Hello! It's Hannah here. As per Stephen's request, I am writing again to tell you all of our meeting that happened on Monday, the 20th of August. The Haiti Four and our familes all met at the Williams' house for a potluck and get together, our first meeting since arriving home on the 24th of July. We ate a lovely dinner consisting of many yummy things, like quiche, fruit salad, cucumber and tomato salad, vegetarian lasagna, pasta salad, foccasia bread, and barbequed chicken. After dinner, we dined on blueberry cake, cookies, and ice cream, and for the adults some decaf coffee.
We then went to the Williams' basement and watched a slideshow that Thomas and Teiga had previously put together from 200 of the 1,000 pictures they had taken in Haiti. For every picture, each one of us had a story to tell, and we all took turns explaining what each picture was of and the story behind it. After the slideshow, we sat around and briefly discussed our next steps. We touched upon the size of the group of people going to Haiti next year and determined that it should stay small so as not to interfere with the camp itself and with the experiences that the four of us got to have. We also talked about how the junior members of the Haiti Four will have another chance to go to Haiti next year, which is awesome for them! We also discussed what we will do for the Haitians now that we have returned home, and if us going there had any impact on them. They certainly impacted us and enriched our lives. My personal answer to the question of whether we impacted them or not is yes, we have impacted their lives. We went down and made a conscious effort to be a part of their society and live their way of life. Most Americans just bring money or food, and then leave shortly after. What we did was something completely different. We lived in dorms with the Haitians, learned some of their language, ate the customary food, and played music with them. All of these things helped to build friendships between us that will last our entire lives.
The last topic of conversation that we shared before we all went home was the decision to make Maine Music Outreach a nonprofit organization. Nothing was determined on the 20th, but in future meetings for next years Haiti folks, hopefully something will be.
Bonswa! -Hannah
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Returning Home
A week or so after our trip, my mind still drifts to Haiti periodically during the day. Actions will trigger memories, such as filling my water bottle from a 5 gallon container, and some certain American phrases I'll remember in Creole, like mwen gen dormi and mwen grangou. When someone asks me to tell them about my trip, I always pull a blank for a minute or so- where do i start? There were life changing experiences on this trip, yet I still have a hard time choosing a story to tell someone. Sometimes this trip feels like a dream to me, impossible to pin down the right words to describe the feelings of elation, sadness, surprise and happiness.
Although Haiti can be considered simple in some respects, the way they live their life is not. I find myself meeting people who have ten fold what families in Haiti have, yet they have more complaints. Everyone in Haiti fills their days to the fullest with small acts of kindness in every moment of their day. I miss the straightforwardness of life in Haiti, how everything just happened when it happened and there was no stress.
If I had to chose one moment in Haiti where my perspective on life changed completely, it would have to be the day that we ran out of water at the camp. I've spent most of my life in America, and I'm used to always having whatever I need. And if I don't have it, I can drive ten minutes to the store and buy it. It's just how I've been brought up. In Haiti it's completely different. When we ran out of water, there was no more water until the trucks drove and filled them up for us- this took about half the day. No one wasted the water in Haiti. You drank when you needed to and filled up from the communal 5 gallon container in the middle of the campus. Showering was kept to the brief limit, as well as washing, teeth brushing, and toilet flushing.
In America it's just so different. While we wait for our showers to warm up, the water runs freely, wasting into the plumbing. We flush the toilets every time we use them. We let the water run while we soap the dishes. The tap flows while we brush our teeth for no apparent reason. Water runs freely in our house, as I'm sure it does in many other American households. Before this trip, I'd never known what it was like to be without one of the main human needs. I'd never thought that water could simply run out before. There's always the talk, but the reality is simply not there. It's almost impossible to imagine life without a need that I've always had access to plenty of before.
I've gained awareness about other worlds from this trip, and there's no way I could have learned without actually travelling and experiencing everything firsthand. If I could change anything in the world, I would try to give people the awareness I have gained from this trip. Although it's just not the same to be told about differences in other countries, I think this would be a good place to start.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Je Pense Que. . .
Hello, it's Hannah here. This is wierd writing on the blog again, after a week of nothing. It's also wierd because this is probably going to be my last blog post about Haiti. In a way, I wanted to stun everyone with my incredible insight after a week back from Haiti and surprise everyone with the answer of how we can make lasting and sustainable change in Haiti. But even after a week to collect my thoughts, I still don't have anything to say.
What we got to be a part of is something that people can only dream about. In fact, sometimes I think it was a dream. Everyone wants to know about my trip and how it was, but as soon as I try to explain it to them, I can't. There are no words to describe what happened there. There are tons of pictures where we can see ourselves looking happy and playing music with the Haitians, but we can't describe how that made us feel. The people at the camp not only changed how I see Haiti and it's people, they also changed me. Their never-ending energy, their wonderful spirits, the way they are always finding the bright side of life is something that I only wish I could have.
Being raised an American, it's not a bad thing, but it definitely has sheltered me from the realities of the world. Driving through Port-au-Prince the first day we arrived was strange and really sad, seeing large families live in houses that were the size of my living room, stray dogs and cats running around with no homes, debris from the earthquake in piles and laying on the sidewalks, garbage everywhere, and people sitting in all of the chaos fanning the heat away as they sold their wares like nothing was wrong. To them, nothing was. As an American driving by, and having Port-au-Prince be the first part of Haiti I saw, I pitied them. Ten days later, when we drove through Port-au-Prince again going back to the airport, my vision of these people was completely altered. I no longer pitied them people for what they didn't have. I marveled in their creativity and their flexability, how they were so strong and determined, even after they had been through so much.
Coming back home and "getting back into the swing of things" has been really wierd. Life doesn't always stop and let you enjoy the things that you have experienced, it seems. In America, there's always something you have to be doing, and you have to be there at a certain time. I prefer Haitian time as opposed to American time. It's still a challenge for me to not feel guilty for having a refrigerator that keeps things cold, for using a washing machine instead of hand-washing my clothes, for having a toilet that flushes, and for using a computer. I still use these things, but I'm more aware of what I have. Similarly, I'm more aware of what my friends in Haiti don't always have.
As for how we can make lasting and sustainable change in Haiti, I still don't know. The most I can think of is not to pity these people, don't tell them what to do, and don't tell them how to do it. These are some of the brightest, hardest-working people I have ever met. They don't need parental advice from America, they need friends. People who won't tell them what they are doing wrong, and people who will be there to listen when they need it. They don't need government involvement or NPO's "helping" them. They need real people giving only their time to teach Haitians how to be doctors or teachers or builders, instead of having other governments send doctors and teachers and builders into Haiti, therefore taking the jobs and opportunity to learn the trade away from the Haitians. I have no definitive answers of how to change the world; I am only 17 years old. However, I can tell you one thing: it needs to be my generation that makes the change. Hopefully, through the Maine Music Outreach, we have already started to make that change.
What we got to be a part of is something that people can only dream about. In fact, sometimes I think it was a dream. Everyone wants to know about my trip and how it was, but as soon as I try to explain it to them, I can't. There are no words to describe what happened there. There are tons of pictures where we can see ourselves looking happy and playing music with the Haitians, but we can't describe how that made us feel. The people at the camp not only changed how I see Haiti and it's people, they also changed me. Their never-ending energy, their wonderful spirits, the way they are always finding the bright side of life is something that I only wish I could have.
Being raised an American, it's not a bad thing, but it definitely has sheltered me from the realities of the world. Driving through Port-au-Prince the first day we arrived was strange and really sad, seeing large families live in houses that were the size of my living room, stray dogs and cats running around with no homes, debris from the earthquake in piles and laying on the sidewalks, garbage everywhere, and people sitting in all of the chaos fanning the heat away as they sold their wares like nothing was wrong. To them, nothing was. As an American driving by, and having Port-au-Prince be the first part of Haiti I saw, I pitied them. Ten days later, when we drove through Port-au-Prince again going back to the airport, my vision of these people was completely altered. I no longer pitied them people for what they didn't have. I marveled in their creativity and their flexability, how they were so strong and determined, even after they had been through so much.
Coming back home and "getting back into the swing of things" has been really wierd. Life doesn't always stop and let you enjoy the things that you have experienced, it seems. In America, there's always something you have to be doing, and you have to be there at a certain time. I prefer Haitian time as opposed to American time. It's still a challenge for me to not feel guilty for having a refrigerator that keeps things cold, for using a washing machine instead of hand-washing my clothes, for having a toilet that flushes, and for using a computer. I still use these things, but I'm more aware of what I have. Similarly, I'm more aware of what my friends in Haiti don't always have.
As for how we can make lasting and sustainable change in Haiti, I still don't know. The most I can think of is not to pity these people, don't tell them what to do, and don't tell them how to do it. These are some of the brightest, hardest-working people I have ever met. They don't need parental advice from America, they need friends. People who won't tell them what they are doing wrong, and people who will be there to listen when they need it. They don't need government involvement or NPO's "helping" them. They need real people giving only their time to teach Haitians how to be doctors or teachers or builders, instead of having other governments send doctors and teachers and builders into Haiti, therefore taking the jobs and opportunity to learn the trade away from the Haitians. I have no definitive answers of how to change the world; I am only 17 years old. However, I can tell you one thing: it needs to be my generation that makes the change. Hopefully, through the Maine Music Outreach, we have already started to make that change.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Theory...
As Hannah talked about in one of her posts we had a theory class that involved quite a bit of ingenuity. Here are some pictures of the class...
Final Night
I honestly have very little to say at this point in time. Our stay here is coming to a close; we leave in the morning tomorrow. I think that we might receive a formal farewell at the prayers tomorrow morning. It is sad to be leaving here, but at the same time I think that it would be untrue to say that I do not look forward to returning to my home country.
I feel as though everyone will be able to begin to more deeply reflect on our experience and write down more expansive thoughts once we are home and comparing our normal lives to our experience in Haiti. We went through the week one day at a time and were able to give impressions as they came to us, but now I hope to be able to see our time here more as a cohesive whole. Ms. Matta is going to have us all write again in one week. I'm uncertain of what to expect, but I think that there will be some contrast between now and then.
Bonuit. We'll see some of you at the airport.
- Kevin
I feel as though everyone will be able to begin to more deeply reflect on our experience and write down more expansive thoughts once we are home and comparing our normal lives to our experience in Haiti. We went through the week one day at a time and were able to give impressions as they came to us, but now I hope to be able to see our time here more as a cohesive whole. Ms. Matta is going to have us all write again in one week. I'm uncertain of what to expect, but I think that there will be some contrast between now and then.
Bonuit. We'll see some of you at the airport.
- Kevin
Last Goodbyes
The past ten days have seemed like the past ten hours. I really was doubting my choice to come to Haiti, but now that we’re leaving tomorrow, I can’t seem to want to say goodbye. When the plane landed I can remember thinking to myself, “what did I just get myself into?!” It felt like we were going to be spending a lifetime in Haiti. Sadly, ten days was not enough time to hang out with all of our new friends and play music and learn Creole.
The hardest part about leaving is leaving behind all of our friends. It’s going to be really strange not seeing all the faces that we’ve come accustomed to greeting throughout every day. We can’t always remember their names, but their wide smiles and happy chatter in Creole and/or English is what made this camp so amazing. Although we’ve gotten countless Facebook names and email addresses to remember each other by, nothing will be as memorable as meeting all these wonderful people in person.
It’s going to be almost impossible to say goodbye tomorrow morning. The only consolation is knowing that maybe we can see everyone again next summer.
Hannah and Teiga
The hardest part about leaving is leaving behind all of our friends. It’s going to be really strange not seeing all the faces that we’ve come accustomed to greeting throughout every day. We can’t always remember their names, but their wide smiles and happy chatter in Creole and/or English is what made this camp so amazing. Although we’ve gotten countless Facebook names and email addresses to remember each other by, nothing will be as memorable as meeting all these wonderful people in person.
It’s going to be almost impossible to say goodbye tomorrow morning. The only consolation is knowing that maybe we can see everyone again next summer.
Hannah and Teiga
Sunday, July 22, 2012
After the concert
Wow! The concert started just about on time, 2:30 p.m. in Bon Saveur Church, which is in the center of our campus. Actually, we had been there from 9 a.m. until 11:30 for the rousing Sunday Mass conducted by Pere David and another priest and a host of characters on the altar who collaborated to make another very special service. Then we had returned to the Guest House for a dinner of chicken, rice, macaroni salad, and fried plaintains before returning to the church, all dressed in our performance duds, which included shirts provided by the camp.
Mme. Nicole St.Victoire was the MC and did a splendid job despite the lack of a real program to follow. She appeared to be ad libbing (in French, of course) to fill in where the info was not correct. You're probably not all that interested in these details, so I'll get to the part of the program that featured the Maine Music Outreach students. They performed with the band: Kevin on trumpet, Teiga on French horn, Hannah on alto sax, and Thomas on the baritone horn, which was loaned to him by the band director who needed a baritone horn player to complement his group. From my expert perspective (NOT) they performed flawlessly. Liz would probably concur, and she knows of what she speaks. The band was conducted by Keith Johnston of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT and Pierre (I forget his last name) from Jacmel. They really got along really well with our kids, and the feeling was entirely mutual.
The concert ended with a performance by the Symphony Orchestra made up of the teachers from many countries, but mostly, it seemed, from Lawrence University in I forget which midwestern state. When the teachers heard Teiga playing her French horn during a rehearsal for the band, they were obviously impressed with her ability...and they needed a French horn in the orchestra. So Teiga was by far the youngest member of the symphony orchestra with some very important parts. We were all very proud of her, and, of course, of all the MMO performers today.
We had hoped to do some tech-wonderful thing with our Macbook, but Thomas will have to fill you in on why that did not happen. It certainly wasn't from a lack of effort, and something very wonderful may still come of the recordings he did with Liz's computer and with the photos and movies we took with my and Teiga's cameras.
Stephen
Mme. Nicole St.Victoire was the MC and did a splendid job despite the lack of a real program to follow. She appeared to be ad libbing (in French, of course) to fill in where the info was not correct. You're probably not all that interested in these details, so I'll get to the part of the program that featured the Maine Music Outreach students. They performed with the band: Kevin on trumpet, Teiga on French horn, Hannah on alto sax, and Thomas on the baritone horn, which was loaned to him by the band director who needed a baritone horn player to complement his group. From my expert perspective (NOT) they performed flawlessly. Liz would probably concur, and she knows of what she speaks. The band was conducted by Keith Johnston of Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT and Pierre (I forget his last name) from Jacmel. They really got along really well with our kids, and the feeling was entirely mutual.
The concert ended with a performance by the Symphony Orchestra made up of the teachers from many countries, but mostly, it seemed, from Lawrence University in I forget which midwestern state. When the teachers heard Teiga playing her French horn during a rehearsal for the band, they were obviously impressed with her ability...and they needed a French horn in the orchestra. So Teiga was by far the youngest member of the symphony orchestra with some very important parts. We were all very proud of her, and, of course, of all the MMO performers today.
We had hoped to do some tech-wonderful thing with our Macbook, but Thomas will have to fill you in on why that did not happen. It certainly wasn't from a lack of effort, and something very wonderful may still come of the recordings he did with Liz's computer and with the photos and movies we took with my and Teiga's cameras.
Stephen
Saturday, July 21, 2012
More Music...
Thomas here,
This evening there was the second of the camp's recitals. We opened the show with Give My Regards to Broadway played by just the four of us. Next we played our two Haitian pieces, Souvenir d'Haiti and Aongeliko, but we changed things a bit and invited three Haitian students to play with us. The three were Gregor on trumpet, Cadé playing the conga, and Renœu. We rehearsed for about 45 minutes earlier in the day. The spot we practiced in was on top of a wall that goes around the football(soccer for all you Americans) field that slopes down to the entrance of the camp. This seems to be a popular practice place and we quickly attracted quite a crowd. The icing on the cake was when a young Haitian girl started to dance while we were practicing, and we invited her to dance with us tonight, she gladly accepted and showed up in traditional wear for the recital. We do have video of this but it will be on our brand spankin' new YouTube channel. Also some of the videos from Wednesday's recital will be there was well.
This evening there was the second of the camp's recitals. We opened the show with Give My Regards to Broadway played by just the four of us. Next we played our two Haitian pieces, Souvenir d'Haiti and Aongeliko, but we changed things a bit and invited three Haitian students to play with us. The three were Gregor on trumpet, Cadé playing the conga, and Renœu. We rehearsed for about 45 minutes earlier in the day. The spot we practiced in was on top of a wall that goes around the football(soccer for all you Americans) field that slopes down to the entrance of the camp. This seems to be a popular practice place and we quickly attracted quite a crowd. The icing on the cake was when a young Haitian girl started to dance while we were practicing, and we invited her to dance with us tonight, she gladly accepted and showed up in traditional wear for the recital. We do have video of this but it will be on our brand spankin' new YouTube channel. Also some of the videos from Wednesday's recital will be there was well.
Friday, July 20, 2012
Ingenuity
Bonswa! It's Hannah. I just wanted to write to you about our ingenious Music Theory lesson yesterday, and it's continuation today. We didn't have a chalk board, but Aaryn (an American teacher) came up with the idea to use the large gates that separate the guestroom courtyard from the road as a chalkboard. It was probably the coolest thing ever. We got to be OUTSIDE, learning about MUSIC, and using what we had to HAVE FUN. In American schools, teachers never let kids outside during class. Here, all of our classes are outside. It's a different culture here, but I think I like this culture better. No one ever judges you for messing up your Creole, and everyone is always so kind and encouraging. I know I've said this before, but honestly, these people are so considerate and kind! There is no way to explain the culture here. These people have been through so many hardships, yet they never give up and they always remain positive. Their faith in God is astounding, because their God is the only thing that they can make sense of in their world of poverty, hunger, and death. Today I was talking to an 11 year old girl whose brother died when he was really little. Her attitude towards his death was that she was sad, but she wasn't letting his death determine her life. Later, she told me that her mother was pregnant and she was going to have a brother or a sister. I was overjoyed, and it made me think that we take babies for granted in America. We assume that most of them will live, but in Haiti, nothing is ever certain.
Speaking of uncertainty, Pere David (Haitian Director of the Music Camp) explained the concept of time for us today. He said that it's 8 o'clock until it's 9 o'clock. Time here is rather lax. Sectionals are supposed to begin at 8 o'clock on the dot, yet they usually end up starting closer to 8:30. You would assume that because it's a music camp that things would be on time, yet I feel like sometimes the directors are later than some of the students.
I wish that we could stay two more weeks for the rest of the music camp. I'm going to miss the people here, and also the language. I'm just starting to understand around 40% of what I hear, if it is said slowly.
I just want to inform everyone that currently, Teiga and Thomas are mauling a mango. Kevin calls it " Operation Mango." So far, the operation has been successful, yet extremely messy.
Tomorrow, we plan on rehearsing in the church for our recital Sunday. Afterwards, we plan to play in the recital for students at 4 o'clock. Someone from the Haiti Four will let you know how it goes.
Na wa pita, zanmim! -Hannah
Speaking of uncertainty, Pere David (Haitian Director of the Music Camp) explained the concept of time for us today. He said that it's 8 o'clock until it's 9 o'clock. Time here is rather lax. Sectionals are supposed to begin at 8 o'clock on the dot, yet they usually end up starting closer to 8:30. You would assume that because it's a music camp that things would be on time, yet I feel like sometimes the directors are later than some of the students.
I wish that we could stay two more weeks for the rest of the music camp. I'm going to miss the people here, and also the language. I'm just starting to understand around 40% of what I hear, if it is said slowly.
I just want to inform everyone that currently, Teiga and Thomas are mauling a mango. Kevin calls it " Operation Mango." So far, the operation has been successful, yet extremely messy.
Tomorrow, we plan on rehearsing in the church for our recital Sunday. Afterwards, we plan to play in the recital for students at 4 o'clock. Someone from the Haiti Four will let you know how it goes.
Na wa pita, zanmim! -Hannah
The end of this week's camp schedule is just about done. Teiga is
rehearsing with the orchestra as I type. The others are observing the
rehearsal and interacting with the Haitian students.
The Organization of American States (OAS) has a group here. They brought in four teachers from Columbia and several from the states to work with the Haitian teachers as well as teachers from Jamaica and St. Lucia who are also here. It is essentially, like student teaching or professional development for them. While the island folks work with the students, the experienced teachers provide feedback, suggestions and assistance during the rehearsals. Then, the entire group of adults meets in a "round table" in which the experienced teachers provide both general and specific feedback about and to the teachers; providing new planning suggestions and rehearsal techniques.
The head of this OAS program asked if I would observe Deborah, a Haitian teacher working with the "beginner" band, yesterday. The "beginners" here like anywhere have a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Deborah was very open to suggestions during the rehearsal. My favorite part was that she had fun with the students (she was dancing in front of them at one point) but could also "lay it down" when she needed to. She was "loving but firm" as my big brother would say.
The round table was fantastic! It was this great meeting-of-the-international-teaching-minds, if you will. It was so great (humbling, inspiring, energizing) to be part of this. Just another unexpected opportunity to learn while in Haiti, even for the teachers.
I didn't expect to meet and connect with so many international folks here. I'm thrilled to say that I am learning as much as our students :)
The Organization of American States (OAS) has a group here. They brought in four teachers from Columbia and several from the states to work with the Haitian teachers as well as teachers from Jamaica and St. Lucia who are also here. It is essentially, like student teaching or professional development for them. While the island folks work with the students, the experienced teachers provide feedback, suggestions and assistance during the rehearsals. Then, the entire group of adults meets in a "round table" in which the experienced teachers provide both general and specific feedback about and to the teachers; providing new planning suggestions and rehearsal techniques.
The head of this OAS program asked if I would observe Deborah, a Haitian teacher working with the "beginner" band, yesterday. The "beginners" here like anywhere have a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Deborah was very open to suggestions during the rehearsal. My favorite part was that she had fun with the students (she was dancing in front of them at one point) but could also "lay it down" when she needed to. She was "loving but firm" as my big brother would say.
The round table was fantastic! It was this great meeting-of-the-international-teaching-minds, if you will. It was so great (humbling, inspiring, energizing) to be part of this. Just another unexpected opportunity to learn while in Haiti, even for the teachers.
I didn't expect to meet and connect with so many international folks here. I'm thrilled to say that I am learning as much as our students :)
More Than Meets the Eye
Salut!
I just wanted to tell you all about the vesper last night. It was entirely in Creole, with some translation, and though I couldn’t understand it all, Pierre (the co-director of the camp) said something that was inspiring. “By becoming better musicians, we become better people.” I think that is a really cool thing to think about, and it’s also very inspiring.
On another note, I want to talk about the people as well. I can’t understand more than half of what they say, but somehow, I don’t always need to know what they are saying. These people are so friendly and so ALIVE! They are absolutely gorgeous physically, but you can also see how incredibly amazing and caring and kind their souls are. They are constantly laughing and smiling and trying to teach us Creole, and they don’t ever seem to be bothered by anything. They have so much less material things than me, yet they live so much more. I wish I could live life half as energetically as they do.
Bonswa!
Hannah
I just wanted to tell you all about the vesper last night. It was entirely in Creole, with some translation, and though I couldn’t understand it all, Pierre (the co-director of the camp) said something that was inspiring. “By becoming better musicians, we become better people.” I think that is a really cool thing to think about, and it’s also very inspiring.
On another note, I want to talk about the people as well. I can’t understand more than half of what they say, but somehow, I don’t always need to know what they are saying. These people are so friendly and so ALIVE! They are absolutely gorgeous physically, but you can also see how incredibly amazing and caring and kind their souls are. They are constantly laughing and smiling and trying to teach us Creole, and they don’t ever seem to be bothered by anything. They have so much less material things than me, yet they live so much more. I wish I could live life half as energetically as they do.
Bonswa!
Hannah
Salud!
We're nearing the end of our last day of rehearsals before the weekend. That means that there is a concert coming up and soon plenty of photos and maybe even video. We also have the recital tomorrow (Saturday) night, in which we are still planning on playing an American piece ourselves and possibly a Haitian piece with guests.
Earlier today I gave a lesson to a very beginner trumpet player- I was essentially teaching him to read music. This was a very rewarding experience. I think that Hannah and Teiga gave lessons too the other day- look for photos.
- Kevin
We're nearing the end of our last day of rehearsals before the weekend. That means that there is a concert coming up and soon plenty of photos and maybe even video. We also have the recital tomorrow (Saturday) night, in which we are still planning on playing an American piece ourselves and possibly a Haitian piece with guests.
Earlier today I gave a lesson to a very beginner trumpet player- I was essentially teaching him to read music. This was a very rewarding experience. I think that Hannah and Teiga gave lessons too the other day- look for photos.
- Kevin
Thursday, July 19, 2012
jeudi, le dix-neuf juillet
I wish you could have been inside Bon Saveur Church with us last night for the first camp recital, performed by many of the teaches from the U.S., Haiti, Jamaica, Colombia, St.Lucia and more. The audience was hanging on every note played, and when the lights went out in the middle of Liz's alto sax solo, there was a collective gasp before some people ran to her aid with flashlights. When she was finished, the lights mysteriously reappeared for the rest of the recital, which culminated with two very rousing solo drum performances. Bill, from the Cleveland Institute of Music, nearly blew the roof off, or should I say the audience did with their incredible response to said performances. Lots of energy in this camp!
Today Hannah and Teiga began giving private tutorials to some of the younger Haitian students. They were very sensitive to the possibility of being perceived as condescending, but, no, indeed, their offer and their lessons were greatly and smilingly appreciated. In fact, as Liz mentioned before in an earlier post, the Haiti Four are extremely well-received by teachers as well as counterparts. Hooray!
It is just such a pleasure for me to be able to witness all this genuine friendliness and enthusiasm on the parts of the HF, Liz and the other campers and teachers. I sure wish I knew how to play an instrument. Stephen
Today Hannah and Teiga began giving private tutorials to some of the younger Haitian students. They were very sensitive to the possibility of being perceived as condescending, but, no, indeed, their offer and their lessons were greatly and smilingly appreciated. In fact, as Liz mentioned before in an earlier post, the Haiti Four are extremely well-received by teachers as well as counterparts. Hooray!
It is just such a pleasure for me to be able to witness all this genuine friendliness and enthusiasm on the parts of the HF, Liz and the other campers and teachers. I sure wish I knew how to play an instrument. Stephen
Wednesday Night Recital
Bonjou!
Last night we had the first recital of the camp, in the church. Recitals are events in which teachers will play for the camp body, as well as students who have gotten permission from a teacher. Ms. Matta played two pieces!! The first was with a college-student teacher here at the camp, a saxophone duet, and she also played a solo piece. Both were fantastic, but as a bonus in the second piece, the power went out mid-performance! Ms. Matta continued flawlessly, of course, by flashlight. I believe there should be video coming of the entire recital, so you can here Ms. Matta and all of the other teacher performances.
A plan is in the works for us to play in the next recital on Saturday. We may play a distinctly American piece ("Give My Regards to Broadway"?) by ourselves, plus another possibly Haitian piece that we would play with some of the students here. I'm hoping that there will be a way to record this as well. Stay tuned!
- Kevin
Last night we had the first recital of the camp, in the church. Recitals are events in which teachers will play for the camp body, as well as students who have gotten permission from a teacher. Ms. Matta played two pieces!! The first was with a college-student teacher here at the camp, a saxophone duet, and she also played a solo piece. Both were fantastic, but as a bonus in the second piece, the power went out mid-performance! Ms. Matta continued flawlessly, of course, by flashlight. I believe there should be video coming of the entire recital, so you can here Ms. Matta and all of the other teacher performances.
A plan is in the works for us to play in the next recital on Saturday. We may play a distinctly American piece ("Give My Regards to Broadway"?) by ourselves, plus another possibly Haitian piece that we would play with some of the students here. I'm hoping that there will be a way to record this as well. Stay tuned!
- Kevin
Just a Few Pics
Allo, Thomas here. As Liz mentioned in another post we woke up early for
the sunrise. We have many pictures from this excursion, and a few that
I wanted to feature rather than mixing in with the randomizer at the
top of our page. Said pictures are below.
Well Worth the Stairs
We met at 6:00 AM to see the sunrise from the top of the mountain. It was gorgeous and serene! Pictures and video to follow.
Our culture shock has warn off allowing all of us to fully understand and experience all the aspects of this camp. The people are wonderful; the students eager to learn and very appreciative! Our students from Maine are wonderful ambassadors of the US, Maine, Midcoast, Lincoln Academy and YOU our families and friends.
Liz
Our culture shock has warn off allowing all of us to fully understand and experience all the aspects of this camp. The people are wonderful; the students eager to learn and very appreciative! Our students from Maine are wonderful ambassadors of the US, Maine, Midcoast, Lincoln Academy and YOU our families and friends.
Liz
Haitian Energy
Bonjou!
The people here are all so lovely. Everyone greets each other with “bonjou” in the mornings, “bonswa” in the afternoons and evenings, and “bonuit” in the nights. Everyone is always ready to introduce themselves, and to humor themselves with our poor Creole. Ms. Matta introduced us to a man named Dallas yesterday. Dallas is an incredible artist, he has a beautiful voice, and he has taught himself how to speak English. At the end of our conversation, Dallas eagerly taught us the word for tree, “pye bwa,” then announced that we were already friends, and he would search us on facebook. Cade is another one of our friends. Periodically throughout the day Cade will run into Hannah and I and teach us some more Creole phrases. Besides being an enthusiastic teacher and friend, Cade is hilarious to be around. He’ll walk with a certain attitude or like a certain person, and mime being hungry or sleepy.
Whenever I’m around any of our new Haitian friends I always find myself smiling and laughing. During breakfast this morning this one boy taught me how to say “would you like some more” and “no thanks.” When I didn’t understand on the first try we were both laughing. It’s so much fun to learn Creole here because everyone is so willing to teach. It’s not like school where you have to learn on the first or second try. Here, we can ask as may questions as we want, and they will repeat the Creole as many times as we need until we understand the phrase.
Just the energy here in Haiti is amazing. In the evenings when I’m tired, the energy is enough to keep me awake. With no bad feelings, all the happiness from everyone seems to just seep into the air and spread from one person to another. I can’t believe that we’re halfway through out stay here- it seems like a lifetime ago that we said good-bye in the Portland airport and hopped on our plane to Haiti.
-Teiga-
The people here are all so lovely. Everyone greets each other with “bonjou” in the mornings, “bonswa” in the afternoons and evenings, and “bonuit” in the nights. Everyone is always ready to introduce themselves, and to humor themselves with our poor Creole. Ms. Matta introduced us to a man named Dallas yesterday. Dallas is an incredible artist, he has a beautiful voice, and he has taught himself how to speak English. At the end of our conversation, Dallas eagerly taught us the word for tree, “pye bwa,” then announced that we were already friends, and he would search us on facebook. Cade is another one of our friends. Periodically throughout the day Cade will run into Hannah and I and teach us some more Creole phrases. Besides being an enthusiastic teacher and friend, Cade is hilarious to be around. He’ll walk with a certain attitude or like a certain person, and mime being hungry or sleepy.
Whenever I’m around any of our new Haitian friends I always find myself smiling and laughing. During breakfast this morning this one boy taught me how to say “would you like some more” and “no thanks.” When I didn’t understand on the first try we were both laughing. It’s so much fun to learn Creole here because everyone is so willing to teach. It’s not like school where you have to learn on the first or second try. Here, we can ask as may questions as we want, and they will repeat the Creole as many times as we need until we understand the phrase.
Just the energy here in Haiti is amazing. In the evenings when I’m tired, the energy is enough to keep me awake. With no bad feelings, all the happiness from everyone seems to just seep into the air and spread from one person to another. I can’t believe that we’re halfway through out stay here- it seems like a lifetime ago that we said good-bye in the Portland airport and hopped on our plane to Haiti.
-Teiga-
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
mercredi, le 18 juillet
My job is to provide you with some of the details; I'll leave the impressions and sentiments to the Haiti Four (as Liz has named them.) This morning was one of the most delightful weatherwise ever, warm, sunny and breezy. Great practice weather.
Yesterday, partly as a help to us in obtaining local currency, Bernadette Williams invited us to join her on a car trip to Mirebalais to make the exchange. Our driver of the church's Nissan SUV took us first to the dam that has created a huge lake out of the Arbonite River, of which Tracy Kidder makes much mention in his MOUNTAINS BEYOND MOUNTAINS. The lake is beautiful and the dam provides much needed electrical power, but when Tracy wrote the book the community-at-large was still reeling from the effects of being displaced from their land with little or no compensation and the electricity was mainly used to power a few American factories. It seems that the benefits are now being shared by local Haitians.
We also visited a beautiful new music and education center being built with funds provided by the Episcopal Church of South Carolina, which also provided much of the funds for Bon Saveur Church and its water supply. The pastor of this church at the time was Pere Lefontant (sp?) and it was he who built the first clinic here in Cange that Paul Farmer worked at and then built into the fabulous facility it now is. Bernadette tells us that this new facility will host next year's Holy Trinity Music Camp.
The new, state-of-the-art medical facility and teaching hospital in Mirebalais was the last quick stop before we returned to Cange. The road nowadays is very good, which makes one marvel at the thought of it taking nearly 11 hours for an ambulance to get to Cange back in the day when Tracy was doing his on-site research into his subject back in the latter part of the 1990s. It took us a lot less time in 2012.
This morning, bright and early, before the sun was up, we rose to find the dew on each shining buttercup. Buttercup?? OK, I stole that line from Robert Louis Stevenson, but we did get up early to climb to the very top of the campus called Golgotha by the locals, to view the sunrise. It was worth it.
As you know, many photos are being posted on this blog; the sunrise is included. Stephen
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Bonjou!
Rehearsals are well underway- all of us are playing the the band (wind instrument and percussion ensemble). Teiga also is playing horn in the philharmonic orchestra. We have two directors for the band, as I think Liz mentioned in a previous post. The Haitian director, Pierre, from Jacmel, speaks Creole during most of the rehearsal, but we're able to understand him very well. Music is a very universal means of communication. He does translate occasionally and speak to us in English. A favorite comment: "you're playing like peanut butter and jelly- lazy!" Pierre is directing one piece, the American director is leading the other- West Side Story.
Na Wa Pita
Kevin
Rehearsals are well underway- all of us are playing the the band (wind instrument and percussion ensemble). Teiga also is playing horn in the philharmonic orchestra. We have two directors for the band, as I think Liz mentioned in a previous post. The Haitian director, Pierre, from Jacmel, speaks Creole during most of the rehearsal, but we're able to understand him very well. Music is a very universal means of communication. He does translate occasionally and speak to us in English. A favorite comment: "you're playing like peanut butter and jelly- lazy!" Pierre is directing one piece, the American director is leading the other- West Side Story.
Na Wa Pita
Kevin
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Tuesday morning, July17, 2012
Our Project Haiti students have now spent two nights in the student dorms; this was quite a big and courageous step as they are so few among so many, with a huge language gap to adjust to. We're hoping that, with an invitation from one of the English speaking Haitian students our students will venture forth to the point of sharing meals with their Haitian counterparts. Already they are having music lessons with these wonderful young people, and I know they are ready for this next leap.
Gessoit, a young Haitian, has taken us "under his wing" to help us learn Creole, which the students and teachers are eager to learn. Gessoit attends Lawrence University in Wisconsin and helps teach Creole there during the year.
As the symphny orchestra needed a French horn they invited Teiga (and her first-class traveling horn) to join them after they heard her play so well earlier in the day. She did a splendid job, and we are very proud of her. Actually, every one of our students is shining musically, which takes some of the pressure off, I'm sure.
We heard thunder off in the distance yesterday afternoon. Pere David later told us that Port-au-Prince was hit with a very severe thunder storm. 'Tis the season. It's just hot and humid here, but with screens on most of the windows, mosquitoes have not been a problem, hence sleep is not too difficult for most as we haven't had to get in under our mosquito tents which are usually very hot.
Our calf muscles will be very pronounced by the time we return as we climb a gazillion steps every day going from meals to lessons to Vespers to bed. This is good as we don't have much time for other forms of exercise.
Pere David Cesar, Bernadette Williams, Dr. John Jost, Madam Nicole St. Victoire and all our other hosts and counterparts have been most friendly and helpful. So many countries are represented in the teacher population; it is fun to hear all the languages spoken at meals. Stephen
A Little House Keeping
Thomas here for just a few small updates.
Firstly, if you are reading this you have probably noticed there are now pictures at the top of our page. I worked with some html coding a little yesterday and managed to make it cycle through 8 random pictures of ours, I believe every time the page is refreshed, or accessed again. A second point, the font that we chose for the blog has one little problem. Exclamation points look like lower case "L's". All this really means is as you are reading the blog, as I know all of you are, replace seemingly random, and perhaps incorrectly placed "L's" with exclamation points and everything should make sense.
Firstly, if you are reading this you have probably noticed there are now pictures at the top of our page. I worked with some html coding a little yesterday and managed to make it cycle through 8 random pictures of ours, I believe every time the page is refreshed, or accessed again. A second point, the font that we chose for the blog has one little problem. Exclamation points look like lower case "L's". All this really means is as you are reading the blog, as I know all of you are, replace seemingly random, and perhaps incorrectly placed "L's" with exclamation points and everything should make sense.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Baa ba dat daa...
***On going English disclaimer***
Though we are capable of using proper grammar, please forgive any atrocities as we are willing to sacrifice accuracy for content. Merci Boucoup!!
Bonswa! Today was our first full day of camp. The music students range from about seven or eight years old all the way through adults. Our Creole (and French) are coming along slowly but surely. The food has been very good. Tonight was spaghetti and bread. Good ole fashioned PB & J was also available. More students and teachers arrived today from the Organization of American States and the US. The "advanced" band rehearsals started today. We have two directors - one Haitian, one American - and they translate for each other. We sightread "West Side Story" today. In addition to band, Teiga is playing in the Philharmonic Orchestra (mostly adults!!) Go Teiga! The folks here are very eager to learn; one example - Bernadette Williams - one of the camp organizers was taking a cello lesson with an OAS instructor just now, as we came to "blog".
We experienced quite a bit today but ultimately, music is music..."Baa ba dat daa" is "baa ba dat daa"... regardless of language! (ala Maestro Mariano!)
Liz
Though we are capable of using proper grammar, please forgive any atrocities as we are willing to sacrifice accuracy for content. Merci Boucoup!!
Bonswa! Today was our first full day of camp. The music students range from about seven or eight years old all the way through adults. Our Creole (and French) are coming along slowly but surely. The food has been very good. Tonight was spaghetti and bread. Good ole fashioned PB & J was also available. More students and teachers arrived today from the Organization of American States and the US. The "advanced" band rehearsals started today. We have two directors - one Haitian, one American - and they translate for each other. We sightread "West Side Story" today. In addition to band, Teiga is playing in the Philharmonic Orchestra (mostly adults!!) Go Teiga! The folks here are very eager to learn; one example - Bernadette Williams - one of the camp organizers was taking a cello lesson with an OAS instructor just now, as we came to "blog".
We experienced quite a bit today but ultimately, music is music..."Baa ba dat daa" is "baa ba dat daa"... regardless of language! (ala Maestro Mariano!)
Liz
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Rain, Rain, Go Away
We are sitting in the middle of a huge thunder storm. Just befor this storm started we went up to a stunning lookout point above the camp. Some pictures will be uploaded soon, unfortunately we are isolated from the laptop now and the iPod cannot upload images. When I (Thomas) first logged on to try to post pictures I noticed that, since we are on Creol speaking WiFi all the buttons for blogger and gmail are in Creol. Just some thoughts while we sit under a balcony and wait for the rain to stop, although the temperature now is absolutely perfect.
Thomas
Nous sommes ici! We are here...in Cange
Bonjour! Off to a great start. PWM to EWR to PAP all went without a hitch. Teiga's French horn even got to ride in a first class seat from EWR to PAP!
The five new visitors will have much to say or write about their impressions of the airport in PAP and going through customs and baggage claim, all the way to the parking area where we did, indeed, meet up with our driver whom Pere David and Dr. John had arranged to drive all the campers from the airport.
Suffice it for me to say that we arrived right on time 1:37 p.m. at Toussaint Louverture Airport and ultimately reached our very nice digs in Cange at 11 p.m. The students and Liz will probably have a lot to write about what transpired during that time.
We have been taking pictures on an assortment of cameras and iphones, so we hope to figure out how to coordinate them into one presentation for you. Stephen
Alo! Flights were as smooth as can be. When we got off the airplane we were immediately hit with heat and wind. Going through customs was chaotic and noisy. This is not a complain but merely a description of the first impression. We saw quite a bit of Earthquake destruction on our ride through Port-au-Prince (PAP). It was humbling to say the least. We did not realize how dusty the city was (still is from the Earthquake) until we got to Cange and saw how dirty we were.
There are no speed limits nor lane lines on the streets; though we were in very capable hands. We stopped at Holy Trinity in Port-au-Prince, then on to Petionville to pick up other staff and supplies. We got to Cange by 11:00 PM. There are several American college students here working at this camp, as well.
We went to a two and a half our church service today. The music was traditional church hymns with a great rhythm section playing along. We hope to sit-in and play with them at next week's service. The people here are gracious and kind. They speak almost too fast for me in Creole, but are very patient and helpful as I try to learn.
Student campers come today and the camp schedule begins tomorrow with at 6:00 AM Reveille. They breakfast and a day full of music after that. Our students are doing wonderfully and have adapted quickly. More to come! Liz
I must say I struggled to really put my reaction into words. I eventually decided to talk about a smaller topic, and make some comparisons between our place of arrival, Port-au-Prince, and where we are staying, Cange. This came out in a free form poem...
The Concrete Jungle
Some say New York is a concrete jungle,
but they haven't seen Haiti.
A concrete maze, more colorful than Time Square.
Tin roofed huts, the building blocks of something more massive than you can think.
A busy city road slowly turns the concrete walls to,
the natural walls of Mother Earth,
Trees...
Trees...
A lonely hut once made an attempt to reclaim the forest,
but was forced into submission.
An eternity of bumps and horn blasts passes,
and a new, more substantial, concrete maze emerges from the bush.
This one working with mother nature, and for the people of Haiti.
Concrete walls holding up buildings, and holding back soil for,
Trees...
Trees...
Growing even as new concrete is poured,
concrete walls, concrete stairs.
All of this looked over by a canopy of leaves,
like protective hands creating a tunnel of safety.
A concrete maze of stairs,
made to work with the trees, not against them.
At the top of these stairs a concrete grove,
Surrounded by a grove of,
Trees...
Trees...
What can one see from this harmonious grove,
Trees...
Concrete...
Acting together to form a true...
Concrete Jungle
-Thomas Williams-
Hello-
It is difficult to describe my first impression of Haiti and the city and Cange, mostly because our arrival has been fairly overwhelming. The flights in were very smooth, the trip from Port-au-Prince to Cange somewhat less smooth. The city is a great, swelling mass of people, and the poverty is difficult to ignore. After breaking through the porters at the airport, we were driven to the Episcopal cathedral in Port-au-Prince. The entire structure was destroyed in the earthquake, and the cathedral is being rebuilt. The beautiful, new tile work on the center aisle and around the altar in the large, open-air room was especially noticeable.
After a lengthy bus ride we made it to Cange, at around 10:30 at night, so I saw very little of the compound until morning. The compound is build on tiers that move up the hillside, and everything is connected by staircases. There is some very beautiful stonework, and the buildings are well maintained. Cange was not affected by the earthquake.
The church service was perhaps our best experience so far. The Episcopal service was very similar to those that I have attended for most of my life, with a considerably larger amount of singing and a small band consisting of drums, guitars, and trumpet. Just at the moment the first busloads of campers are unloading, so the camp is beginning to fill and get very busy. More to come.
- Kevin Sandefur
Allo!
When we were flying over Haiti all that was around for miles was a sea of corrugated tin covering the land. Mountains rose up in the background, beautifully tall. They were covered with just shrubs and the occasional tree, and cut away in some places.
Everyone is so friendly here. There's a smile greeting you in any direction, and someone ready to help you if you need anything.The atmosphere is kind and loving, so different from the landscape and streets.
Unlike the US where everything happens at a scheduled time and place, almost nothing happens here on schedule. There may be a general time when something is going to happen, but that isn't always so. We waited for several hours in the cathedral in Port-Au-Prince for the bus to take us to Cange. No one was worried about when we would leave, or how we would get there. We left around 6 or 7 and finally arrived at 11.
The driving is crazy. Streets are just strips of stone, tar, or dirt where there aren't people or houses. Horns are blasted all the time to signal just about anything; passing, driving in the wrong lane or if a car is stopped to long.
On the drive to Cange our bus was practically doing the job of a mountain goat. The curves were so tight that they would double back on themselves. A guard rail or fence was the only thing separating us from falling off the edge of the mountain. Our driver didn't mind driving down the middle of the road the whole way up and down the mountain- after all, we were the only people on the road for miles.
While we were driving through the city there was so much to look at. Shacks, people and stores. There were tents with boards advertising banks, casinos, or loto. There was one road we passed that was full of people and heaps of shoes and other merchandise to be sold. Another street was simply filled with trash.
Cats and dogs run around wild here. They're so skinny and mangy, yet I still find that I want to pick them up and love them.
Well, it's entirely different here. It's hot, beautiful, sad, and exciting. I can't wait to begin playing with the other Haitian musicians.
- teiga
Bonjour from Haiti! Everything is crazy at the moment, a group of around 50 or more students arrived a little while ago. They are the people that we are going to be playing music with for the next week. At the moment, we are kind of just lingering on the wall, sort of waiting for lunch, sort of taking it all in.
This morning, we went to a church service. It was probably the coolest thing I have ever attended. The Haitians are such beautiful singers. The sound comes from somewhere deep inside them and its beauty leaves you with goosebumps. Their entire service was conducted in Creole, but it made me happy to hear "Amazing Grace," albeit in Creole, but it was still nice to hear something familiar in all of our new and different surroundings.
The drive to Cange last night was very interesting. All of the drivers are very safe, but everything around us was in chaos. There are not set speed limits, yet people don't drive that fast, in town. People are constantly walking across the street, whether there is a car coming or not. The way people pass is by honking their honk repeatedly and then passing them. The oncoming cars are out of luck, and are usually forced to stop and wait for the car to pass.
During our drive, first to the Holy Trinity Church, the to Petion-Ville to pick up more people, and then Cange, the things I first noticed was the colors. Everything is so brightly colored, the stone buildings are painted bright yellows, deep reds, blues, greens, etc. It is absolutely gorgeous.
This morning when I woke up and walked to the balcony right near my room, the view took my breath away. We drove up in the dark, and I missed the view last night. All you can see are green, lush mountains and valleys and the big blue sky.
The last thing I want to touch upon are the people. The people here are the nicest people I have ever met. They are friendly, helpful, and when we tried to help them unload the bus full of our stuff last night, they thanked us profusely. They keep trying to teach me Creole, and I haven't succeeded yet; however, I hope to learn enough to get by for the rest of the week. Most of the staff here can speak some English, which is good, because my French is not enough here. I'm learning something every moment here.
I can't wait for the camp to officially begin tomorrow morning and I can't wait to play music with the Haitian people!
-Hanna
The five new visitors will have much to say or write about their impressions of the airport in PAP and going through customs and baggage claim, all the way to the parking area where we did, indeed, meet up with our driver whom Pere David and Dr. John had arranged to drive all the campers from the airport.
Suffice it for me to say that we arrived right on time 1:37 p.m. at Toussaint Louverture Airport and ultimately reached our very nice digs in Cange at 11 p.m. The students and Liz will probably have a lot to write about what transpired during that time.
We have been taking pictures on an assortment of cameras and iphones, so we hope to figure out how to coordinate them into one presentation for you. Stephen
Alo! Flights were as smooth as can be. When we got off the airplane we were immediately hit with heat and wind. Going through customs was chaotic and noisy. This is not a complain but merely a description of the first impression. We saw quite a bit of Earthquake destruction on our ride through Port-au-Prince (PAP). It was humbling to say the least. We did not realize how dusty the city was (still is from the Earthquake) until we got to Cange and saw how dirty we were.
There are no speed limits nor lane lines on the streets; though we were in very capable hands. We stopped at Holy Trinity in Port-au-Prince, then on to Petionville to pick up other staff and supplies. We got to Cange by 11:00 PM. There are several American college students here working at this camp, as well.
We went to a two and a half our church service today. The music was traditional church hymns with a great rhythm section playing along. We hope to sit-in and play with them at next week's service. The people here are gracious and kind. They speak almost too fast for me in Creole, but are very patient and helpful as I try to learn.
Student campers come today and the camp schedule begins tomorrow with at 6:00 AM Reveille. They breakfast and a day full of music after that. Our students are doing wonderfully and have adapted quickly. More to come! Liz
I must say I struggled to really put my reaction into words. I eventually decided to talk about a smaller topic, and make some comparisons between our place of arrival, Port-au-Prince, and where we are staying, Cange. This came out in a free form poem...
The Concrete Jungle
Some say New York is a concrete jungle,
but they haven't seen Haiti.
A concrete maze, more colorful than Time Square.
Tin roofed huts, the building blocks of something more massive than you can think.
A busy city road slowly turns the concrete walls to,
the natural walls of Mother Earth,
Trees...
Trees...
A lonely hut once made an attempt to reclaim the forest,
but was forced into submission.
An eternity of bumps and horn blasts passes,
and a new, more substantial, concrete maze emerges from the bush.
This one working with mother nature, and for the people of Haiti.
Concrete walls holding up buildings, and holding back soil for,
Trees...
Trees...
Growing even as new concrete is poured,
concrete walls, concrete stairs.
All of this looked over by a canopy of leaves,
like protective hands creating a tunnel of safety.
A concrete maze of stairs,
made to work with the trees, not against them.
At the top of these stairs a concrete grove,
Surrounded by a grove of,
Trees...
Trees...
What can one see from this harmonious grove,
Trees...
Concrete...
Acting together to form a true...
Concrete Jungle
-Thomas Williams-
Hello-
It is difficult to describe my first impression of Haiti and the city and Cange, mostly because our arrival has been fairly overwhelming. The flights in were very smooth, the trip from Port-au-Prince to Cange somewhat less smooth. The city is a great, swelling mass of people, and the poverty is difficult to ignore. After breaking through the porters at the airport, we were driven to the Episcopal cathedral in Port-au-Prince. The entire structure was destroyed in the earthquake, and the cathedral is being rebuilt. The beautiful, new tile work on the center aisle and around the altar in the large, open-air room was especially noticeable.
After a lengthy bus ride we made it to Cange, at around 10:30 at night, so I saw very little of the compound until morning. The compound is build on tiers that move up the hillside, and everything is connected by staircases. There is some very beautiful stonework, and the buildings are well maintained. Cange was not affected by the earthquake.
The church service was perhaps our best experience so far. The Episcopal service was very similar to those that I have attended for most of my life, with a considerably larger amount of singing and a small band consisting of drums, guitars, and trumpet. Just at the moment the first busloads of campers are unloading, so the camp is beginning to fill and get very busy. More to come.
- Kevin Sandefur
Allo!
When we were flying over Haiti all that was around for miles was a sea of corrugated tin covering the land. Mountains rose up in the background, beautifully tall. They were covered with just shrubs and the occasional tree, and cut away in some places.
Everyone is so friendly here. There's a smile greeting you in any direction, and someone ready to help you if you need anything.The atmosphere is kind and loving, so different from the landscape and streets.
Unlike the US where everything happens at a scheduled time and place, almost nothing happens here on schedule. There may be a general time when something is going to happen, but that isn't always so. We waited for several hours in the cathedral in Port-Au-Prince for the bus to take us to Cange. No one was worried about when we would leave, or how we would get there. We left around 6 or 7 and finally arrived at 11.
The driving is crazy. Streets are just strips of stone, tar, or dirt where there aren't people or houses. Horns are blasted all the time to signal just about anything; passing, driving in the wrong lane or if a car is stopped to long.
On the drive to Cange our bus was practically doing the job of a mountain goat. The curves were so tight that they would double back on themselves. A guard rail or fence was the only thing separating us from falling off the edge of the mountain. Our driver didn't mind driving down the middle of the road the whole way up and down the mountain- after all, we were the only people on the road for miles.
While we were driving through the city there was so much to look at. Shacks, people and stores. There were tents with boards advertising banks, casinos, or loto. There was one road we passed that was full of people and heaps of shoes and other merchandise to be sold. Another street was simply filled with trash.
Cats and dogs run around wild here. They're so skinny and mangy, yet I still find that I want to pick them up and love them.
Well, it's entirely different here. It's hot, beautiful, sad, and exciting. I can't wait to begin playing with the other Haitian musicians.
- teiga
Bonjour from Haiti! Everything is crazy at the moment, a group of around 50 or more students arrived a little while ago. They are the people that we are going to be playing music with for the next week. At the moment, we are kind of just lingering on the wall, sort of waiting for lunch, sort of taking it all in.
This morning, we went to a church service. It was probably the coolest thing I have ever attended. The Haitians are such beautiful singers. The sound comes from somewhere deep inside them and its beauty leaves you with goosebumps. Their entire service was conducted in Creole, but it made me happy to hear "Amazing Grace," albeit in Creole, but it was still nice to hear something familiar in all of our new and different surroundings.
The drive to Cange last night was very interesting. All of the drivers are very safe, but everything around us was in chaos. There are not set speed limits, yet people don't drive that fast, in town. People are constantly walking across the street, whether there is a car coming or not. The way people pass is by honking their honk repeatedly and then passing them. The oncoming cars are out of luck, and are usually forced to stop and wait for the car to pass.
During our drive, first to the Holy Trinity Church, the to Petion-Ville to pick up more people, and then Cange, the things I first noticed was the colors. Everything is so brightly colored, the stone buildings are painted bright yellows, deep reds, blues, greens, etc. It is absolutely gorgeous.
This morning when I woke up and walked to the balcony right near my room, the view took my breath away. We drove up in the dark, and I missed the view last night. All you can see are green, lush mountains and valleys and the big blue sky.
The last thing I want to touch upon are the people. The people here are the nicest people I have ever met. They are friendly, helpful, and when we tried to help them unload the bus full of our stuff last night, they thanked us profusely. They keep trying to teach me Creole, and I haven't succeeded yet; however, I hope to learn enough to get by for the rest of the week. Most of the staff here can speak some English, which is good, because my French is not enough here. I'm learning something every moment here.
I can't wait for the camp to officially begin tomorrow morning and I can't wait to play music with the Haitian people!
-Hanna
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Rotary Breakfast
This morning, bright and early, we introduced ourselves to the many Rotarians of the Newcastle-Damariscotta area, who invited us to their weekly morning meeting. Hugh arranged this outing, and the young Haiti-bound students did a crackerjack job both presenting their oral descriptions and introductions and playing their fine musical program. Hannah did a wonderful job explaining how and why the group and especially Hannah herself got involved with Maine Music Outreach. What we're planning to do while we are at the music camp in Cange was illustrated beautifully by Kevin Sandefur. Teiga Martin then went on to tell the audience, after graciously thanking our hosts for a delicious breakfast, what we're hoping to bring back to Maine from our ten days at the Holy Trinity Music Camp. What we're doing to get ready was carefully explained by Thomas Williams, who managed to artfully connect the morning's breakfast chef , Tom Shwarz, to his role in the Bowls for Haiti dinner.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Well, here it is May 4th. Our group has met several times to get ready for the big trip in July. We last met at "Oak Gables" (Stephen's home) on Sunday, April 29, to prepare our presentation to the Rotary Club on May 22. Liz wasn't able to be here, but this gave the students a chance to interact with Stephen more directly and casually, and vice versa. The brainstorming and writing session were both very successful; we are ready for the 22nd, so bring it on.
The money has all been collected, most of the forms have been turned in, and now we just need to develop an equipment/clothing list and make sure that our passports are up to date and in our possession.
We also talked about the recent meeting of past Nobel Peace Laureates, who emphasized the need to involve young people in the task of working together for a common good. This is just what this Haiti 2012 Project is all about, and, for that matter, what Maine Music Outreach is about, too. Nice to know we are on the right track according to some pretty special people.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
March 4, 2012
Our group met today for our 3rd training session to prepare ourselves for our participation in Project Haiti. We met from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.
In addition to practicing as a brass quartet for over one hour the group downloaded the information sheet provided by the Holy Trinity Music Camp and then filled out the online application for each participant. We did a whole lot more, but I don't have the time to recount it now. I did, however, want to get this blog started so that the other participants will post entries, too.
I also have to say before signing off, this is a wonderful group of young people, and I know they will have such a positive impact on the people, young and old, they will meet in July in Cange.
In addition to practicing as a brass quartet for over one hour the group downloaded the information sheet provided by the Holy Trinity Music Camp and then filled out the online application for each participant. We did a whole lot more, but I don't have the time to recount it now. I did, however, want to get this blog started so that the other participants will post entries, too.
I also have to say before signing off, this is a wonderful group of young people, and I know they will have such a positive impact on the people, young and old, they will meet in July in Cange.
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