Which Way Am I Going?

   

          It has been crazy up and down the last 3-4 days.  You know the story of the young handicapped girl that I saw on the street and how I gave my card to her cousin.  Somebody at the home contacted me, and I explained how to find the school.  Today, every time someone came to the school, I hoped it was her family.  Not so.  No one came to enroll her.  Then, on my way home, I passed this girl and her cousin.   Again.  I stopped.  Waited for them to catch up.  Asked them about school.  The best I can figure out is that the family lives too far away to bring her to school every day and that this cousin doesn’t have the authority to make decisions for the girl.  I told them that I would be at the school at 10:00 on Thursday and to come find me if they can.  We’ll see.

            One day up . . . next day down.

Jean Michel and I

            You may have also read my post on Facebook about the phone call on Saturday from a friend of my cousin Mary Ruth.  She lives in central Illinois and could be one of the smartest people I know.  Her friend Jean Michel called because he is part of a project that is working on a number of things, but a primary goal is eliminate malnutrition in Haiti by 2025 through the use of the Moringa tree, also known as the Miracle Tree.  If you’ve never heard of the Moringa tree, it is chock full of every kind of vitamin that a child could need as well as tons of protein and fiber.  We can get tasty biscuits delivered each week at 5 gdes per biscuit (about 8 cents U.S.).  Then we could purchase a large bag of Moringa powder already mixed with powdered milk for about $60 U.S. that would last us a couple of months. 

            I was psyched for many reasons:

           

1.      How Mary Ruth’s friend found me totally blew me away

2.     We had access to highly nutritious food at a good price.  This type of nutrition could do some serious help for our weaker children.

3.     Because I trust Mary Ruth, I trust the people that she connects with.  Jean Michel and his program are legit.  It’s research based. It’s safe. It’s balance.

I was so disappointed that Gertrude’s response was so “blah.”  After Jean Michel left, she had questions about the food’s safely—did it have too many vitamins?  Could too many vitamins make her children sick?  How was it packaged?  Did the place meet safety guidelines? 

            I get in the U.S. where so much food is fortified that kids could get too much vitamin A or vitamin C or something.  But, this is Haiti! Our kids get little to no vitamins or minerals in their food.  I don’t think the Moringa products will give them “too much.”  And, this is a country in which people think nothing of giving kids expired medicines or non-prescribed prescription medications.  Suddenly there are concerns about safety of products????

            I don’t know why exactly, but I took Gertrude’s “blah” response very personally.  I felt as if she was saying “blah” to my contribution or my connections.  I know that that’s not right or true, but it’s how I felt. 

Our teachers

            One hour up . . . next hour down.

            Last week Thursday we hired the last of our teaching staff.  I was pretty psyched.  Today was the first day that I worked at the school with the teachers and other administrators present.  I was ready to go.  And, then we had our first discussion.  I got words and phrases, but I didn’t even get the general sense of the conversation.  I listened, and I then I tried to summarize.  They looked at me, laughed a bit, and said, “No.”  So much for my improving language skills.

            I felt like crying.  I felt in over my head.  I felt as if I were in the wrong place.  I wondered what the heck I was doing.

            I couldn’t understand the conversation, but I didn’t figure out that they needed rulers.  So, I went and got rulers.  I figured out they needed erasers and pencil sharpeners, so I went and got those supplies.

            I still believe that we hired good people.  Intelligent people.  Creative people.  And, the administrators stepped in and “took charge” when they needed to.  I just wish I could understand what they’re talking about!!

            One day up . . . next day down.

  Other random pieces of information:

            **We have the beginnings of a                        small . . . . v—e—r—j—y                          small playground.  A slide, a                      thing with seats that you push                    in circles, and two swings that                    still need to be hung (or hanged                  . . . I can't remember which                         right now).

            **We have six newly built tables for the pre-school.  But, no chairs.  And, the tables need to                    be shortened.

**We also have a (mostly) wheelchair accessible ramp.  I think the "boss" is coming back tomorrow to do some touch ups!

Our ramp

Typical ramp

Interview Day

          I wrote this passage earlier today after getting home from the Center.  It’s not what I had intended to write, but I felt that I had to.   If you have already read the following paragraph on my Facebook page, go ahead and skip down to the second paragraph to earn more about the work that happened at the Center today.

Tuesday on the way home from the Inclusive Center, I saw a man pushing a child in a wheelchair, and it appeared as if they were begging for money. I didn't usually take this route, but I needed to in order to avoid a police check-in point. I wanted to turn around and talk with him about the Center, but I was going in the opposite direction, it was raining, and there was no way to easily turn around. I thought to myself "I'll look for them tomorrow or the next day." Well, I didn't look for them on Wednesday because I was busy with other things. Today on my way home, I totally forgot and took my usual way. BUT, on my usual route, I saw this same man pushing the child in the wheelchair. They were on the opposite side of the road. I kept going, but this time the sun was shining and I was able to find a convenient place to turn around. When I approached the man on my motorcycle, he tried to move the wheelchair out of my way. I told him not to move, that I wanted to talk with him. The girl in the wheelchair is his cousin and she can't talk. But, she has a beautiful smile. She shook my hand when I said hello. She knew I was talking to her and about her. She has never been to school. I gave her cousin my business card and put the Center's address on it. I told him to come to the Center on Tuesday so that we could talk about his young cousin attending school for the first time. I don't know what will happen. But, God put these people in my path for a reason--twice! Please pray that God continue to work this out the way He needs it to--for her, for her family, and for me. So many cool things are happening, and God is at the center of it all.

Back in the spring we offered positions to four people: one principal, one curriculum director, a special-needs teacher, and a special-needs aide (these two have been teaching the children at Notre Maison since 2013).  Over the summer, another aide was hired by Gertrude.  Today was interview day to fill the last positions: pre-school teacher, kindergarten teacher, and a kindergarten aide. 

My responsibility was to go through the Curriculum Vitae (all in French) and choose people to interview.  Thank God I feel comfortable reading French.  Thank God for Google Translate.  Well, let’s just thank God.

I picked interviewees, and the appointments were scheduled for today.  I had no idea what types of questions could be/should be asked in a Haitian interview.  I mean, some of the C.V.s cracked me up with the information on them because it would be so illegal in the States.  For example, candidates indicate their marital status—the French word for “single” is “celibitaire.”  No assumptions being made there!

Some candidates put their blood type or how many children they had.  Just different from what I’m used to.

So, given the differences between the resumes, I wasn’t sure about the differences in interview questions.  I put together a list of 10-12 questions that would be typical in an American interview—how do you handle a difficult parent, what do you do with a child who is struggling to make friends, how do you help a child who is struggling to learn, what do you do when you have a conflict with a colleague, etc.

I arrived early this morning because that’s what my parents taught me to do (thanks Mom and Dad!).  The candidates arrived early.  But, no one else on the interview committee showed up on time.  I waited.  I waited some more.  Finally, about 20 minutes late I decided to start.

I don’t speak fluent French or Creole.  But, I didn’t want this person to wait any longer (she had arrived at 8:30 for her 9:00 a.m. interview).  Actually, by the time I started at 9:20, the first three candidates had arrived.

It went . . . . okay.  I made myself understood, and she was very patient in speaking slowly and repeating herself when I asked for clarification—I would have hired her just for that!

About 10 minutes into the interview, the rest of the committee showed up.  Whew. 

For the next 3 ½ hours I helped interview candidates in Creole.  I didn’t understand every word, but I understood enough to ask good follow-up questions and to know which candidates were good ones.  After each interview, I was on the same page with those who speak Creole fluently!  I’ll be honest, by the end of the day I was exhausted and I had a headache.  But, I was able to do it.  I can hardly believe that I was able to do it!  I have a long way to go with the language, but I think I just might be able to muddle my way through in Creole.

We’ve hired all of our teachers, and I think we hired some really good ones.  I’m excited to get to know them!  Sunday the 27^th we have a parent meeting to introduce ourselves to the parents and answer any questions they might have.  Then 8/28-9/1 is semaine de plannification—teacher planning week. 

Kids come for the first day of school on Sept.4—ironically, I won’t be there that day because I only work at the Center on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

Is it possible to miss something that I’ve not yet experienced????

This is Really Happening!

            I can hardly believe this is happening! 

            For those of you who have been around for a while, you know that this dream of starting a school for special-needs children has been a dream of mine.  For those of you who have just recently joined me on this journey, let me give a quick synopsis:

Ø  I lived in Haiti back in the early 70s when I was a little girl

Ø  I grew up hearing the stories and seeing the slides of our time there, and I always planned on going back.

Ø  I studied French from 7^th grade through college graduation because I knew that French was an official language of Haiti.

Ø  It wasn’t until I was 38 that I FINALLY looked into going back to Haiti.

Ø  I hooked up with the Haiti Mission Project out of Minnesota and went with them on a mission trip in November 2009

Ø  That’s when I first met Gertrude Bien-Aime and met the children of Notre Maison/St. Joe’s.

Ø  Over school vacations, I returned to Haiti many times, and Gertrude and I began to talk about opening a school for special-needs children because we both believed that children with special needs could do and learn so much more than they had the chance to in Haiti.

Ø  In 2013, I took a leave of absence from my teaching job and spent the spring semester in Haiti working with the children of Notre Maison/St. Joe’s.  My goal was to start our school for special-needs children.

Ø  Instead, I started a physical therapy program for the kids at Notre Maison.

Ø  The dream of the school seemed on hold.

Ø  I continued to return to Haiti on vacations (especially over the summer) and created a summer internship program.

Ø  The dream of a school for special-needs children never went away!

Ø  In the spring of 2016 I felt led (called) to move to Haiti.  If I was ever going to make a go of the school or my commitment to the special-needs children of Notre Maison, then I needed to be in Haiti full time.

Ø  I quit my teaching job at Batavia Public Schools in Batavia, IL, in 2016 and took a job teaching/counseling at Morning Start Christian Academy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Ø  In January 2017 Gertrude came to me and shared that we had a place for our school!  Yea!  Go God!

Ø  In February 2017, decided to go to part time at Morning Start Christian Academy so that I could be part time at the new Haiti Center for Inclusive Education.

Ø  On September 4, 2107, the Center for Inclusive Education will open its doors for the first time!

That brings us to today.  I will say it again—I can hardly believe that this is really happening!  I spent quite a bit of time over the summer fundraising for a variety of needs for the Center, and sponsors more than stepped up.  Because of the generosity of so many, financial needs for the first six months have been met.  Not all, but most.  We have a great team that is working on meeting our needs, and I think that we will meet our goal for the academic year.

I spend Tuesdays, Thursdays, and most of Saturdays at the Center getting things ready—organizing donations, creating files for our students, creating class schedules, taking inventory, making lists of things that need to be fixed.  You name it, I’m doing it!  In fact, on Thursday (8/24) I am helping to interview teachers and classroom aides.  In French, no less!

This has been an amazing journey—thanks to everyone who has walked on it with me.  And, thanks to everyone who has recently joined me on this walk.  Without your support and encouragement, none of this would be possible.

I will keep you posted about what is happening. 

God is good.