the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.”  When she was talking about the poverty in Romana, all I could think was, oh boy, she’s going to see more REAL poverty today when she lands in Port Au Prince.

Booked and Ready to Go

The arrangements have been made, accommodations are in place. Shelley-Ann will continue on her mission to Haiti and cross the border. The earthquake caused major damage to Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other settlements in the region. After a brief stop in Port-Au-Prince, she'll be heading off to Jacmel.

Shelley-Ann is joining a group from Plan International who have been working in Haiti long before the earthquake - since 1973. Plan states, "Our experience and long-term presence in Haiti means we could respond with emergency relief immediately after the earthquake hit, and that we are remaining in the country to rebuild for the future. Our main focus right now is on helping children and their families build strong, resilient communities and create a better future for all Haitians." It's good that she's able to join this group and will meet up with Ngozi who is an Ambassador for Plan.

I'm not sure how much we'll be able to communicate with Shelley-Ann as she moves to the next part of her journey but one thing is certain, she is there being the best that she can be to whoever needs her help.

What Preparation!

Before visiting Haiti, it was important that Shelley-Ann receive vaccinations and medications for vaccine-preventable diseases and other diseases that she might be at risk for. 

She had to visit a clinic 4 weeks before the trip to allow time for the vaccines to take effect.  Medications recommended were:  Hepatitis A, Typhoid, Cholera, Rabavert, influenza, Tetanus, and Malaria pills (she has to take these up to 1 or 2 weeks after she returns).

Because Shelley-Ann is going back to the bobsleigh circuit, she had the added responsibility of ensuring that she would only be taking vaccines/meds mixed with acceptable ingredients so that she would continue to pass her random drug tests. 

She visited a clinic that specializes in Travel Medicine, squeezed her eyes tightly, flung out her arm, received her needles and pills and she was ready to go.  She will be visiting Port-au-Prince and Jacmel in Haiti. 
 
Did anyone see that article in the Globe and Mail about the struggle that Haiti is having to keep schools open?  There's also a blog from Jessica Leader from the Globe and Mail that I found interesting.  She gives an interesting account of her assignment in Haiti.