la pluie ap tombe

When I went for my morning walk and cafe, I was surprised to see that the little girl who I've gotten my cafe from every day this week was nowhere to be found. Once again I had taken the shoes to see if I could solve the mystery, but the saga continues.

We go up to Morne Oge for breakfast and then head out with two taptaps packed to the gills with people to go to Raymond Beach. It was a great ride through town and out into the country. I could ride around like this all day, especially if I could stop when I wanted to! I see lots of opportunities to perform, interesting activities and beautiful photos all missed due to the never ending rush to get there. Once again I am reminded how so many are focusing on the destination, not the journey!!

When we arrive at the beach, there are a few young boys around hawking shells that they have found on the beach. I make some jumping spiders for them with some packing straps that I found outside the kitchen. I also do a couple of rubber band tricks. I am so surprised that I see so many Haitian children with several rubber bands on their arms, not the silly shapes so popular in the States, but just plain rubber bands. I am reminded of all the ones I gave out in March and May.

As always, we are surrounded by vendors soon, the ground is covered with paintings pinned down with stones, two tables full of jewelry made of shells, wood, horn and plastic are carried and set right next to our table.

I go for a swim before lunch, the water is so warm, it feels so good to float in the bobbing waves and feel the sun beating down. When I get out of the water, I see the opportunity to do a little playing, so I grab my diabolo and head down the beach a bit to an open area. I soon am surrounded by about 30 people, mostly young boys and young men. They were very responsive and playful. Thankfully Kelsey had seen me and grabbed the video camera to capture some of it. One fellow who turned out to be one of the jewelry hawkers wanted to try his hand. He caught on rather quickly and for the next two hours, I would see him here and there up and down the beach showing off his newly acquired skill. I would check in every once in a while, give him some coaching tips, taking him to the next level. It was very satisfying to see him progress so quickly. At the end when I was leaving, it was difficult to ask for it back, but I am quite attached to some of my props and couldn't let it go. I also have more work to do before I leave! I talked to him about making one, and he was already thinking about how to do it. He said the next time I came he would have one that he would turn out of wood!!! That would be so cool . It could be the beginning of a diabolo revolution in Haiti!!

I had arranged to go to Caleb's feeding program on the way back with a little difficulty. It seems that there is some friction between the LaFleur camp and Caleb. Not really sure what it is all about, but I do not want to get in the middle of it. I merely want to perform for his children again. They do agree to drop us off. When we arrive, it seems sort of familiar, but I am disoriented. His tarp is in a different spot and there are tents set up in what before was an open area. The children had been sitting and waiting for us to arrive, so sweet. They break into song as we are given chairs to sit in next to them. There are about 80 in all, from 4 to 16. They are crammed onto the benches, eagerly awaiting. We all introduce ourselves, and I go last. And off I go. They were so happy to see me again. An old woman brought her own chair and sat right behind me, totally into the event. Caleb was wonderful in encouraging them to applaud.

We then help serve out the food. The littlest ones sat on the floor on the porch of the house, and we set the piping hot plates of wheat and beans on the floor between their legs. Then we formed a line and passed out the plates to all the older ones waiting patiently on the benches. No one ate until everyone was served. Caleb offered us some but we had just finished our lunch, so declined. He served himself last, and then gave his plate of food to a young boy who had managed to topple his plate to the ground; a little puppy quickly moved in to clean up.

Time was growing short, so we asked Caleb if he could get motos for us to go back to the hotel. It was a great ride back through the town; Kelsey and Shaun on one, Camilla and I on the other. Caleb and his cousin from NYC came with us back to the hotel to retrieve some shoes, sheets and clothes that we had brought down.

Soon it was time to return to Morne Oge for an event recognizing those children who had good grades in school. It was quite the fete, tons of food, cake and ice cream and lots of goodies being given out. The church looked very festive with all the balloons that Robin had brought with him. It bucketed down for a very long time, the rain pounding on the tin roof. It leaked in one spot. By the time the event was over though, the rain had stopped and we rode back to the hotel through the quiet abandoned streets, such a difference from day to night.

Stars started to peak out and the moon pushed her way through the clouds as we drifted off to sleep on our last night in Jacmel.

orphanage

My day starts as usual, out for a morning stroll and cafe, then back to write.

The taptap comes at 8 to take us up to the church for breakfast. We play with the children again, they are so physical, I think I have a red ring around my wiast from all the grabbing and pinching to get my attention.

At 10, we all pile into the taptap to go see the new land. It is a beautiful ride there, through very lush greenery. Coralita grows everywhere, showing off its bright pink blossoms. Already it is blazing hot. Not a cloud is to be seen in the sky. Just as we are about to leave, an old lady and small girl arrive with a stack of amazing hats. One catches my eye immediately. We have fun trying them on in the shade of a tree. How is it that she is selling hats out here in the bush? Then I realize that I had seen the hats on a table at one of the houses we had passed to get here. She had seen us, and figured there might be a sale. We ended up buying three! She was right. What a beautiful sight it was. Of course, Zelmo was blowing his horn, ready to leave.

After lunch there was the feeding program again. I dried the hands of every youngster after they patiently stood in line to wash. A little wiggle and a shake along with a squeeze was usually enough to get a glowing smile from each one.

In the afrternoon we were taken to an orphange nearby. It was for boys only. They ranged in age from 8 to 20, probably 25 all together. I performed for them in the corner of a dusty soccer field in a small yard. they were so much fun, very open to laugh and cheer each other on as I called them up to volunteer. After I spoke to them a little and they asked questions, like why did I come to Haiti. It was great to voice my beliefs about the importance of laughter, not only in a disaster situation but also in every day life. They all nodded in agreement. One boy wanted to know how I threw the knots into the rope, so I taught him how, and found a shoelace on the ground that I gave to him to practice with. He picked it up quite quickly.

I was so parched after the show and noone had any water. I need to stay hydrated!!

After a short rest back at the hotel, we all wandered out to go to some shops. One mann recognized me from my visit in March!

We eneded up at the beach again, meeting up with our artist friend from Pinchinat. I told him that we had been there yesterday, but he had to go the the clinic because his tent had collapsed on himm in the night, bruising his chest.

He took a bracelet off his arm and put it on Kelsey's, asking her to wear it. It was beautiful. Upon closer inspection we saw that kit was wound wire. We commented on how creative it was, and he disappeared up the beach. He came back in a few minutes with wtrands of phone wire, electric cord and copper wire bouncing from his hand. In about 10 minutes he created another. they sere so great, we asked how much he could make them for. We then asked him to see how many he could make before we left on Thursday. He accepted the challenge!! We will see. I siad no more than 2000.

When we got back to the hotel, Lindor Wilking was there with his soda pop bags. Robin had a long chat with him about commerce and pricing. What an opportunity for this young man to learn from someone in that business. i got two beauties from him to bring home.

It was another full on day.

Pinchinat

I love waking early and hearing the town come back to life again. The nights are incredibly still, but soon before daybreak, the wheels start moving again.

I walk to my morning cafe spot, the young girl is still there. I figure the concession has been handed on to her. Her mother? has moved on. Without her new size 8 shoes.

We are off at 8 am sharp to return to Morne Oge. Today will be the second and closing part of Robin and Camilla's art workshop.

Again, it is so nice to be greeted by name as we arrive. Already the young boys are busy painting one of the new houses. I go and see it and joke with them that it will be my house. Gabby replies "kai." I am puzzled. That is my son's name. i soon learn that in Kreyol it means "my house." Sweet.

I see a woman doing laundry and I give her my shirt to wash. She accepts it without missing a beat. I later see it hanging on the line amidst her wash. I like the idea of me being in the middle of it all. After lunch she walks up to me and hands me a beautifully folded clean shirt. She asks for nothing and walks back to her "kai," I follow her and give her 25 gourdes, less than a dollar, for her services, she gives me a huge hug. Win, win, win.

Shaun is busy repairing some of the table that have broken. It's a challenge, but we find tools here and there, find some extra lumber, and with the help of some of the young boys, he makes the tables sturdy enough to sit on. Before they had collapsed when asked to bear that kind of weight. it was great to see the young boys assisting him, they must have learned how to make it stronger.

Kelsey is constantly holding a child. At one point a boy of 6 snores away on her shoulder.

I go for a bit of a walk down a path I hadn't been on berfore, it is beautiful walking down the dusty path. Soon I hear my name being called. I look across a small valley and I see Souvenis, one of the cooks and several children. Next they are running toward me repeating Roget, Roget, Roget. They take me by both hands and lead me to their home, a tent set on top of the small hill. Her husband sits on a moto holding a baby boy, not yet one. I meet her family of 6 and she shows me the state of their tent. It has rips on every side, patched with tarp, but certainly no longer waterproof. After 7 months in the sun, it hs become so brittle, that it rips very easily. And with 6 children, the oldest maybe 14, I can only imagine the activity. Her daughter cooks some rice over a small coalpot. She sends me off back to the church with one of her daughters, we walk hand in hand the whole way. So touching and poignant.

Today it is very hot, with not a cloud in the sky, the temperature bakes the earth and anything on it. We all are exhausted from the heat. But like magic, just when the time is right, those little sachets of water appear, the perfect amount of good tasting rehydration. And ice cold!! How can that happen in this blazing heat? Later in the day I had one that still had ice inside, so they might buy them frozen? However it happens, it is always so refreshing and revitalizing.

At one point, there were several children sitting in the back of the taptap. I climbed in with them and had so much fun. We all pretended that we were moving in the truck. First i would call our allez, allez, allez. Then we would bounce up and down going over the bumpy road, then a corner to the left, more bouncing, then a right, more bouncing, then a HUGE bump, more bouncing, then a stop. And then repeat, again and again and again. We did it so many times, the children chortling with glee, that finally Fedony yelled at them to be quiet. He hadn't seen that I was the instigator of all the noise. So then we pretended to sleep, wake up, wash our skin, eat some food, and sleep again. This went on for some time until it was time for our lunch.

After lunch, we helped carry the plates of rice and beans out to the younger children. I danced with the plates, they laughed. I then helped dry their hands as they stood in line to wash before eating. I made it fun, they lined up to have me dry their hands, I shook their arms as I dried, making it fun.

We left at 3 to visit some tent cities. We first went to Pinchinat, where I had been back in March. It is much smaller now. They have moved many people out. There are drainage ditches to help deal with the rain. The latrines are brightly painted, one for men and one for women in a different part of the camp. We stop under a tree and I hop out of the truck and start to set up for a show. There is a lot of distraction with all of us, so it is a slow beginning, but as I continue the crowd grows, not as large as in March, but understandably, there are fewer people here now. Nevertheless, the children are delighted and the adults join in as well. I had hardly finished and Zelmo, our driver was in the truck beeping his horn for us to get in. A man came and asked me to do another show in another part of the camp but we were whisked away before it could happen. That did not sit well with me.

We then drove to another camp, this one newly set up, possibly with people from the one we had just visited. It was very orderly, with streets, drainage ditches, lighting and new tents. Very impressive. It seemed that we were going to just drive by, but I could not let the opportunity go, so I asked to stop. It was a very sweet show. An elderly man was totally into it and kept commenting back to the rest of the group. A woman watched from inside her tent from across the street. I knew because I kept hearing her laugh. I was so glad that I had asked to stop. Again, I had barely finished and Zelmo is blowing his horn again. I was not happy with his impatience.

We asked to be dropped at the beach for our daily end of the day routine. It is a great way to end the day, it is so beautiful there, there is so much to watch, and it always offers an opportunity.

We decide to walk back to the hotel, picking our way along the dark streets, stepping around heaps of rubble, avoiding the oncoming motos and trucks, and going with the flow of the people on the street..

Dinner was great, we had asked for some real Haitian hot sauce and one of the cooks had mixed up a special batch for us. It was heavenly, definitely making for the best meal we have had yet. We ordered a couple of bottles to bring home.

Sunday church

I was up early, out for my morning cafe and looking for my cafe lady who asked for the size 8 shoes. I have the shoes, but now she is not to be found. In her spot is a young girl, maybe 12, who now seems to run the show. I will keep trying to find her. I buy a beautiful avocado, and when I come into the hotel, one of the workers asked me to follow him. He took me to his room where he presented me with another avocado!! Delicious.

An early start today at 7:15 to go up to Morne Oge for breakfast at 7:30. The childrens' service at the church starts at 8. I quickly eat and head for the church, where already the children are arriving, dress to the nines, no, tens. Neatly braided hair adorned with beads of all colors, ribbons and barrettes. The boys look smart in their long pants and button shirts. A steady stream is coming from all directions. As they arrive, they are ushered into the benches, packing them in. by the time the service starts, there is no more room. I had sat way in the back, but had to give up my seat, there was not another space to be had anywhere. There were probably 200 children. They were led in song by two young girls on microphones, Fedony on electric piano and after a while a drummer joined in. At one point we were all called to the front. I introduced "the team" and then did a short performance that went very well. I hadn't done a performance here since my first visit in March, though I have spent quite a bit of time here playing with the children. by 9:15 it was over, with the adult service to start at 9:30. The exchange of all those bodies was quite a sight, for there was a churchful of adults waiting to get in as the children came out. I spent the next three hours playing with the children, teaching rope tricks to a couple of the boys, and juggling with many of the children. There was lots of singing, we were again introduced, Robin was well received when he spoke in French to them.

As the service wore on, many of the tiny children were brought out, it was very hot in there, and in spite of the sachets of water that were delivered many times, it was very hot. Amazing how just when I am feeling in need of water, two women appear carrying a basket ful of ice cold water sachets!

I went over to the kitchen and helped wash the mountain of dishes that were there. It was very pleasant in the shade of the tree and the gentle wind blowing. I rinsed the dishes in a large pan of water and stacked them in plastic laundry baskets to dry.

A large truckload of water was delivered. It was the first time that the cistern was being filled, so it was very exciting. It was a large tanker of water, and containers of every size appeared to hold and carry this precious commodity. The large green snakelike hose spewed out the fresh water into every waiting receptacle.

Finally the service was over, LaFleur had delivered a scorching sermon to the packed crowd. They had built this church because the other was too small. And now already this one is bursting at the seams.

After lunch, we came back to the hotel to rest, the midday heat having taken its toll. We we out for a walk later, stopped at a shop to look at some paintings and there was a little boy, maybe 18 months old, in the care of his grandmother. She called a neighbor to hold him while she dusted off the goods for us to see. I put my arms out to him and he reached up to me. He was such a little cherub, by the time I gave him back he was giggling away from the little game of "dive bombing him" back toward his caretaker's arms.

We had a wonderful meal tonight. I suggested we move the tables out from the covered area out onto the open deck under the stars and the nearly full moon. It was idyllic. I invited our servers to join us at the table. Usually they eat after us and keep their distance. They shyly joined us. We learned that it was three generations who had brought us the food. Grandmother, mother and young girl. It was so nice to have them eating with us. We are all one, and we are in this world together.

Papa Noel

I got up early, went out on the balcony and who do I see across the street but Vladi! It was so nice to be greeted on my first morning here by a friend. He and I went down the street to find an avocado and bananas for Kelsey, since she didn't have any dinner.

When I got back, Kels and Shaun wanted coffee, so we went out again, this time carrying the size 8 shoes that my cafe lady had requested. She wasn't there, probably her daughter was there instead, we sipped the hot sweet cafe with the anise flavored milk.

When we got back we met with LaFleur to hear what he had planned for our day.

We would go to Morne Oge for breakfast and then he had organized for the children to come at 10 to do this drawing project for Robin and Camilla. He had invited a few, he said; as the time arrived, there were a few. Many called out Roget when they saw me. What a warm reception I was given.

A young boy mimed my actions of juggling. Another took a rope that I had and DID one of my tricks!! I taught him more. What a quick learner he was.

The drawing project went very well. By the end, there was not a space left at any of the tables, they drew on the benches, hunched over their papers. i found a couple of young girls with tears trickling down their cheeks. They had been asked to draw about the day of the earthquake. It would not have been my choice to ask them to revisit that day, but it is not my project. I continue my work outside.

It was amazing what they did produce though. The older the children were, the more graphic the images were. The ages ranged from 4 to 22. Some of the older boys were busy the whole time, using rulers to draw wonderful representations of their homes.

After lunch we rode back to the hotel for a rest. We then took a walk through the market. I juggled long sticks of soap. One of the market streets is filled with rubble, yet the selling goes on, next to and on top of the jagged bits of concrete and stone.

In several places, I nearly lose my way because the buildings are gone. Where there once was a heavily damaged building is now an empty space, completely gone. Progress continues at its Haitian pace. There are piles of cement blocks, gravel and sand in many places, waiting to be formed into a new building.

Shaun had commented on how he would love to see how they make their rope here; as we wandered toward the beach, I saw a man making rope!! We watched his hands twisting and turning the strands into a beautiful two strand rope. A huge ball of it lay at his feet, easily over 100 feet. Seeing us standing there, an artist who was on his way home for the day, set his paintings down at our feet along the curb. Robin and Camilla bought a beauty.

As we stood there, a man came down the street with two white men. He recognized me and came and gave me a big hug. I recognized him from Pinchinant, the tent city I visited in March. I have picture of his family. He told me in words and actions of how I had entertained the children, and that they refer to me as Papa Noel.

He joined us on the beach for a drink. He spoke very eloquently of his plight in the tent city, caring for his children and dealing with the daily challenge. His English is very good yet he would lapse into French often. Robin continued the conversation then.

It was getting late, so I arranged for moto taxis to take us back to the hotel. Certainly a real Haitian experience not to be missed.

A wonderful soup made of banana, plaintain and cinnamon awaited us. It was a very comforting way to end our first day here.

hey you

As the plane taxied toward the runway, the captain came on and announced that there was a technical problem and they were working on it. Yikes. We sat for about 45 minutes on the tarmac, he came back on and said that they had solved it. It seemed to be a routing issue, not equipment. So we were nearly 1 hour late in departing. Flight time was 3hours, 39 minutes. Amazing how close Haiti is to JFK. I'm not really sure how it happended with leaving so late, but we arrived 10 minutes early!! he must have taken a shortcut.

Kelsey and Shaun were there waiting for us in the hot baggage claim area, fans move the hot air around us. We finally got all of our bags and head out into the gauntlet of porters. I was looking for a familiar face, but saw none. I left the others with the moountain of bags and ventured out with one porter who said he would help me find my driver. I didn't remeber that it was such a long walk but as we moved along insude the fenced area, a one armed man came toward me calling "Roget." I didn't recognize him, but he seemed to know me. He said that my driver had sent him. I trusted him, how else would he have known my name. He also knew the name of the white woman, Julie, who I had read about in one of LaFleur's posts. So, we went back to gather the others and the bags. It all sent quite smoothly, except when we got out of the fencexd area, the driver was nowhere to be scene. I didn't have a phone number with me, so Jackson, the one-armed man, assured me that he had probably gone to get food and would be back soon. We had little choice but to wait. Robin struck up conversation with an elderly porter in French. Jackson was perturbed, saying that the man was trying to get our money.

After about ten minutes, I saw a familiar face, it was Jean Marie, one of the young men from the church with a white woman. They said that they had been waiting for us and didn't see us come out.

We loaded our gear into the van, and started our trip to Jacmel. The roads getting out of Port au Prince are still in horrible shape, traffic is heavy and the road is extremely rough, yet passable. It is good that we are going slow though, it is a good way to see all there is to see. The trip went quite well, arriving in Jacmel just before 5. It did seem a lot longer that the 2 1/2 hours largely because of the massive amount of visual stimulation.

At one point, somewhere up in the mountains, the driver stopped to go to the bathroom. As he disappeared into someone's yard, toilet paper roll in hand, we all decided to get out and stretch our legs. I wandered up a path and saw a group of boys playing soccer with what passed as a ball. I knew that

Robin and Camilla had brought new soccer balls to give away, and I thought this was a perfect opportunity. here we were way out in the country, pretty sure that these people were not on anyone's radar for help. I went back to the van, proposed the idea, pulled out the ball, and took the needle out of my pocket that 12 hours earlier I had used to deflate the ball. I blew it up as best as I could with lungs alone, and we all headed back up the hill to pass it on. Robin was very chatty with the boys, encouraging them to make sure that it was properly inflated. What a sight to see, their old thread bare dusty ball next to the new shiny red one. Within seconds, it was on the ground and the game continued. As we turned to go back to the van, one of the boys yelled out, "hey, you!" We turned and saw them all waving to us shouting "Merci."

Our arrival in Jacmel was so wonderful. We were greeted warmly by the staff and LaFleur. After the rooms had been sorted out, I went and got cold beers for everyone, a 7 up for Camilla. She was amazed at how big the bottle was. As we drank, a procession of food arrived, we went up on the roof and had a yummy stew, unfortunately, it had meat in it, and Kelsey didn't eat. She said she wasn't all that hungry. By the time we had finished eating it was dark, yet just 7 o'clock. We were all very tired, so all turned in, getting a good night's rest before our early start tomorrow. LaFleur wants to meet us at 7:30!

Troisieme fois

Sitting in JFK, waiting to board my flight that will take me back to Ayiti for my third trip since my first time in MARCH. The waiting area is full of Haitians, I see only three other Blancs. I’m not sure if that is good or bad. Is Haiti being forgotten?
I love seeing the faces of Haiti again and hearing snippets of Kreyol. I am ready to roll. Kelsey and Shaun flew out of LaGuardia at 0600 and will be waiting for us in Port au Prince when we arrive.