Timoun yo pale (Children speak!)

Our kids are now speaking more Creole...because we're in Port au Prince and re-connecting with many friends.  It's lovely to be here and to hear them speaking Creole!!!!!

I'm not going to write a thousand words but I don't have pics either : (  because our camera card reader just kicked it.

GABRIELA

"Hey Mama, now you can make a head thing out of an old mosquito net.   Look, look at that Madame!!!!"
(The woman was wearing a muslin head scarf).

"I'm not going in.  I don't like it when black people kiss me."  (On our way to see a lovely long time friend, an older woman...Gabriela DID come in and when we mentioned to Lifèt that Gabriela did not want to be kissed she said, "no problem, a lot of little kids don't like that").  I DO love when kids come over they come over to me and say "Bonjou Esther!" or "Bonswa Esther!" and kiss me on the cheek.

NIKO

"I Love sugar.  It's my favourite thing in my tummy."

He also says: "Bonjou" and "Bonswa" really nicely now.  And loves to walk up to people slowly and then surprise them by jumping into their arms.   Being of a very physical able culture that LOVES children, the receivers always catch him.

Niko speaks

Actually he talks w/o stopping...here are several recent comments:
-I like sharks now Mama!!! And I like onions.
-I am a pet dragon. I don't have fire coming out of my mouth because I am a nice dragon so you can pet me...I won't put fire on you.
-(While I cut bamboo for the chicken coop.) I can cut bamboo with a saw Mama. Is that amazed (amazing) Mama? (Clearly here he hasn't figured out that he's not me yet : )
-Can you ask the people to stop calling out blan blan blan? (If only that worked !!!!!)

From the big sister
-while getting a ride into Cap today from a student (at her school) and his Mom and their driver in their immaculate Prado, Gabriela leans in and whispers in my ear: "Are these people from Spanish? Because their car smells bad!" (The folks are the same colour as Gabriela and were speaking Creole the whole time ????)

- I only like Barbie. I don't like my black Barbie, and I don't like Aboriginals!

When Gabriela came to join our family, we gave out (with your help) trees in the community. Our neighbour, Ambroise, planted his trees behind his father's house. When I went to visit the trees a year later, I met the father, Bos Jean. Meeting him, I remember thinking "that guy isn't going to be around much longer!". Here he is 5 years later still walking, talking and reflecting on his own. Bos Jean told us he was born in 1911...we fell over! He is 101 and not falling over. A part of the land where (Gabriela's) trees are planted is now for sale. It's beautiful Artibonite land! I so want it.

Too sweet, two strong kids!

Niko and Archille painting the chicken coop. In the next scene, Niko had anti-rust paint on his face!!!

Madame Jean, her newest grandson, and Niko

Number 8

my children telling secrets in CREOLE

Number 7- What I LOVE about Haiti

morning light

at long last, a loose tooth!!!!

These are the two of my favourite things...

Philippe's Attie recent work!

Niko in the bamboo! Much like Gorillas in the Mist only louder...no whinier, but still cute for a photo!!!

Among other things, like the source of the nations WATER SUPPLY,  and a pine forest Seguin has AMAZING light! As you've probably noticed!!!! 

Despite, having brought/worn only glittery flip flops (with heels), Gabriela walked/run 3/4 of the 7+ km of extremely mountainous terrain to Park La Visit

Eat your heart out Marlboro! 

The kids and I enjoyed the time away.  The Papa enjoyed different office furniture and climate.  

Niko stayed warm by trying to get up to the sugar bowl.
Gabriela drinking Ti Bom (mint) tea! 

Peanut butter on a plastic spoon was the energy of choice for the "descent".  

Peanut butter might also be one of the reasons why 3 rocks had to be added to one of the horse's to balance out the weight of Niko who was sleeping in the other.   Peanut butter and genes.  

This was the 35 minutes when Niko wasn't asking us to carry him.
Just kidding, both kids impressed us with their veracity.   This "little" cherub
even rode the horse by himself for nearly a km.   

Everyone we passed
 by had to check out Niko in a pannier.  

real art

sweet......potato

...and a little watercress...

Haiti's heart

I have two lines of thought around the beauty and shire joy of some aspects of life here:
1. I just think this is fun because I have money, education, a half of a mattress to sleep on and an at least half liberated husband : )
2. There is joy to be had in regular Haitian life. Joy might just be inherent in Haitian culture and/or might just pop up more easily in places where sharing (stuff and experiences) is essential to survival.
Anyways, having just come back to this lovely place after 6 nights away from Port au Prince (3 away from Haiti) , I've been re-experiencing some of my favorite things here! Ah hem

- mangoes- not from the Marche or supermarket but the 3 mangoes your neighbour brings back from an overnight trip to the countryside for an unexpected funeral. She hands them to me and says they are green and then these sweet sweet words that make us salivate like dogs "manje a couteau" you can eat them with a knife. Green. Firm. Transcendent orange. Juice. God sure knew what he was doing when creating mangoes (that's what Matt always says between mangoes)
- while on the topic of food, Haitian chicken &@!!!!*+**!!!! Seriously, sooooo delesh. I asked Andrena the butcher/cooker/cleaner/ironer/Mama in crime/friend if she could get one every two weeks but I've been sneaking one in just about every week under one excuse or the other...Niko's getting a cold so I want to make chicken soup.?
- we'll be THRILLED to see you whenever you show up (no logistics required). After I taught my yoga class tonight I stopped at my former favorite supermarket...I almost didn't go because I knew that everyone that works there would be upset because I didn't have TiLolo with me. (TiLolo is the name one of the 10+ staff picked out for Niko before he was even the the light of day.) And they were mad at me! Why didn't you bring Ti Lolo, they asked, we were with him from the time he was in your belly, why haven't you brought him to see us??!! Their pleas were so convincing that I did feel bad tonight and wouldn't think of going again without TiLolo. Come anytime! We'll be here and we'll host an instant party that makes you feel like a moviestar. Sure, it's partly b/c I'm white that people remember me but it's mostly that people here love people.
- RAIN WATER SHOWER
- electrocuting mosquitoes with an electric badminton racket shouldn't feel this good

More coming when the sun rises!!!

Yippeeee!

Crossing the DR Haiti border! Praise God we're home!!!!!

Unfortunately this "mechandise" is crossing too... f-ing styrofoam clam shells.
How to recollect 3000 dispersed styrofoam trays?????
Tell me something positive styrofoam has contributed to modern life!!!!!?

Bos at work (as usual)

...Hinche

Checking out this beautiful city!

and seeing old friends (the last time we saw Christiana, she was just 3 months old...

Milot (Cap Haitien)

Young tourist at the 10th wonder of the modern world: the Citadelle.

...Gonaives

Going to work with Papa

...Dezam

As long as there's a moto, there's guaranteed hours of fun! True for the young and old alike, n'est ce pas?!

Conch

to write and roll

I'd love to write! There's a lot happening here...if only in our heads & hearts. But my husband sold our full keyboard with rest of the computer. He's ordered another one though that might arrive my late next week. In the meantime I've been rolling up some Fresh Salad Spring Rolls stuffed with cabbage, carrots, mint, chives, radish, red onions, and avocados...everything local except the wrap. Yum!

Rainy at noon in Potoprens !!! ????

One little boy likes it!

Where to find me on facebook : )

 http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003676671276




Haiti Breastfeeds / Ayiti Tete
With the help of at least 11 Haitian women and your support, we are (IN THE NEXT TWO MONTHS) compiling a short and sweet book in CREOLE about
breastfeeding in Haiti for the purposes of celebrating and educating about breastfeeding in Haiti. Breastfeeding promotes women's rights, food sovereignty (that there's enough good = local food for her to eat), most often birth control, and health and healthy attachment for babe. Ayiti Tete is collecting photos of women nursing their babes from all 10 departments in Haiti plus the Diaspora.
The women need to be still nursing their babes and ideally to have nursed their baby exclusively for the first 6 months. We will publish the book online. Each participating woman will receive 1-3 copies to distribute in her home community. We are just starting to look for funds (?) for the production and distribution of copies
of the book to participating women. Please write to us on facebook if you want to participate in Ayiti Tete by finding nursing women or if you have ideas for $.  
Thank you, MESI !

Visit Ayiti Tete on facebook for PHOTOS and updates! 
 http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003676671276