Back to Work!
Trip Start
Aug 19, 2003
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11
14
Trip End
Feb 20, 2004
Mirebalais, Haiti
Tuesday, December 2, 2003
Today is the 2nd of December, a school day for me. I just finished my morning class. Now I will rest for a while until my 4 pm class this evening. My students are at all different levels with their English but I feel that they will soon catch up with each other. Their comprehension is memorized so they do not know much grammar or structure, just basic conversations. They are products of a strict French passed school structure that does not allow for interaction but only repetition and constant memorization. In the early mornings, you can pass the students standing outside their houses reading and repeating their previous lessons over and over in an attempt to remember everything for school that day. The Haitian school system is completely outdated because they are still using the French school structure from about 100 years ago. Despite the fact that 100% of the population speaks Creole and only about 30% speak French, all schooling is completely in French. If you don't speak French you are considered uneducated so they students always ask me if I speak French and they can not believe that I only speak Creole and English. I tell them that it is not necessary to know more than English in the US and they cannot believe that! I also tell them that it is difficult to learn languages other than English in the US because there is not that many opportunities to immerse yourself in other languages. They say that's the reason they cannot learn English easily. While I was at first slightly worried about 8 hours of class being a little much each week, because it is a secondary project, I feel now that the classes keep me busy and I am making friends in town.
So, I arrived back in Mirebalais yesterday, after spending five nights in Myisod with other volunteers for Thanksgiving. I arrived there last Wednesday. Thursday was Thanksgiving but because that was also the market day, we decided to have Turkey Day on Friday. There were 13 of us in total. We stayed at Lea's house, which has five rooms and a concrete roof from which you can star gaze. Thursday night we had a tropical dance party with many of the Haitians that Patrick and Lea work with. We made a Tiki Hut out of Banana Leaves and Palm Fronds; the Haitians loved it! Friday we cooked most of the day. We had mashed potatoes, potato salad, corn bread, beet salad, stuffing and turkey. A Haitian cook made the turkey so it was not exactly what I expected. Haitians, for some reason, do not eat the breast meat of poultry so they deep fried these turkeys and threw all of the breast meat to the dogs, not exactly they way I would prepare a turkey. They do this with chicken and duck as well. There is some stigma associated with the breast meat, so its only dark meat down here. Two turkeys do not go so far as you can imagine. Next year, we will prepare them ourselves. After stuffing our faces, we had pies, pumpkin pie, apple pie (made with some local fruit but just as tasty) and chocolate cake.
Saturday, we all headed down to the river and went for a swim. We had two tubes so it was just like tubing down the river at home! Sunday, a few people headed back to their sites, Dave went back to Kenscoff, Meagan back to Sodo, Jessica back to Duffiey and Brigid back to wherever her site is! The rest of us relaxed and wondered around the town. It is a very nice place to leave and I believe that Patrick enjoys it very much as does Lea. Sarah and I went back to Mirebalais on Monday morning after having a nice spaghetti breakfast. We actually got a free ride, which is a blessing because the roads are extremely tough in public transportation. I was exhausted nonetheless from the 4-hour bumpy ride. At home, I found that my electricity is working finally. For the five days before I went for Thanksgiving, my neighbors were cutting my wire and using the electricity for themselves. My delegate, Chantal, saved the day as usual by fixing the connection! I am going back up to the North of the central plateau for a wedding this Friday. A Belgian couple that has lived here for 7 years is getting married. They work for the organization called Save the Children, the same that Patrick Shea works with. The families have arrived from Belgium and they are having a grand ol' time here in Haiti. I will make the trek up north again on Friday and will return on Monday, the 8th. Then, on the 11th, a group of us are going to Port-Au-Prince to stay at the Ollofoson for my birthday. Fred was going to attend the event, too, but he went back to good ol' Kansas! I miss you buddy! Thursday night, the voodoo band, RAM plays, Friday night, a nice Lebanese dinner and Saturday night, the eight-card title fights in Atlantic City! The hotel has satellite TV complete with pay per view. We will come back on Monday the 15th. The hotel is 700 gourds ($17US for PC volunteers, usually $68!) a night but we get one night free to do banking. The other nights we can stay with embassy employees that sponsor home stays for the volunteers. With that update, I believe I am caught up. So until next time, all the best!
