Out and About

Today was another day of odds and ends.  I spent most of the day with Pastor John from the Methodist group that has been here all last week. We went Robenson and Patrick (two translators) to a tent city run by an amazing young woman named Camitha.  In addition to running the tent city, she is in her 4^th year at university working on an MBA.  This trip was special because Pastor John and the group were so impressed with the work that Camitha is doing and how helpful she was with them and their projects this week that they promised to pay for her last year of schooling.  Now, Haitians often hear “promises” of help from Americans and others, and that help often doesn’t materialize.  In fact,  Camitha had heard many such promises from large NGOs in the aftermath of the earthquake, and little to none of the promises were kept.  So, Camitha was rightfully skeptical that this group would be any different.  But, this group is different.  We were able to take Camitha to the university, meet with the president, and then walk with her to the bank to deposit the money in the account that pays her tuition. 

University classroom

Camitha at the tent city

            Before we left her, she expressed that there was no way to ever thank Pastor John and his group for what they had done for her.  The $1250 for a year’s tuition seems paltry compared to what a year at an American university costs, but that amount is astronomical here in Haiti.  To have that burden taken from her shoulders frees Camitha up to focus on her studies and her obligations to the people at the tent city.  I don’t know that any of us can truly understand the value of the gift given to her today by relative strangers. 

Gaedone a.k.a. pomegranate

            The next stop was a friend of Robenson’s to get something for Debbie’s sore throat.  I thought we were picking up traditional medicine, but it turns out we picked fruit from the neighbor’s tree.  I didn’t look like any fruit that I had seen, and when I asked Robenson the name, I didn’t recognize it: gaedone.  He split one open and began to eat the seeds, and I commented that it looked just like a pomegranate.  He said no, that wasn’t it.  What do I know?  But, he said that the seeds of the fruit can be boiled in water with some lemon and that the resulting mixture helps soothe a sore throat.  When we returned to the guesthouse, Gertrude boiled it up and had Debbie drink it.  She said it really did work!  And, Gertrude did confirm that a gaedone is, in fact, a pomegranate. 

Picking Pomegranates 

            The day was long, bumpy, and hot (gave me a headache), but the night has been calm.  Right now, I’m up on the roof typing, enjoying the breeze.  About mid-afternoon each day a great breeze comes in, and this is the place to be to cool off.  The breeze helps keep the bugs away, so it’s a double bonus!