Nwel

Hope on a String classes and its community center are currently on "vacans" for the holidays.  Christmas ("Nwel") is a very big holiday here and the upcoming Independence Day (New Year's Day) is also a very big celebration.  Because most people here are Christian, Christmas is a very important religious holiday.  However, because most people here do not have a lot of money, many children and adults pass the Christmas season without receiving or giving any presents.  Today, a man in the community, who currently spends most of his time in Florida, had his annual gift giving ceremony with the children of the community.  I was able to sneak a peak at the event and felt very lucky to do so.  The man had turned his front yard into a stage, with stuffed animals and decorations hanging all around.  He had kids sing on the stage, dance, and even rap.  There were boys and girls of all ages there, eagerly awaiting a special gift.  The host gave the children new and used toys that he and the Kadina Foundation purchased and received through donations.  He must have borrowed benches and chairs from a nearby church, because he had about 100 children sitting on them.  It was packed! Afterwards, he played music and the children danced and enjoyed their presents.  I was very happy to see the children, many of whom attend Hope on a String and who I know from around.

 

Happy New Year!!

On New Year's Eve, Bennett, Lara, Pierre, Guerda (Doctor Guerda Nicolas), and I planned to celebrate the New Year by attending a Tabou Combo concert nearby.  Tabou Combo is a very famous Haitian band that has been around for about 40 years - imagine like they are the Rolling Stones of Haiti.  Tabou Combo is very good friends with Guerda and Pierre, and the drummer, Jonas Imbert, is a dear friend and happens to be Pierre's son.  I was very excited to see Tabou Combo and also eager to see Club Indigo, the hotel where they would be playing and where we would be ringing in 2013.

Before arriving at Club Indigo, we made a quick stop (an appearance, if you will) at the Vice-Consulate of the Arcahaie region in Nanbouk because Pierre was invited to the government's New Year's Eve party as well.  Because we arrived on the earlier side, there weren't that many people there yet. However, the band on the terrace was playing and they were terrific. We stood on the terrace with them, overlooking the main street where people gathered to listen.  There were many moments, at this point in the night, when I could not believe where I was or the experiences I was having.  Little did I know what was to come...

We drove the 20 minutes north to Montrouis to Club Indigo and saw the set-up at the hotel--beautiful white chairs and tables outside, with an open-air bar, stage, and dance floor.  Gorgeous!  People in attendance were on the wealthier side of the spectrum-dressed nicely, some ex-pats, but mostly wealthy Haitians, and even some government officials.  We chatted with the band before they went on, enjoyed Barbancourt and a whiskey called "Something Special."  The band started playing around 11:30, and we were all ready for the New Year.  We danced, they sang, and the night sky was absolutely beautiful.  When the clock struck midnight, there were some fireworks, people hugged, and drank champagne.  However, there was no "countdown" to midnight, nor did anyone sing "Auld Lang Syne."  The band continued to play great music and we continued to people-watch and dance our pants off.  At one point, Pierre looked at Bennett and me and said, "those 2 tables are reserved for President Martelly."  "Really?" I responded, "How do you know?"  To which he replied, "one of my friends over there, a very close confident of Martelly told me."  Whoa, I thought.  Seriously?  "We'll see if he shows up," Bennett replied.  At around 2 am, Pierre told us that "in this song, Jonas has a big drum solo.  Come to the dance floor."  On our way to the floor, Bennett and I looked at the bar and saw a gentleman surrounded by people, shaking everyone's hands, walking toward the stage.  "It's Martelly!" I shouted!  Bennett confirmed my observation and we raced to the dance floor to tell everyone else.

For the next hour, President Martelly performed on stage for all of us with Tabou Combo!  Can you believe it?!  The President of Haiti, formerly known as Sweet Micky, when he was a famous singer, sang and danced on stage only 2 feet from our faces!  There were some bodyguards on stage, in the crowd, and around the hotel, but not as many as I would have anticipated.  The crowd was going crazy when Martelly was singing.  No one danced because everyone's eyes were glued to this gregarious, smiling, twinkle-eyed president partying on stage!  This was definitely one of those moments where I kept looking at Bennett and saying, "Really?!  This is our life?  This is happening to us right now!?"  Crazy.

President Michel Martelly singing with Tabou Combo

President Martelly and Shoubou

President Martelly and Shoubou

After his performance, we walked toward the bar and to our surprise saw Martelly leaving, surrounded by highly armed guards, shaking people's hands.  Bennett and I put our hands out for him to shake.  "Would he stop?" we thought.  Well, he did!!!  He shook our hands and Bennett spoke Kreyol to him and I said, "Bon Ane!"  He chuckled and continued on his way.  WHOA!

What a New Year!  Full of friends, good music, a beautiful country, and hope for an even better tomorrow.

Bon Ane Tout Moun eh Mesi Tabou Combo!

Check out: www.hopeonastring.org ; http://www.taboucombo.com/tc2010/home.html