The Learning Curve

When my tired head hits the pillow I start to laugh to my self, I think this could be Saturday Night Live Sketch.  At the end of the day we decide to buy some diesel fuel to use in the generator. It seemed this would maybe be a one hour project.
First is the long discussion about what do you put the fuel in when you buy it. In the conversation is the maintenance man, security guard, school administrator, orphanage director and myself. The first idea was to fill buckets. I do not think that is going to work. I suggest in my american mind how about a truck that comes and fills it up from the station. I am quickly told this does not exist. So then we go to  getting a drum. But we do not have money for a drum. Then there is the trip out to see if a drum can be borrow.  All this accomplished in over an hour.
At last the maintenance man arrives in his pick up with a drum in the back. Everyone with him smiling at this accomplishment. I think oh good it is 5 pm so we will fill it and get back to the hotel early.
The men get is all set up to pump into the tank. They crank and crank, they move the hose. They tip the tank, they move the truck closer. They continue to look at the gauge and no diesel fuel will flow. Oh did I mention we are in the sun the entire time and it is about 89 degrees. After about 90 minutes I  decide to find a solution. Before they start to pour the fuel from the drum to a bucket and pour into tank. I realize they have not vented the drum. The best part is I have no way to communicate what I want them to do. I say the spanish word for open over and over. Thinking this of course will help!  Funny is universal. They finally understand and the fuel flows. As I look at my watch and my very hot sticky hungry nursing student, it is 7 pm. The generator running with the lights on we pull away and wave good bye for today.  Good Night Moon.

We arrived last night and this morning we hit the ground running!We began by visiting the orphanage  and meeting the children for the very first time! We play soccer and keep away and we got to hold many of the younger kids while the older kids were in school. After our visit we began our journey to Bassin Bleu! Barb told us all it was an easy hike... but let me tell you it was work! It was very HOT and the hike was long and at times seemed straight uphill. At the start of our hike we crossed a river where the local Haitians were washing their clothes, vehicles and themselves. And it was odd that the river was surrounded by landfills! the amount of trash is almost overwhelming and very eye opening! As we hiked we ran into a group of students who were journeying home. Five days a week these students make this walk! I can't even imagine walking up that hill so often. For awhile we walked next to these students in silence with an occasional giggle here and there. After awhile we realized they spoke english and we were able to have conversations with them regarding where they go to school and where we go to school. It was so fun to walk and be apart of the culture! When we finally reached the top it was such an accomplished feeling! We were all very thirsty and our quest for water left us empty handed. =( When we reached the top we hired a guide, Wallace, who led us a little further to Bassin Bleu. He pointed out the cocoa tree and the black bean tree and Horse Bassin and Yes Bassin on our way. Bassin Bleu was gorgeous! The water was very cool and it was a great reward after our long hike! We spent about an hour playing in the water and cliff jumping before we began our voyage back home. Wallace was able to find us all some water which was gratefully appreciated! As we began our decent we decided to hire a local man to climb a tree and cut us down fresh coconuts! We patiently waited as he cut them open for us to drink and then again so we could eat the coconut meat! It was so yummy and refreshing! The view from the top was breathtaking and it was weird to think that this beautiful country was so impoverished! This day was an amazing way to start our trip and we were so grateful to have the opportunity to experience the Haitian culture!

Power and Water

Greetings from Jacmel. The power is up and running now with generator in place and EDH.  This is when I wonder if I should not just leave lists for my husband when something does not work at home! It has taken me a lot of brain power to understand it all and then reteach to the adults at the orphanage.  I have worked hard with Sam Geyer by my side taking notes.  We think we got it BUT if anyone reading this has this knowledge skill set we would welcome a mission trip.
The water continues to be not seamless at this point.  We do have a plan to use outside well for the cottage water - showers, sinks, toilets and the purified well for kitchen and staff house for drinking.
This will take time.  It seems the purifier takes a lot of power to run and it is slow.  We also have to figure out how we use so much water. We are down to kids standing in the shower too long. This sounds familiar to me, since I have so many teenagers in my family.
As I sit in the staff house with the ceiling fans running I  know we have made progress.

Day Trip to the Beach

Greetings from Haiti.  Yesterday all the children at La Concorde were able to go to the beach and swim. We had both Denver School of  Nursing groups together for the day. Because of so many adults we were able to safely take the children for a wonderful experience.
We first took all the children under 5 years of age.  We then took the older children and last we took the preteens. It was a tiring day for nursing students but an exciting day for all of the children!
Many were very afraid of the water but some were part fish. It is the kind of experience where prayer is so helpful. And counting heads.
The last group was dropped off at 6 pm and all the children were ready for bed.
And so was I.

MARCH Buena Vista University LOVE Takes Root Trip

Five students from BVU spent the last week in Jacmel Haiti with LOVE Takes Root. They were accompanied by Dean of Education John Bedward. Also on the trip were Barb Wilkerson and Sam Geyer. The focus of this trip was learning about the Haitian education system and the schools in Jacmel. Also looking at the future role of student teachers at La Concorde school.
Our trip although through the night was without any glitches. We drove over the mountains and arrived in Jacmel to a beautiful sunset. Sam was the happiest to be out of the car and settle her stomach!
During the week we observed the school at La Concord. It is presently in the dining hall. They have 4 classes. Because they only have 2 chalk boards they sit very closely together to share the board and it is very noisy. The students work with only one break during school day. The children work very hard at studies. They have national examinations to measure progress.  We also visited and observed the most respected schools in Jacmel. We were able to observe class and learn about the structure of each school.
We were also excited to see the new primary school being quickly built on the orphanage site!  We had discussions on learning environments and enhancement of curriculum. Elisee is taking the lead on the school and has done an excellent job networking in the Jacmel area.
The students also hiked up to Papa's mountain cabin and hiked to Basson Blue.  As always the week goes so quickly the experience takes weeks to process.
The students were tired and sad to leave. They have made new friends and have learned about themselves.