In the past couple days a good bit has happened. Although we have had an odd amount of electricity at the house (for some reason the city keeps giving it through the day and nighttime, instead of just every couple nights), we are suspecting that something might have been wrong with the electricity at the cyber (pronounced see-bear) café where we use the internet. They have not been open when we walk by.
As always, we have been teaching English at one of the schools down the street from the house. Friday we have the 3rd through 6th graders—a class of about 40 students, maybe a few more, and then about 5 teachers. This class has excelled in the alphabet, numbers up to 20, basic greetings, days of the week, months, basic phrases “I want, need, have, ext.” so we decided to move onto something new. We wrote the first two verses of Genesis on the board in English and then translated the main words into C
reole- beginning, God, created, heavens, earth, ext. They were able to learn what each word meant, how to pronounce it, and then memorize and recite the verses. It worked out very nice. We’ve also taught them the “You Are Holy” devotional song where they can repeat after us. We’ve been singing this song a lot between all the classes and then here at the house. It’s amazing how fast people (children especially) can pick up on things. They love singing that song.
Thursday, Roland and I walked the hour or so to one of the local preaching/Bible schools here in Cap-Haitien. It was a very nice walk, the scenery was amazing—everything was green and growing. Crops were everywhere and the road had an almost southern charm. I could image seeing the straight, flat, dirt road lined with trees and the blue sky on the cover of Southern Living magazine. I really liked this area. It wasn’t too far from the downtown, but it was still secluded and away from everyone…a little quieter…and fresher air.
As we were walking the last mile or so to the school, a truck passed us with a group of American men standing in the back. Of course we waved, but we didn’t really think anything of it. We were concerned with the rain that was starting to pick up anyways. By the time we reached the front gate of the school and the gate keeper let us in, we were pretty much soaked. We stepped inside the big metal gate and what did we see, but the same truck that had just passed us a few minutes back.
After Roland showed me around the place and grounds a little, we decided to go and say hello to the men we had seen. We all ended up setting down and talking for a while. It turned out they are all connected with Harding University and are here looking into starting some mission and work programs for the college. We shared backgrounds and purposes and then left with a group prayer. We also made plans to meet back up with them once more before they left, which they are in the sky right now as I type. We hope they make it home safely.
Saturday we got to go to a Haitian wedding. Everyone got dressed up and rode in the back of the big truck one of the orphanages has. The wedding itself wasn’t all that much different from an American wedding. There was more singing (groups, soloists, everyone) so that made the ceremony really long. The bride and groom were setting down for most of the ceremony as well. The traditional white wedding gown was worn and the groom also wore a white suit. The bride was somehow tied to an American family, so a group of them had come down to see the wedding.
Sunday, after church services—held in one of the buildings of the school where we are teaching English—we made plans for one last trip to one of the beaches—Belly Beach. We got there and then walked up over to one of the more private sides of the beach. It was only the four of us there. The scenery was amazing, once again, and it is easy to forget that you are in the same country that has been in the news for some time with all the poverty and devastation, especially after the earthquake.
Of course, there is still many beaches in the area that are littered with trash and junk, but these beaches look as though they should be a “destination”.
Monday morning consisted of, first, taking Phalonne (one of the children living in the house here with us---Gerome’s youngest daughter) to the local hospital/doctor’s office because she had been having a fever and was having problems with a lump in her throat. Her throat had been checked out before, but it hasn’t seemed as normal recently.
Roseline (Roland’s older sister) stayed with Phalonne for the long wait outside the small examination rooms with all the other children and babies waiting to be seen. I know her number was 26, but I don’t know exactly how long it took her to get in to finally see a doctor. The wait was very long though.
It turned out to be an infection, and she was prescribed some medications. She is going back for some further examinations this morning.
We again, taught English on Monday at noon for an hour. This time we had preschool children. Half of them fall asleep and the other half become restless before the hour class is up. Who can blame them though. First, they are all staying over after their regular school day for our class…so the little ones are not use to it. Second, the classroom is dark because it is located inside of a concrete building on the ground floor, so not much sun light can get in. Third, there are about 60 students in this particular class and there is not very much seating around the tables, so they are very, very crammed. This is only conducive to squirming and little spats among them.
But, they are slowly learning. We are finally getting them through the alphabet. A few of the boys have gotten it down well after the past two days. The teachers are always involved, as well, with all the classes. The teachers in the preschool classes have started bringing in notes and sentences for us (well Roland) to translate from Creole to English. We’re curious who the notes are going to or coming from. It seems like they are parts of letters that they are writing down on pieces of paper to bring to class with them. It’s a good learning experience, though, and it’s helping me, as well.
That afternoon, we had the men we met at the preaching school from Harding over to the house for a true Haitian lunch/supper experience. Haitian spaghetti was cooked and served with fresh lemonade. It was exceptional and they loved it. They also enjoy the tour of the house, and we all enjoyed getting another chance to talk with each other.
Remarkably, we still have electricity, so out laptops and cell phones are charging, and I actually have a small fan running on me as I’m typing. It didn’t rain last night, so we were able to sleep out on the roof again, as we have many times. We ended up moving indoors though shearly for room because all the children usually follow wherever we end up falling asleep. We take a deflated air mattress and some sheets to put down on the concrete roof (flat) to put a small barrier between us and all the little rocks. The past few nights the moon and stars have been crazy. They seem sooooo close and soooo bright. And the way the cityscape and mountainous terrain looks in the background is indescribable. There are always sounds at night—people, dogs, music, singing, trucks, motorcycles, ext.
