The LandfillHarmonic Orchestra, Music at St. Vincent's

In a slum built on a landfill in Cateura, Paraguay, a community came together to build a "Recycled Orchestra" out of so-called "trash" from the landfill. Teenagers from the community have come together to play these instruments, and the sound is pretty incredible. Watch the video below, or follow ths link to listen to the LandfillHarmonic Orchestra. Beauty and music can be made anywhere!

We may be distracted by many things when we consider our children at St. Vincent's and the people of Port-au-Prince. Visual cues, such as tent cities and unpaved roads, may lead us to negative thoughts, like clouds on a rainy day.

Thank you to our donors

Our recent trip was supported by many donors. One donor answered my appeal to help pay for plane tickets for two team members who could not afford plane/room/board for two people which would have totalled $2000.  Another donor reached into his pocket (we were at church) and handed me $40 on the Sunday before I left for Haiti.  I used this money to pay for checking a computer as an extra bag on our trip to Haiti Oct12, and delivered the computer to Dr Beauvoir, the pediatric orthopedist who works year round at St Vincents
Many folks give donations large and small to help us serve the children at St Vincents.  I hope some of you who enjoyed reading our recent posts about our October trip will consider making a donation by clicking here: wtnhaitipartnership.org/donate

Susan Nelson

Reflections from the October 2013 team

Yesterday while we were waiting at the airport in Port au Prince, I asked the team members (after they managed to find a sufficient supply of french fries from the airport restaurant) to write down the answer to 3 questions:

What is your worst memory of the trip?
What is your best memory of the trip?
Name one person you met in Haiti who made an impact on you.

I will share their responses below, (with minimal editing).

Re-Entry

Happy to return home to the arms of our families and loved ones last night.  Retrieving jars of picliz from various suitcases to take home for me and John Mutin. Unfortunately, as my husband observed, picliz "does not travel well". The smell of vinegar and pepper wafted through the Memphis airport baggage area. My apologies to Edie, whose suitcase contents appeared to be soaked in picliz. I am not sure her family will appreciate that smell on every item she brought back from Haiti!

This morning my thoughts are of the contrasts facing us as we wake up in Memphis (or Sienna in New Orleans). The glory of a hot shower. The shock of a cold floor on bare feet. Morning without bug spray. Morning without fresh sweet mango and Haitian coffee. Brushing my teeth in tap water. Wanting to turn on the heater in my bathroom.  Driving on wide open streets with traffic lights and marked lanes.   Missing the smiles and hugs of the children at St Vincents.

To my team members if you are reading this, thank you all for your warm hearts and hard working hands (and feet!) this week.  I miss Bailey's laugh and James' quiet smile.  I told you all that re-entry would be difficult, and I hope you find a way to process your experience somehow over the next few weeks. Know that you have made friends with special children in a place that will always welcome you back.

Bon Jour!

Susan Nelson

Last day at St Vincent's

After our restful day at the beach, we were all happy to see the kids again. Emily B worked with me again in clinic. Her French skills were invaluable, although by this time my Kreyol is fairly functional, at least for basic exams.   Sherye has also taught us signs to use. Every morning on the bus, she stands at the front clutching a pole and demonstrates how to say "What is your name?  My name is... Do you have pain.  Show me where ..."  St Vincent's has about 50 or more deaf students, so we all got lots of practice.  One of the deaf teachers came to me and I was able to ask him "Are you a teacher?" as well as elicit his complaints of eye problems and back pain, all without Sherye's help. I was so proud of myself! After spending a week surrounded by people who speak a different language, between Kreyol, French and Sign, it is SO gratifying to be able to communicate. 

The team takes a break

Today in Haiti is a national holiday, commemorating the death of Jean Jacques Dessalines.  He and Touissant L'Overture together led the slave rebellion against the French, and declared independence on Jan 1, 1804.  Haiti is the only country in the western hemisphere to ever have successfully staged a slave rebellion.

With the national holiday, there was no school, so we hired our favorite driver Jonas and went to Kaliko Beach Resort.  

Handbell Choir and Soccer Balls

This morning's clinic was remarkable because several of our team have learned to communicate simple words with the deaf kids and are learning basic Kreyol as well.  Bailey worked with me this morning, and by the end of clinic was doing basic exams, in either Kreyol or sign.  ("Take a deep breath, open your mouth, I am going to look in your ear, etc.)

A Double Rainbow

Edie just told me she is amused to look at the broken streets of Port au Prince, with concrete rubble in piles on the sidewalk and scattered debris in the gutters, and then hear me and Sienna and John Mutin say "Wow, this place looks great, they've really cleaned up the streets!"  It's true that the gutters are free of trash and the streets are mostly in good repair, especially the main roads.  We even saw police directing traffic at a busy intersection, a first that I have seen.