Day 4

February 25, 2011 – Day 4

10:00am Arrive & Welcome at UDICC

11:30am Visit Public School & young Craftsmen, Fruit Processors & Tree Nursery

3:00pm Meeting with the administrative board, local government and community leaders

4:00pm Meet families beneficiaries of the gift catalogue program (ie: Fill a Stable)

It was another beautiful day this morning. There is nothing like waking up to the sounds of a wild Jurassic park bird of some sort (oh the images I have in my mind every time is squawks) and a chorus of goats J outside your window! The spiders decided that I’m quite friendly and they should invade my room. I’d yet to see any until this morning when 4 large ones decided to crawl down my wall and make their presence known. We had a chat and have come to an understanding, I am friendly in that I will not track them down, but I am not so friendly that I won’t demolish them in the event that they decide to overtake my territory. As of tonight, they seem to have understood me quite well. Geckos, Chameleons and lizards are everywhere and I’ve tried a number of time to get a really great picture to bring home to Lex and Cole, but these little buggers are fast too, and they aren’t overly keen in getting their pictures taken, although the Gecko commercial would have you believe otherwise.

I’m frustrated with just how horrible the internet connection is around these parts, mostly because I long to communicate with Chad and the girls and see them on skype, and I’m hoping some of my friends and family that are interested will follow my daily trek and fall in love with the Haitians along with me. But alas….

We started the morning hopping into the trucks again and taking off to UDICC ADP. This drive will be longer, but we haven’t been warned that it will be harder, like we were for the trip to La Belle Mer. I am hopeful and unsure just how long my buttocks is going to put up with this kind of treatment. The scenery on this drive is truly beautiful. We stop at a look off and take some pictures of the beautiful valley. There are many more trees, although the mountains still loom brown and bare above them this area looks much more rich in resources. It seems that this must be the case as we drive through the community. The people are going to market so it seems everyone has a dead chicken under their arm, horses, mules and oxen are a plenty. Everyone is stopping to bathe in the streams we are driving through.

It never occurred to me to hurry as we stopped at the lookout to take pictures, that people would be on the other end waiting for us. Even after the last two days of welcomes, I am again amazed as we drive into their village and are greeted in the streets with a huge, and excellent, fully uniformed youth band. As we crawl out of the trucks and the band plays the community leaders and mayor join us shaking hands. Mayor 1 is quite the character with a top hat and massive glasses. This seems to me like something right out of a movie. Children line the school yards to watch, roosters crow, dogs yelp, horses and donkeys neigh and sigh, this is a busy village!

We are ushered in to the yard beside the ADP Headquarters where we are given special seats with programs near the sound equipment. The band sits in front of us and I am amazed at the sense of celebration. Balloons and streamers hang from carefully hung tarps to give us shade. Two young girls lead the morning with a welcome, informing us that we hold the key to their hearts, the love us, and we are make UDICC our home. The mayor proudly welcomes us and gives us the symbolic key to the city. They call us the Canadian Delegate. I have never been more proud to be Canadian, or a representative of Canada than I have been these last 3 days. As I stand to the band’s playing of my national anthem, I am moved at the contribution it has made in the life of others like the children and families of this ADP.

On the drive up to UDICC, Morose was in the truck with us and began talking about the differences between the countries in WV that he has worked with. He thought it was important to inform us that what he noticed most about Canadians was the desire to make the experience of partnership with WV relational, coming to see the Haitians, to meet with them, know them, have relationship with them. I am proud that this is something that makes us stand out from the pack. I do believe that relationship is the key to making a partnership like this really work.

Following the presentation we were taken to the school. I am so excited about this. The road there is very narrow, almost a walking path, and very steep in places. I look back in the truck behind me to see Laura covering her eyes with her hands as we travel along a very narrow patch cut into a mountainside.

The children are so excited to see us when we arrive. They come running out of their classrooms to greet us. The Education facilitator takes us in to a room to talk about their accomplishments and their needs with us. I watch as one mother’s face lights up when Laura explains to the group that she is there representing her church who sponsor 27 children. So many children, who were not able to school are now benefiting from a good education in a new facility that enables them to divide the children by grade level, instead of all of them in one room. Having said that, there are still upwards of 68 children in a class.

We then tour each classroom. As I walk by the doors I sneak in a peak and give a little wave, the kids are quick to respond with giggles and excitement. We begin in the primary classroom, age 5. These little babies are absolutely adorable and pretend to be shy. Then we move on to Grade 1 and as we walk in I say “Bonjour, comment ça va?”: and they all immediately respond in unison “Bon merci et toi?” They are ready to engage with us. As we move through each classroom the engagement level grows with some posing for pictures, some singing for us. The teacher heart it me wells up to come and teach and share life with these kids, help them get themselves set up for success. They are absolutly delightful. They are dismissed from school as we are about to leave and they hang back watching us. Mike starts shaking their hands and Bernie starts giving them 5, the laugh and giggle hysterically at the interaction with a man so “blanc!”.

We hate to leave but carry on to the Craftsmen and Fruit Processors Centre. The children follow us. I am so glad we visited here. We sat and listened to a man talk about how much he appreciated the centre teaching him to make his own shirts, and shirts to sell and the women show off their embroidery work on tablecloths, dollies etc., which is beyond beautiful. Another young man presents their fruit processing and shares his excitement that now with the hope of work and trade he and his friends and children will not be forced to leave the country in order to prosper, but see the hope in the future if they stay to build their community together. One lady walks us through, step by step, the process of making tomato paste. She speaks with pride in her hard work and success. Another woman comes up behind her and assures us that is it very good tomato paste.

A man steps forward, he is a wee bit excentric looking with a big cowboy hat and in his best English, expresses to Mike that he wants to give him one of the shirts he has made. Mike is so overwhelmed by his gift, but I was not prepared for the women coming to me because they wanted to give me a gift. They folded up a beautifully embroidered tablecloth for me. Again, I couldn’t begin to comprehend the influence WV support makes in their lives.

As the day windes down we travel to another tree nursery to see the benefits of compositing and gifting fruit, avocado and wood trees to the communities families. Here they are learning compositng and proper care for their trees to combat deforestation and increase their resources.

From there we travel back to the UDICC ADP Headquarters for a meeting with local government, officials and leaders in the community to discuss their needs and accomplishments. 70’s American love songs crone over the PA during lunch, and I can’t believe they would have thought of this too. Everything is a deliberate attempt to make us feel comfortable, appreciated and at home and it is intentional! I choke down the chicken, while watching it’s brother or sister peak around under my feet. I may have to be off meat after an experience like this. A young baby dances to the 70’s music and her mother looks at me and laughs. We have a connection, a mothers heart. . WE are all very tired at this point and struggling to stay awake, as much as we long to be engaged. It is interesting to see that the Mayors are so involved in the activities and futures of the ADP.

Another highlight in the day, a good way to wrap it up, was in our final stop before home. We walked through the community to visit a few families who have benefited from the gift catalogue (ie: our KONNECT kidz participated in a Fill a Stable program this Christmas). Here I met a father who had just recently lost his leg in an accident, beam with pride and appreciation for the pig and training for proper care of the pig that his family had recently been gifted. Now his pig can reproduce with other pigs in the area, giving him added resources to care for his two young girl.

Finally we stopped at the house of a mother of 3 children. Her oldest was a sponsor child, her middle boy had just recently joined the program, and she had a baby. She explained to us her story of having been hurt in the earthquake, just 2 months pregnant and decided to travel to UDICC to build her life. Here she has received a goat to help the family. Her appreciation is so apparent, and the significance of gifts like these goats and pigs is made even more real.

Well I can hardly keep my eyes open, so I’m going to hit the sac. It was a full day today, but tomorrow we’ll be flying so high we’re not likely going to need a flight home. Tomorrow, we meet and play, party hard with our sponsor children in the COBOCOL ADP.

~H