Easter in Cange!

The long Easter Weekend found me taking a little detour north to visit fellow YASCer Alan Yarborough at his placement in Cange, in the Central Plateau of Haiti. This is the same place I went with the Tabasamu group back in October, but it was great to have some more time to explore and get to know everyone in this area.

Easter Sunrise Hike with Alan and Friends!

Cange is like a whole other world with an entirely different set of opportunities and challenges. I didn't realize what a "City Slicker" I am until I headed up there! It is, for starters, an absolutely gorgeous area. Every view is breathtaking and, being incredibly rural, the stars are out of this world. Compared to Leogane, where houses are shoulder to shoulder and there are 40 people sitting outside their houses on any given blocks, Cange's sparsely populated land seemed calm. But it is also an area with no jobs and extreme malnutrition.  It just amazes me how rural people are here: we hiked down 530 steps from the highway, hiked for another hour, and came to someone's house. Not to even talk about how these people get food they don't grow themselves, it makes sense why 70% of Haiti's babies are born at home! 

The swimming at the end of 530 steps is pretty fun, though. 

It is also funny for me to leave Leogane and visit non-earthquake areas. It was so strange to be in a "real" church for Easter and to see so many concrete ceilings: these killed so many people in the earthquake that most people are terrified to rebuild with them. My understanding of Haiti is so firmly shaped by the earthquake, I frequently find myself wishing I could see this area before the quake. 

This lady? She had already been walking for half an hour when we met her, half an hour into our sunrise hike. She was moving her goods to the market for Easter Day and beating my butt at scrambling down those rocks, even with sacs on her head. 

Happy Birthday to Me!

My lovely blog readers! I owe you some articles I have not been writing as I wait for pictures… so here comes number one: MY BIRTHDAY!!!

In case you have never spent the month of March with me, I love my birthday and begin celebrating it the moment my sister’s birthday passes at the end of February. This year, my coworkers at FSIL pulled off a surprise party in the most Haitian fashion.

I was highly suspicious that there was a party: early in the month, I had suggested that I wanted to throw a party.

“No, no, no, we are on top of it.”

The weekend before my birthday, a friend comes over when I am Skyping with my parents

 “Don’t worry, we have big things planned.”

But then the deception begins. They convince me there is no party. I spend my birthday getting the sweetest cards, being sung to everywhere, and generally having a great day.

“But why aren’t you having a party tonight?”

“Why aren’t the students throwing you a party?”

Finally, Shirley says, “You need to do something for your birthday. I am taking you out for dinner. Pick you up at 7:30.”

It is 7:30. 

It is 8:00. 

It is 8:30.

It is 8:45. “Maybe I should get in the shower.”  

The phone rings “Sorry, be there in 10 minutes!”

Bear in mind, the compound gates lock at 9:00. Lights out is 10:00.

At 9:20, she arrives.

“We have to stop and pick up my husband, he is joining us.”

 “Oh come inside, meet the new puppies.”

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a beautiful party with oodles of delicious food (hence the delay), toasts in four languages (French, English, Creole, and Spanish for kicks), dancing, and good friends. I truly appreciate the way that everyone has taken me in as a part of their community and given me true and deep exposure to Haitian culture.

A Birthday I Will Never Forget! 

Under the Sea...

Check out this video a friend took when we went casually snorkeling just off the coast of Haiti... just another look at the hidden beauty of Haiti!

Clinical English

Welcome to my classroom for a day... with the help of the Bristol Family, who has been helping out at FSIL for the past 2.5 months, and their three friends visiting from Minnesota, we were able to put my 2nd year English students through their paces with a Clinical English Class. They had to assess and treat "patients" and then be grilled by a "physician," all in English. Costumes, fake injuries, and all, it was a lot of fun and the students did an awesome job! It was fantastic practice for them, as our students are often called upon by visiting medical groups to assist in their mobile clinics and are infinitely useful (and most helpful to patients!) if they can also act as translators.

One of our clinical instructors being our demonstration nurse

Willow, who had a rash and a fever

Hans had a burn from riding a motorcycle... his Dad told him not to...

They were putting Kristofer in all kinds of fun positions because of his breathing issues!

Christina described her fatigue, increased urination, constant hunger, and omnipresent thirst while chowing down on M&Ms and drinking a Coke.. who can guess her malady?

"Dr. Theresa" testing the student's clinical knowledge