Visits to Schools and Leogane Walking Tour

The 340 students at St. Joseph's - Jasmin

What a day! We started with a quick ride through Leogane to the Episcopal Nursing School where we toured the school and met with Hilda Alcindor the Director. Carole reported to Hilda that all of our students were professional and an asset to the team.

Nursing students studying diligently

The MN contingent (plus Suzanne)  stayed at St. P and St. J where Russ and Bill taught English to the seventh graders and Dianne and Suzanne read and conversed one-on-one with the students.  The remainder of the group traveled up the mountain to Jasmin, where I met with the teachers, and completed the task which Bill had started earlier in the week of photographing each of the staff. Bill had already taken a picture of each child. Our plan is to print and laminate each photo and bring them when we return in September. You cannot imagine the joy that a child (or an adult) gets in seeing a photo of themselves! We could spend hours just taking pictures and showing them to the person.



Dianne, the teacher


Several people have asked about the water accessibility at each school. St. P and St. J has a well, which the kids are able to operate, as you can see. St. J, being high in the mountains, has no well, but the people must walk further up the mountain, then down the side of the mountain to the spring (about a 30 minute walk one way) and then carry the water to the Pure Water biosand filter at the school. The church has a gutter which funnels water to a cistern during the rainy season.

The well at St. Phillppe and St. Jacques

Clean water at St.Joseph's

After picking up the MN folks, we headed back to the guesthouse for a short rest before calling Peterson, one of our interpreters, who had promised to take us to the Voodoo Center for a tour. As it turns out, only one room in the large building has anything to do with Voodoo. A Voodoo priest showed us his room, which included an altar with various icons. He dressed in his ceremonial robes and told us a little of the beliefs.

Voodoo Priest

Then, we headed through town to the beach, where we saw the boats which take people and merchandise to and from the island of LaGonave. They were unloading cows and pigs which they threw off the boats into the water. Who knew that a huge pig could swim!

Haitian bateaus

Along the way, we toured a rum distillery!

Distiller in action

As we left the shore, we came upon a large gated community, which was formerly a resort, and now houses an orphanage and school which is run by the Church of Christ and Gain. We met a German woman and Spanish man who are volunteering there and got a quick tour and then a ride back for dinner.

This is a fascinating week to be in Haiti, with the Presidential runoff election being Sunday. Aristide is supposed to be arriving back from exile today or tomorrow and there are large banners welcoming him. There are trucks with loud speakers traveling through the streets playing music and announcements in support of Martelly, who seems to be the front runner. Apparently, the US is supporting Martaget, as President Clinton was in a photo with her on the front page of a local paper. Then, of course,there is the Aba (down with)  Preval graffiti which is omnipresent.

Tomorrow we are traveling to Jacmel , which over the mountains on the coast on the other side of Haiti. This will be my third trip there and I'm looking forward to a fun day.