Adventures in Haiti III: A Christmas List from Haiti
31 desam 2004
Dear friends and family,
Jwaye Nowèl and Bon Ane. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Yes, we know . . . it’s been a while. Many of you have written to us sending your Christmas wishes and just to see what were up to. Thank you (!) and thanks for keeping us posted on life where you are. Truth is, we’ve sort of lost track of time, as we knew it. We’ve been working and traveling, and wherever we are on this island, it’s sun down and sun up that brings us to another day of living and learning.
Earlier this month, like every year we can remember, we received the dreaded request for “our lists.” You know, this is the list of stuff you need or want so your brother (or sister) can buy it for you for Christmas. In recent years in particular, this list has been hard to make (Although we always appreciate the gifts we receive - thank you everyone!) This year, we dutifully sent in “our lists” and are eagerly waiting to see what might come in the mail!
Then, while we were trying to come up with an idea for our letter, we thought, how about a Christmas list for Haiti? What could Haiti really use? We thought about this for a while and then realized that we could leave this task up to the thousands of international organizations working here in Haiti and, hey, why not the Haitian people. So what we’ll offer you here is a Christmas list from Haiti … a list of some of the things that Haiti is offering us, and can offer to you and the rest of the world.
Fruit in season – avocado, kinip, coconut, oranges, chadek, papaya, lamm, pineapple, watermelon and the ever-present bananas (at least 3 different varieties) which can be found at the roadside breakfast stands, along with fresh coffee, fresh bread and fresh peanut butter. Everything is FRESH (in case you missed that) and tastes like it. Our taste buds cheerfully follow the seasons and await the next bounty of juicy goodness that will appear in the local market. (The mango trees are in full bloom!)
Public transportation – donkey, mopeds, tap-taps, buses, lorries, the river canoe across the Artibonite River, have all gotten us where we want to go along with thousands of our neighbours. And, riding in Haiti is more than just the destination … it’s saying yes, there’s a place here when you’re positive there isn’t, taking a child on your lap, and helping the market woman lift her 50 pound bag of oranges, rice or used clothes. And we haven’t even mentioned the most popular form of transportation – feet. If everyone walked like a Haitian, we’d all be healthier and happier, and so would the earth. Then, maybe we could “save the environment and plant a Bush back in Texas”, out of Iraq etc.
Convenience – We are writing this letter while we travel from Dezam to Port au Prince. Matt just slowed down for a speed bump and a woman appeared at our window with a huge bowl of freshly made peanut brittle – infused with ginger. Delicious! Now that’s convenience … I didn’t even know I wanted it. From baskets to newspapers to aspirin to fresh roasted chicken - all can be purchased from your car window … no mega-stores here and we’re also getting to know our neighbours.
Faith – There is a common phrase in Haiti that can be tacked behind most any sentence: Si Bondye vle (if God grants it). Sometimes we feel like saying, “Well, will it happen or not?” but more often it reminds us that everything we do, we can do because God is with us and God’s divine presence is behind all that exists in the creation around us - from the rising of the sun to the drying of the rice fields so the beans can be planted. Being reminded of God’s will in daily conversation - whether planning a meeting, asking a pregnant neighbour when her baby is due, or preparing for the Haitian elections (scheduled for November 2005, si Bondye vle) - echos the promise of Christmas. The faith of our Haitian friends, expressed in deed and word is inspiring and faith-building.
Okay, we know what you’re thinking…these gifts from Haiti are great cultural ideals but what about something to sink our teeth into. How about some Christmas cookies? First introduced to Haiti from the south pacific by Christopher Columbus, sugar cane is the reason Haitian culture exists in the first place. Today, Canada still imports 90% of its raw sugar from the south while 10% is produced in the form of sugar beets on the prairies (www.equiterre.qc.ca).
What have we been up to the last few months, down here in the sun?
We visited Gonaïves with some colleagues from MCC and CRWRC. On the west coast of Haiti 60 km north of Dezam, Gonaïves is the city hit by tropical storm Jeanne hit killing 2800 people and drowning much of Gonaïves in mud from the surrounding mountains. When we arrived 3 weeks after Jeanne hit, most of the water had drained away and the victims buried; we saw skeletons of mud/rock houses and long lines of women and children waiting for food aid. It’s amazing the power water has to give life and take it away in Haiti - and now around the Indian Ocean. The deeper damage in Gonaïves has been in the loss of life and the psychological effects. One of the ways that MCC has responded is through trauma-counseling training to pastors and community leaders so that they can help people in their communities recover from what they experienced.
We spent two weeks in Ft.Myers, Florida with some of our MCC colleagues, participating in the annual conference of ECHO (www.echonet.org). ECHO is a Christian agricultural research farm that supports development workers and missionaries by providing a network and new agricultural ideas. On our way back to Haiti, we were happy to spend a few days with some Haitian/Canadian friends in Miami.
We spent a week in early December in Bwadalorens, northeastern Haiti, where MCC has been present for over 20 years. It was a great time of learning, and walking – lots of walking. We hiked five hours to help cap a natural water spring. A highlight was walking an hour through pine (!) and palm forests to visit the garden of one of our home stay families. The oranges were ripe and we sat and ate 15 between the three of us- right off the tree. Oranges never tasted so good.
Peace to all for 2005,
Este e Matye
