Announcements June 25, 2008

Cotting Staff in Haiti. Click here to read their journals which are updated daily.


Haiti Trip – June 2008

First of all, let me apologize for the lateness of this journal entry – let’s just say that a combination of lack of electricity, lack of reliable internet service, and lack of sleep all played their roles here…



Day 1: Friday, June 20, 2008

Well, here we go again…4:00AM at Logan Airport, with full suitcases, full duffle bags, and full of anticipation – but unfortunately, not full of sleep… But, it seems that this is the way most of our Haiti adventures seem to start.

Once again, we are arriving in 2 shifts – Stephanie, Barbara, and I have opted to leave 3 days ahead of the rest of the group. We have planned to visit Trinity House in Jacmel this weekend – the third home in the St. Joe’s family. I am happy to report that our flights down were uneventful, and once we exited the Port-Au-Prince airport, we were quickly greeted by “Big” (our baggage handler), who ushered us off to the side to wait for KC. After a quick ride (through the now quite familiar streets of the city), we arrived at St. Joseph’s Home for Boys. The plan was to spend the night here, and leave early the next morning for Jacmel. Upon on arrival, we were greeted by Michael, who was gracious and welcoming – as always. A brief rest, and a refreshing beverage on the roof lifted everyone’s spirits, and provided a new-found sense of energy (albeit short-lived)… We were soon introduced to new friends – Sarah, Christina, and Colleen, 3 young women who have been living and working at Wings of Hope for the past month, and were joining us on the trek to Jacmel. After a delicious supper, and refreshing showers (with the closest thing to running water that we will find in Haiti), we all hit the sack early. We must have been tired, because neither heat, nor mosquitoes, or various animal noises prevented us all from quickly falling asleep.



Day 2: Saturday, June 21, 2008

Up very early again- our van to Jacmel was scheduled to leave at 7:00 AM. We enjoyed a quick but bountiful breakfast and then hit the road. The drive to Jacmel takes about 3 hours. You must travel through the crowded streets of Port Au Prince and then a number of other towns. The distance is not that great, but the roads leave much to be desired, and are often quite narrow, twisty, and turny (hence the 3 hours…). When we finally arrived (after a “pit stop” half way to check the tires and put more air in – as mentioned above the roads in Haiti are hard on vehicles), we pulled into the driveway at Trinity House and were immediately greeted by Melchi, Trinity’s director. After a round of introductions and hugs, Melchi called all the boys out to the courtyard area where they greeted us with a song, and of course - more hugs. After that, he gave us a tour of Trinity’s living quarters and the new addition upward) that will house Lekol Sen Trinity - the outreach school they operate for some of the poorest children in the Jacmel community.

Jacmel itself is beautiful and quite different from Port Au Prince. There’s far less trash and congestion, and it has more of a sleepy, little seaside town feel to it. Jacmel is one of the few areas in Haiti that has somewhat of a tourist industry. There are several nice hotels, a number of restaurants, and some beautiful beaches. After lunch, we piled a bunch of the boys from Tinity into the van and took them all to the beach for an afternoon of swimming and soccer. One of the guys we took Dadzi, a former resident from Wings who is now living at Trinity and doing great! And Dave, your legacy lives on because every time I said, “Red Sox” to Dadzi, he promptly replied “Yankees!” After the beach, and a great dinner, we gave all the guys new baseball hats and lollipops (piwilis), and they treated us to a wonderful performance by the “Trinity Dancers”. It was really neat to see this performance, as it was quite different from the ones done by the guys at St. Joe’s (in fact it even included a dance with a flaming baton held in the mouth of one of the dancers). One of the highlights of the show was the solo dance performance of Reginald, another former Wings child, who received tremendous applause for his energetic dancing.

Now you might think that this was the end of our day - but no… After the dance show KC wanted to take all of the boys who hadn’t gone to the beach out for ice cream. So once again we piled into Rony’s van and headed into town (which is far less “sleepy” at night). Without the heat of the day, it seemed that everyone was out on the streets… The ice cream place was hopping - clearly a favorite “chilling out” spot in the evenings. After the ice cream, Rony drove us all down to the beach, which was a whirlwind of activity. Lots of loud music, people dancing and socializing - kind of like a big beach “block party”. We finally arrived back at Trinity House a short while later, now totally exhausted and ready for bed. And, I must say, that a sleeping mat on the floor never seemed more inviting than it did right then.

Bon Nwit
Cathy



Day 3 / Sunday, June 22, 2008

After awaking to the bleating of goats, competing with a chorus of roosters, we were welcomed to a breakfast of local fruits, fresh baked goods and Haitian coffee! We were then serenaded by the boys of Trinity House as we boarded the van on our early departure up and over the winding mountain road back to St. Joseph’s in Port au Prince. The countryside views were once again breath-taking, as we wove in and about small groups of immaculately dressed and groomed church-goers making their way to Sunday worship services, scattered throughout the countryside. The ride typically takes 2 ? - 3 hours, but our driver boasted a 1 hour 55 minute run, making the trip feel somewhat like a thrill ride at Disney World!

Port au Prince was, as usual, bustling and chaotic. After an optional worship service in Creole, filled with musical instruments and a great deal of cultural music, we once again boarded the van, for our final destination, up the mountain to Fermanthe and Wings of Hope. At this point, the trip felt more like a home-coming, as our thoughts raced ahead of us, envisioning the children, reviewing their names, wondering who had grown, who had mastered new skills and if there might be new members of the “Wings Family”.

Arriving at Wings was such a whirl-wind of activity: greetings, giggling children, hugs, many helping hands of children (who struggle to walk independently), carrying our bags (either alone or together) up the stone ramps and steps, and more giggling… We were in time to help those in need with their lunch, and then enjoyed an afternoon and evening of playing with the children, catching up and visiting.



Day 4 / Monday, July 23, 2008

Our day was filled with helping children eat, aiding in lessons, renewing ties with peer professionals who perform the same roles and duties as we do at Cotting School, stretching on mat tables, repairing wheelchairs and playing card games. By shortly after 2:00 the rest of our Cotting contingent arrived, which sparked more children’s squeals of delight and giggling! The group reported an uneventful flight, as they immediately began interacting and working with the children. With the added helping hands, the dinner meal was remarkably smooth and quick. The adult meal was highlighted by a birthday celebration for a volunteer from Georgia who has been helping at Wings this summer. It’s sure to be a memorable birthday for her!

As we settle in for the night (as an entire group), camaraderie, good will and compassion prevail - along with a great deal of enthusiasm and anticipation, as we look forward to the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead…

Barbara



Day 5: Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Well, as Cathy mentioned, we have not been able to post these journal entries until now because there has been no electricity. Cathy forgot to mention, however, that she couldn’t type because her hand was bandaged to the wrist! She burned her hand making “la boule”. KC pulled her into the kitchen to cook the mixture of flour, water, and sugar that the kids eat each night before they go to bed. Thankfully, Barbara recalled much from her Cotting First Aid training!

So, Tuesday. Many of us joined the classroom or recreational therapy groups. Ginny continued Barbara’s work of fixing wheels on wheelchairs, replacing seatbelts, and chest straps. KC, Cathy, Sejal, and Dede took 5 kids on the tap-tap to Port au Prince to shop for our ice cream party on Thursday. The kids had actually never had toppings on their ice cream before, so some of the trip involved an explanation of the benefits of chocolate sauce and whipped cream. Driving through Port au Prince, there is evidence of the recent food price riots. – broken windows, etc. And, as we cringe at gas prices rising in the US, try to image gas for $7.00 a gallon! – in a country where they can’t afford rice. A reminder to “watch the donut, not the hole”.

In the afternoon, Maya gave us a short French Creole lesson. Although he called us quick learners, I beg to differ. I’ve got down the general greetings – “Hi, How are you?, What’s your name?”. But, I can now say the oh-so-important “Can you help me get more water for the toilet in my room?” and “Do you want to play cards?”. Creole is an abbreviated version of French. It’s the version of French that the African slaves heard their slave owners speaking. It’s efficient and simple and filled with wonderful proverbs. I have long known “Thank you” – “Mesi”. But, I finally learned “You’re welcome” – “Ou merite sa” - which translates into “You’re worth it”. How great is that?



Day 6: Wednesday, June 25, 2008

A medical team from Michigan arrived today to give the kids physicals. No school or class, so we occupied the kids with cards, singing, making cookies, and hanging out. A rather quick day. Electricity has gone back on, so we hope you get a chance to read this soon!

Bon Nuit!
- Stephanie



Day 7: Thursday, June 25, 2008

Today was busy and full of excitement! Classes were cancelled and the fun and games began! Games consisted of hat races, an obstacle course, egg balancing races, pillow case races (otherwise known as sack races) and piwili (lollipop) eating contests. Kids, Wings and Cotting staff and visitors shared many laughs and had a wonderful time! It was a great time for all involved and a wonderful team building opportunity for us to have with the staff at Wings of Hope.

After a fun filled morning, everyone was exhausted. Luckily, there was lunch to look forward to and an ice cream party to follow. To say the least, the ice cream party was a huge success! There was a choice of vanilla ice cream with strawberry swirl or chocolate ice cream. Now, let’s talk about the toppings…the options were endless!! There were bananas, whip cream (chocolate and vanilla), chocolate sauce, Twix sauce, pineapple toppings, rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles and let’s not forget the cherry for the top! It was great to watch the kids eat their sundaes. It was their first experience with ice cream toppings and their reactions were priceless. Everyone had a great time creating their own sundaes and when all was said and done, we managed to eat 9 gallons of ice cream, two cans of whipped cream, one and a half bottles of chocolate sauce, one bottle of marachino cherries, some pineapple topping and countless sprinkles! Once the sugar kicked in, the problem of exhaustion was solved! After all, ice cream solves all problems…right?

Sweet Dreams from Haiti!
-Shannon Kerr

The following is a journal entry from three young adults who accompanied the Cotting School staff. All three are visiting Haiti for the first time:

We are in our third day of Haiti bliss. We arrived safe and sound, with the airport being less chaotic and intimidating, as we had been warned so many times about. We had a serious posse of people who came right in and escorted us out to our vans. We then had the unique pleasure of smashing 12 people into an eight-person van and driving through the hottest most crowded and insane tropical city I have ever seen, Port-a-Prince. The amount of people and cars on the street and pollution in the air was disturbing and amazing at the same time. After a quick stop at beautiful St. Joseph's home for boys (it really was a beautiful little haven) we began our trek up the mountain. After at least a 15-degree temperature drop and a serious reduction in air pollution, we arrived at Wings of Hope.

The people are awesome and the kids are incredible. The facility is nicer than I expected as far as space and aesthetics go, however there are serious infrastructure issues that are slowly being addressed, and that Tommy has had a brief chance to discuss with the director, Andre. The lack of equipment and technology (especially that which the Cotting staff is accustomed to) is difficult to see, as I am sure many of these children have not come close to the potential they would have the ability to reach given the right environment. I feel like every moment here is a reminder of the ever-present "doughnut" in our lives.

Our major roles here have been feeding the kids this pretty foul-looking grit-like substance, assisting the Wings teachers during "class time," playing some serious games of "keep the soccer ball away from the dog, Zel;" and of course Sara and I have found time to hold the babies that melt your heart and break it at the same time. Tommy has acquired an autistic buddy named Gesner who sporadically takes him by the hand and gives him in-depth nonverbal tours of the Wings facility. He pauses at each piece of art throughout the house, placing his hand to the right of the piece giving Tommy about a ten-second window to evaluate the artwork before abruptly moving on to the next painting; all the while keeping his eye out for specks of dirt or string or leaves that don't belong where they lay on the floor, and that might even be good for twirling. (It is hysterical).

We have been busy and tired, and have not had power consistently, so it has been difficult to get time on the Internet. But we are writing to say that we are safe and sound, and definitely enjoying the experience. We have many pictures to share already, and I am sure that after our trips to the beach and into town for allowance day we will have many more. Feel free to pass this e-mail along to anyone you think is interested. See you soon!

Ciao,
Anna, Sara, and Tommy




Day 8: Friday - June 27, 2008

Friday is music day, an event everyone anticipates with joy, especially since it takes the place of morning class. The staff sings and play drums while the rest of us dance, clap and sing along with the children. The kids get so excited. It’s like the Cotting Gig – really loud and really rockin’!

Next on the to-do list was wheelchair washing. Together we scrubbed down all the wheelchairs and seat cushions, made minor repairs, WD40’d wheels and duct taped torn or worn seat upholstery. Barbara and Sejal (PT wanna-be) spent a lot of time giving Teddy’s chair a makeover. The smile on Teddy’s face was the sign of a job well done.

Late in the afternoon the Wings and Cotting staff had fun playing cards and dominos. We learned the card game, Casino, which is a lot of fast math and apparently some slight of hand if you can get away with it. One of the customs here is that the loser has to stand until someone else loses. I spent quit a bit of time on my feet while playing Casino. Well, it’s good to stretch right??? Dominos has its own winning strategies and a need for speed if you want to win. Ele and Shannon did Cotting proud!
Now off to bed.

Ginny




Day 9: Saturday - June 28, 2008

We awake once again to a beautiful day! Saturday is a more relaxed schedule. First of course is breakfast then everyone has his or her hair done. All the boys received a hair cut from Jon Jon, the girls got their hair braided by Clemene, and stylist extraordinaire Vivianne cut Dede’s hair. Everyone looked spectacular except the Blancs who haven’t showered in 9 days!

37 kids and adults went to the Baptist Mission for lunch. Do you know how many hot dogs, chicken fingers, french fries, pizzas and sodas that is? And to top all that food off is of course Krem La (The Ice Cream).

The rest of the day was spent hanging out with the kids, playing Uno, singing silly songs and just chillin’. Of course, as every other day, the wheelchair repair shop was open. Sarah, a volunteer from Iowa, and Lucy, Rene’s mom, assisted Barbara. I was assisted by Lulu and Stevie, boy wonders with hack saws and hand drills. Well maybe that’s an exaggeration but they certainly were able to help with close, make that very close supervision!

We are thankful for another great day and look forward to a very busy day ahead.
Bon nuit!

Ginny




Day 10: Sunday, June 29, 2009

We woke again this morning to the sound of roosters. It was a little hazy down in Port au Prince but we had a nice cool breeze up here in the mountains. We all enjoyed another great breakfast and prepared for a daylong adventure off the mountain. Our crew of eight, along with other visitors, piled into two vans and headed off to church at Saint Joseph’s in Petionville, about 40 minutes away.

When we arrived at Saint Joseph’s, Lucy (Renee’s mom) gave us all a tour of the house. Lucy has years of memories to share about the house, which added to the tour. We went from the bottom floor up to the rooftop where we had a 360-degree view, including the town, the church tops and the mountains.

After the tour we found our way to the chapel where Michael and a few guests performed the service. The service is an interesting blend of Creole, a little English, prayers, and hymns accompanied by the beat of a drum and the rattle of a maraca.

Following the service we loaded back into the vans, with two additional members. The latest additions to our crew are two St. Joseph’s visitors who will be joining us for a lunch outing.

Our next stop was the Kinam Hotel and restaurant. It is a very interesting building in the center of Petionville. The Kinam is a three story wooden structure with ornamental gingerbread style carvings, painted in green and white. We all sat in one long table over looking the pool. Yes I did say a pool! And yes I did say it is like nothing else in Haiti.

We tried a variety of food from stuffed crab, pumpkin soup (a Haiti specialty), conch, and goat! After lunch we walked down the street checking out the street venders selling paintings, jewelry, and carvings.

We headed out to the next stop in our trip,Croix-des-Bouquets, the Iron City. It is a small town on the out skirts of Port au Prince where they pound out large iron storage drums into the most beautiful art work. We wandered from house to house, making our purchases until the vans were over flowing. We started back to Wings but made one last stop.

Our two new travelers were dropping of much needed medical supplies at a clinic run by the Fathers of Mercy. The section of town where the clinic is located is one of the poorest in Port au Prince. This gave us all another perspective of life in Haiti and gave us greater appreciation for all the hard work the staff at Wings does to make the lives of their children better. With our delivery made we headed up the mountain.

By the time we walked through the gate at Wings the children had already finished their dinners. Within no time we were sitting down to a delicious dinner, and celebrating another visitor’s birthday, cake and all. After dinner we mass-produced tons of peanut butter sandwiches for tomorrow morning. We are all going to bed early, as we have to be at breakfast at 6:30 and loaded in the buses with the kids by 7:00 for the annual beach trip.

Bon unit to our friends at home.
Ele





Day 11: Monday, June 30, 2008

Today was the beach trip! We awoke to not the sound of roosters, but excited children. At 7:00 we fed the children the lovely peanut butter and banana sandwiches that we had prepared the night before. When we saw the children, they were all in their swimsuits, and matching orange t-shirts, that had no symbolic meaning other than extra shirts. After breakfast, we then loaded onto the bus and van.

It’s amazing that 50 adults and children can fit into a bus that would and should only seat at most 23 (including the driver). Thank goodness for no seatbelts laws!!!! Just about each adult had a child in their lap, and all the kids in wheelchairs were picked up and held. Once the bus and van were crammed with as many people and accessories possible, we were on our way for our 3 hour long journey to the beach. The ride was a great bonding experience! Sharing sweat with the people you are sitting next to, and with the child on your lap, but filled with quite a bit of fun. For the first half there was quite a bit of singing, followed by anxious waiting, concluding with massive excitement as we approached the resort. Of course, throughout the journey there was the occasional wild horse, trash fire, and people hard at work. It was quite impressive how the kids remembered when we were getting closer after almost an entire year of not going there!

We arrived at the resort and parked the van and bus under a few trees. There was no real parking lot, so I guess it was “park by the closest tree”. Everyone was sweating quite a bit, so it was nice getting off the van and feeling the breeze from the ocean. Some people decided to wait for the golf carts, especially those holding some of the heavier kids. Others decided to walk the 10 minutes to the entry of the actual club. Each child and adult had to get red bracelets. First thing was bathroom runs, and then flotation devices blowing up! Then last but not least we could get into the water. The kids, and adults, were all waiting for the “go” from KC before we could go in. Finally it was time! The kids were so excited! The ocean was quite warm, and it was a wonderful feeling especially since everyone was so hot. All the kids had a blast, and all of them went in the water. The staff all worked hard in helping the kids. We had lunch at the resort which was served buffet style. It was nice and relaxing and the buffet allowed us to take our time since we helped with feeding. After lunch there was time to go back in the water for another 45 minutes. Then everyone came out, washed up, and then packed up to get ready to head back to Wings. It was awesome for the staff as we got to shower with running water!

The ride back was quite mellow as everyone was exhausted. When we got back to Wings, we quickly fed the kids and got them ready for bed. Then we had our dinner. After dinner there was an aloe party, since just about everyone got very badly burned, with a side of some splinter surgical removal on Stephanie. And with that the night and day ended, with thoughts of our shopping trip on tomorrow’s agenda.

Bel poze-“good feeling” (or as Ele would say, “that’s the name of a disease!”)

Sejal



The following is the second journal entry from one of the three young adults who accompanied the Cotting School staff. All three are visiting Haiti for the first time:

We just got back from quite a trip to the beach. We actually managed to find a resort-type place within Haiti's borders, and after a three hour sweaty van ride we arrived at a very beautiful spot on the coast. The kids began screaming and laughing with excitement at about 5:00 am this morning. It was a pleasure to be a part of one of the few days per year that these kids get to explore the world outside the walls of Wings. The drive was amazing as we passed through "upper class" areas and then through the outskirts of Cite Soleil, the worst slum in the western hemisphere. That means it beats out places like Rio de Janeiro, Ochos Rios and other infamous tropical slums. Coming back to Wings was a much different experience today as I really have begun to understand just how "nice" the area where we are actually is.

Tomorrow we go shopping with the kids who have jobs around Wings and earn allowance. We are paired up one-to-one with the kids, so I will be going with my buddy Pierre, he is very excited.

I have fallen in love with a little guy named Dalmace who is adorable and very cognitively advanced, he just does not have any use of his legs. Had I had the chance to spend more time with this child, I may be looking into adoption the next time I come to Haiti!

That's all for now, I will try to write tomorrow night before we leave . Tell Dave we are doing well and the Cotting staff is taking good care of us.

Bon Nuit,

Anna




Haiti Day 12 – July 1, 2008

Our final full day here in Haiti. It’s incredible how time flies when you’re having fun, and this week sure was fun! For our last full day we were lucky enough to join a small group of kids who were headed into the big city to spend their allowance. Once again we piled into the vans (though this time most of the children got a seat of their own rather than having to sit on laps) accompanied by a rented tap-tap, which transported the student’s wheelchairs. We headed down the mountain and into the hot, humid air, which had to be at least 20 degrees warmer than up at Wings. We arrived at our shopping destination to find a Salvation Army-like store. The kids eagerly jumped out of the vans and were ready to search through all the racks for the best bargains! Each child got to choose what they wanted to buy (from toys to soccer balls to clothes to shoes…all in one store) and almost all of the kids decided to get nice church clothes for trips down to St. Joe’s.

Once they were all shopped out we piled back into the vans and headed down the street for lunch at a place that was reminiscent of a food court. The kids were psyched for their hamburger, fries and coke meals and the adults were all happy for a little AC! I have to mention just how much the Wing’s kids love ketchup… on many occasions we’ve seen them put aside the fries for dipping to instead just drink it down straight! It’s like gold!

We finished up our lunches and packed ourselves in the vans for a final ride up the mountain back to Wings. Upon return we fed the children dinner for the last time on our trip and then retired to our room to begin the long process of packing for home. Luckily for us KC volunteered her time and metal-work packing skills which ended up taking over 2 hours to wrap-up all 4 big pieces of purchased metal-work art. All in all, a wonderful final full day in Haiti. We got to sleep excited to know that soon we’ll be home, but also with a heavy heart knowing tomorrow is the day we have to leave Wings, the kids, the staff, and Haiti.

Dede




Haiti Day 13 – July 2, 2008

The last hurrah. How is it possible that our time is up? The last few days have been so full of adventures, fun, and laughs that we forgot our departure loomed just ahead. We awoke for the final time to the crowing roosters, oinking pigs, barking dogs, and yells and laughter of the children, as they got ready for the day. We enjoyed another wonderful breakfast made for us by the Wings kitchen staff (they really take good care of our stomachs!) and then fed our last meal to the children. The day started as usual for the kids: wash-up, dress, breakfast, prayers, and finally back into the classrooms and therapies again after so many days off for adventures. The first van arrived at 9AM to take Anna, Sara, and Tommy down the mountain to the airport. They made the rounds to say their goodbyes to all their new friends and tearfully left, headed for home. With only two hours until the airport van arrived for the Cotting folks, we got in as much time with the kids as possible.

To our surprise, as we began to say our own goodbyes, the Wings staff brought the kids upstairs to send us off with a special goodbye. They gathered together and sang Auld Lang Syne to us in Haitian Creole… there was not a dry eye in the house! It was the most beautiful yet emotional goodbye experienced so far during the Cotting-Wings relationship. As we hugged and said goodbye to each and every child and Wings staff member we truly felt the extraordinary bond that has developed throughout the last two years. Some of the students were crying as we said goodbye, but as we told them we’ll be back (in our broken Creole) those amazing smiles returned to fill our hearts one last time as we prepared to head home.

We arrived safely in New York at JFK Airport and luckily are able to say it was an uneventful trip this time around. There was enough time in between flights for us to sit down as a group one final time for a meal, a beverage and to process the last week and a half (or two weeks for those three crazy ladies!). Cathy and I then separated from the rest of the group as we’re staying on in NYC for a couple of days to catch the Red Sox play the Yankees in the final season for Yankee Stadium. (P.S… Yes, the Sox won both games!) As we said goodbye to our friends as they headed off to make their connecting flight, I’m sure in each and every one of our minds was, “Until next time Haiti…”

We’re coming home!

Dede



Dadzi at the beach.


KC and Reginald enjoying ice cream.


Triniti Dancers




Playing soccer at the beach.




Vivian at Wings of Hope



The courtyard at Wings of Hope



Cathy with friends from Wings of Hope



Cotting Staff at Wings of Hope



Dede and Vivian



Taking the kids shopping



Food preperation


Ginny Birmingham with a Wings student


Wings students wearing their Cotting best


Wings beach trip


Wings beach trip


Game time!


Time for a haircut


Sejal and Bard