we are brave. we are haitians

With almost two months under my belt, and midterms right around the corner, I think it is safe to say I have fallen in love…with my English III class.  English I and II, are a barrel of laughs, don’t get me wrong, but having a room full of 50 beginners doesn’t exactly make for an easy two hours. So it’s when English III rolls around every Tuesday and Thursday evening that I get really excited!

A class of 15, brilliant and articulate, we sit around a table and engage in what is always stimulating conversation. 

They teach me about their country, and I correct their pronunciation and the occasional grammatical slip up.  

During Tuesday’s Creative Writing session, one of my students produced this gem:

Everyday doing business is getting harder and harder…

I remember the good old days when trading was simple…before a cup of coffee.  At that time it was easy to know what to expect, just looking people into their eyes.  Nowadays, things are really different:

-       a bank account number for the deposit…

-       and the location of the bag…

Usually an isolated part of the park into which you will have to walk alone…

Part of the deal…they say!

No guarantee,

What a life!

There was nothing that proceeded or followed this passage, but its still so undeniably intriguing. 

As is Sufjan's new album. listen up - it's so good. 

Age of Adz by user2355813

by: Sufjan Stevens

I Want to Be Well by user2355813

by: Sufjan Stevens

Buckets of Rain

Donwill "Love Junkie" (Wallpaper LIVE Remix) from Yours Truly on Vimeo.

Haitian Radio Show in English = bad idea/ hilarious

                                                      Q: Do you like Rap Music?

                                                      A: Yes, Especially R&B and Techno

                                                      Q: Thats not Rap...

                                                      A: Yeah, that's why I said Especially

Interviews such a this and others similar kept me awake and entertained on the longgggg curvy dark car ride from Port Au Prince back to Les Cayes.  I was especially alert and entertained as the show’s host and guest debated the true meaning of the word “Shawdy”.

I was extra grateful for the distraction provided by these humorous broadcastings as I tried not to notice the driver’s compulsive door locking and praying.  Each time he made the sign of the cross in front of his chest and forehead I was positive we were moments away from meeting our demise.

Fortunately, after five hours of holding my breath we arrived safely. 

Dropping my bags in my rat-infested house with a sigh of relief, I quickly discovered the water to be out.  However, a resourceful Gracious had planned ahead, leaving buckets and bowls out in the rain.  As I happily bathed in the chilly but fresh rain water, and flushed the toilette with the sloshing-a-bucket-o-water into the toilette trick, I couldn’t help but think about how much happier I was in Haiti, than I had been in the freezing cold Dominican Republic hotel room that had been my prison for the past week.

Good to be home!