Haiti: Behind the Scenes

 

About halfway through the trip, a group of us were able to take an hour and a half walk off the main road and into one of the smaller villages. It was a more intimate look into the daily lives of some of the Haitian people. 

We first met a mother and her children outside doing laundry. She was very welcoming and even let us look inside her home and take pictures. 

 Both beds touched each wall... one room...

As we continued on our walk, I was amazed by the beautiful scenery and green vegetation. Haiti comes from Ayiti which means "Land of high mountains" in the language of the indigenous people of the Hispaniola Island.

It seemed as if every family we came across was outside doing laundry. 

 

We then met a mother who showed us her home after the earthquake. She said she was in the house with her children when the earthquake hit, and now her house is in ruins. She stated that an organization came and built a new home, however the roof and sides began to leak, so she is staying with family until she can figure out what to do.

This was the home that was built for her, but leaks.... 

We then walked into this beautiful countryside. We were told that there was a grant in process to help teach sustainable farming techniques. 

It was such an amazing opportunity to see this intimate side of Haiti and to hear the stories of the earthquake survivors. It was also interesting that most of the women we met along the walk were single mothers raising their children on their own.

I found this article from NPR from November 2010 (10 months after the earthquake) and I think it does a good job articulating what some of the living conditions are like for many people in Haiti. 

In Haiti, Single Moms Struggle With Camp Life

Haiti: Sponsorship

One of the best decisions that Jared and I made while I was in Haiti was becoming a sponsor. I had no intentions of becoming one before I left, however once I started working with the Haitian community, seeing the poverty and looking into each child's eyes, I knew there was no other option. How could I not give?

Meet Chevennes! He is a 5 year old boy who attends the school that Mission E4 runs in Fauche (right next to the boys orphanage I worked on all week). Jared and I have been blessed to be his sponsor. It was an amazing experience meeting Chevennes. He was very timid, polite yet thankful. I must admit, I think he was a little confused at first, but warmed up quickly. I was able to meet with him twice throughout the week, where I was able to surprise him with school supplies, a backpack, rice, a coloring book, pens, and notebooks (Thank you Barbara!). But his face GLOWED when he was given a turtle stuffed animal. I know it seems silly, why does a boy in Haiti need a stuffed animal? And the truth is, he probably doesn't. But the reality is, he felt special in that moment. Being a sponsor is much more than stuffed animals (although, they might get the best reactions); it's about making a huge impact in a child's life. It's about telling one child, "You will not be forgotten." 

For $32 a month, Jared and I are able to provide Chevennes with:

• Free education (There is no public education offered to Haitian children)
• Material for a new school uniform each year
• Three new school books for each grade
• Bible classes throughout the year
• Vacation Bible School during the summer
• A hot meal, five days a week, all year long
• Free medical care at our clinic

Being a sponsor also provides funding for the construction of new and better school buildings and other improvements within the community. So, the monthly support of sponsors benefit not only the individual children, but also their families and the communities they live in. 

Below are pictures of the school that Chevennes and 200 other Haitian children attend. 

Here are some of Chevennes' classmates (who also need the support from sponsors) that I was also blessed to meet.

If you would like more information on becoming a sponsor please visit: Mission E4 Child-Sponsorship

Haiti: Service

Mission trips are an integral part of my faith and who I am. I feel most alive when I am serving others whether in my city, state, country or world. This year I was blessed with the opportunity to serve my brothers and sisters in Haiti through an organization called Mission E4. Mission E4 has been working in Haiti for about 10 years. They are currently working on the following projects in Leogan, Laquil, and Fauche:

• Oversight of three churches
• Three Christian schools (providing free education, meals, and medical care)
• Girls orphanage (currently with 23 girls) and current construction of a boys orphanage
• Medical clinic
• Marriage ministries
• Pastoral connection and training for over 60 church leaders
• Jail Ministry to a local jail

While I was in Haiti, I worked along side of a team of about 15 to help build a boys orphanage in Fauche. When we arrived on site, there was a cement foundation, one cement wall and one wooden wall complete:

Our primary job was to complete the frame of the orphanage (walls and roof). About five of us worked on completing the the outside walls, while three others worked on completing 16 trusses for the roof.

 

 

I became a pro with the hammer and the power saw!

We also worked along side the Haitian construction workers that Mission E4 employs to help build sustainability within the community. Iram was the director or the Haitian construction team.

Once all the walls were up and the trusses were built we started working on the roof.

 

Below is a picture of Catherine hammering the truss in place. This was my job on the other side of the building.  

Also in Fauche, there were two other projects underway: (1) Repairing and painting school benches...

 ... and (2) Raising the floor in the school so that it is level.

By the end of our week, the orphanage frame was up, the trusses were in place, all of the benches were repaired and painted and 1/2 of the floor of the school was level!!! Overall a huge success!

This post only captures about 20% of my experience in Haiti. I promise to post more about the people, the culture, the children, and the community that I got to know and love.

TV: less equals more

This year for lent I gave up reality TV. To be clear: I LOVE reality TV. I love all of the real housewives shows (no idea why? just truly obsessed). I love Bethenny Frankel (She started her fame on the Real Housewives of New York, Season 1 and now has her own reality spin off TV show- Bethenny-Getting-Married and now Bethenny-Ever-After. She is absolutely fantastic. She is the founder of Skinny Girl Margaritas and also writes books (I own "Naturally Thin")). I love Bad Girls Club, Intervention, Top Chef (all seasons, including Top Chef Masters), Cake Boss, The Hills, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Biggest Loser, The Amazing Race, Project Runway, Real World, all of the Mtv challenges, Teen Mom, America' Next Top Model (all seasons) and the list goes on and on and on... I would find myself wasting full Saturdays on marathons of shows I had already seen multiple times.

As you can tell, this was quite the addiction hobby. My life was literally dictated by the TV and I stopped doing many of the things I really truly love; things that add something to the world. I have been aware of this "problem" for the past year, but with no real plan for change. So, back to where I started: This year for lent I gave up reality TV. I can't even express how monumental this change has been. I am spending more time with my family (Jared) and Abby (our dog). I experimented with yoga. Jared and I joined an ultimate frisbee team. I am reading, journaling, praying, crafting, exercising, cleaning, cooking and overall living more.

Since lent ended, I now allow myself 2 hours of reality TV a week. It's funny because some weeks I don't watch any at all. It is no longer a priority, it is more of an afterthought; the way it should be.

With all of this new found time, I have become very mindful about how and what I fill it with. I don't want to go from one ridiculous obsession to another. One of the things that is really important to me is staying in touch with my friends and family that are spread out all over the world. I primarily use the phone, email or facebook to keep in touch, but I started to realize that there is so much of my day-to-day weirdness uniqueness that is missed. Things that are too long to post on facebook or things that don't come up in a phone call or email. Things that are very important to who I am but are somehow overshadowed by bigger news and pushed aside. The things that come up during a long lunch, a girls night out, drinks at the bar, a walk in the park or a day of shopping. Things that distance prohibits.

Hence, the blog :) I figured this would be a way to track my process on the 2 hours of reality TV a week and keep friends and family updated on my life. I got this idea from a friend, and I must say that I read her blog about once a week but feel a more intimate connection to her that I would have otherwise missed.

Why Feminine Twist?

Welcome to Feminine Twist! So here is the story behind the name: When I was in college, I had this grand idea of one day starting and starring in my own band. My hope was to make an all girl cover band where we would take classic male preformed songs and transform them into something new. Something feminine. For those of you who know me, you know that I do not have a musical bone in my body. Not only can I not sing, I cannot keep a beat, and I never ever know the words to songs. Needless to say, my dreams were squashed early on. But not before I named my non-existent band, Feminine Twist.

So, cheers to my squandered dream!

"Creep" by Ingrid Michaelson is a prime example of what I envisioned for Feminine Twist.