Getting Into the Swing of Things

The last 24 hours or so have been full of many firsts. After dinner last night I was given time to settle into my room and relax after my long day. By the time I was done getting situated, I was exhausted and headed to bed. Once my roommates taught me how to tuck my mosquito net into my mattress, I was down for the night.

This morning our day started with a 5:30 AM wake-up call. I ate breakfast with the Volunteers before we all headed over to Morning Prayer, headed by Deacon Moynihan. After prayers and some reflection on today’s Gospel, we started our days with the Catholic mission in mind. As the Volunteers headed to their respective classrooms to begin their days, I returned to the Volunteers’ house to begin working on my project in the computer lab.

With the guidance of another Volunteer, I began researching telecommunications within Haiti and the consequences of such technology. Over the next few weeks, I will continue to work alongside Deacon Moynihan, Volunteers and Louverture Cleary students in order to develop a paper that discusses mobile technology within Haiti. My main focus will be to search for the true impact that cell phones have had on the lives and well-being of Haitians.

For the majority of the day I worked on my project, however I did break in the middle of the day to see the Timoun Program perform ballet. The Timoun Program is the early childhood development program at LCS in which children who live within the neighborhood can come to the school to receive two meals, school lessons, and other activities. These children have a special relationship with many of the older students at LCS, so it was really exciting to watch the Timoun Program perform for their tutors and friends. The girls had the biggest smiles on their faces as they performed, and their audience gave them a standing ovation once they were finished.

Not only did I have my first interaction with the Timoun Program today, but I also got to participate in the “Netwayaj” or clean-up. Each day, the students perform various tasks around campus in order to make improvements or maintain the cleanliness of the campus. All students are taught to understand the value of work and to use their talents to empower others to enact change. One of the tasks of Netwayaj is to manage the incinerator and make sure that garbage is disposed in a proper manner. I was able to see and help in this process alongside a Volunteer and about six students. It was an experience unlike any other I’ve encountered before, however I was in awe of both the dedication of each student and the self-sufficiency of Louverture Cleary School.

Also, I know that I mentioned the soccer game yesterday, so I just wanted to give you an update on the outcome of the match. LCS did end up losing 3 to 1 to the older group of boys that they played, however their coach, one of my roommates, was so proud of the way that the students carried themselves. Despite the attitudes of the other players, the LCS team maintained their composure and acted with true sportsmanship.

Tomorrow the students have their hip-hop, ballet and Gospel choir performances, all of which I am extremely excited for!