So many lessons to learn

Before I get into new things, I want to share some pictures from last week, particularly from the goodbye party for another American who just spent the year here developing a Creole literacy program for adults. (She's pretty awesome.)

These two are too precious today - wish I had a good picture of them dancing!

Delicious spread!

Two of my favorite people here! Martin, always helping with anything I need, and Widline, with any questions or help I need in class!

Cheesin'

I was beyond excited when I saw this huge thing of fried plantains for the party!

My workspace where I put together the books for my program.

7/6

Today was a nice break from the crazy week of teaching. I slept in a little, read, and planned for the week. Walked into town to buy chalk at the market. It was a fun experience because this time I ran into students I knew by name. An afternoon on the beach followed by a delicious lunch/dinner made it a great day. Afterwards I decided to venture out and talk to people around the hospital. Hanging out by the main entrance that leads towards the emergency room is the place to be apparently. I got to see my first broken bone in person. I ended up making other new friends just by hanging around, and they invited me to come watch their band practice. I said maybe another time, but me and the other American ended up venturing out to see them on accident and their band was great!

7/7

At 6:30am this morning I learned that a hummingbird next to your ear sounds like a helicopter. I also learned they really do dart as quickly away as they do in Disney movies.

I got up early to go to mass in town, I was supposed to go with someone. Based on the conversation, I understood that they would come meet me at the hospital, since I'm not really allowed to walk into town alone. They never came. Lost in translation.

Apparently I needed to find someone from the hospital community to walk down with me. This is easier said then done. Almost everyone is Baptist. A bunch of my students keep asking me to go to the Baptist church. The service is three hours long.. and I'd probably be confused. I love mass because I can go in any country and still know what's going on. In any case, I'll try again for next Sunday.

7/8

Class was fun this morning now that we've separated in two. Today we did body vocabulary and answering questions about symptoms and illnesses. I started coughing, trying to get them to say cough, and someone yelled out “You have TB!” and I just burst out laughing. It was funny and sad at the same time. No one in my classroom in the US would ever guess TB as an answer for anything.

7/9

Yesterday only a few people showed up to my last class, my advanced class. I wasn't too surprised because a few of my best students had told me the week before that they would be away in Cap for a few days. There were others, however, that I was surprised not to see. I stayed regardless, and had a really interesting conversation with the students that did show up. A little into our conversation, a storm started. Torrential downpours. We initially planned to wait it out. An hour later, we were sitting in the desks in the only spot in the room that didn't have water pouring in. I looked outside and saw the hospital gate was closed, and none of the security guards would be sitting out in that weather, so even if I made a dash across the street I'd be stuck, and with all my papers wet. I had also chosen that day, of all days, to wear my TOMS to teach instead of my flip-flops (both the pairs of flip-flops I brought are pretty much done.. a little side note – Baba knows best. She wanted me to bring 3 or more pairs of these cheap flip-flops and I said oh no two is more than enough.. fail.) So the rain slowed down, but everything was soaked, and the whole downstairs entrance way was flooded. Did I mention before I'm on the second floor? And that everything here is made from concrete? It was starting to get dark so we had to leave. I take two steps down the stairs and I felt myself start to slip, and I slammed down onto my back on the concrete steps. My papers flew everywhere into puddles, and my students rushed to help me up and pick up all my papers. I couldn't hold back the tears, I felt like someone had punched me with a concrete fist on the left side of my back. I hobbled down the rest of the stairs, only to find the gate to the school had been locked from the outside. Luckily one of my students found another way to get around and went and unlocked it. I went straight over to the hospital, the gate was now open again now that the rain had slowed down. Both paths to my room were flooded with about a foot of water so I just went into the hospital and sat on a bench. I ended up sitting next to one of the doctors, who noticed I was still crying and obviously walking in pain. I explained what happened in broken French. It's incredible how you can totally lose your language capacities when you're in distress. He asked if I had any pain medication and I said I'd be fine, I had ibuprofen. He asked if I wanted an injection of pain medication instead, that it would be faster.

I know I'm living at a hospital. But it is a little absurd that I have better access to and better quality health care in Haiti than I do in the United States. I followed the doctor into one of the consultation rooms where he checked out my back and then gave me an injection. I know it's silly, but I honestly have no idea what he gave me, and didn't care to even know, I was just relieved to have some assistance.

I woke up this morning feeling like I was in a car accident. I can't sit comfortably, or reach up with my left side. The same doctor has been asking me how I'm doing, and if all this continues tomorrow I am going to get checked out, because the pain is a little ridiculous.

On a different note, word spreads quickly, and everywhere I go, my classes or around the hospital, I get the same question, “Maria, ou te tombe?” (Maria, did you fall?) I love this community, but it is a little crazy sometimes how everyone knows immediately what's happening with everyone else.

Back to teaching – I'd had only one serious problem so far, and that's been with my books. So I brought 100 books that I made in collaboration with some of my awesome students from T.J. That was the recommended amount to bring from my friend that was helping to prepare things here while I was still at home. Both of our organization meetings brought in roughly 30-40 people (most of the same people were at each meeting). So with that number in mind, plus the others that expressed interest, we thought 100 would be more than enough. It would have been. If I had been smarter about it.

The first day I had about 60 students, more than anticipated, and I gave out books to every student. I know, I know, rookie teacher mistake for this type of arena. I had no idea I would have roughly twenty new students each day for the rest of the week. I thought my numbers would drop. And they certainly have, this week. Long story short, because of my error, I have several students who started coming last Wednesday and have continued through today and don't have books. And I have others who started coming the first or second day and stopped who have books. In reality the books aren't crucial to the class, I always write everything on the board anyway because most students like me to write it up there with the kreyol translation. It's more about validation and having something tangible. I had hoped to try to get to Cap to make copies this past weekend, but there was a lot going on and the cars that did go to Cap wouldn't have time to let me make copies, and the copy machines at the hospital, which I'm welcome to use, are out of ink. I just feel awful because even though it's just a little homemade resource book, I feel like I'm just contributing to the series of broken promises to Haitians from outsiders. It's a guilt I'm not quite sure how to reconcile right now.

On a similar note, I've been struggling with being here for such a short amount of time. I'm here just long enough to get into a routine, begin to learn the language and culture, and build friendships just to leave again. I'm already hoping to come back next summer, but with an improved service that can hopefully be hashed out with my new Haitian friends in the community. 

On that note, more pictures!

View of the hospital from my classroom.

View of the beach/town from my classroom.

My classroom :)

The view of the building where I'm staying from my classroom.

This is the not-so-great chalk I'm using from the market in Borgne. I easily go through half a pack in a day because it falls apart so easily. And it's very stressful making sure no one under 14 uses it.

I'll leave you with this.. :)

One of my students had this phrase book in class today. Some of the phrases were on point and useful, others had me  dying with laughter.