Jwe avek timoun

Yesterday, I was missing home a bit, but once I started playing with my favorite kids from the village, I forgot about being home sick.  Mialove (12), Andy (9), Mialove’s brother (4ish), and Rudy (pronounced “Woody”, 6ish) played with me on the porch of the house.  I brought out a jump rope and two hula-hoops, which they love to play with.  We showed off our skills with the hula hoop – how we could hula around our waist, stomach, arms, neck, ankles; how we could use the hula hoop as a jump rope and count the number of times we jump in English and in Kreyol.  They helped me count in Kreyol because every time I got to 13, I did not know how to say it.  They thought that was hysterical because, I just kept repeating “douz” for twelve over and over until they yelled, “trèz.”  You see, I never took French, so even these seemingly easy words that I should know, I don’t!  They also wanted to see how strong I was and showed me that they wanted me to do push-ups.  I did ten, with them counting loudly, and then they liked to squeeze my muscles.  Haha.  They also liked to flex their muscles and have me feel them.  What I think is so interesting, is that they asked to see pictures of my family.  I showed them pictures of my niece and nephews, siblings, and parents, on my phone and they loved it!  They made comments about baby James and Charlie, and they always said, “Se Bennett!  Se Bennett!”  It’s Bennett!  It’s Bennett!

Andy and Mialove also showed off their dance skills – they can pop and lock extremely well, and Andy loves to sing (chante).  The kids were dancing and playing so hard that the sweat was just streaming down their faces – and I imagined that they had worked up an appetite.  I am aware that these four kids get different amounts of food from their families each day to eat – where Andy is well-fed, Mialove is not.  So, I brought out a Cliff bar and I kept ripping pieces off to share with them.  While they were eating, I showed them a dance move that I thought would impress them – the worm.  I can do the worm decently and when I showed it to them, they were fascinated.  They tried to do it, but just could not figure out the coordination.  AND, Mialove’s brother really does not like wearing pants, so he was trying to do the worm pantless!  (He has pants; he just prefers not to wear anything…)

What a great afternoon!

The other day, Mialove asked me, “Pouki sa ou pa fè lekòl avek mwen?”  Which means, Why haven’t you done school with me?  When, I was here in March, Mialove and a few other kids would hang out on the porch, look at picture books, and look at a map of the world.  We talked about where different countries are, where the animals live, and we even did some math.  Mialove does not regularly go to school, and it was really interesting to hear her ask me to “do school” with her.  So, the other day, we sat on the porch, and “did school.” 

Kombit

Bennett has taught me the meaning of the Haitian Kreyol word "kombit."  "Kombit" means a collaborative group work project.  The kombit is a cultural institution in Haiti and conveys the sense of voluntarism that occurs when individuals come together to help each other out in times of need.  Historically, kombits were formed when a farmer needed help clearing a field.  He would provide food for the community and people would come and help him clear his field.  Today, Hope on a String hosted a kombit.  This Sunday, Hope on a String is having a big soccer game.  HoaS has players on a team, chearleaders (chofe) on the sidelines with choreographed cheers, and members of the community to come and watch.  To prepare for Sunday's event, the soccer field needed to be cleared and the lines on the field needed to be marked - quite a lot of work.  HoaS asked members of the team, the cheerleaders, and other members of the community to come and help clear the field and pick-up the area.  In return, HoaS would provide lunch.  We woke up at 6:30 am to meet at the field at 7:00.  Using machetes, hoes, rakes, and shovels, people got to work, clearing weeds, cacti, and brush, "cutting the grass" by slashing the machete back and forth.  Men and women (gran moun), teenagers (jen), and young boys and girls (timoun), worked incredibly hard in the hot, hot sun clearing the area so the soccer field was playable.  I used the machete, raked, shoveled piles of cut grass, and sweat buckets.  Buckets and buckets of sweat.  Next, some of the men used measuring tape to mark the sides of the soccer field, and then tied string to wooden posts they hammered into the ground.  Using such "crude" tools (zouti) made the work that much harder, but people kept a positive attitude.  It really was wonderful to see so many people coming together to pitch-in and better their community.  Hope on a String believes that strong communities are built through common experiences, and that communal celebration of music is particularly effective in building social change.  The work we did today affirmed this belief.

It takes forever to upload pictures, so here is just one that I took today!

Thinking about Assessment

Today, I have been thinking about assessment, and how Hope on a String can effectively implement assessment in their classes.  This is a huge task that they are thinking about. 

Some questions I have been thinking about:
How can students' knowledge be assessed before they start their session at HoaS?
How can their knowledge be assessed at the end of their HoaS sessions?

More to come on these ideas during my 5 weeks in Haiti.  There is a lot to think about, on both the macro and micro levels, and all of those thoughts are swimming fairly chaotically in my head right now.  I have to settle down, take it day by day....oh, and prepare for my 3 pm dance class.

Day 1 - Reconnecting

I arrived to Port-au-Prince airport yesterday and was met by Lara Berry and Ksy (Cassie) and our friend and driver, Fefe.  It was so great to see them and catch up.  We drove through Port-au-Prince quickly and stopped at Delmas, which is a grocery store/everything store.  Lara and Ksy were looking for folders for Hope on a String, but couldn't find any.  As we were checking out (we bought coffee, some snacks, juice, and yogurt), I noticed the Delmas security guards, who were standing by the doorway carrying huge rifles.  Pierre, the co-founder of HoaS, is coming down to Corail on Friday, so they asked him to bring some.  Folders - so hard to find here and so easy to get anywhere in the US. 

We made our way on the roads to Corail - saw the tent camps that have moved out of Port-au-Prince, and which now litter the mountain sides.  Tents everywhere - made of wood, tarp, cloth, sticks.  Many of these people had tents in Port-au-Prince, but recently the government gave people a small amount of money to move their tents out of the city, so that's why these tent villages starting popping up along the mountain sides outside the city.  I also saw a UN truck filled with Brazilian officers, an environmental clean-up truck, and still a good amount of rubble.  But it seemed like there was less rubble than even the last time I was in PaP in March. 

Arriving in Corail was wonderful.  Seeing friends, like Mialove (10 years old) and her younger brother was so heartwarming.  They were excited to see me, yelling "A Man Da," and gave me kisses.  Lara and I ate lunch at Florence's house, where I will eat all of my meals - white rice, red bean and plaintain sauce, and sauteed vegetables and goat in a oily sauce. 

At night, we just talked, I practiced my creole.  Matt, the HoaS intern from Amherst, brought out his viola and started playing.  I learned some of the dance steps the girls have been doing at their HoaS dance class, and we just enjoyed everyone's company.

I think yesterday's take-away was how good it felt to see people who I met in March and who I felt a strong connection with, like the staff of Hope on a String - Watson, Harmonie, Mumai, Betsy, and friends from the community, like Pactrice and his son Patrick! 

Setting Off

This summer, I will be volunteering at Hope on a String, the non-profit organization that my husband, Bennett, started over a year ago.  As many of you know, Hope on a String is a grassroots organization that seeks to foster an environment of social transformation and economic development in Haiti through the community's participation in music. (to learn more, visit www.hopeonastring.org)

I will be living in the community of Corail, in the town Arcahaie, Haiti for 5 weeks and teaching a variety of classes at the Hope on a String community center.  This is about 30 miles northwest of Port-au-Prince.  Lara, the Program Director, who lives in Corail full-time and is in charge of all programming, has assigned me to teach several classes - three Level 3 English classes (advanced English), one dance and step class, and one children's choir class.  I was on a step team in high school and college, and have brushed up on some steps.  I also made a list of English children's songs that I can use for the choir and matching the words with actions to help them learn some vocabulary.  Remember "heads, shoulders, knees, and toes," and "the hokey pokey"?  

I spent 2 weeks in Corail in March, so I have a good idea as to what I'm getting myself into, and I am very excited and very nervous. My creole is definitely coming along, but I cannot keep up with the pace at which people talk.  I will definitely be saying "dousman souple" often, which means "slowly please."

I'm looking forward to keeping everyone updated and sharing my reflections.  My ability to access the internet and keep my computer charged will be erratic, so bear with me. 

Na we pi ta (See you later!),

Amanda