Sunday- Jan. 19
We woke up bright and early and walked
to the nearby Catholic Church for morning mass. The service- spoken entirely in
Creole- lasted about 3 hours. At the end of the mass, the priest allowed us to
speak to the congregation and thank them for their hospitality (and explain why
so many blans were at mass that day!)
After a wonderful lunch of rice and
beans, Jean-Remie (the director of MCC Desarmes) came to talk to us about the
Reforestation Project started by MCC in Desarmes. He started with a little
history: deforestation in Haiti started
with the colonization and heightened during the Duvalier Regime with government
initiated, systemized killing of trees. Duvalier was scared that the rebels
would hide in the tree-tops, so Papa Doc ordered for many of the trees to be
destroyed. Deforestation has caused the average forest coverage of Haiti to decrease
from 98% (before colonization) to 2% (current average according to USAID). The
Reforestation Project in Desarmes allows for families in poverty to receive a
sapling that they plant- the plant will not only reap economic benefits for the
family (in fruit or wood) but will also provide environmental benefits. The
Project has also implemented several programs in elementary schools, teaching
children about agriculture through hands-on experience (each class will plant
their own tree), and theoretical courses.
We spent the afternoon splitting
into our education groups (beginner, intermediate, and advanced) to plan our
lessons for the next week. It was great coming together, creating fun
games/songs/activities to incorporate and looking ahead to our time at GASA.
Our evening was filled with the
adventures of a river hike through L’Artibonit. Spending a couple of hours
walking in the shallow water, and gazing at the beautiful Haitian scenery
around us (though Camilla almost did get swept away!!). At the end of the river
were beautiful caverns that we were able to explore.
For dinner we had Soup Jou-moun
(Pumpkin soup- also Haiti’s independence day soup) and fresh bread. Our packed
day of adventures ended with a fascinating look into the celebrations of
Voodoo. We drove to Hounfour (the physical house of the Voodoo spirit being
celebrated on that day). The house was packed full of celebrating people- women
dancing in colorful outfits, people socializing, and food flowing. We ended our
visit with an in depth meeting with the Houngoun. He explained how he has the
duty of keeping the spirit happy.
It was such a
wonderful, enriching day.
XOXO
-Camilla and Sharlene
No comments:
Post a Comment