We had an informational meeting last Sunday for perspective students. The room was packed at College Jacques-Pierre Louis. I think there were about 70 people there wanting information for the new session. This is going to be great! We will move our existing students up a level (if they pass our exams) and make room for the new students. We will have three levels of instruction - Intro, Level 1 and Level 2 using curriculum from Cambridge called "Interchange English"
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| Teacher Scott, Assistant Teacher Valmy! |
Since it has been two full months since my last update (sorry), I will try to remember some of the significant events here...I explained to my students how I am able to be here working - with the support from you back in the states, and I asked them if they would like to help me thank you. It was amazing, they all took a name and address from a list that Journey gave me of the supporters. Almost every name on the list got two letters from my students. The English was not perfect, but their intention of the letter was obvious...they are so grateful, as am I. I sent the letters back with Jim, and he mailed them off.
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| An example of one of the letters |
Jim! Yep Jim Warren came down here for a week with his daughter, five of her friends and that wonderful couple Jannie and Darren. It is always great to have some familiar faces to see at the airport in Port au Prince and then to spend a great week with friends. I was able to introduce my Omaha friends to many of my Gonaives friends. We even got treated to champagne with my friend Sheila! I am sure that the experiences of those young girls will stick with them for a lifetime...maybe some of them might even feel called to come back!
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| Jim's team leaving our house |
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| Jim's team driving by my school |
Christmas here is a big party on the 24th. There were bands and celebrations downtown all night. Robbie came back for a bit and Corey (Kathy and Beaver's son) helped me celebrate downtown that night. We were out with Valmy and Ritaud until late. The next party is New Year's Eve...some call it the night of no sleep...that was another late night with bands and stuff going on downtown. The first is their independence day and the President came to town for a speech.
Valmy and I took a trip up to Port de Paix in the beginning of January to visit one of our students. She spent her Christmas break there helping her parents out in their restaurant. It was a beautiful motorcycle ride up there. We spent the night in a hotel and drove back the next day. We were able to eat three meals at my friend's parents restaurant...they only let me pay for one of the meals. On the way back, I saw a road on Google Earth that looked like fun...out of Chansolme, there was a road with lots of switchbacks, so I figured that it must go right up a mountain...it did! We got about 3/4 of the way up and the chain broke on the motorcycle that Valmy was riding. We coasted back down and pushed it to the "repair guy" on the street. We got it fixed good enough for the ride home and we were back on the road!
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| The view from close to where the chain broke |
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| River South of Basin Bleu |
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| Some kids built a boat, said they were going to Nassau! |
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| Valmy |
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| Cool rock formation on a river North of Basin Bleu |
We have had groups here every week in January, this next week coming up is an "off" week, no teams. I think Beaver and some nurses are planning a road trip to see a hospital in Mirebalais or Marmelade or something that starts with an "M" I think...but I still have classes, so no road trip for me this week.
I am planning to come back to Omaha to visit at the end of the month (if funds allow). I would like to have a get together to tell you what this last year showed me and to tell you about my goals for next year. I am planning it now, but I don't have a date or place picked out yet. I am anxious to get started with the professional school.
Good bye Kiki! Our guard dog, Kiki has left for Georgia. Emory got her as a puppy from Dorothy's dog in Port au Prince. She got her shots, visa and passport...now she has immigrated to the USA. We miss her here, but I am sure that she is going to have a wonderful life with Emory and Mary. Now we are left with "Bongo" as our guard dog. She has had quite a life so far...Amos's dog, abandoned and adopted by the "Girls House" across the street, abandoned, sent to live in Jubilee, had a litter of puppies, found her way back to our house...the saga continues. If she has another night like last night, she might have to find her way back from farther away.
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| Kiki, heading to Port to get her shots |
I am always looking for an excuse to build something fun or unusual...My friend Emy is in a school that will require her to pass a Ping Pong test to graduate! Sounds funny, but I am up for the challenge! I told her that I would build a ping pong table so that she can practice. I have the top done...I built it in two halves. I am still scratching my head on exactly how I am going to build the base. I would like to have it function like the tables that you so commonly see...fold up one side for practice and both sides for storage. I don't actually have a Home Depot or Ace Hardware here, so there will be a lot of improvising, but I am sure that it can be done!
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| One half of the top built |
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| Making it smooth |
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| Emy helping me paint |
Church. For quite a while now, we have been going to the church that Emy (pictured above) sings in. They have about a three hour service...starts around nine something, finishes around noon or shortly thereafter. My creole is not good enough yet to understand everything that is said, but the music is nothing short of amazing. There are no hymnals, but everyone seems to know the words to every song. The energy in the room is something that you have to be there to experience. I think that everyone there is plugged directly into the Holy Spirit for power. I look forward to Sunday morning all week long.
So, wish me luck with finishing this session in the next three weeks. I hope to see my Omaha friends soon...it has been a long time - since June. I hope your weather there gets a little warmer...my thin island blood won't be able to handle your "Feels Like" temperature...I have been following your weather online.
Again, I am grateful for the support that lets me do this work here.
Scott
