tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73530775796558264232024-03-05T13:08:55.834-08:00Father Smith Fellowship - Haiti 2013Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-26805984077401039652013-06-15T21:01:00.000-07:002013-06-19T21:04:16.424-07:00Time for Goodbyes<br />
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">My time in Haiti flew by. Although there were times when I felt like I had not been home in ages, I think this was mostly because I had grown so accustomed to life in Haiti amongst the Volunteers. Deacon Moynihan, his family, the Volunteers and all of the Staff at LCS made my transition into life at the school go so seamlessly that I never felt like an outsider on campus. Having become a true member of the LCS community, today’s goodbyes were difficult.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After one last Morning Prayer I was able to get one last picture with all of the Volunteers. This would be the last time that we were all together, since graduation preparation was in full swing, and I wanted to make sure that I captured the moment. I would say goodbye to them all individually later on, but I knew from that moment on the day would be hectic.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Thanks to the help of my translators, I was able to complete all of my surveys! After one of the translators returned to the first business that I visited there were still a handful of surveys to be completed. As a result, another person who has been helping me was able to make a few phone calls to former LCS students make sure that they were all completed. I am so grateful for all of their help! Without them, I definitely would not have completed half of the work that I did while I was here. Due to all of their hard work, I was able to spend the morning inputting the last of the data from the surveys into an Excel Worksheet to analyze later on. Although we were unable to survey a population of unemployed Haitians, I am interested to see what the surveys reveal about the other demographic populations of Haiti. This analysis should not take too long, and hopefully will be completed over the next week or so.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The rest of the morning was spent making sure that everything was taken care of for my departure at 11:00 AM. I packed up the rest of my items, made sure that I had my passport available, and finally, I said goodbye to the Volunteers. While some of the Volunteers will be returning to LCS to complete a second (or third) year of service, others will be returning home to the United States to begin the next chapter in their lives. I know that wherever they will be come September they will all be successful, as throughout my time at LCS they served as excellent examples of hard-working, loving, and dedicated individuals.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The ride to the airport was uneventful. I was accompanied by Deacon Moynihan, who was nice enough to walk me into the airport and make sure that I was checked-in before he said goodbye. We both separated ways hopeful about the future of the relationship between PC and The Haitian Project. Who knows, maybe next year LCS will receive another Smith Fellow!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">The Port-au-Prince Airport is fairly small, so I was able to easily navigate to my departing gate. I was about two hours early, so I headed upstairs to grab some food at one of the cafes. It was nice to sit down and reflect on my experience as I watched other travelers sit with their families and friends to do the same. There were so many people in the airport who had gone down to Haiti to do service, but it was incredible to sit there and think about just how different everyone’s experience could have been. While in Haiti I learned so much about the problems plaguing the people, while also meeting incredible young people who were ready to change their situations. I will never forget some of the students that I met, the smiles on some of the children when they waved to me across campus, and the unbelievable community that I found at LCS.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After two hours of waiting for my flight, I got pretty anxious and had to start moving around. Since the terminal was small and there were two flights going out at once, I decided to forfeit my seat and go stand to wait the remaining half hour til I boarded. My plane took off about forty minutes later than expected, but I did not mind the delay once I boarded. It was great to sit and relax in my seat knowing I could fall asleep for the next four hours. However, that plan was immediately interrupted when I noticed the man next to me had the hiccups. At first I did not mind, but after an hour into the flight when I noticed that the hiccups were there to stay, I decided to abandon my plan to sleep. As a result, I spent the remaining time on the plane thumbing through the magazines, solving some of the puzzles, and attempting to fix my headphones so that I could block out the noises coming from the man next to me.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">When we finally touched down in New York at around 7:00 I was excited to see my family and escape the presence of the hiccupping man. It took a while to reach our gate, and by the time we were finally allowed off the plane I practically sprinted to Customs out of excitement to be reunited with my parents. Once I grabbed my luggage, I found my parents and best friend from home, Paige, waiting for me outside! They greeted me with flowers and balloons, and I was truly ecstatic to be in their presence after a long day of travelling. We headed straight to dinner as today was also my parents’ twenty-seventh wedding anniversary, and we had double the reason to celebrate! It is great to be back.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Although I am happy to be home to spend some time with my family, I could not have been happier with the last twenty-five days of my life. I cannot thank the Father Smith Selection Committee enough for awarding me with this unbelievable opportunity! My experiences in Haiti have taught me about the power of the Catholic Church, the value of education, and also a great deal about myself. This journey has been unbelievable, and I could not be happier that I was able to complete it as a representative and extension of the Providence College community.</span></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-77990271079921883812013-06-13T20:19:00.000-07:002013-06-15T20:20:06.771-07:00Wrapping Things Up<br />
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Although I never miss a deadline or arrive unprepared to an exam, I do have a tendency to finish projects or preparations at the last minute. I am not a procrastinator, however I do take a while to arrive at a finished project as I like to ensure that I put hard work and effort to everything I do. As a result, it did not come as a surprise to me that on my last full day in Haiti I would still be finishing up surveys for my project. I had already completed the secondary school students, university students, and non-professional staff surveys, but this morning when I woke up I only had about half of the necessary professional staff surveys completed. While I had spent a great deal of time preparing to administer the survey and speaking with those that I surveyed, I realized today that I might have to speed up some of my work in order to get all necessary surveys completed before I left the country.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With this in mind, I left LCS with my translator as soon as possible this morning. By 9:00 AM we were back at the factory from yesterday, speaking with Deacon Moynihan’s friend about any remaining employees who fit the criteria for today’s survey. At 10:00 we had completed all the surveys we could at the factory, and discussed the plan for the day. One of the people who has been working closely with me on the survey and who had helped translated would go to the business that we went to last week to finish up the remaining surveys there while I travelled with Deacon Moynihan, my translator, and THP Board Member, Mark Bamford, over to <em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font-style: normal;">Pétion-Ville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince,</span></em> to speak with someone from Sogebank.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Thanks to Deacon Moynihan’s connection of Robert Moscoso, Chairman and CEO of Sogebank, we were able to speak with Jean Bordes Châtel, General Controller of Sogebank. As an insider of the banking industry in Haiti, Robert Moscoso was able to answer many of my questions early on about how banks in Haiti function. He was also kind enough to defer some questions to Mr. Châtel who is also very knowledgeable. Mr. Châtel not only arrived at the meeting with typed answers to my questions, but he also brought with him some statistical data and a few presentations to reference. His preparations proved to be fruitful as I gained a clearer picture of the spending and financing habits of Haitians.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In an article written by Bill Clinton and elsewhere on the internet I have come across statements that claim that only 10% of Haitians have bank accounts. While Mr. Châtel confirmed that this may in fact be true, he pointed out that this is a percentage of all Haitians and not adult Haitians. When the category is narrowed to just include Haitian adults, the percentage is closer to 45%. This percentage was much more reassuring, and it also seemed to validate the answers that I was receiving on my survey. With almost half of the adult population having a bank account, the presence and potential for mobile banking can be viewed in a different light.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After this great meeting, we headed back to LCS’s campus. As I mentioned yesterday, the Boys’ Varsity Soccer team had their second and final match of the season today. After a quick change into shorts and a t-shirt, we left for the game. When I was in high school, I was a Referee for a recreational soccer league. I played travel soccer for about seven years, and I loved spending time around the fields watching games. As a recreational soccer Referee, I was required to be officially certified by FIFA, or the international soccer league. After about nineteen hours of a course, I knew the rules inside and out. With this experience, I offered to assist in the refereeing of today’s game. Since I left my lovely yellow uniform at home (I cannot imagine why I did not think to bring it), I was assigned to be a sideline Referee. Once at Saint-Louis de Gonzague, a boarding school in Delmas—another suburb of Port-au-Prince, I was able to meet the fellow Referees. With a little bit of a language gap, communication would be difficult, but luckily the FIFA rules are universal, along with the hand signals in order to make a call.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The game was incredibly competitive. As I mentioned yesterday, the two teams are rivals, and I could immediately sense the degree of intensity on the field. I was also glad that I do not understand Kreyól, as the boys on the opposing team were definitely trying to give me a hard time as a female Referee. From the way in which the boys carried themselves on the field and on the sidelines, it was evident that the LCS players had a better understanding of how to conduct themselves properly and of the concept of respect. The opposing team had a lot to say to the center Referee, and after a minor shoving incident on the field, there was a period of about five minutes in which members of Saint-Louis de Gonzague were arguing a call. As I had no clue what they were saying, I stayed out of it, and was thoroughly impressed with all of the LCS players for continuing to handle themselves in a respectful manner. Despite all of this excitement, LCS WON!!! The final score was 2 – 0, and I was happy that all of their hard work paid off (even though I could not show favorites during the course of the game). Definitely a great way to finish up their season!<o:p></o:p></div>
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After the game, I headed over to the Moynihan house for dinner along with another volunteer and Mark Bamford. Dinner was delicious as usual, and afterwards the rest of the Volunteers joined us for a little while. It was great to spend time with everyone one last time, but I unfortunately had to leave early to track down the remaining surveys and pack my suitcase.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am so blessed to have been welcomed into such an amazing community, and I cannot believe that my time here is coming to an end. I will leave campus around 11:00 AM tomorrow to head to the airport, and it will definitely be a bittersweet moment. With my busy schedule here, I am shocked at how quickly these three and a half weeks have gone by. Although I am excited to return home to my family, I do not want this amazing experience to come to an end.</div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-75037860609921762982013-06-12T20:18:00.000-07:002013-06-15T20:18:44.337-07:00Dlo<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">No, that is not acronym. It is the Kreyol word for water. Another something new that I learned today. I also learned from this same lesson that I am terrible at pronouncing words that have letter sequences that are not common in English. In case you were wondering dlo is pronounced like the word "blow,"</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="color: red; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">but with a "D" at the beginning.</span></div>
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This brief Kreyol lesson came this afternoon as I was sitting with my Haitian translator waiting for people to take my survey. This morning I headed to a local factory, owned by a friend of Deacon Moynihan to speak with his employees from the unskilled labor category. I needed to speak with 78 people from this category alone, so I knew in advance that I was going to have my work cut out for me. However, with the help of my translators, the day went smoothly and I was able to meet my quota.<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Everyone that I spoke with today was so receptive. They asked questions about my survey and willingly participated. I am also especially appreciative of the man in charge of the factory who let me speak to his workers and the woman who helped organize the almost steady stream of people coming into the interview room. When we were able to speak with two or three people at a time we flew through the surveys and after about 4 hours of work we were completely finished. <span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Deacon Moynihan and a member of the Board of Directors for The Haitian Project stopped by to bring me lunch and accompany home from my long day of work. On the return trip home we were able to talk about what I learned so far today and where this information fit in with the rest of my data and project. Although I had not yet entered the data into a spreadsheet it was clear to me from the results that I received that these workers were spending less on their cell phones than university students. This comparison was very interesting as it calls into question the spending habits of university students on their phones.<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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When I returned to campus, I spent the rest of the night inputting today's surveys into Excel and briefly analyzing the data. The Volunteers had spent the day preparing campus for the Graduation Ceremony, and when I returned they were working on putting together the student's diplomas. It is getting to be very exciting here on campus as everything comes to a close. The Philo Class has truly been working hard in preparation for their big day, and it is clear that they are more than prepared to take on new challenges in the near future.<span style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Tomorrow I have another busy day, so I will be heading into bed shortly in preparation. On the schedule for tomorrow is another visit to the factory to speak with a few members of Professional Staff, a trip to Sogebank (one of the major banks in Haiti) to speak with someone about trends in the banking system, and a soccer game. I will be reffereeing the last Boys' Varsity Soccer game against their rivals, and I am hoping that my previous experience as a refferee will help me out tomorrow! If not, at least the players will not be yelling at me in English!</div>
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Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-75098754733834162802013-06-11T21:45:00.000-07:002013-06-12T14:17:48.793-07:00They're Back!<div class="MsoNormal">
Today the Rheto and Philo classes returned to campus for the day
to prepare for graduation. It was weird to see the students back on campus, but
their presence was definitely welcomed!<o:p></o:p></div>
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After Morning Prayer, we started work on a few projects before the
students arrived. We started off shoveling and sifting rocks that needed to be
moved. Once we finished going through one of these piles we headed to the
backyard to work on piles of cement rocks. We have to sort these rocks by size,
so that we can figure out which pieces can be crushed to be used later on to
make more cement. It is great to witness the transformation of an unusable
object into a useful tool.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Next, we worked in the trench that the PC group helped make. This
trench is actually a French drain (a trench filled with gravel to redirect
water) located next to a bathroom, so today the Maintenance Staff worked on
knocking down a wall next to the trench. Once they knocked down pieces of the
wall it was our job to sift and sort through the cement. Although relatively
easy, sifting rocks and lifting wheelbarrows is exerting, and after a few hours
you definitely start to feel like you have been working out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In between helping out with cleaning up the remains of the wall, I
also worked alongside a few of the Volunteers and students cleaning up the
classrooms. After a full year of use, the desks, chalkboards, and some of the
walls needed to be cleaned. Even though the walls were not that dirty, it is
amazing how much cleaner they looked once they were washed down with soap and
water. Although we did not get to all of the classrooms, it was nice seeing a
noticeable change in the few rooms that we were able to get to.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the afternoon I was able to look at my survey results
again. Tomorrow I will be going to a few different businesses to survey their
employees, so I went back and analyzed the results I already have just to see
if there have been any noticeable trends. The amount of money that university
students spend on their cell phones was shocking to me, according to my
results, of those surveyed, cell phone spending is equivalent to one third of
the per capita income of Haitians! This is an incredible amount of money when
you consider what else that money could be going towards. I cannot wait to see
if these spending habits are also shared by the workers that I will be
interviewing.<o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-47501698826779610242013-06-10T21:15:00.000-07:002013-06-12T14:16:32.670-07:00Just Another Great Day!<div class="MsoNormal">
Another busy day! With Graduation around the corner and with the
Volunteers scheduled to leave Haiti shortly afterwards, there is a lot of
preparation to be done around here. This morning was spent cleaning and
reorganizing the house, so that everything is ready to be used come the fall.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I spent most of my morning cleaning out the kitchen. From all of
the cooking from the past year, a lot of the cooking oil has collected in the
area surrounding the stoves. My job was to clean up the window panes in that area.
Working next to other Volunteers, the morning flew by and before I knew it, it
was lunchtime. The music that was playing while we worked also might have
contributed to how quickly the time flew!<o:p></o:p></div>
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The afternoon was spent working on smaller projects throughout
the house. Some of the time was spent finishing up projects from the morning.
Also, many of the Volunteers took this time during the afternoon to pack. I
helped out with smaller projects when needed, but also was able to spend some
time working on my paper. As a Finance major at PC, I have not yet had to use
footnotes when writing a paper. While I have written plenty of papers for Civ,
none have required me to do the kind of research necessary to use footnotes. As
a result, footnotes are a foreign concept to me, so I spent most of the
afternoon figuring out the correct use of such citations – it was definitely a
learning experience!<o:p></o:p></div>
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On Monday nights we have labouyl, or porridge, for dinner. We had
a few extra bananas in the kitchen, so the cooks for the night were able to add
them into the dish as a little treat. As usual it was delicious, but that was
not our only surprise at dinner. It was great to have a little something
different along with dinner, and it was also a great taste of home.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At evening prayer we had time to reflect on today's Gospel and its
meaning in our lives. The Gospel referenced the Beatitudes, which were nice to
keep in mind during a hard day of work. During this transition period before
Graduation and everyone's departure, it is nice to remind ourselves of the true
meaning of our work and to reflect on the time that we have spent here. Life
here is very simple, and it has been an eye-opening experience to see the
hard-work of those motivated by their faith.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Every day I remind myself how blessed I have been to receive this
opportunity to travel to Haiti and see the inner-workings of the Catholic
Church abroad! I am so grateful to have been granted a Father Smith Fellowship,
and thus the opportunity for this once in a lifetime experience!<o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-58110383119696225902013-06-09T21:52:00.000-07:002013-06-10T12:52:29.971-07:00Screaming Kids<div class="MsoNormal">
With a little more time in yesterday’s schedule than usual I
was able to sleep in a little before I started my day. Even though I could only
will myself to sleep until 6:30 it was nice to get a few extra minutes of
sleep. After a delicious breakfast, I went straight to work on my paper in the
computer lab.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not much after I settled down and started writing, I got
distracted by a noise coming from the driveway. It sounded like yelling, crying
children – which was weird because all of the students had left. After about
two minutes of continuous screaming, I finally realized what was happening.
What I was hearing was not the screams of human children, but of the goats that
were being delivered for next week’s graduation. Definitely not the type of kid
I was expecting.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vxnKIrrLn3nkA2kejckV8g-MaIfj2lg4YLaQyzeLCjn1UVVEL_rUdKCXjjEhJgar8aC_mJUXGFT_BvHKBv1Da0Ke_poi7Jr1w5IROmxWjlRhRS52fGgdtxXWa9pF-L1sr4tBJOftLzG-/s1600/IMG_0489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vxnKIrrLn3nkA2kejckV8g-MaIfj2lg4YLaQyzeLCjn1UVVEL_rUdKCXjjEhJgar8aC_mJUXGFT_BvHKBv1Da0Ke_poi7Jr1w5IROmxWjlRhRS52fGgdtxXWa9pF-L1sr4tBJOftLzG-/s320/IMG_0489.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just some screaming kids!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The goats will be prepared, along with chickens and possibly
some other animals, towards the end of this week for a celebration after
Saturday’s graduation. In the meantime, the goats are currently tied down on
the soccer field next to a few classrooms. Something I never imagined I would
see in my lifetime, I took a picture as proof of this experience.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After that excitement, I spent most of the day working on my
paper. I took a few breaks to do some leisure reading and relax, but otherwise
I was focusing on the paper. At 6:00, Father Isaia, who Deacon Moynihan has
celebrated Mass alongside the past few weekends that we went off-campus, came
over to celebrate Mass for the Volunteers. This time though, everything was in
English! I was excited to hear one of Father Isaia’s Masses in a language that
I understood, although I did enjoy witnessing a typical Haitian Mass. The Mass
was truly beautiful. I am not sure if I mentioned it before, but all of the
Volunteers have beautiful voices and some of them are musically talented, so
listening to them perform at Mass reminds me of being back at a PC Mass.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Mass was followed by a regular Saturday night dinner – ham
sandwiches, which are always good and satisfying. After dinner, we had another
movie night. Some of the Volunteers made some popcorn, and then we all gathered
together to watch <i>Silver Lining’s
Playbook </i>– which is such a great movie.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
None of us really cared that the movie ran late because this
morning we were actually able to sleep in. My internal alarm clock of course
would not let me sleep past 7:30, but it again was nice to not be in a rush
this morning. (I should mention that I have not slept past 7:30 for about a
month now, which is somewhat of a minor miracle for me because I love to sleep
in late).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today was a really relaxing and productive day. One of the
Junior Staff members had gone out and surveyed one hundred University Students
for me, and he returned the results to me today. Most of my morning and
afternoon was spent inputting this data, but I was able to do this outside at
one of the tables in the shade. There was a nice breeze today, so once I
figured out how to hold down all of my papers, I was pretty comfortable. I also
was able to finish what I could of my paper. Although I still have a lot of
data and analysis to include, as well as some conclusions to draw, I am glad
that I have completed a large chunk of my paper.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I felt so accomplished after all of my work today that I
actually went for a run by the basketball courts. Just to put in perspective
how big of a deal this is, I have to admit that the number of times that I have
stepped foot in Concannon Fitness Center these past two years is less than one.
So, this was a huge deal. I was not able to run for a long time, but it was
great to exercise. For some reason I thought that going at 5:00 PM that it
might be a little cooler, but my logic was definitely flawed. Although the
breeze from earlier was still there, it was still hot and humid. When I came
back and checked the weather it was 84 degrees out, but according to
Weather.com it felt like 94 degrees (I would definitely agree). Taking a cold
shower was absolutely wonderful after that.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
We just had dinner here, and now we are headed to watch a
movie again. I think we might be watching <i>Miss
Congeniality</i>, a movie I have not seen in years!<o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-68421514940562589072013-06-07T21:43:00.000-07:002013-06-10T12:49:39.457-07:00Fête<div class="MsoNormal">
I do not think I have ever given Physical Plant at
Providence College the credit that they deserve. This morning we cleared out
all of the dorms, collecting any trash that we could find and placing it in the
incinerator. While the students tried to leave as little behind as possible, it
was evident that there was a lot of work to be done. Although I always try to
leave my dorm room at school as spotless as possible when I leave, I never
truly appreciated the work that Physical Plant does when cleaning out the
dormitories. And I especially appreciate my family for cleaning out what they
could of my dorm room as I was on my flight to Haiti! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For about three hours this morning, we swept trash down the
stairs of dormitories, placed it in wheel barrows, and brought it to the
incinerator for some of the Volunteers to burn. I give the Volunteers working
at the incinerator a ton of credit because I was only helping out over there
for about twenty minutes and I could not handle the heat that it was giving off.
By the time we were done cleaning out all of the dorms, we were cheering for
what we had accomplished.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After showering off the dirt and dust from the dorm rooms
(with limited grass and trees, these two accumulate quickly in Haiti), we all
started to make a dent in our other work. All of the Volunteers got to work
grading their exams and filling out paperwork for the end of the year. I was
able to help grade a Biology exam so that one of the Volunteers could grade
some of her other exams. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After a delicious lunch prepared by the cooks, I headed to
the computer lab to get some work done on my paper. Although I was trying to
stay focused, I was having a hard time making any progress because I had a
terrible headache. Whether it was from the heat or my allergies I am not sure,
all I know is that the Advil that I took did not seem to be doing the trick.
Regardless, I made sure I kept hydrating and tried to get as much done as I
possibly could.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
By 4:00 I was feeling a little better and I was able to help
some members of the Haitian staff with the preparations for tonight’s <span style="background: white;">fête</span>,
or party. As a way to celebrate the end of the year and all of the hard work of
the Volunteers and Staff, the Dean of Academics decided that we should throw a
party in our house. Everyone was really excited for the night’s events, so a
whole bunch of us decided to pitch in and help out the cooks where we could.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
On the menu was fritay, or basically fried everything. It
takes a long time to make, but it was totally worth it! I helped chop the
carrots and the beets for the salad that we would have. It was unbelievable to
watch everyone at work in the kitchen, especially with there being so many
little details to worry about. Plantains needed to be cut up and smashed, dough
needed to be made then fried and refried, and all different types of vegetables
needed to be chopped into small pieces. After three hours of preparation, the
dinner bell was finally rung at 7:00! <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1kFC1gd3ii_m4OFcTskp6PxgP5BUsgR5lRGzo8ASRf2L72zxY_KitYxrjDIvbZXXN1wM3BrO8MoZL6wRLsz8GobB86MOLcF6daJtm1nQZyXGPpx0rFP7-LyHPy6Lg3mN4w3orKgD_d69/s1600/IMG_0481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1kFC1gd3ii_m4OFcTskp6PxgP5BUsgR5lRGzo8ASRf2L72zxY_KitYxrjDIvbZXXN1wM3BrO8MoZL6wRLsz8GobB86MOLcF6daJtm1nQZyXGPpx0rFP7-LyHPy6Lg3mN4w3orKgD_d69/s320/IMG_0481.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's a picture of all of the delicious food before it disappeared!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dinner was absolutely delicious. Members of the Junior Staff
and Staff were all in attendance, and it was great to see the whole community
together in one year. Even in the few weeks that I have been here I have been
lucky enough to witness the hard work of all of the members of the community
here. Everyone seems to give their all to whatever they are doing, whether it
be teaching a class, directing a student performance, or working in the office
to make sure the day-to-day operations of LCS run smoothly. The entire staff
truly deserved tonight’s party to celebrate all that they have accomplished
this year!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The party was so much fun! A lot of the staff stuck around
for a while. It was so much fun hanging out with everyone, listening to music,
and dancing! By the time we had cake and cleaned up, we were all in need of a
shower and a good night’s sleep!<o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-41989182998334038442013-06-06T21:41:00.000-07:002013-06-10T12:41:58.078-07:00Rise and Shine<div class="MsoNormal">
Everyone here loves to sing. Whether it be the Volunteers as
they make dinner, or the students as they sift rocks during Work Hour, someone
is always singing. This is even true at 5:00 AM.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I awoke this morning to the voice of one of the Volunteers
as she tried to get my roommates out of bed. Assuming it was their morning to
make coffee, but still a little confused, I rolled over in my bed to try to
savor my last hour of sleep. Three seconds later though I was wide awake. As
soon as the morning bell was rung, I could hear the Volunteers break into song.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Rise and shine, and give God your glory, glory!” was about
all I heard for the next five minutes. Even though they were half asleep, the
Volunteers were still their happy selves, clapping and shouting the lyrics to
one of our favorite prayer songs. Their singing was a surprise to many of the
students. Some started cheering from their dormitories, while others stood on
the balconies confused and yelling that they wanted to go to bed. Despite the
mixed response, I am certain that this last day of classes and the cheer of
their teachers will be a memory that the students will forever have. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I finally made my way down to the kitchen, all of the
Volunteers were wide awake. I am definitely not a morning person, but once I
grabbed a cup of coffee (a newly formed habit thanks to Haiti), I was excited
to hear about the student’s response to their wake-up call. Starting off the
day with such an upbeat song set the tone for the day, and the happiness that
surrounded campus was contagious.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the rest of the day I worked on my paper. Slowly but
surely I will finish it by the end of this weekend. All of the staff and
students here have been great about helping me with my project. Despite their
busy end of the year schedules, staff and students have both gone out of their
ways to translate Kreyól
into English for me or to answer a few questions about how cell phones in Haiti
work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This afternoon the students left for summer vacation.
However, since Graduation, or as they say Promotion, is not until next
Saturday, many of the students will be around over the next week or so to clean
out the rest of the campus. As a result, many of the Volunteers found comfort
in the fact that their goodbyes today were not final.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once all of the students left and some work was done at the
incinerator, I came back to help out with dinner. On Thursday nights a
traditional Haitian meal is made by some of the Junior Staff and Staff members,
so I was able to have a chance to get to a know these women a little better. A
lot of work goes into making tonight’s dinner, which was soup or “le bouillon.”
In the dish is beef, potatoes, carrots, plantains, rolled-up balls of dough and
some greens. It is a great meal, and I was surprised that despite my
contributions the soup still was delicious tonight. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even though I cannot speak Kreyól, these women—Marielle,
Marjorie and Kencia, tried their best to include me in their conversations by
speaking English when possible. Like a typical night, while we were cooking the
music was playing, so I was able to talk with the girls about popular music and
artists. They asked about Mariah Carey, Beyonce, and Jay-Z, and they even
played an old Backstreet Boys song! I had so much fun talk to them. From the
students to the Volunteers to the Staff, everyone has gone out of their way to
welcome me into their community. Even though they are all close friends, they
all have made the effort to make sure that I am at home. I am truly blessed to
have witnessed such a great community at work. <o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-51101965201599299572013-06-05T21:30:00.000-07:002013-06-06T10:10:23.225-07:00A Little Help from the Timoun<div class="MsoNormal">
I cannot believe how quickly my time here is winding down.
After today, there is only one more day with the students here on campus. You
could definitely see the summer jitters in some of the students as the day went
on here. In between tests with open notebooks in their hands, students would be
chatting with their friends and at the same time attempting to cram for one of
their remaining finals.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite all of the excitement on campus, work needed to be
done today. Therefore, for about three hours this morning I worked outside
alongside Deacon Moynihan and a few other volunteers. We were mostly digging a
trench and sifting the rocks around it, but it was hard work. Thankfully it has
been a little cooler here the past few days, so we were not dying in the heat. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since we are working by the basketball hoops and the
playground area on campus, we usually get to watch the kids running around
playing games for a little bit in the morning. They are always having so much
fun, and love the swings just like my campers at home!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today the Timoun, or the children in the child development
program on campus, broke for play time about two hours into our project. Many
of them started coming over to talk to their teacher who is one of the
Volunteers. They were all so excited to see people at work, and wanted to join
in with the Volunteers like the older students usually do. After five minutes
of trying to convince the students to go play, we eventually gave up and let
them help us out.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not only were they willing to help out with the smaller
tasks like sorting rocks, but they also wanted to help shovel dirt and use the
wheelbarrows. By the end of the work period, we had about nine little sets of
hands working on the trench, unwilling to let any of the Volunteers help. Out of
all of the students I have seen working on that trench, I have never seen kids
that eager and willing to work hard.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The rest of the day was spent organizing my thoughts for the
next step of my paper. I am a slow writer so I was only able to write a page
today, however I am happy that I am starting to make some progress. I am hoping
over the next few days to get a decent amount of the paper completed, so that I
will be prepared to look at the results of my survey as they come in.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tonight I was able to help with dinner. The Volunteers and
members of the Junior Staff are on a rotating schedule for dinner, but if
someone cannot make it I usually step in and help. Dinner is usually more like
a typical American meal, so tonight’s dinner was eggs. I was especially happy
to help out with this meal, because it is one of the only meals that I can make
without truly testing my cooking abilities, or lack thereof. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings!<o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-42894870454599910702013-06-04T21:30:00.000-07:002013-06-06T04:51:07.034-07:00Surveys, Surveys, and More Surveys<div class="MsoNormal">
Another great Tuesday here in Haiti. Tuesday morning’s
breakfast is two rolls with peanut butter, a banana and a hardboiled egg, hence
my excitement to start the day today.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After some preparation for the day, I headed off campus with
Deacon Moynihan to one of his good friend’s business. Once there, I met with my
translator and started surveying different staff members. In just under 2 hours
we were able to survey about 25 members of the staff. A solid chunk of my
surveys were done!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our next stop was Catholic Relief Services, a little further
across town, where I would be able to survey even more people while Deacon
Moynihan was in a meeting. Before we went to CRS, we stopped to grab some lunch
at Epidor. Epidor is a bakery and sandwich chain and is about the closest thing
to fast food that exists in Haiti. Lunch was delicious and a great way to boost
my energy for the second half of the day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once at CRS, my translator and I were set-up in a conference
room, so that people could walk in as they pleased for about two hours. We had
a total of about fifteen people stop and take the survey, which was great
considering that many people were out at lunch. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have become more comfortable in explaining my project and
speaking about how cell phones fit into the daily lives of Haiti, however there
is still one thing I will never get used to – the power goes out so often!!
Although I have gotten used to waking up and my fan being off (LCS operates on
solar energy), I could not imagine having to deal with power surges and outages
while working at a business. While we were at CRS the power surged two or three
times, and although I sat there unsure of what to do with myself, everyone else
seemed to continue on with their daily routines. At home, everyone reacts like
life without electricity is impossible, but in Haiti, life without electricity
is a reality for many people. Being in Haiti, I have come to realize that many
of the things that I would consider necessities are luxuries for a large
portion of the world. I have been truly blessed for what God has granted me in
life, and I hope that my service here in Haiti can help empower others to
change the inequalities of the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My trip today also gave me more insight into the way that
Haitians live. On our way home from CRS, I noticed many homes that were missing
roofs or walls. Thinking these homes were destroyed in the earthquake, I asked
Deacon Moynihan about them. He explained that instead of placing their money in
a bank as savings, many Haitians would rather invest their earnings into
something material. Therefore, the houses that I was seeing were instead the
work-in-progresses of different families. Little by little, these families are
collecting cash and using it to invest in materials to build walls or construct
a roof. In effect, these half-completed houses symbolize the hard work of their
owners and their savings thus far. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I wish I had my camera with me to take pictures of these
houses and the mountains that surround Port-au-Prince! Next time I go off
campus I am definitely bringing my camera so that I may capture a picture of
the next group of goats I see on the side of the road or a packed tap-tap
navigating the streets. <o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-53068430591991803302013-06-03T21:30:00.000-07:002013-06-06T04:26:50.211-07:00The Start of Finals Week<div class="MsoNormal">
I have officially been in Haiti for two weeks. This is not
only a huge milestone because I have survived these past fourteen days without
getting sunburn, but it is also a big deal because this is officially the
longest I have ever been separated from my identical twin sister Kerry. It is
strange to think that this is the longest in my life that I have truly been by
myself, as the emails that I receive from home and the welcoming community at
LCS remind me that no matter where I am in the world I will always find love
and support from members of my human family. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Today at LCS also marks the beginning of Finals Week.
Although many of the students have turned their attention more towards their
studies, they still are their same happy selves. As typical students they dread
exam week, however they do not seem to let the stress of exams get to
them. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My morning was spent writing the introduction to the paper
that I will complete as a product of my fellowship. Although this is not a
requirement by the Father Smith Fellowship, I feel that it is important to
really examine my research and the meaning that it might hold for Haitians. The
research that I have completed thus far has led me to a greater understanding
of the country of Haiti and the roots of the problems that it is currently
facing. As a slow writer, I made a sizeable dent in the writing of my paper. It
is my hope that by the end of next week I will have a completed project to
carry with me on my flight home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I spent most of my afternoon today preparing for my visits
to local companies tomorrow. I was able to have my surveys printed out, and
meet with the former LCS student who will be translating for me tomorrow. It
was great to speak with someone who has been through LCS, but also cares so
much about the community here that he is willing to come back and help out when
necessary.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tonight, I went over to the Moynihan’s house for dinner with
the two Volunteers who graduated from PC. I love that I was able to share many
of my experiences here with fellow Friars who understand Catholic and Dominican
values, and can see them at work in the students and community of LCS. It was
great to relax, share a meal, and also reflect a little bit on our time at PC.
As a graduate of Providence College’s Master’s Program and a recipient of a
Honorary Degree from PC, Deacon Moynihan was even able to join in on our
discussion of our unique, yet wonderful experiences at PC!<o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-31267765334574841942013-06-02T21:45:00.000-07:002013-06-06T04:25:25.774-07:00A Relaxing Sunday<div class="MsoNormal">
We went to the Chapel of St. Toma again today for Mass. Mass
was about an hour and a half long, but was a little more interactive for our
group this time, as we were given sheets of paper with the song lyrics on them.
Although our two pews of people were some of the loudest singing along with the
rest of the Church, the words that we were saying were probably also the most
undistinguishable. Not one of us fully understood Kreyól, but we still wanted to participate in the mass as
much as we possibly could.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After mass we headed back to LCS for an afternoon of
relaxing. A few of the Volunteers played in a basketball game against alumni of
LCS, but a majority of the group was exhausted after yesterday’s long day at
work. I was able to organize my thoughts into an outline, and will begin writing
some parts of my paper tomorrow. On Tuesday I should be able to go to a few
local businesses, run by friends of Deacon Moynihan, in order to interview both
their professional and non-professional staff members!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the little bits of free-time that I have had, I have
begun some leisure reading. When I found out that I was awarded with a Father
Smith Fellowship, my older sister sent me a book as a congratulatory gift. The
book is titled <i>Heartache and Hope in
Haiti </i>and speaks about the Gengel family’s experiences as they searched for
their daughter, Britney, in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
Although this book is focused around a devastating topic, I have gained a
different perspective on the earthquake in Haiti. Like many of my family members,
while on a vacation or trip I enjoy reading a book about the place that I am
visiting. Not only have I learned more about the country of Haiti from reading
the story, but I also have been able to relate the experiences of the Gengel
family to those of the students at LCS. Knowing what a single family from the
United States suffered, I could not even imagine the heartache of the students,
faculty and staff who lost so many family members and friends in that disaster. <o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-29463477144603535382013-06-01T22:40:00.000-07:002013-06-03T12:43:42.658-07:00A Day of Work<div class="MsoNormal">
After their very brief stay, the PC Immersion Group left
today to return home to Providence College for a few days. Although they were
only here for two full days, the group took advantage of every moment they had
here at LCS. A little before 7:00 AM, we said goodbye to them as they all piled
into two trucks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Once the group left, the remaining Volunteers and staff
members on campus began a long day of work. Next to the wall that the PC Group
helped to construct, we needed to a dig a trench for plumbing purposes. In
addition to other projects around the campus, all of the Volunteers worked
around 7 hours today outside in order to ensure that all necessary work was
completed. With many scrapes, bruises, and new calluses, at around 4:00 in the
afternoon we all finished for the day. Even though it was a lot of work and I
am a little sore, I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment looking at the
completed trench.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After all of that work we were all able to shower and relax.
Once we all had dinner, we headed over to the Moynihan’s house to watch the
movie <i>Django. </i>In the context of Haiti
and its own history of slavery, <i>Django</i>
was an interesting and informative film to watch. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Right now we are all getting ready for bed. We are all
excited to finally rest after the exhausting day and gear up for our early
morning trip to Mass.<o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-58679957786136448632013-05-31T21:45:00.000-07:002013-06-03T12:47:22.747-07:00Last Day of Classes and the Teyat!<div class="MsoNormal">
Another exciting day here in Haiti! Today was the last day
of regular classes for the students, so they were all so full of energy. At
5:30 AM we heard clapping and cheers coming from outside. As part of their
“last morning meeting” the Philo students decided to bring the whole school
together. All of the students were gathered in a circle on the basketball court
celebrating the accomplishments of the Philo students and the community that is
LCS.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This mood only carried on as they day went on. As I went to
finish up inputting my surveys and sending emails to plan for next week, the
students headed to their classes for one final day of review. While this was
happening the PC group participated in Work Hours, learning what life truly is
like as a Volunteer for The Haitian Project. The group spent the morning
digging out a trench and sifting through piles of rock, two of the many
different kinds of tasks that Volunteers can fulfill during Work Hours.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
During my time spent researching today, I received an email
from my older sister Kelli. Her good friend, Nick Mikula (PC 2011) reached out
to her with an offer to help me should I need any assistance. Nick works for a
company in Washington D.C. which has great information and research on the
world economy and foreign markets. As a result of Nick’s assistance, I was able
to gain a greater understanding of the cell phone markets in countries similar
to Haiti.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At around noon, it was clear that everyone was anxious for
the next part of the school day. The “teyat,” or play, was scheduled to begin
at 12:30, so everyone was rushing around making sure all was prepared for when
the curtains opened. Since the entire school and a few of the actor’s parents
were scheduled to attend the play, the play was held on the basketball court. A
tarp was also set-up over the court as a shade, as the sun is a huge factor in
Haiti. Once everything was set-up, the play went off without a hitch. Under the
direction of two of the Volunteers, the students performed the play <i>Guys and Dolls</i>, however with a little
bit of a twist. In order for the audience to grasp the whole meaning of the
play, the entire performance was done in Creole, except the songs. Although the
rest of the PC group and I were lost basically the entire time, the rest of the
audience absolutely loved the performance. All of the students were truly
focused on the play, watching silently and laughing when appropriate, that when
the play was over the entire crowd applauded. The actors and actresses did a
wonderful job, and were able to maintain focus even when one of the corners of
the tarp collapsed. Everyone was so proud of their hard work and commitment
that the last day of classes truly ended on a high note.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After the students left for the weekend and everything was
cleaned up, the Immersion group and Volunteers attended Mass said by Father
Cuddy. Mass was a great way to reflect on the past week, and what a positive
experience this all has been. After Mass there was afternoon basketball as
usual, except this game was held between LCS and PC. As a member of the PC
team, I played a few minutes in the first game, but I realized how competitive
each team was, and I decided to let the more experienced players take over from
there. Although PC ended up losing, it was great to cheer on everyone and get
to catch up with the other PC students on their experiences so far this week.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Stp-mBlkl9Fnbos8uCUKBpJ1NeT_RfUp-07_vVNnXeD-FuF5vK144IwIwbgkm9W-WdkMgbKxzgMZTzJvrP_gTnAcIz3pscd9ujqUFJzJmZy-Nx8qL1xmGwUsj0yYpYJJXIstEWH69Pnl/s1600/IMG_0467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Stp-mBlkl9Fnbos8uCUKBpJ1NeT_RfUp-07_vVNnXeD-FuF5vK144IwIwbgkm9W-WdkMgbKxzgMZTzJvrP_gTnAcIz3pscd9ujqUFJzJmZy-Nx8qL1xmGwUsj0yYpYJJXIstEWH69Pnl/s320/IMG_0467.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Before the game I was able to grab this picture of my cousin Molly and I to send to our family and as proof of both of our trips.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was able to spend a little more time with the group at
dinner over at the Moynihan’s house. I learned about their days spent in Miami
volunteering, and what their schedule has been like this week. From what I have
heard, each member in the Immersion Group not only had an incredible time, but
was also able to take something away from their experiences this week.<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-29979286549586464102013-05-30T22:00:00.000-07:002013-06-03T12:35:09.745-07:00PC at LCS<div class="MsoNormal">
This morning I was able to see the PC International Immersions
Group for the first time, and I have to admit I was truly impressed with their
high spirits and excitement. Despite having a much shorter trip than expected,
it is clear that each of the students are truly throwing themselves into the
time that they have here. It was great to see the PC spirit in action at LCS,
and to see a group of familiar faces. I was especially excited to finally see
my cousin Molly, who I know will realize, like I have, how truly special LCS
and this experience are.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After Morning Prayer the group was full of energy and ready
to go. They were able to sit in on the first classes of the morning before they
headed off to help out with the wall pour. A “wall pour” is the pouring of
cement to stabilize an existing wall. This is not an everyday occurrence at
LCS, so there was definitely an air of excitement to campus yesterday. Each
member of the PC group was able to help in the wall pour, as an assembly line
of tasks is necessary to make the process go smoothly. The group finished the
wall pour in about three hours, which is a lot quicker than I expected.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As they were working on the wall pour, I was busy surveying
the students on their own cell phone habits and usage. The Volunteers helped
gather up students so that I was able to reach my mark of one hundred surveys
rather easily. After inputting this data into my computer, I was able to spend
the rest of the day prepping for the next steps of sending out my survey to
people that represent the other demographics of Haiti.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the afternoon, a Mass was held for the Immersion Group
and whoever else could make it. It was great to feel like I was back at PC
again with Father Cuddy in front of me saying the homily! Hearing him direct
his message towards the Philo students, I was reminded of my own final days at
PC a few weeks ago. Unlike the Philo students who will have finished their time
at LCS, I still have to return to my second home at school in the fall, but the
message was equally applicable. Father Cuddy reminded the students of the
profound impact their education has had on their lives and the importance of acting
in accordance with the values and spirit in which they were taught. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
After Mass, I headed off campus with Deacon Moynihan and
Sarah, one of the PC chaperones, to dinner to discuss my project with a
knowledgeable insider of the cell phone industry. He was able to better explain
the history of telecommunications in Haiti, and provide a different perspective
to the future of the cell phone industry. He was also able to provide me with a
better understanding of how cell phones in Haiti actually work and the roles
that they play in the lives of consumers. Leaving the meeting I definitely felt
well informed and prepared to further research the potential for cell phones in
Haiti.<o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-33403325859441591442013-05-29T21:30:00.000-07:002013-05-30T04:38:54.713-07:00They Have Arrived!The PC group has made it to LCS!!! After another flight delay of about two hours, the group finally made it to campus at around 9:15 tonight! We are so excited to have them here. I cannot wait to share my LCS experiences with them and see the great work that they will do here.<br />
<br />
I will keep you updated on their trip throughout the next few days!Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-48889325437267645402013-05-28T20:45:00.000-07:002013-05-29T14:59:18.837-07:00Classroom Visits<div class="MsoNormal">
After a lot of planning, I was finally prepared today to
start surveying members of the LCS community for my project. Early in the morning
I was able to go into the two Segond classes (which would be like eleventh grade
in the United States) and speak with the students about their own cell phone
usage. Each of the students that I met today were so respectful and genuinely
interested in learning more about my project and my own classwork in the United
States.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I find remarkable about each LCS student is their
ability to communicate. Although most of the student’s first language is Kreyol,
all of their primary school classes are taught in French. From an early age,
each Haitian student is challenged to respect the potential for knowledge and
thus learn how to communicate with their professors. Although Kreyol is heavily
influenced by French, learning how to communicate in a new way is always unnatural
at first.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At LCS, students are asked to rise to new, different
challenges. Because many of the Volunteers here are the most comfortable
teaching in their native tongue, all Teachers at LCS are asked to teach in
their own language. For example, one of my roommates teaches Spanish and French
classes here. Therefore, as an U.S. Volunteer, all of her explanations and
directions in her Spanish and French classes are in the English language.
Although this is easy for her, it amazes me that each of these students can
easily switch from language to another. By the time that students reach their
final year, or Philo year, at LCS, they are truly able to grasp different
languages, and also understand the value behind a challenging education. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, when I went into the class today I was shocked to
discover how well each student could speak English. Even when they did not
understand all that I was saying right away, they quickly grasped the concept
once changed the wording of my explanations or spoke a little slower. I found
myself admiring the thirst for knowledge that many of the Segond students
possessed, as they were not afraid to ask for clarification when needed or ask
for more information. I was even able to ask them some of my own questions,
separate from the survey, about how to say certain things in Kreyol and what
they thought about cell phones in general.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Not only was I able to speak with some students today, but I
was also able to interview a few members of the LCS staff to find out how much
they spend on phone plans and how much they use their cell phones. Hearing from
both students and staff, I was able to gain a clearer picture of the Haitian
community as a whole. Tomorrow I will hopefully be going into a Philo Economics
class to discuss my survey and the demographics of Haiti. There are some
amazing statistics about the Haitian population on which I am hoping the Philo
students can help shed some light. <o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-23789712211749355572013-05-27T20:38:00.000-07:002013-05-28T16:38:59.839-07:00Never a Dull Moment<div class="MsoNormal">
Due to the hard work of the students and Volunteers of LCS,
inside the walls of the school is a fully-functioning and self-efficient
community. Much of the school’s repairs, cleaning and disposal of waste is
performed by these community members, who recognize that, as Catholics, service
is a necessary aspect of life. This service not only benefits the school, but
teaches everyone the true value of hard work.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although most work is done by students and Volunteers, there
are some exceptions to this rule. About every 2 weeks, when LCS requests more
meat for meals, a cow is brought to campus. This week, the cow arrived to the
front gates of LCS on Friday, and was then led to the back field of campus
where it was tied up. I have to admit, hearing the moo-ing sounds from across
campus were a little disconcerting, however the entire experience is something
that I will never forget. This morning, the cow was killed and then butchered
by a local man and woman. Although I could not muster up the courage to watch
the slaughtering, passing by the skull and its insides on the way to Work Hour
made the experience that more real.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The craziness of the day only continued when I came back
from Work Hour and learned that the PC group would not be making it to Haiti
today. Unfortunately, at some point yesterday afternoon a Brazilian aircraft
was damaged on the Port-au-Prince tarmac yesterday. The good news was that no
one was injured, however the bad news was that the PC group would be delayed
until Wednesday. With the entire group stuck in Miami, Father Cuddy and Deacon
Moynihan made alternate plans for the group to do service in Miami until they
are able to get a flight down to Haiti. Although I was disappointed they will
be spending a few less days at LCS than expected, I am thankful that everyone
is safe and that all of the hard work and planning of the group will not go to
waste. These students have been meeting once a week for the past few months, so
I am sure they are beyond anxious to get here and throw themselves into work
here. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The rest of the day was busy, as I prepared the survey on
cell phones that I will start distributing tomorrow. With the help of Deacon
Moynihan I was able to fine-tune some of my questions, and make sure that I am
completely ready for tomorrow. I also spent a large part of the day preparing
for phone calls and meetings with employees of a cell phone company here. It is
my hope that after speaking with these people I will better understand how cell
phones in Haiti work, and what their role is in the lives of Haitians.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I also was able to play basketball again today, this time
not completely embarrassing myself. Playing basketball here is a great way to
remind me that although my project is important, the temporary anxieties that I
might have are ultimately insignificant. At the end of the day, it is necessary
to remember to enjoy the people around you, and embrace their love and the
community that you are blessed to have. <o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-81595036514250107152013-05-26T18:30:00.000-07:002013-05-26T15:31:34.773-07:00My First Weekend<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
I apologize for not posting yesterday, but the weekends here
a time to prepare for next week and relax. Yesterday I helped do some grading
and made even more progress on my project. Due to Deacon Moynihan’s connections
within the Haitian community, I was able to have many of my questions about
Haitian banking and mobile money answered. Reports say that only about 10% of
Haitians have their own bank accounts, so much of my research yesterday was
figuring out whether or not this statistic is accurate and the reason behind this
low percentage.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Usually on Sundays the Volunteers are able to sleep in and
relax, but this weekend we went to mass at the Chapel of St. Toma, which is
about twenty minutes away from LCS. Mass is usually held for the Volunteers on
Saturday nights on campus, however this weekend was extra special. After mass
today Deacon Moynihan and Father Isaia, who usually says the masses at LCS,
baptized 121 children. We did not stay to see the baptisms, but during the mass
prior to them we were able to see all of the little ones dressed up in their
white dresses and suits. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even though mass was in Creole, it was a great experience.
During the mass there was a ton of singing, and whenever the music started
playing people everyone in the church began to sing. It was an incredible experience
to just take in. Even though the Chapel of St. Toma was recently built, the
pews were packed with people celebrating their faith and praying before the
Lord. Being at mass reminded me that no matter where I am in the world, I can
always be at home with God and the rest of the Catholic community.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The mass itself was about one and half hours, so by the time
we got back to campus we were exhausted. Most of the day was spent relaxing and
preparing for the last week of classes. Tomorrow a group of about eight
Providence College students accompanied by Father Cuddy, the Chaplain of
Providence College, and Sarah Attwood, Campus Minister at PC, will arrive at
Louverture Cleary School for a week-long immersion trip. I cannot wait for
their arrival and to share with them my LCS experience thus far. I am also
extra excited because within the group of PC students is my second cousin Molly
DiDonato (Class of 2016)! I look forward to seeing this entire group fall in
love with LCS.<o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-17933075620137208242013-05-24T22:00:00.000-07:002013-05-30T18:30:41.651-07:00Making Connections<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Every day that I have spent here, I have taken away at
least one lesson from the community that surrounds me. This morning's Work Hour
taught me the value of experience. In many of my business classes I have
learned about production and human capital, however never truly understanding
the value of such labor. Sure businesses can assign numerical value to these
concepts, but within these numbers and dollar amounts the determination, sweat,
and hard work of the individuals who complete these tasks are lost. The hours
that I have spent over these last few days working alongside students and Volunteers
on the playground and yard have taught me more about production than I would
ever learn in a classroom. LCS students and faculty serve their community every
day, reminded of God's blessings and love by phrases and prayers posted on the
walls around them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
After today's Work Hour, I went to work on my project.
However, before I could start really analyzing most of my research, I needed a
few Economics questions answered. President of The Haitian Project, Deacon
Moynihan was able to reach out to a few of his connections in order to ensure
that I had a great understanding of the topics I was dealing with. Deacon
Moynihan's connections were unbelievable, and included Dr. Gregory Mankiw, Dr.
Daron Acemoglu and a top advisor for the U.S. treasury. Dr. Mankiw is a top
Economics Professor at Harvard University and a former economic advisor for
President George W. Bush, and Dr. Acemoglu is a MIT Professor, has received a
countless number of awards for his work in the field of economics and has
recently received international recognition for his book <i>Why Nations Fail. </i>Having these well-respected economists help me
with my project was an incredible opportunity, and I am grateful for their
willingness to assist me. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
As a result of their help, all of my Economics questions
were answered and I was able to move forward in my research and analysis. Using
the GDP levels from Haiti and the United States and other additional
statistics, I was able to come up with some interesting information. From
comparing an estimate of the cell phone industry's revenues in 2011 and the
amounts spent on health care, I learned that in the U.S. people spend 8.5 times
more money on health care than cell phones; however, in Haiti people spend only
1.1 times more money on health care than cell phones. This information puts the
amount of money spent on cell phones in Haiti in perspective with other
spending within the country. It also raises a ton of new questions including:
Why is cell phone spending so high? Is it that prices are astronomical or are
people spending more of their income on their phones than they should be? Does
the amount of money spent on health care suggest poor access to health care or
are Haitians spending a proportionate amount of their GDP on this necessary
expense? With the ultimate goal of answering the question of what benefits
are Haitians receiving from their phone use and how are they paying for it, I
cannot wait to see what I learn from the rest of my research.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
Today was also a day full of performances. The Gospel
Choir, ballet and hip-hop performances were earlier today before students
returned to their homes for the weekend. Each performance was excellent, and it
was so nice to see the proud smiles on each of the student's faces as they
showcased their talents. After each performance, the love and support of the
LCS community was apparent as the audience screamed and applauded their friends
and peers. Tonight we were also able to watch a dress rehearsal of the student
production of <i>Guys & Dolls</i>. All of the speaking parts are
performed in Creole, however the songs are performed in English. As English is
the third language of many of the students, I was thoroughly impressed with
each student's effort. I cannot wait to see how the final production goes next
weekend!<o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-15896663589133635932013-05-23T21:30:00.000-07:002013-05-25T04:58:01.264-07:00How I Got Here<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
For the first time this week I was able to call home and
speak to my family. I was really excited to hear their voices and update them
on my journey. I was especially excited to speak to my dad, because not only
was he unaware that I have access to a phone, but today is his birthday. Even
though I could not be home to celebrate, it was great to surprise him and hear
how his day was going. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So I figure day four of my trip is the proper time to
finally share more information about the reason why I am here in Haiti for the
next few weeks. Beginning last summer, I started looking into the possibility
of applying for a Father Smith Fellowship through Providence College. Having
spoken to a former PC student, Kathryn McCann, who had gone to Kenya with the
program, I immediately became dead-set on applying for this incredible
opportunity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Father Smith Fellowships are an opportunity for students
to create their own program for study or service abroad alongside peoples and
organizations that coincide with Providence College’s beliefs and their
mission. Typically these fellowships are fulfilled alongside members of the
Dominican order and strongly focus on the faith aspect of the student’s trip. This
fully paid for trip creates an incredible opportunity in which students can be
transformed mentally, emotionally and intellectually. For these reasons and
more I feel incredibly blessed to be granted one of the ten of these highly competitive
fellowships.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After becoming interested in the Father Smith Fellowship, I
began to search for a site at which I could fulfill my fellowship of service.
As a student of the Liberal Arts Honors Program at PC, Providence College has
already given me so much in terms of my education and the experiences that have
accompanied it. As a result, I began to search for a site in which I could pay
forward the gift of education and the vast amount of opportunities that
schooling opens up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Last summer Father Cuddy, Chaplain at PC, travelled to
Louverture Cleary School in order to plan an immersion trip for the summer of
2013. From the moment that I read his blog and began researching The Haitian
Project, I knew that a fellowship at LCS would be an unbelievable blessing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Louverture Cleary School functions just outside of
Port-au-Prince as a Catholic school that provides an education to academically
motivated and talented students from Haitian families who cannot afford the
cost of education. This school serves students from Sizyem, 7<sup>th</sup>
grade, to philo year, what would be equivalent to a 13<sup>th</sup> grade in
the United States. In addition to these students, the school offers various
programs in which the students of LCS can interact with the surrounding
neighborhood. It is the goal of LCS that its students will use their education
and lessons learned at the school to be empowered to enact change within the
community and throughout Haiti.<o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-87752145046466837482013-05-22T20:40:00.000-07:002013-05-31T12:51:51.701-07:00Learning More About Haiti<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">For some reason I totally forgot to mention it, but every afternoon, weather permitting, the Moynihan family, some students, volunteers, and neighborhood men, play basketball on one of the school’s courts. Yesterday was the first day I was able to play, and I had a blast – although being out of shape made it a bit of a challenge. I wouldn’t say that my basketball skills would make my dad and the rest of my CYO team proud, but I definitely held my own on the court.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">After exhausting myself on the basketball court, I has a good night sleep last night. As I was warned, my anti-malaria pills have caused me to have some vivid dreams, however they are not nightmares so I am able to sleep through the night. I have a feeling that after I get adjusted to the pills that I will not be as affected by these dreams.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">My research is starting to come along after today. This morning I spent a great deal of time researching the real GDP of Haiti and looking into the role of foreign aid in this number. It is the hope that once I can find a GDP that reflects the actual production of Haiti that I can then determine the percentage of money that is spent on cell phones and telecommunications. It will be interesting to see how much of a Haitian’s income is spent on these devices, especially considering the degree of poverty that exists within this country.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">After lunch, I went off-campus with Deacon Moynihan and two staff members to visit friends of Deacon Moynihan with businesses in the city of Port-au-Prince. Not only did I get to see a factory where people were working building small electrical parts, but I also was able to speak with the businessmen about my project. It is the hope that in the next few weeks that I will return to these businesses and speak with their employees about their own cell phone habits, as well as their personal financing. By talking to these men today, I learned that many Haitians do not even own a bank account. As a result, I am hoping that my survey can look into whether or not Haitians are using mobile money and if they are, whether the use of such a tool has led to increased saving or increased spending.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Another great thing about this trip was that I was again able to see the streets of Port-au-Prince. On our way to the businesses, Deacon Moynihan was able to explain to me the informal sector within Haiti. The existence of this informal sector has led to a sense of complacency amongst Haitians, as there is no incentive to get a job within the formal sector, and thus decrease the unemployment rate.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The presence of poverty in Haiti is apparent when driving down the streets near Port-au-Prince. Although it was difficult to witness, I felt a little bit of a sense of relief knowing The Haitian Project and similar organizations with a goal of empowering the people of Haiti exist. The Haitian Project and its Louverture Cleary School truly work in the spirit of the Catholic Church. LCS focuses on the power of education and knowledge in causing changes that will better an entire community. It is the hope of LCS to better train the leaders of Haiti so that they are not only educated about the problems facing the economy, but also so that they possess the leadership and faith necessary to bring about success.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">After my great experiences off-campus, I returned to LCS for the regular afternoon schedule. We did have a few thunderstorms here this afternoon, which, although postponing tonight’s dance and choir performances, did allow for the temperature to cool down a little bit. It is still grossly humid here, but my water bottle, fan and cold showers every once in a while are making a world of a difference.</span></span></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-86589986090770914032013-05-21T20:30:00.000-07:002013-05-23T04:06:26.095-07:00Getting Into the Swing of Things<br />
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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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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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. <o:p></o:p></div>
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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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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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.<o:p></o:p></div>
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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. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Tomorrow the students have their hip-hop, ballet and Gospel
choir performances, all of which I am extremely excited for!<o:p></o:p></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-16172592961172208452013-05-20T21:42:00.000-07:002013-05-23T04:05:13.207-07:00Arrival in Haiti!<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last night, my older sister Kelli was nice enough to allow
me to stay with her at her apartment in Boston so that I would be closer to
Logan Airport for my 6:45 AM flight. I have always been the one who is nervous
for the first day of school or to try out new things, but Kelli’s hospitality
coupled by my excitement led to a restful night sleep. With a 4:00 AM alarm and
one last shower, my day of travelling began.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At around 5:15 this morning I met Deacon Moynihan, President
of The Haitian Project and head of Louverture Cleary School, at Logan Airport.
After checking in, I was introduced to two of his children who were also making
the flight to Haiti with us. Both his son and daughter were so welcoming, eager
to get to know me, and excited for the time that I will spend at LCS this
summer. Our flight to Miami and our connecting flight to Haiti went off without
a hitch, and before I knew it I was walking through Port-au-Prince Airport with
the Moynihan family.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Port-au-Prince Airport was unlike any airport I have ever
been to. Before we even made it to Customs, there was a band sitting and
playing music for arriving travelers. It was so interesting and enjoyable to
just take in the environment at the airport. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Immediately upon stepping outside of the airport, the warm
weather was noticeable. Wearing jeans for my travel through the cold airports,
I began to sweat the second we got outside. Luckily, we were able to quickly meet
up with the staff who were sent to drive us to LCS. Remaining basically silent
throughout the ride back to the school, I was able to truly see the poverty and
destruction that engulfs most of the city of Port-au-Prince. LCS is not too far
from the airport, so within a half hour Deacon Moynihan and I were walking through
the gates of the school.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once on the enclosed campus, I was immediately introduced to
one of the long-term Volunteers who was able to show me around. I will be
sharing a room with two other Volunteers and one Haitian woman who is the Dean
of Academics at LCS. All of the Volunteers were eager to meet me, and welcomed
me right away into their lives at LCS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After a brief tour of the campus, I was able to attend a
soccer practice for the school’s soccer team. The team is made up of about
fifteen students ages 15 to 17, who all really enjoy the game of soccer. The
practice that I attended today was extra exciting, as the team received their
uniforms for their first match, which is tomorrow versus another team in the
area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once soccer practice was over I was able to take my first
cold shower, which was both refreshing and much needed after a day of travel.
Afterwards I attended dinner, which was a traditional Haitian dish prepared by
a fellow Volunteer, followed by a session of evening prayer with all of the other
Volunteers. I already feel like I am at home at LCS and with this group of
people, and I cannot wait to see how my next 24 days in Haiti will unfold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tomorrow I will be sure to include more about the mission of
Louverture Cleary School and the type of students who receive an education
here. So far, I have been nothing but impressed by The Haitian Project’s staff
and all of those working at LCS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7353077579655826423.post-83868901737815089132013-05-19T19:34:00.000-07:002013-05-20T13:38:10.741-07:00A Dream a Year in the Making <span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After a year dreaming, planning, and preparing, I cannot believe the day has finally come. Thanks to the Father Smith Fellowship and the generous members of my Providence College family, I will be fulfilling a fellowship of service at The Haitian Project's Louverture Cleary School in Port-au-Prince, Haiti starting tomorrow. This twenty-five day trip will be both full of learning and challenges, and I could not be more excited for the memories that I will make on this journey.<br /><br />As I write this post I am on my way to Boston after a fantastic Commencement Weekend at PC. The weekend was full of many memories, as I was able to watch on proudly as my cousin Tara received her diploma with the rest of the Class of 2013. Celebrating Tara's accomplishments surrounded by our family was a great way to spend my last days in the United States.<br /><br />Even though I said goodbye to both my PC family and my own family earlier today, I know that although they will not be alongside me to share in my experiences, their love and support will not be absent throughout my journey. This afternoon I received two gifts - a bracelet with a Saint Christopher charm from my Aunt Cate and a set of rosary beads from my mother (passed along from a dear friend, proud Rhode Islander, and Dominican Sister). Both of these gifts will serve as reminders of the true mission of this journey and the faith that will give me the strength to complete it.<br /><br />I truly cannot put into words how grateful I am for such an opportunity to travel to LCS to learn more about myself, others, the world, and above all, the power and love of the Catholic Church. Providence College has already given me so much, therefore it is my turn to work in the Catholic and Dominican spirit and transform the lives of others.<br /><br />"What you receive for free, you must give for free."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">- Matthew 10:8</span>Mollyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17130612437244187473noreply@blogger.com2Boston, MA USA42.3364553 -71.03491930000001342.2895043 -71.115600300000011 42.3834063 -70.954238300000014