I never posted graduation photos, so here are a few. I was so busy that day, I only ended up taking a few, so I stole these from other people (volunteers and the like) who attended. The ceremony went really well! We graduated 23 new midwives into the workforce -- seriously impressive.
The last few weeks before I left for the US for a month were packed full of great volunteers, getting to know Emily and Jenna, and paving the way for lots of great change to take place in 2014. MFH bought a beautiful new Land Cruiser, a white jeep-like vehicle seen literally all over the streets of Haiti. These Toyota vehicles are made for bad roads like the ones that surround Hinche, and the one we live on. With so much going on, and a bunch of unforeseen circumstances, we didn't pick up the LC until after I'd left for home, so it was greeting me at the airport when I came back in January. What a nice surprise!
Christmas was lovely, and I spent New Years in Scarsdale, New York, with my best friend, Camille, and Bobby. I spent any free time eating -- literally meals upon meals upon meals. After losing about 10 lbs in the six months I'd already spent in Haiti, I knew I needed to fatten up a bit before coming back again. Bobby and I took advantage of this and ate out a ton!
But back to Haiti, because isn't that what this blog is about?
The title of this post is a lesson I've learned over and over again here, and I'm sure it holds true in any country. Of course the Haitians know best. But this is a lesson we, as foreigners in a low-resource area, often forget. It's difficult to remember that the Haitians have their own systems and that those processes work for them, even if they don't work for us. Further, if you're trying to get anything done, stop. Go get the advice of several natives, and then work from there. Chances are, there are cultural consequences or required formal routes you never even thought of to try. Things simply aren't as easy here.
This past week, we held the entry exam and registration for the "Promotion 2014," or our new class of midwifery students. We expected 80 applicants, but were swamped with 117! I had to go make more photocopies of the entry exam twice! As great as this is, it was super overwhelming for us. Nadene and Steve have put their trust in the In-Country staff, and so Jenna, Emily, and I -- along with our Haitian instructors and preceptors and a few recent grads -- planned and handled it ourselves. Emily and I handled background details, letting Jenna do the up-front speaking and explaining, and then we had the preceptors and graduates control the crowd outside and observe during the actual exam. With the limited of two 20-person spaces, we had to hold three separate exams throughout the morning, which involved making sure no one from earlier exams communicated and letting only 20 people in the door when it was time. Personal space isn't much of a concept here, which is often what gets to me in situations like this. It was so much more comforting to watch the students handle it than to get worked up over it. We got 117 people in and out before 1 pm, which is an incredible feat, especially since we figured we'd be there until 5pm!
Emily, Jenna and I have been purchasing tons of fresh goodies at the local market. We've all developed quite a taste for red beets (bet wouj), steamed cabbage, our own little stir fry recipe, and raw veggie salad. When we come home, Dieuny and Solimene always ask if we did well -- as in, did we overpay or did we pay the Haitian price? Sometimes we come out victorious and get beets cheaper than Solimene, but more often than not, we're paying at least 2-3 times the price. Sigh! At least I'm eating fresh veggies, right?
I'm also really beginning to see the worth in maintaining connections and friendships in Haiti. I feel like it's so much less awkward and forced in Haiti when you make an effort to sustain good relationships. It's quite sweet how Haitian friends will call or text you just to check in and see how you're doing because it's been several weeks or days since they've heard from you. They genuinely care, and it's kind of a reaffirmation of your friendship. It's also much more meaningful to invite good friends over or to go visit them at their homes. Now that I'm in the last six months of my stay in Haiti (well, 4-5 now...), I really want to make much more of an effort to visit my friends. I want to know where they live, I want to spend quality time with them instead of just a few jokes here and there in the kitchen, and I want them to know that even when I can't kiss them on the cheek every day, I'm still their "little sister" or "granddaughter."
I'm not sure if I've said this a billion times on here or not, but I certainly feel it: Hinche is my home, and the staff is my family. Recently, we've begun calling Eliette "Grandma." Although she's only a year older than my dad, she feels like a grandma to me. Every day she mops the floor, and I trudge through with my dusty flip flops, or she jokes with me about the knick knacks and clothing piled on my desk (yeah sorry mom). Solimene and Dieuny are my big sisters. Both in their 30s, they have young kids and are always joking with me about gender roles and boys. They want the best for me, and it's so important that I spend time with them. Ronel is my goofy uncle, the kind who will drink your first beer with you and not pick up on every social cue, but is faithful and supportive through and through.
Now that it's February, I'm thinking about who's going to take my place, what I'm going to do when I get home (pray for me that I get into grad school please!!), and what it'll be like to leave. Honestly, I'm really sad. I feel like I need to spend the next few months appreciating the people around me much more than I have. It's crazy how anything, any place, can become so comfortable, so normal. I don't think I'll ever be able to leave Haiti. It's too special to me.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next few months. I'm going to spend as much time as possible running and meditating on the hills behind the house as possible, knowing that I'll likely never have such a perfect scene so close to me again in my life. I plan to eat as many mangos and avocados as I can when they're back in season. I plan to snuggle Ina May every single day (let's be real, that's been happening since I got here anyway). And I plan to spend more quality time with the people I care so much about. Oh, and I'm going to dance my tail off.
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| "Kelby nan kay la" or "Kelby's in the house!" |
