From January 29, 2023
Yesterday I sent a few friends and family the details of my trip to Rome and Assisi in March. But I also noted that if the current dramatic spike in the violence, protests, and insecurity have not diminished by March, I might be forced to cancel the trip and stay in Haiti to be with my family, the kids, and the staff.
From January 28, 2023
Schools were closed yesterday in Port-au-Prince. The streets were empty. Many businesses also
did not open. Fear was in the air. No one knows what will happen next. Gabens sent me a photo
of one the cops that was killed. I thought about putting in the Journal, but I decided not to as it
was too gruesome.
From January 27, 2023
Late yesterday morning Stéphanie called me to say the streets were “agitated.” While I was
traveling to Florida on Wednesday, six policemen were gunned down and killed in Port-au-
Prince. Yesterday, the police came out is force to protests the daily killing of policemen. The
flooded the streets and blocked all the major intersections. One employee who made it to work
said she saw a number of dead people covered with white sheets on the streets.
From January 26, 2026
Michel pulled up to the airport terminal at 8:35am. Officer Richard walked with me from the car and into the terminal. A uniformed cop recognized him. They exchanged a greeting. Richard walked me deep into the terminal to the end of a long waiting for the security check. Some guy pulled me off the line and brought me to the head of it. He said something to security agent checking passports that sounded like “Emissary.”
From January 25, 2023
The odd-looking word in the title is Creole for goodbye. It is like the French, au revoir. Next month I will have to brush up on my Italian…arrivederci, goodbye. Today I’ll make my way back to the land of hot water and air-conditioning.
From January 24, 2023
Some weekday mornings are so noisy, I cannot think. Yesterday was one of those mornings.
Getting a slew of kids up, fed, dressed, and ready for school is no easy task. If any reader were
magically transported to our yard early on school morning, they would think it is pure chaos. But
it is not.
From January 23, 2023
Yesterday morning, one of the guys told me that the water pump was broken and it could not be
fixed until today. The pump is vital, as it pumps water from the reservoir to the roof where it is
stored in a large tank. The water is for washing dishes, doing laundry, and for bathing on both
the first and second floors (including the medical clinic). Not only will there be no water from
any of the sinks and bathing areas, there will be no water to flush toilets.
From January 22, 2023
On Friday, Steph visited her mom and Moise wanted to come. Along the kid next to her mom loaned Moise his crazy glasses. On Thursday, Steph got a new hairdo. I enjoyed waiting in the beauty parlor.
From January 21, 2023
Yesterday was a hugely important day at Santa Chiara. At shortly after noon, Michel drove through the gate (it was open). In the car with him was a judge, a court clerk, and a uniformed policeman to protect the government officials. This was the day the judge would inspect Santa Chiara and speak with the seven children we asked the Court to make me their legal guardian.
From January 20, 2023
Back on October 11, 2022, I shared a nightmarish story that happen in the middle of the night at Santa Chiara. At three in the morning, Steph and I were woken up a persistent ringing of the doorbell to our second-floor apartment. It was a frantic staffer saying that a woman staffer had given birth to a baby…and the baby was dead and the mother needed to be rushed to the hospital.