From May 31, 2019
We are in the rainy season. It rains every day. The dirt roads become mud roads. Getting up the last steep hill is challenging, as the cars slides and the wheels spin. This is the season when a four-wheel drive vehicle would come in handy. Yesterday, Billy and I went to the market in Petionville and spent $1,393. When I got home, I suddenly realized the paved yard made it easy for me to park at the back of the house, which made unloading the heavy boxes easier.
From May 30, 2019
The drive home from the Sisters yesterday morning was a bit difficult thanks to the overnight rain. In two uphill sections of dirt road the car was slipping and sliding in the mud. It is only after rain that I wish I had a four-wheel drive vehicle. When I got out of the car, Clare Marie, who now mostly lives downstairs with her mom, came running up to me. She was smiling broadly. She put up her arms…telling me to pick her up. She still thinks I’m her dad.
From May 28, 2019
People often as me how I can do this hard work in Haiti and I usually say that to see the lives of young children be transformed before your eyes fills me with such joy that it is worth all the stress and struggle to care for so many hurting kids.
From May 29, 2019
Yesterday afternoon we had showers that forced all the kids indoors. The seven that live on the second floor were joined by two other kids. From their point of view, my bigger office meant more kids could use it a playground. I was trying to catch up on e-mail correspondence, but the noise and general chaos made progress very slow. Of course, they all became hungry. So, off to the kitchen to make sandwiches. At McGerry’s, special orders do upset us…but not that much. Some want toasted Arab bread, some want Haitian rolls, some want whole wheat bread from the States.
From May 27, 2019
One morning last week, there was a lot of raucous noise coming from the guest room that has become a dorm for six girls. I could also hear lots of giggling coming from the bathroom. I sternly knocked on the door. The bathroom and the main room feel instantly silent. There was no need to open the door to see who was knocking. They knew it was me and why I was knocking. Shortly afterward, Naïve came out and said to me, “All I wanted was to poop in peace.” That really surprised me. My hunch was that she was on the toilet and taking too long, so two or more girls came in to take a shower. The bathroom is really small.
From May 26, 2019
In yesterday’s Journal, I said I would write about the big changes we are making at Santa Chiara. Well, it took from 10:00am until 7:00pm to implement phase one of the project. The project is about making sweeping changes to the allocations of space on the second floor. I took photos of the work-in-progress. But I’m too tired to sort through the photos and write about the changes and the reasons behind them. I still must do my “Mr. Cookie” routine…and then try to roundup six kids and get them upstairs, give them a snack, and get them to bed. So, in lieu of the report on the changes, I offer a short piece of writing that was penned many years ago.
From May 25, 2019
Yesterday, I write that I would share about Bency’s misbehavior, as well as something dreadful that Ecarlatte did before her ban. On further consideration, it seemed inappropriate to share the gory details of a wrongful act performed by a person with mental illness. What she did, fortunately, did not harm anyone, and I have apologized the staff member who was impacted and was able to rectify the consequences of Ecarlatte’s action. As to Bency, the Journal for the last three years is littered with stories of Bency’s misdeeds. Her latest doesn’t even rank in the top ten of her worst behavior.
From May 24, 2019
I have no words to offer today, so I shall offer photos of the kids that were taken this week.
From May 23, 2019
Over the last year, some Journal readers may have noticed the gradual disappearance of Ecarlatte in these humble, hastily written epistles from Haiti. Today, I need to explain her artificial absence in the past, and her actual disappearance in the present and the future.
From May 22, 2019
Christy is a smart kid. On Monday evening she came into my office and sat on the couch. Sometime she watches me edit the photographs.
I have a few high-end photography books in Haiti featuring interesting places. I showed Christy three books and told her she could pick one to sit with for a while. There was a book on the Maasai Tribes in Africa, a book on the Tibetans, and a book on the children of Bombay. She picked the one from India. I
