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Thursday, July 14, 2016

First Impressions

Haiti Fact #1
Spaghetti is a common breakfast food in Haiti.  To eat spaghetti at any other meal, especially dinner, is seen as unusual.



It has been one week!


We visited CASB and all the land belonging to the school.  I taught a few classes.  I learned to drive a stick shift on the crazy Haitian roads.  I saw all the potential that the school has, as well as the huge amount of effort and cooperation needed for it to grow into its mission.  I withered under the heat, discovered the fruit tree I can reach from the balcony, bought produce in a street market, dodged cars and motorcycles in the streets, and bought a dumb phone.

For the past week, I've been in Cap-Haitien.  I'll be here for the next year, and it will require a massive adjustment.  I can communicate somewhat in Creole when I need to speak to someone, but I rarely understand what they say back.  Cap-Haitien differs from anything that I have ever experienced.

In the process of beginning to learn all over again how to live and function in a society, I almost forgot that I am here to do a job.  While standing in an overgrown field that will eventually produce crops, teach students to farm, and to generate revenue to support the school, I realized that there is simply so much to do and that I'm here to jump in and help reach the goal.  To do that, I will teaching English at two schools, CASB and a professional school in Cap-Haitien called Saint Espirit (pronouced Sant Espree).

But that is just the beginning.  Although most of my job description entails teaching English, I am here to form relationships, learn about and participate in another culture, go beyond the superficial, and to forward God's mission in the world.  I am beginning to see how much I need to learn even function here.  But there are some friends here to help, even though it will be challenging and frustrating in the beginning.  I'm still excited to be here and I hope you enjoy reading about what I'm up to!

I'm one week in and excited for the weeks to come.

A special thank you to these donors:

World Mission Committee, St. John's Episcopal Church (Essex CT)
Jenifer Grant
Ruth and John Schumacher
Steve Honan

 

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