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Anna in Haiti-the last day
Today is my last day in Haiti. I am half sad, half ecstatic. Sad because I have come to feel like I now know part of Haiti and that I am blending in and finding myself a temporary home here. Ecstatic because I have not really been home for three weeks and I miss it terribly!!! For now, though, I have one more full day of bow teaching, bass teaching and a party for my boys. J
Robert is feeling much better today. The doctor came and gave him some antibiotics, so he is on the mend. He takes some of the guys into the workshop, so I am back down to 3-4 of the boys. I call them ‘my boys’ because age is very different here. A person is considered a child and still lives in the home of their parents until they are 30. They rarely get married before they are in their 30’s, and are definitely still expected to obey their parents. Even at the age of 28 or 29. As a result, a man can be in their upper 20’s, but they will still act like a teen-ager. Simply put, my boys may be in their 20’s but they still act like a bunch of Labrador retriever puppies. J J They are delightful!!
During lunch, Cynthia and I head down to the art gallery for some last minute purchases, and then I go to the market for party food. Armed with cookies, chips and lemonade, I made my way back up to the church. Sweat is pouring off of me…..the sun is out and it has to be 100 degrees!! The roads are packed and I realize that this is my last venture out into Petionville. It makes me sad and I try and take special notice of all of the sights and sounds around me. And yes, even the smells. J
After several more hours of class, it is finally time for the party. The boys bring in a boom box and an amplifier to plug it into. I have no idea where they got that!! However, it makes for a festive addition to the party and we all dance around a little as I set out the plates of cookies and chips that I brought. I perch up on the desk and nibble on a cookie as I watch the guys scarf down the food.
I am so proud of them that I could pop! Several of them aren’t even string players, and most of them had no wood working experience at all. But here they are, 10 days later, rehairing bows functionally. That was my goal….to leave and have them truly be able to work. Mission accomplished. Several of them can even do faceplates and thumb leathers. And of course, there is Allande and his silk wraps. J
At some point, the boys all ask Robert and I to come forward and they make us sit in two chairs as they line up in front of us, grinning. Reginald proceeds to make a heartwarming speech to us both, talking about how much they appreciate us coming and teaching them and giving them this new skill. And that they love us very much and hope that we will come back as soon as we can and as often as we can. Ruby translates it all into English for us and I get all choked up again. Seriously, how great is this? J
Then they present us with gifts that they had all gone in together to buy. We have carved wooden Haiti signs with little flags sticking out and colorful plastic Haiti bracelets. I immediately put my bracelet on, saying that I will not take it off until I get home. They also give us each a thank you note that they have all signed. I am touched beyond reason. J
Finally, the afternoon wears on and the guys start to leave one by one. I grab Cannis and dance with him to the music, him belly laughing the whole time. With this, we all say good-bye. Full of melancholy, I go up onto the roof one more time and am joined by Robert. We can hear the orchestra rehearsing Beethoven 9 below us and I am struck by how surreal this all is. I am sitting on a roof-top, in Haiti, looking out on tents and squalor, street vendors and families, in the midst of a beautiful sunset, while “Joyful, Joyful we Adore Thee” circles around me. I had yet another one of those moments…..”How in the world did I end uphere?”. Not bad for a nun from Georgia. J J
I am leaving at 6 am to go home tomorrow, so I will sign off from here. As far as adventures go, this has been one heck of a summer. I have learned and grown more than I thought possible. It has actually been quite painful at times, but mostly wonderful, and once again I am full of gratitude for this life that I have. All I can say for now is, ‘thank you, thank you , thank you…….”
Bonswa,
Anna
We’re Gonna Dance Upon This Earth! |
Bow Making
Beethoven 9?! Haiti- Day 10
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Anna in Haiti- Day 10
Well, Bernard left bright and early today, leaving Cynthia, Robert and I. Cynthia is a conductor and is just as nice as she can be. We are the only women left in our room and we laugh and joke as we stretch out and enjoy the space. Today, she is starting to teach a Suzuki camp here and I go to breakfast to the sound of little kids laughing and playing.
It turns out that Robert is really sick today, though. He has a fever and is staying in bed. I feel so bad for him. He has to go join the others in Jacmel in a few days, so he really needs to get better!!
Since he is sick, I have all 8 lutherie students to myself, and I immediately commandeer the big dining table that we have all been eating on, spreading out all of my tools down the middle. This might have been really difficult had it happened a week ago, but the guys are all really putt-ing along with the rehairs, so I am able to watch them working and step in and correct them from time to time. We spend the morning laughing and I tell them all that tomorrow we are going to have a party. I want to do something nice for them for all of the hard work they have put in and Robert agrees, so we are treating them.
The regular time for lunch comes and goes and, knowing that I start teaching at 2:00, and that I have two bass students this afternoon, I finally concede that they are not serving lunch anymore. After all, there are only three of us here. So I head down to the market and pick up a loaf of bread and some cheese. I return and set it on the table telling all of the boys to make themselves a sandwich. They descend on it, literally devouring the entire thing in minutes. J I eat my cheese sandwich looking on with fondness. How did I get 8 Haitian sons between the ages of 17-30? J J Of course, at 2:30, Maline walks in with giant plates of food!! Turns out, we do get lunch, just at a later time. I snag a couple of extra forks and give it all to the guys. This, they devour also.
As the day wears on, I check on Robert from time to time, but mostly he sleeps. The doctor is coming to see him tomorrow and I am hoping he can help him. From time to time, a swarm of little children come in the room where we are working and Cynthia and the other violin teachers give group Suzuki lessons. There is a small cellist and from time to time, I jump up to fix his positions or adjust his rock stop. It really does take a village. J My favorite part of the day was when I looked down to see a little tiny violinist wearing a Findley Oaks tee shirt!! Findley Oaks is an elementary school near our violin shop in Atlanta and it is extremely random that here was one of their shirts!! I asked her where she got it, but she just looked at me with these giant, chocolate eyes. Oh well, I guess I will never know….. J
After all the excitement and energy of the day, I climb up on the roof for sunset. I miss Robert. We don’t have many more of these evenings left. However, Cynthia joins me and we chat softly about the upcoming concert that has just been sprung on her. The last movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. And no, I am not kidding. The real one, not some arrangement. In fact, I had just spent the better part of an hour teaching the principal bassist the Recitative, all the while praying that she wouldn’t ask me to play the Scherzo…..it has been 15 years since I performed it!! The cool thing is, these kids can play this. I just wish I were going to be here to hear it!!
Cynthia and I went next door for dinner, having told Maline not to cook just for the two of us. We talked about conductors and music education and why she comes to Haiti. She, like several of the other volunteers, is at the height of a pretty impressive career, and I am so grateful that the students here are getting that caliber of education. We finally make our way home and climb the dark stair way.
Man, this place is empty and it is feeling like it is time to go home.
Bonswa,
Anna
We’re Gonna Dance Upon This Earth! |
There She Was- Haiti Day 9
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Haiti Day 9
“There she was”
This morning was full of the hustle and bustle of everyone getting ready to leave. Robert and I are teaching until 2:00, but at that point, we have been invited by Bernard to go to the mountains. We intersperse rehairs and thumb leathers with good-byes until the place empties out. From here on, we will dwindle from 5 to 2 people over the next three days. It will seem strange after having all of these folks laughing, talking and playing all around. I will miss them all, but mostly I will miss Kristen, a soprano who is here directing to Petite Chanteurs. She is flat out the coolest woman and we struck up a friendship near the beginning. She makes me laugh a lot and is someone I can talk to so I hate it that she is leaving!! But at least Bernard is still here!!!!
For lunch, Maline, the woman that works in the kitchen, brings us all HUGE plates of food. Up until now, all food was served family style and if you were late for a meal, chances were there would be nothing left! But here she came with a mountain of food for each of us. The night before, we had presented her with a large cash tip and a card thanking her for everything and today, I am thinking that this kindness is her way of saying thank you back. However, I cannot begin to eat it all, and of course, I am not doing the meat at all, so I pile a plate with tons of food and take it to my boys. They all smile and tuck in, calling me “Mom”. It is so funny to hear them all go, “Thanks Mom!!”. Of course, I answer with, “Who is your favorite teacher?!” and they all cry out, “Anna!”. J J Hey, I have to do something to make sure they don’t forget me!!
After lunch, Marie-Noel, one of the violinists in the camp, shows up with her SUV and Robert, Bernard, Cynthia and I pile in for a trip to the mountains. I am so ready for this! I need to get out of Port Au Prince, and since everyone keeps telling me that much of Haiti is not like what I have seen, I am anxious to see it for myself. Poor Robert is really sick, but he comes along, being a good sport. As we twist and turn up the curvy, narrow mountain road, I am constantly throwing my hands over my eyes. Marie Noel laughs and says that she is an excellent driver. I explain to her that it is not her that I don’t trust….it is the other drivers!! Every time we go around a curve, there is a truck or tap-tap in our lane headed straight for us!! They always swerve over just in the nick of time, but it is highly nerve-wracking!
We stop at one point, hoping to see a small museum, only to find it closed. Instead, a guard gives us a tour of a tiny zoo with one crocodile, one monkey and a bunch of chickens. He gives Cynthia and I giant flowers to wear in our hair and we pose for pictures with them before giving them to members of the staff that have shown up in another van. Somehow, these beautiful young Haitian women look completely natural with giant flowers in their hair, while us ‘blanc’ look a little silly. J
As we are leaving the zoo, we get swarmed by a bunch of men that have souvenir stands across the road. One man approaches me with two big machetes and I laugh, trying to explain to him that it is not the best way to approach a woman!! I also explain that I cannot carry a machete on the plane home and finally I accompany him to his booth to see what else he has. After some bartering, we all leave with a few small things, enjoying the process immensely.
Our next stop was a giant fort up on top of the mountain and after much negotiation with a local young man, they forced open an old wooden door so that we could go inside. I think he worked there. I hope he worked there!!! Walking around was really neat, and there are 11 giant cannons at the top, all pointed out around the fort. There had been 12, but the earthquake had done a lot of damage up here and one had fallen to the valley floor below. We had picked up several small children at this point, and I had a great time taking their pictures and showing them to them.
Finally it came time to make our way down the mountains. Bernard had noticed a wood worker on the way up and was hoping that he was still there, on the side of the road so that we could stop and see his work. As luck would have it, not only was he still there, but the building he was working next to was his workshop, so we stopped in to see what he had. As we walked down six steps into the dark interior of his shop, you could smell dampness and wood, lots and lots of wood. As my eyes became accustomed to the dimness, I saw that there were life size carving of men and women all around me. They were stunning. Here we were, in the middle of nowhere, and here was this little tiny old man, and this was all his work?! As we wandered through his workshop, each thing lovelier than the next, I knew that I would love to have something to take home. I looked and looked. Everything was gorgeous.
And then I saw her……
About a foot and a half high, a woman playing what was unmistakably a bass. Ok, well, it kind of looks guitar-like, but it is as tall as her, and she is standing to play it, so in my book, it is a bass!!!! My hands were actually shaking as I took it to him to ask him the price. I didn’t have much money with me, and I was sure that I couldn’t afford it. As Marie-Noel bartered with him in Kreyol, the others were whispering that they would loan me the money if I wanted it. I had approximately $40 on me. When Marie-Noel turned to me and said “1,350 gourds”, it took me a moment to realize that that translated to about $30! I couldn’t believe it!! The next thing I knew, he was counting out my change, chiseling his signature onto the sculpture and posing for a picture with me!! I am so happy!!!
The day ended with us all going to a nice restaurant, Middle Eastern, as a matter of fact. Who knew that you could get hummus in Haiti! J Pere David joined us and we all sat around laughing and enjoying bottles of wine. Bernard leaves tomorrow morning and my time here is quickly coming to an end. I know I should be sad, but for now, I am too happy. J
Bonswa,
Anna
We’re Gonna Dance Upon This Earth! |
A Nun?!?!? Haiti Day 8, part 2
| Anna in Haiti Day 8- Continued
A Nun?!?!?
After the concert, we all make our way back to the church for a party of sorts celebrating the end of camp. Robert, Bernard, Cynthia and I are staying on for several more days, but most of the volunteers are leaving tomorrow for another camp in Jacmel, another Haitian town on the coast. So, tonight we all celebrate the success of this camp…the one that for six months they were not sure would happen.
The kitchen staff has been working like crazy preparing a big meal, and someone has provided the customary bottle of rum that you often find at Haitian banquets. There are tons of people here tonight… not only us, but all of the Haitian teachers and staff members. As the dinner wears down, Pere David, the pastor of the church and co-director of St Trinity School of Music, stands up to speak. He begins by thanking us all from the bottom of his heart and saying that he has a gift for us all. “First”, he says, “We recognize a woman that is here for the first time.”. He goes on to talk about how all of the staff liken this woman to a nun and that nuns are very revered here and that nuns built Holy Trinite in the beginning so that they are very respected. I am looking around trying to figure out who in the world he is talking about when he says, “Anna!!!”
What?!?!? Me, a nun?!?!? The volunteers are all laughing, probably at the look on my face!!! As I join in with the laughter, I go up where I am presented with a beautiful little painting and ‘pinned’ with the Holy Trinite pin. I sit down, shaking my head, wondering what in the world I did to give them this impression! I mean, I am a nice person and all that, but I have done some decidedly un-nun-like things in my life!! J J Oh well………….
As Pere David went through the group, he introduced everyone, talking about the particularly wonderful traits they all brought to the program this summer. It was so great to be able to cheer and clap for all of my new friends. I don’t think they will ever know how much respect I have for each of them.
After all of the awards, speeches and accolades, the party broke up and the volunteers all headed next door for a final beer together at the hotel. As we sat at the long table, I asked why the local people thought I was a nun. The general consensus was that because I wore long skirts and a bandana everyday, I looked nun-like. Among lots of jokes, I remarked that my shirts were entirely too low-cut for a nun. At this point, Bernard dubbed me Saint Anna, of Our Lady of Perpetual Cleavage. Scott chimed in from down the table, “Now that is a church I would go to!!” and the conversation descended to lower and lower places. After offering to hear everyone’s confessions and insuring them of my completely discretion and confidentiality, I finally accepted my nun-ship. Hey, there are worse things you could be than Saint Anna of Our Lady of Perpetual Cleavage! J
Bonswa,
Anna
We’re Gonna Dance Upon This Earth! |
Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road? Haiti Day 7
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Anna in Haiti Day 7
“Why did the Chicken Cross The Road?
I woke up this morning feeling much, much better. Three cheers for Bernard and his Cipro! Today is Saturday and Robert and I have both agreed that we will not teach today. We both have a mountain of work that we need to do and are having trouble getting it done while teaching students. As for myself, I have a stack of bows that individual students have brought me and I do not trust them to my new re-hairing recruits. So, by 8:15, I am sitting at the bow table, MP3 player blasting the Black Eyed Peas, re-hairing my little heart out.
Allande shows up at 10.….he refused to take the day off. Seriously! So I told him that he could watch me, but that was it. I had to work! He agreed and sat quietly watching me until I finally took pity on him. I had done about 15 bows and was feeling a little more in control of the situation, so I showed him how to do a silk wrap. He practiced for a while and I told him that there was a very good chance that he would be the only person in all of Haiti that would know how to do this. That brought out a huge, genuine smile from him and I was glad that I had shown him.
After lunch, we decided to take the rest of the day off and I headed down through the neighborhood with Bernard, Tom, Robert and Bob. Tom is a graduate cellist with a gentle, fun nature and a great sense of humor. Bob is a percussionist and band director that has literally been everywhere. He is the most well-traveled person I have ever met and he regales us constantly with great stories of his escapades. I am in awesome company with these men and we laugh together as we dodge the traffic, jumping over big craters in the sidewalk, avoiding stray dogs, and ducking around all of the vendors, street kids, and women carrying huge loads on their heads.
There are a lot of white people out today! That is something that you really notice here. I can go several days without seeing anyone non-Haitian besides our group. When I remark on it, the guys say that it is because it is Saturday….the NGO folks and people here doing business in Haiti are out in force. They also say that it is a bad day to buy souvenirs, cause all of the prices will be higher due to the abundance of ‘blanc’, which is what the Haitians call us. J
As we near the art gallery we are heading for, I get caught in a swirl of people crossing a street. Bernard says “Watch out” and I glance down just in time to see an old woman carrying two chickens by their feet try and squeeze between me and another pedestrian. The chickens hit me and I am ashamed to say that I actually squawked! Well, it was like half-squawk and half scream and I immediately clapped my hand over my mouth! How uncool of me! But in my defense, the chickens weren’t quite dead and it was a bit disconcerting to be that close to them!! The guys all laughed uproariously and we kept making our way down the increasingly crowded street.
Down here, it is less tourists, more locals, and we are in a true market area. You could buy all sorts of stuff…..telephone wire, soccer balls, and used shoes….used shoes by the truck load. We continued to duck under dead wires that were hanging down and to jump over big holes in the road, all while dodging the motor bike until we came to the art gallery. It happens to be right next to Café des Arts and we enjoy the afternoon checking out all of the truly beautiful Haitian art.
There is so much that I would love to buy and take home as gifts for everyone, but it turns out that prices in Haiti are decidedly American. I would have thought that everything would be cheaper, but no…..groceries, drinks in a bar, and art are all expensive. Oh well…..
We end the afternoon in an ice cream place where we watch a tremendous thunderstorm from under the safety of an overhang. We have had these storms almost everyday and they are quite fascinating. They move very slowly and the thunder and lightening are truly biblical. When the storm passes, we make our way back home for dinner before returning to Café des Arts for more live music.
This time, almost all of the volunteers come along with all of the staff. We have a huge group and have a great time listening to the music and watching the dancers. After midnight, some of the staff invite five of us to go to another club, a Haitian club, for some dancing. I am in!!! I know that we will be safe with all of them and how else would I get a chance to do this?
However, several cell phones started to ring and the staff mysteriously decided that never mind….they were too tired. And that they would give us a ride home. Seeing as how we walk everywhere, this was strange. But we trust our hosts, so we climbed into their cars and are home in a jiffy. Turns out that some ‘not-so-great’ stuff had happened nearby, causing everyone, staff included, awake to the possibility that things were not as safe in Petionville as they had thought.
That turned out to be our last late night out, but it really was great while it lasted. J From here on out, we are confined to either the church itself, or the hotel next door for our evening frivolities. With this crowd, though, it doesn’t matter where we are….we have a great time, regardless. J J
Bonswa….
Anna
We’re Gonna Dance Upon This Earth! |