Corail's Exciting and Memorable Weekend!

On Saturday and Sunday of last weekend, Corail experienced a great celebration, which resulted in a brilliant wave of pride for the community.  The whole town prepared for Sunday’s Sacre-Coeur celebration.  Corail has many different religions and many different churches.  It is also home to one of the few Catholic churches in Arcahaie.  Corail’s patron saint is the Sacre-Coeur and the feast day was to be celebrated on Sunday, July 22^nd.  This was the first large celebration of Sacre-Coeur that Corail had since 2007.  To prepare for the Sacre-Coeur, Hope on a String donated its chairs and prepared a special dance to be performed for some very special visitors.  The Catholic Church prepared by beautifying the church, practicing the ceremony, getting chairs.  The soccer program prepared by putting a palm-frond fence around the field, cleaned it up, and organized a match for Sunday.  Pierre also helped prepare for the feast by inviting President Martelly’s presidential soccer team to play in Corail.  While this was a far-fetched idea, Pierre was able to connect with one of his friends who is close to the Haitian President, and received confirmation that the President’s Foutbòl team would come to play in Corail on Sunday.  Pierre delegated responsibilities to everyone to prepare – his sister would arrange for all of the food to be cooked, we would make sure the house was clean and that HOAS was prepared to host them.  Having the President’s team in Corail would be one of the biggest things that have happened to Corail in a long time.  Corail is a town that has been forgotten by the government – no paved roads, no electricity, and no running water, barely any support.

One of the solar lamps

Corail’s Diaspora also supported the event by donating money, and one man, Nene Always, donated four solar lamps to light the main street in Corail.  They were installed during the day on Saturday.  There was definitely a feeling in the air of great anticipation! 

Some homes in Corail (like Hope on a String headquarters) have electricity, generated by a generator fueled by diesel.  Most people do not have electricity, however, because the government has not run electrical lines out to Corail.  In places where people do have access to the electrical infrastructure necessary to have electricity, like in Nanbouk, the access to the electricity is so sporadic that people and businesses can’t rely on it.  For example, a few weekends ago, Pierre drove several of us to a bar in Nanbouk.  However, the bar wasn’t open because Nanbouk did not expect to receive electricity that night.  Having these 4 solar lamps along the main road in Corail was truly life changing for many people.  

One of the solar lamps - the solar panel is on top.

On Saturday night, with the new lights installed, everybody was out on the street.  The toubadou group was playing below the street light located in front of the Catholic Church, just a 30 second walk from our house.  People hung around to the light and to the toubadou group like moths to a flame – literally.  Even small vendors pulled their small shelves of rum, candy, crackers up to the light to sell.  Down the road, by the next light, was a sound system playing music, which Nene Always had also lent to the community.  More vendors set up their shops, young people hung out on the street – the community truly came out! 

Lara, Pierre, and I walked down to the Toubadou group to enjoy the night, the music, and the community.  Young kids flocked to Lara and I to talk, hang out, and just be near us.  We saw our friend, Martin, who is about 17 years old.  She lives with her mom, and her two younger half-brothers.  Martin’s father passed away when she was in the womb – he boarded a small, dinky, rowboat destined for the shores of the United States, but he was lost at sea.  Her two brothers, Cleevens and Jackenson, with whom I had a great conversation, have a father who has lived in the United States for the past 7 years.  This is just one example of the many families who only have one parent at home.  Many families in Corail (and the country) consist of a single mother.  The father might be absent in the lives of his family for several reasons – he passed away, he lives in the United States, or he was never married to the mother and is not around.  It seems that this family model is more prevalent than is the two-parent home.

After we hung out with the Toubadou group, which is a group of older men that organize to play Toubadou music, we walked down the road toward the other light.  We enjoyed sugar cane, Prestige (Haiti’s best export – a delicious beer), and then made our way back home.  Lara and I listened to Pierre’s stories of when he grew up in Corail.  

SUNDAY – SACRE-COEUR!

I woke up excited for the day’s festivities, especially attending Catholic Mass at Corail’s church.  Pierre’s godmother and her husband donated money to rebuild the church when Pierre was just a little boy.  Before, it was just a one-room house close to the road – now, it is a larger church that is pushed back off the road and has a larger gathering place in front.  For the Sacre-Coeur, the church was decorated with fresh flowers, and there were rows and rows of chairs for people to attend Mass.  On the altar was a beautiful white linen.  It was clear that many people put in a lot of effort to make the church look so great.  

Catholic Church in Corail

Mass was scheduled to start at 10:00, but the priest did not show up until a little after 11.  He had already done two masses and was running behind.  We showed up at the mass around 10:45, knowing that the priest had yet to arrive.  The people at the church asked us to sit in the front—we were perceived as special guests, not only because we were with Pierre, but because we were outsiders visiting the church.  We ended up sitting in the fourth row, on the left side of the aisle.  People stared at Lara and I as we walked in and sat down – perhaps some were curious as to who we were, and others knew who we were and were happy to see us attend their church.  Many of the children and adults were familiar to me.  I smiled at people I knew.

Because Catholic Masses have a clear order, I was able to follow the mass very well—other than the language barrier, of course.  But I could understand the parts of the mass and because I have most of the Catholic Mass memorized from growing up, I knew what the Priest was probably saying.  This mass had a children’s choir, which sang many songs, and even danced in the aisle for several.  They were accompanied by conga drums, and a keyboard borrowed from Hope on a String. 

The most powerful part of Mass was the presentation of the gifts – the part where the wine and host are brought to the altar to be transformed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ.  For the Sacre-Coeur, there was grand procession of gifts.  To music, women in informal, long dresses, danced slowly and rhythmically in two rows up the aisle.  They balanced large woven baskets on their heads, filled with coconuts, vegetables, flowers, and plantains.  It was absolutely breath taking.  Thinking about how little most of these people had and how willing they were to give and sacrifice what they had for the feast of the Sacred Heart.  It was touching, beautiful, and at the same time, it made me feel sad.  What I did not understand at the time, but which was explained to me later, was that as the women were presenting their many gifts, the lyrics to the song that the choir was singing were about sacrificing in the physical world to receive rewards in the spiritual world.  I was moved to great emotion that this part in the mass, but I did not cry because I did not want to draw any more attention to myself than I already was just by being there.  But I was thinking about my family, my Grandma Mattei, as I always do when I am at mass, and I was thinking of how lucky I was to have this experience.  How lucky I am to be welcomed into a community so different from my own; how lucky I am to have grown up with opportunity and access; how lucky I am to have a family intact; how lucky I am not to have to worry about affording and drinking clean water or when my next meal will be. 

Then, we said the Lord’s Prayer – I in English and everyone else in Kreyol.  Next, we shared the sign of peace, which is probably my favorite part of Mass.  I love how everyone greets each other, shakes hands, kisses.  It is invigorating!  When it was time for Communion, I hopped in line with everyone else.  I think some people were surprised to see me receiving community, but at the same time very pleased – I saw many smiles, head nods, and even a thumbs-up. 

Before the Priest dismissed everyone, people made several announcements.  Many people were thanked for helping to organize the Mass, including Hope on a String for its keyboard.  Mass lasted for two hours, ending around 2:15.

The inside of the Catholic Church

Then, we were on full preparation mode for the President’s soccer team – very important people coming to Corail!  The team arrived in their special vehicles, with Arcahaie police with them, and their own security detail.  They ate lunch at the house, changed for the game, and then made their way to Hope on a String.  Lara choreographed a fantastic dance, which our dancers practiced all Saturday, and rehearsed for on Sunday.  They were definitely ready to show off their abilities!  Cassy introduced Hope on a String to everyone, explaining its mission and vision.  Then, the dancers took their places, Lara started the music, and the dancing began! The dance was perfect - and it even inspired hoots, hollers, and applause from the audience.  The dancers did an excellent job and the President’s players and guests were truly impressed.

Cassy introducing Hope on a String to the President's team

The President's Team and special guests watching

 After the choreographed dance was over, the Hope on a String dancers went into the crowd and started dancing.  Soon, everyone was on their feet dancing to the music!  It was awesome!!

Hope on a String dancers invite the team to dance!

Next, we made our way to the field to see the President’s team play the Corail All-Stars.  There were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people in attendance to watch the game. The Corail team thought they had a good chance to win, because they were comprised of young men and the President’s team consisted of older men.  However, the men on the President’s team were clearly very healthy men – large calves and strong thighs.  These were well-nutritioned men, who were also spectacular foutbòl players.  Corail lost the game 4-0, but gained an incredible amount of pride in their community.  I was so happy to be able to witness it!

Overall, it was a very successful weekend for Corail!!

President Martelly's foutbòl team

Pierre and Roro talking to the crowd!

You are my sunshine!

Saturday, July 21

I had my children's singing class today, all by myself!  The other teacher had to take a test for his school, so it was just me and ~20 young kids all ready to sing.  We started the class off by reviewing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes," which they totally remembered and sang at the top of their lungs.  Then we sang, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in Kreyol and we aced it.  We learned it so well that we sang it in rounds.  This concept was difficult for me to explain in Kreyol, but with a lot of effort, a lot of acting, and giving a lot of examples, I was able to do it.  The kids sang the song (in Kreyol) in 2 rounds and did an excellent job!  Then we sang it in English in one big group.  For the last 30 minutes of class, we learned "You are my Sunshine."  I translated it into Kreyol and it goes like this:

Ou se soley mwen (You are my sunshine)

Sèl soley an mwen (My only sunshine)

Ou fe mwen kontan (You make me happy)

Le syèl la gri (When skies are grey)

Ou pa janm konnen (You'll never know dear)

Konbyen mwen renmen ou (How much I love you)

Silvouplè pa pran solèy mwen (Please don't take my sunshine away)

They did an excellent job!  Just after we practiced a few times, I heard rolls of thunder and the sky darkened.  After the past week's storms and a HoaS staff meeting which helped us determine when to stop classes, I told the kids that we would end for the day so they could get home safely.  I'm glad I did that, because as I started on my way home (10 minutes after I sent the kids home), I was caught in the rain!  It actually felt really nice, but I got home just in time because then the wind picked up and the rain came POURING down!

Nan Bouk and Carrefour Poy Markets!

On Wednesday, July 18th, I went to two different markets, one in Nan Bouk and the other in Carrefour Poy.  For these two markets (and many others) Wednesdays and Saturdays are market days, so everyone brings their goods, produce, bread, charcoal, and clothing to market on those days to sell.  Cassy and Bettie went with me both to show me around and to keep me safe.  These markets are as crowded as Time Square in New York City - they get packed and are so crammed, so I definitely needed them to show me around, help me get around, and help me buy things.  They were the perfect escorts and friends to show me around - Cassy made sure she was my protector, and Bettie made sure that we shopped!  

We hopped on two motos, Bettie on one, and Cassy and I on the other.  Moto's are like taxis - Cassy called moto drivers who she knew and trusted and we hopped on!  Soon we arrived at the market in Nan Bouk, which is much smaller than the one in Carrefour Poy.  I had wanted to see these markets since Bennett first described them to me over a year ago.  At the Nan Bouk market, there is a large charcoal selling area.  Haiti's complete dependence on charcoal is a problem.  It devastates the environment by over harvesting the nation's forests, creating deforestation to a massive and dangerous degree.  Charcoal is used in most household cooking, in bakeries, sugar refineries, rum distilleries, etc. Charcoal is made by first cutting down trees and shrubs, sometimes even the roots, and then partially burning the material in covered pits.  Deforesting the land to the degree that has been done in Haiti is dangerous because when it rains, the rain has nowhere to absorb because there is nothing in it, like roots, trees, plants, to hold it in.  So, there are can be mudslides, flash floods, not to mention, poor farm land for planters.  The charcoal dust can also get into the lungs of the workers, causing major respiratory problems.  Witnessing the charcoal market was so sad and tragic.  I understand that people make their living off of this industry, but there really are no positive consequences of this market.  There are some negative health effects on the men and women who work with the charcoal, like respiratory and pulmonary problems.

While I was walking through the market, I heard, "Amanda, Amanda."  I turned around, and there was a smiling young woman, on her bike.  She knew me because she comes to take classes at Hope on a String.  I was so happy that she said hello!

We continued to walk through the market in Nan Bouk, seeing women and men selling their produce - displayed on the ground, or on a cloth on the ground.  If they were selling meat and fish, it was usually displayed on tables, rather than on the ground.

Coconuts, peppers, carrots, cabbage, melon, potato, garlic, green onion, pumpkin, oh my!

After we were done seeing Nan Bouk's market, we hopped in a Tap-Tap to Carrefour Poy, which was about a ten-minute drive.  This was my very first time in a tap-tap.  It cost each of us 5 Goudes, and there were about 16 people hitching a ride.  It was crowded.  About halfway to Carrefour Poy, we pulled over and the driver checked under the hood.  I thought, Oh my goodness.  I have seen tap-taps on the side of the road, broken-down before…  What if we are stuck here!?  But a few minutes later, we were on our way again.

The Carrefour Poy market was much larger, more crowded, and had more of everything.  First, we walked through the food section of the market – vegetables, grains, beans, meat, fish, greens, corn, canned goods.  We saw vendors walking through carrying goods to sell, vendors sitting in their areas with their goods displayed on the ground.  We saw motos being driven through the market’s narrow alley and walkways, goats and donkeys being led through, even tap-taps carrying people, goods, and goats!  I got some good pictures but I did not want to stick out like a sore thumb, so I tried to do my best to take photos quickly, and ask permission of people if they were in them.  Most people permitted me to take pictures of their stands, but many people refused. 

Carrefour Poy Market

Next, we walked through the clothing section of the market, which was really why Bettie and Cassy wanted to come to Carrefour Poy. :) People here sold new clothes and second-hand clothes, like jeans, skirts, dresses, shirts, shoes, underwear, and clothes for kids.  To try on clothes, people just try them on in the vendor’s stall.  They provide you with a large skirt to put on top of you, so you can change with some semblance of privacy.  After trying on many pairs of jeans, Bettie finally bought a pair, and Cassy bought a very pretty dress. 

Clothes being sold at Carrefour Poy market

Just walking around the market was eye opening.  I felt like I was “living” in Haiti, just making my weekly trip to the market, doing my shopping.  It was a great feeling.  I am very thankful for Bettie and Cassy because they took such great care of me, and I definitely would not have been able to go on my own! 

Cassy and Bettie

English Class and other ramblings...

Today was a great day!  One of the jobs that I have been doing for Hope on a String is organizing their data.  They have a lot of information about their participants, but it wasn't all organized, formatted, and culled through for errors, duplications, etc.  I have been working on inputting all of their participants' information, which includes personal information such as where they live, their birthdate, etc., and information from surveys that they completed.  On the surveys, they are asked questions such as, "How do you earn money?" "Do the children in your household go to school?" "What is one of your life goals?"  Because Hope on a String's staff is not yet completely computer literate, nor is there enough time or people to input and cull through all of the information, this task has been put on the back-burner.  I was happy to accept this task, and it takes up a lot of my mornings.  This morning, I worked on it even more.  Hopefully, by the time I leave, HoaS will have an organized, cohesive, user-friendly, error-free, compilation of data that will be useful and informative!

This afternoon, I had a great English class (or at least I felt that it went well).  We started with vocabulary building.  I taught them 12 important verbs and we used them in full sentences so we could practice their conjugations.  Then, I taught about prefixes and suffixed to help them break down a word they might not understand.  While this was tricky for me to explain, they definitely understood it by the end of the class.  When I was teaching the prefix "re", someone said resort as an example.  So then I had to explain myself even further - it tested my ability to do so in simple English and simple Kreyol, but I managed to do it!  Whew!  We played games to help us practice our new vocabulary - in fact, I played a game with them that I often play with my third graders at Saint David's.  One person stands in front of the class, with his back to the chalkboard.  The rest of the class secretly chooses a word and it is their job to describe the meaning of the word, without using the actual word, so the person can guess it. This helps build not only meaning for students but also word associations and gives them a deeper understanding of the words and the multiple meanings it could have.  

Next, we practiced our pronunciation.  I prepared a silly game.  I typed up Dr. Seuss' book, Fox in Socks.  I gave each person about 3 sentences from the book to read, practice saying, and then we recited it all in sequence.  People got a big kick out of it.  Here are a few examples of what people tried to pronounce:  "And here's a new trick, Mr. Knox.  Socks on chicks and chicks on fox.  Fox on clocks on bricks and blocks.  Bricks and blocks on Knox on box." "Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir.  Try to say this Mr. Knox, sir.  Clocks on fox tick.  Clocks on Knox tock.  Six sick bricks tick.  Six sick chicks tock." "Please, sir.  I don't like this trick, sir.  My tongue isn't quick or slick, sir.  I get all those ticks and clocks, sir, mixed up with the chicks and tocks, sir.  I can't do it, Mr. Fox, sir."  It was awesome!

Then, I watched a soccer game on the field nearby - it was between Pi Love (a group from Corail) and Mawòch.  While I was watching, a bunch of kids who know me came to hang out with me-kids from HoaS, from my singing class, or just from the neighborhood who recognized me.  I also spent some time talking with some of my older English students.  I hung out mostly with Mialove (my favorite).  She was all dressed up, in a dress that I haven't seen but which was a bit too small for her.  She was also wearing new (second-hand) shoes, which she told me were bought last weekend at the market.  Mialove told me that she wants to come to New York and live with Bennett and me, and that she will cry in 12 days when I have to leave.  Breaks my heart.  A lot of people asked where Bennett was, when he was returning, and that they miss him.  I was happy to be able to say that he is coming on Monday!

I hope all of you had a great day too!
















PS.  On my way to the fields, a gentleman asked me to take a picture of him and his cow.  Here they are!

12 Days Left!

I can't believe how fast time has passed while I've been in Corail.  I have done so many things and have tried to write about the highlights.  I have 2 more big things that I have done that I still need to write about - so stay tuned!

If you have enjoyed reading about Hope on a String and my experiences in Haiti, please visit Hope on a String's website.  See how you can help - you might not be able to come down to Haiti, but you might be able to donate money, instruments, your time, your skills, and expertise.  You can always do something - every connection, dollar, instrument, and minute spent matters!  So thank you in advance.

www.hopeonastring.org

Keep reading!!  Kenbe la!

Powerful Storms

I have heard from family and friends that it is VERY hot in the north east - hotter than Haiti. Our weather has been hot and humid, but not unbearable by any means.  I would much rather be here in this weather than in NYC right now.  Anyway, Monday night we had a storm hit Corail that came out of nowhere.  It was sunny, and then all of a sudden the temperature dropped and the sky became dark.  It started pouring and the force of the wind was extraordinary.  The rain was coming in horizontally because the wind was so strong.  I was at the house during the storm, and there was no damage that I could see in Corail, but Port au Prince was hit harder - in fact the storm that we got Monday afternoon came from PaP.  Pierre heard that electrical lines were down, trees were down, and people died.  The force of the storm's winds in PaP was very strong and the storm caused some damage.  Of course it did - the amount of people squeezed into PaP, with the living conditions that most of them have (tents made of sticks, mud, tarp), makes life very fragile.  

Tuesday night, we had another storm in Corail - but I don't think it was strong at all in PaP.  I was at Hope on a String for a 5 pm staff meeting.  There was a children's flute class ending and two adult classes that were supposed to end around 5 pm.  Again, the sky turned dark and the storm hit.  These winds were stronger than Monday night's. Students from the class, who were still at the Center, ran into the office for coverage.  We were all huddled inside, and we were fine.  Looking out onto the storm was amazing - the rain just screamed down on us, and the wind was intense.  We called Pierre, who was at the house, to tell him that we were fine, and he said that the coconut tree that is in our yard, and has been for decades and decades and decades - for longer than Pierre has been alive - cracked in half.  Its top half fell over the security wall we have around the house, broke the light that is above the gate, flew into the street, and then fell back into the wall - leaving a small crack running up it.  After the storm ended, around 6 pm, Pierre had to have people outside of the house gates come to cut the tree and move it from the gate.  When I came back to the house, I saw the trunk - it was huge!

Coconut Tree in our yard

Look closely to see where the coconut tree snapped in half.  The area of sky that you can see now used to be covered with the top part of the coconut tree.  Now, there is nothing!

Here is the top half of the coconut tree that snapped off and flew into the road.  It is about 8 feet long.  The top part, with the leaves and the coconuts was chopped off, so you can't see that part.

Cooking with Viola

Today, I cooked with Viola!  Viola is the woman who cooks all of the meals for Lara, Pierre, and Hope on a String volunteers/interns.  She was hired to cook, clean, and help take care of the house.  She is always so friendly and makes such delicious Haitian food.  Because I like to cook so much, I asked her if it was all right if I watched and helped her cook some of our meals.  She, very kindly and generously, agreed.  In Haiti, or at least in Corail, lunch is the biggest meal of the day.  After breakfast, a little before 9 am, I began my first cooking class with Viola.  

Menu Nou: 

Legume (avek Kabrit)

Legume (san Kabrit)

Sòs Pwa, avek boulèt, bannann

Diri Blan

Our Menu:

Mixed Vegetables (with Goat)

Mixed Vegetables (without Goat)

Bean Soup with dumplings and plantains

White Rice

First, Viola and I sat on these small chairs in the kitchen to look over the black beans.  The kitchen, which is the preparing and cooking area, is always outside of the house.  This kitchen is attached to the house, but some aren't.  This kitchen is between the wall of the house and the security wall which goes around the house.  We sat there and took handfuls of beans to separate the good seeds from everything else - like bad seeds, rocks, twigs, dirt.  Then we gave them a bath to watch them - two rinses - and plopped them in the boiling water to cook.  We have a 4 burner stove that uses propane.  

Next, we peeled and prepped vegetables for the legume dish.  Viola had already marinated the goat overnight in vegetable oil, Worcestershire Sauce, yellow mustard, a liquid Sazón seasoning packet.  She was heating it up on one of the burners.  With two broken knives, we began peeling the carrots,  meliton (pictured below), eggplant, and cabbage.  Peeling was hard because the knives were broken and dull, but I did a good job and I wasn't laughed at.  Throughout the cooking process, we had many onlookers (mostly kids), checking to see how I was doing.  We also cut up some leafy greens called crescent and epina.  

Goat

Meliton

We rinsed all the vegetables all over again and put 2/3 of them in the meat dish and 1/3 of them separately.  Then Viola added a spice packet that looks like it was Chicken bouillon - I soon realized that she puts this in everything!  She knows that I am a vegetarian and is very accomodating to my diet; however, I don't think she has thought about not putting the bouillon in my dishes.  I don't think she thinks of it as an animal product... I didn't say anything for several reasons: 1) She has been doing it all along and I don't want her to feel badly. 2) I want to be respectful.  3) I don't want to be such a burden and a hassle!  I would rather be easy-going.  We mashed up some garlic and shallots in the mortar and pestle, and tossed those in the pans as well.  Then, we put in tomato paste, which was in oil, into the dishes.  Then viola covered each legume pot with one small cover, which hugged the food tightly, and then put the top cover on the pot.  I'm not sure why she did this, but it seemed to steam them better, perhaps?  

While these were cooking, we checked on the beans.  She told me they were ready once their shells cracked and they were soft.  We put them into a bowl, drained them from the bean water.  Viola gave me a large pestle and told me to mash them up.  I mashed, and mashed, and mashed.  My arm got tired and I was sweating!  Then Viola added some water to the beans, and I continued to mash.  Then she put some more bean-water with the beans, stirred, and drained them again.  I continued to mash again.  We did this draining-mashing routine 2 more times, for a total of 3 times.  We wanted all of the good stuff that was in the beans - the juices and flavors - but not the beans themselves.  The beans were thrown out (given to the dogs).

The bean water was brought back to a boil, and a spice called "ten" or "tin" was added.  It looked like a sprig of it.  Then Viola added a bit of salt and about a tablespoon of butter.  While the bean water and the Legumes were cooking, we sifted some flour to make the dumplings, which we would drop into the bean sauce.  We added some salt and water to the flour, and Viola rolled it into a dough.  Then we rolled the dough into the shape of a really long finger.  These dumplings are eaten often in the black bean sauce, and were surprisingly easy to make!  Then we peeled two plantains, cut them up along the diagonal and threw those into the Sòs Pwa (bean sauce) as well.  Everything was cooking beautifully and smelled absolutely delicious!

Boiling Bean Sauce

Making the dumplings

We checked on the legumes, added more mashed garlic to the Sòs Pwa.  Then we added something to the Sòs Pwa that I never realized was even in it.  We grated coconut, on a make-shift grater then ran water through the coconut shavings.  We mixed it up and then squeezed the water out of the shavings, to create coconut milk.  We ran water through and squeezed a total of three times, then added this milk to the bean sauce.  I would never have guessed that there was coconut in the Sòs Pwa!

Once Viola decided the legumes were done, we took them off the burner, and again, I took the pestle and mashed them all up.  I mashed and mashed and mashed.  We then added a spoonful of vinegar, several dashes of hot sauce, and I think another mashed up garlic clove.  The Legume dishes were now done.  To taste them, Viola (and every other woman who cooks in Haiti), dropped some of the dish on the palm of her hand and tasted it.  I did the same - it was delicious!

Now it was time to make the rice.  First, in goes the oil, a lot of salt, and a green onion.  Viola lets this cook for several minutes, and then added the water.  Once the water boiled, then we add the white rice, cover, and cook.  Voila!

The actual cooking and preparing part of this experience was a lot of fun - Viola was a great teacher and let me do a lot of stuff.  But the part where I was talking to Viola, having the experience of working with her, learning about her, being there in the kitchen was so memorable and such a valuable experience.  Cooking with someone can truly be a bonding experience; not only are you learning about the foods, but you are learning about culture, technique, history, etiquette.  Cooking in the environment Viola cooks in, with the tools she has, and the limited space she has is truly extraordinary.  Everything she has to do is harder than if I had to do it in my kitchen in the United States, like peeling, straining, cutting, grating, pouring, and washing.  

I also was able to learn more about Viola.  I learned that she has five sisters and one brother, all of whom live in Port au Prince, and that both of her parents died when they were young.  She misses seeing her siblings, but two of her sisters came to visit her in Corail two months ago.  Viola also told me that she taught herself how to cook!  I told her that when I go back to New York, I will be sure to cook everything she taught me.  What a great experience!  I can't wait to cook with her again!

Chante Timoun

On Saturday, Mesac and I had our first Children's Choir class at Hope on a String.  I really should say Maestro Mesac because he is so musically accomplished.  He and I were scheduled to teach Chante (singing) Timoun (children) together for this session.  I brought down copies of several American children's songs that we could teach the kids in both English and Kreyol.  I tried my best to translate some of the songs, but Mesac was able to help a ton!  I brought, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes, You are my Sunshine, He's Got the Whole World, Hokey Pokey, Eensy Weensy Spider, If You're Happy and you Know It, and Row, Row, Row Your Boat.  It was my hope that by choosing songs that lend themselves to movement, the kids would be able to better remember the words and their meanings.  Before our first class, I gave copies of the songs to Mesac so he could look at them and familiarize himself with them, as best as he was able.  

About 25 children, ranging in ages (approximately) from three to twelve, arrived around two for singing!  I was so excited and a bit nervous - I really wasn't sure how excited they would be for singing in English, how well I would be able to communicate with them, and how well they would respond to my teaching style.  The group was comprised of girls mostly, with a sprinkling of very young boys.  I started the class by taking attendance and asking them if they knew who I was.  I received a boisterous response, “AH-MAHN-DAH!”  I began the class with the song, “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.”  Previously, I translated this song, but to engage the kids, I asked them how to say the different body parts in Kreyol: tèt, zepol, jenou, zotèy.  I asked them all to stand, and in a Simon Says fashion, I quickly said “jenou”, had them touch their knees, and then “zotèy”, and had them touch their toes.  We did it very quickly and had many hearty laughs, especially when I tripped them up.  Then, we went over the English words and we practiced saying them aloud repeatedly.


Many of the girls came with pencils, pens, and notebooks – ready to write down anything and everything that I wrote down on the chalkboard.  In fact, at one point when I wanted them to sing, they were busy writing down the meaning of “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes!”  I was very impressed by their desire to absorb everything.  The word “shoulders” was particularly tricky for many of them to pronounce.  Once I felt they could say and remember head, shoulders, knees, and toes we put it to the rhythm and the music, which Mesac played on a keyboard.  Some of the kids preferred to just do the movements, others tried their best to say the words, and even others began belting out the words to the rhythm but not quite to the melody.  Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves though!  Then, we all stood in a circle and continued to sing and practice the first part of the song in English.  I was running around the circle, singing, doing the movements, trying to engage every little kid who might be nervous, shy, or not quite following the movements or rhythm.  I worked up quite a sweat!  Once I tired the kids out thoroughly enough, we sat back down to learn the next part – Eyes and ears and mouth and nose.”  Again, we taught the Kreyol first and then the English.  This part was definitely harder!  Not only was the rhythm faster, but also the kids did not readily say the “ands” when they were singing, so it ended up sounding like, “Eyes—Ears—Mouth—Nose,” which worked as well.  Once they mastered this section, we stood back up and did the entire song!  It went very well and I am sure that with all the movement and singing, and heat, I thoroughly exhausted them!

Timoun writing down the lyrics to Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes without my telling them to!

Maestro Mesac (sitting) accompanied by Sadrac, a good friend of mine, Bennett, and Hope on a String!

We slowed it down a bit by introducing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, which none of them had ever heard!  I tried to explain to the children that in the United States many moms and dads sing this song to their children before they go to sleep.  Mesac helped me translate it into Kreyol and we taught it to them that way first.  It went like this: File File ti zetwal, M’ap mande kisa ou yè, Ou plase anlè byen wo, Tankou youn diamon nan syèl, File file ti zetwal, M’ap mande kisa ou yè.  I was hearing many, “Mwen grangou,” and “Mwen fatige,” which means, “I’m hungry,” and “I’m tired.”  So, we did not master Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in English, but we did get it in Kreyol.  We ended with one more Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes and then stopped for the day.  It was pretty tiring, but I didn’t realize I was fatigued until I sat down at home! 

I had a quick late lunch before Lara and my 6 pm adult dance class! 

Next week – the Hokey Pokey?!

Klas Anglè, Nivo 3+4, 1h00-3h00, Amanda Rathbun

First, I introduced myself and took attendance.  My first goal of the class was to explain that I view our class as a community of learners - we will learn, speak, practice, and work hard together.  I explained that we will not laugh at each other when we speak English, just like they will not laugh at me as I try to speak Kreyol.  I said, "Nan angle klase nou, nou se yon kominote.  Nou pral konnen youn ak lòt. Nou pral travay anpil, pale angle anpil.  Nou pral praktik, praktik, praktik.  Muen vlay nou appran anpil angle.  Nan Etazini, pwofese yo appran yon fason diferan.  Mwen espere ou renmen komon pou mwen anseye.  Premyèman, nou ap prezante tèt nou.  Ki le li se viru ou, leve kanpe, di nom ou, eh di ki sa ou vle aprann angle. Ou kapob kopi tout bagay ke muen ekri.  Suple, leve men ou, si ou genyen kesyon yo."  Which means, "In this class, we are a community.  We will get to know each other.  We will work hard to speak English.  We will work hard and practice, practice, practice. In the United States, teachers teach differently.  I hope you like how I teach.  We will start by introducing ourselves.  When it is your turn, stand up, say your name, and say why you want to learn English.  You can copy anything that I write, or raise your hand if you have a question."

People in the class ranged in age from 16 to about 40.  Here are some of the reasons they said they would like to learn English:

-I want to be able to speak with all people.

-English is the language of business and trade.

-English is an international language.

-English is my life.

-I want to be a teacher.

-I like it.

To get to know one another, and to help me assess their knowledge and usage of English, we generated "getting to know you" questions in English that we could ask each other.  As we generated these questions, we discussed how people in the USA would ask them.  For example, one gentleman said, "What is your origin?"  I told him that in the US, people would ask, "Where are you from?" or "What is your nationality?"  Some of the questions that were asked were: Are you married? Do you have children? How many brothers and sisters do you have?  What is your job?  Are you Christian?  What do you like to do for fun?  After we generated the questions, I modeled how to answer them by providing information about myself.  Then each person asked a neighbor two questions, and afterward, shared their partners answers with the class.  I asked an older woman some of the questions.  "Are you married," I asked.  She responded, "I am not married.  I am a single woman."  When I shared this information, I asked who else was single and many of the young men raised their hands.  I told the woman that she could have her pick - which made everyone laugh and relax a bit!  Overall, people did a great job.  I assessed that they could work on verb tense and the usage of "to be."  In Kreyol, there really is not "to be" verb, so that it was it is particularly hard for them to correctly use it.  

Next, we practiced our pronunciation by playing "Telephone."  Someone thought of a sentence or a phrase in English, and then we whispered it into each other's ears, really working on articulation.  I told them their phrases must include the /r/ sound and the /th/ sound because those are particularly tricky for them.  This was fun and it also went well.  It forced everyone to participate, but it didn't put pressure on anyone to speak in front of the whole class. 

Then, we worked on our vocabulary.  I split the class of 22 into two teams.  Each team had to come up with a challenging verb for the other team to explain.  For example, team 1 said "swim," and team 2 had to discuss it, see if anyone knew what it meant, and then come to the front to explain it or act it out. Some of the verbs they came up with were: swim, cook, draw (a picture and draw attention), find out, flood, and wear.  It went really well!  In order to explain what "find out" meant, one woman said, "If you find out your boyfriend is with another woman." Haha!  Everyone laughed at her explanation, but she really showed that she understood the word!

Overall, I thought the class went well - of course I will analyze it and think about all the ways that I could have made it better, for effective, for efficient, more fun, more comprehensive.  For next class, I think I will focus on building vocabulary, using "to be," pronunciation certain sounds, and having people converse with each other with given topics.

If you have ideas as to what some conversation topics could be, please let me know!!!!