Home from Haiti

I just got back from Haiti and my mind is swimming! Once I get my thoughts all sorted out, I'll post news and notes about my trip.

College Missions Trips

When I was in college, I was part of a group called HOPE Fellowship which stood for His Own People Eternally. I haven't spoken of this group in a long time. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It started out as the best and after 4 years, it ended up as the worst.

During our good times, we went on missions trips instead of going home for the entire Christmas break or going home for Spring break at all. We went to Cleveland, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, New York City and Washington DC. Our work included: soup kitchens, clothing closets, building houses, visiting churches, prayer walking, playing with kids or any number of tasks.

These trips opened my world to different cultures within our own country. I was exposed to poverty, homeless, religions and lots more. It sounds more tame than it actually was but it was the start of my need to trot the globe. Since then, I've gone more places and found that basically, people have the same needs no matter where they are. They need food, clothing, shelter, acceptance and most importantly love.

New York City soup kitchen

Our team in New Orleans

Our trips always involved a road trip!

Trip Prep

That's right, I'm trying to get my act together for Haiti. Its been a difficult adventure having to prepare lesson plans in detail of the entire program. Not so much doing the plans but having to state the obvious because Haitian teachers don't 1. do lesson plans and 2. do not consider the obvious that we consider. I even have to mention things as rudimentary as "participants will take notes as the presenter talks"--sounds rather blatant but its true these things need to be said. Its like being in undergrad education again!

I'm also waiting on a verdict from our church's Mission Commission to see if they will grant me money for this trip.

I've also been wasting my time as of late on Facebook. I started an account a long time ago with an alias but then decided to own up to my identity. Sure enough, the same day I admitted who I was, where I live and where I went to school people came out of the woodwork rather quickly. Now, I'm struggling with being known and the privacy of anonymity.

Lucie Aubrac

Lucie as a young woman

Her famous book

Teaching well past retirement age for the greater good

Movie starring Daniel Auteuil and Carole Bouquet

Her last book

During World War II, while many countries, groups and individuals were being oppressed and oppressing others, a group of French citizens decided to take action against the Nazis.  They were aptly named La Résistance.  Their acts included secret messages over the BBC radio, underground newspapers and dismantling railroads to derail trains pulling intended residents of concentration camps.  The most famous person from the Resistance was Jean Moulin, a man who organized people with the cooperation of General Charles de Gaulle.  Ultimately, he was tortured to death at the hands of Klaus Barbie, the butcher of Lyon.  

One of the unsung heroes of the Resistance is Lucie Aubrac.  Lucie and her husband Raymond stuck it out with Moulin and many others to set their country free and overturn the occupation.  Lucie Aubrac is a fairly recent discovery of mine, within the last few years.  I visited the Resistance museum in Paris and the Barracks at Chateaubriant but there was no mention of Lucie Aubrac.  She has left a legacy for her family, her country and the world.  Participating in the Resistance was not the last the world heard of her.  She spent the rest of her life giving lectures on the activities of the Resistance and the terrors they were fighting against.  Even up to her last year of life (2007) she was teaching, speaking and lecturing giving millions a first hand account of the triumphs and set backs she and her associates endured.

My renewed interest in her life has come as a result of being in France and buying her famous book Outwitting the Gestapo or the French title being "they will leave in a stooper" (Ils partirons dans l'ivresse).  There was a motion picture made of her involvement which is a wonderful depiction since it was assisted by Lucie herself and directed by Claude Bérri (also made Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources)  Her latest book, La Résistance expliquée à mes petits-enfants (The Resistance explained to my grandchildren) is a less graphic story as it is intended for younger audiences.  If anything, watch the movie to get an idea of her life, legacy and effect. 

Quiche Lorraine

Homemade pâté brisée dough ready to be rolled into the crust

Crust pre-baked and ready to join the rest

Final product!

After reading Walt's blog this morning, I was inspired to make a quiche for dinner.  I do this periodically when I'm in the mood for this succulent dish or when I'm feeling extra French.  I made it with provolone cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon and ham.  As chic as this sounds, they were leftovers that I thought weren't enough to do anything with on their own.  Together, they make a great combinaison.  In addition to the great ingredients, it was made in my quiche pan that was gift from my favorite French teacher, Madame Shelton.  Voilà et Bon Appétit!

Castles and Cathedrals of France

 

Locations by row:

1. Saumur, La Rochelle, Chambord, Angers, Chambord, Angers
2. Chambord, Saumur, Angers, Amboise, Paris, St Germain en laye
3. Paris, Angers, Versailles, Angers, Angers, Doué la Fontaine
4. Angers, Louveciennes, Versailles, Versailles, La Rochelle, Paris
5. Guérande, St Germain en laye, La Rochelle, Rochefort en Terre, Paris, Amboise
6. Angers, Angers, Amboise, Paris, Guérande, Angers
7. La Rochelle, Chenonceaux, Paris, Chartres, Chartres, Saumur
8. Chenonceaux, La Rochelle, Guérande, St Germain en laye, Angers, Chenonceaux

La Cuisine de France

 

This is a collage of food I've had in France.  Bon Appétit!

Return to Provence

Perhaps you know already, but, the first time I went to France was to study abroad.  I went to Avignon, located in the south of France, namely Provence.  Provence has been popular generation after generation for thousands of years for various reasons.  Written by Frédéric Mistral; painted by Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Cézanne; filmed based on stories by Marcel Pagnol; inhabited by kings and popes; composed by Georges Bizet; visited by millions including Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Jefferson and Julius Caesar.  Studying in Provence, I found myself in good company.

Since then, I discovered an English writer who was seduced by Provence and abandoned his motherland to live the provençal life.  Peter Mayle has shared so much about the provincial provençal life that he learned much of the time by accident or some faux pas.  He has written books of fact and fiction that always is centered in Provence.  His non-fiction books are a fun way to learn about Provence from a foreign perspective, not necessarily the insiders view.  His first book, A Year in Provence, is a detailed adventure of moving to the rural part of Provence and being subjected to many suspicions of the natives.  

He's a favorite author of mine and I am always waiting for him to publish something new.  Some of his books I have hung onto waiting for the opportune time to revive my love of his concise and descriptive style of life, love and food of Provence.

I recently renewed my love affair with Peter Mayle's wit and accuracy of the region by picking up Chasing Cézanne, Hotel Pastis and Provence A - Z.  The first two being novels and the latter is a dictionary or manual to elements important or common in Provence.

One of the most fascinating things I have ever seen in France is the scenery. The first time I was in France, I was studying in Avignon, Provence. When my program was completed, I headed to the suburbs of Paris to meet up with my long-time friend, Delphine. She and her family were so gracious to show me around Paris and the suburbs. Our tour included the Palace of Versailles, the Louvre, the Musée d'Orsay, mass at Notre Dame and so many other sites. One of my favorite things in their home town of Louveciennes was the artists that had spent time there.  Namely, Pissarro and Sisley, impressionists that painted the buildings of Louveciennes. The fascinating thing is the sites still look very much the same plus a few modern additions. A replica of the painting is placed near the site in the perspective that is supposed to be that of the artist.

I am not a fan of impressionism, actually, but I am a fan of these postings around Paris. Its a surreal occasion when you stand at the altar in Notre Dame where Napoléon crowned himself, where the Treaty of Versailles was signed and where artists found their muse.

Mansion in Louveciennes

Baudot's impression of the same mansion

House and yard in Louveciennes

Pissarro's depiction of the same house

Back to Haiti

The girls on the left stayed close to me all week while I worked with them in Haiti.  They taught me a lot of Creole, too.  The girl in light pink (far left) had the same name as me!

Its true, I may be going back to Haiti.  I went for the first time in August 2006 and then a second time in April 2007.  This new opportunity would be in April of this year.  I have been invited to go by a non-profit organization called Pwof Ansanm.  I have been doing translation for them for the last year for educational purposes.  One of the documents I worked on was presented to the government of Haiti in order to be adopted as educational law.  Their objective is to improve the educational standards in Haiti and thereby teaching Haitian teachers methods and techniques that increase student achievement.  

In addition to translating for them, I have also contributed lesson plans of my own.  The program is a week long series of seminars from April 6 to 10.  I would present lessons, techniques and methods to increase critical thinking for students.  The great thing about me going is that I do not need a translator and can teach them directly without a middle-man (or woman).  

I'll let you know more as soon as I know it.  All preparations are being made now for the program, the participants, the location, lodging, flights, and finances.  Please pray that the finances will be provided by the grants being written or by some other means.

Can you believe I haven't been out of the country for over a year?  I'm starting to go a little stir crazy!

When you're sick...

Being sick with a cold is always an interesting experience.  Your true personality seems to ooze out, not unlike your sick nose.  I like to sound whiny or try out my falsetto when I'm sick.  Its also one of the few times where my French sounds great because I am more nasal than normal.

Things I love when I am sick:

• orange juice
• soup
• frozen pizza
• any food, let's be honest

Update on the semester

I loved this book!

Theatre of the Absurd -- what more can be said?

Almost done with this one.  I have about 30 pages left and am still trying to figure out the plot.

This is the last one on the list.  I haven't started it because it hasn't been shipped yet.

Since I last wrote about this literature course I'm taking, I've read more works and written more papers.  You'll never catch me thanking the French for Existentialism or Theatre of the Absurd. Aside from those minor and forgivable flaws the French are still numéro un in my book.  The end of this course is now in sight.  I have 1 book that I'm nearly done with and another that I have to read, plus papers for both and finally a dissertation to sum up the whole semester.  This dissertation is already blocked out and I may have it done before the next book. We shall see, as I may have shot myself in the foot for allowing that thought to be expressed publicly.

Great Grandma's 100th Birthday

Mom, Erin, Me, Great Grandma, Dad

Most of the Great Grandchildren:

Me, Kevin, Kenny, Melissa, Christie, Great Grandma, Ashley, Erin.

Me, Great Grandma and Erin.

As mentioned in a previous post, my great grandmother just turned 100. It was a small gathering because her friends could not attend--since they are all, well, you know. Anyhow, we had a lovely time seeing the rest of the family and celebrating this milestone together. We had cake and ice cream for this reception.

Fall Banquet

Michelle, president; Julia, secretary; John, vice president; Ed, treasurer; Me, webmaster

At the risk of sounding nerdy, I belong to an association for foreign language teachers.  Its called Chautauqua County Foreign Language Teacher Association (CCFLTA).  Its a lovely group of people who share my same passion:  languages and imparting the passion of them.  I've formed some really neat friendships by belonging to this association.  It also was the source of a temporary job that I picked up with a software company writing an online French review. More on that later.  Our association meets twice a year for a banquet to eat together, share updates and news and more importantly to mingle with kindred spirits.  Tonight's banquet is at Vullo's.  We have approximately 30 members and I can't wait to see them again.  As mentioned in the photo caption, I am the webmaster of CCFLTA because we are directly affiliated with the state association NYSAFLT who requires all affiliations to have websites.  Knowing that I'm techno savvy, I was more or less volunteers.  Here's the website and judge for yourselves.

Haiti Bound?

Courtney and I floating in the salt water!

Our church is very involved and invested in missions work in Haiti.  This is the reason for my second trip to Haiti, Spring 2007.  We have more teams and trips being organized for 2009.  Our focus has been construction, medical attention and education.  For construction, our church has assisted in building an orphanage, school and medical clinic.  For medical attention, our church has sent teams to do checkups and other trips for surgical needs.  The education part of the focus has been in the form of vacation bible schools and supporting teachers in various villages.  All parts of the efforts seem to overlap.  The teachers we support use the schools that we build.  The medical staff we send use the clinic we built and so on.

The church bulletin is calling for more people to come forward to go on one of the trips.  I really would like to go.  The last time I went, over a year ago, I financed the trip on my own. Since I haven't been working steadily, that will not be possible.

I was not sure in what capacity I would serve but it soon became evident.  Arriving at the Miami airport and waiting to go to Haiti, I met Haitians everywhere.  Even boarding the plane, I was saying "excuse me, pardon me" in French and English while trying to get around people to my seat.  Haitians all around the plane started asking me questions wanting to know what my nationality was because of the rarity of an American speaking French.  It went on from there to be similar all around Haiti.

What was interesting was that I spoke with the Haitians without the use of a translator or interpreter because French is so similar to Haitian creole.  The first day I spoke with various people in French and had some neat discussions.  The next several days, people approached me and said "You're her!  You're the French speaking American!"  It was odd that people knew who I was without having seen me before but a white woman speaking their language would stand out, I suppose.  

For several days people came to talk with me because there was less distance between us because we could speak to each other without a mediator.  I finally asked someone how they came to know who I was and how they recognized me.  They all told me that the whole village and surrounding villages were talking about it. How odd!  I signed on to be a part of the vacation bible school team geared towards children but ended up speaking with local teens and adults.  It was like being a rock star being known and approached like they knew me but I did not know them.  I felt like I was contributing in a way that was not planned.  I was also put with the medical team to do some translating, too.  

We'll see what is in store for this trip.  Hopefully, I'll get to go again.  Time will tell.

This Semester

My writing has been sporadic lately because I've been busy with my lit course this semester. Busy reading and writing, I have been left with little time to write anything other than for my course. My reading list consists of surrealism, existentialism and theatre of the absurd.  Aside from work, church, flipside and sleep, my posts have been neglected.  All the items I am require to ponder for this course are less than noteworthy, in my opinion.  So, I'll spare you the details.

Job Quandary

In Angers, I had to give a speech to all participants and professors of our program in honor of the retirement of my professor who was retiring from being director of the program. (yes it was in French).

As many of you know, I started a new job in August as a French Customer Service Agent. The title is more glamourous than the job. Basically, I work for a company that services customers worldwide in the arena of wi-fi.

I've learned a couple things about myself from this job. I do well explaining how to connect to the signal and all the techy talk needed. This is multi-faceted in and of itself. Sometimes its a very tech-savvy person that calls in and needs help and other times it is a person who barely can locate the power button. Either way, I've had a lot of success working with people needing tech support. Another thing I've learned about myself is that I'm a decent sales person. I even had an instance a couple days ago where the person was unable to connect after all of my tech support and troubleshooting efforts and I was still able to get them to upgrade their plan. Not bad! Its an interesting position to be in having to sell something to someone and explaining the reason for which they "need" the service. I put need in quotes because I ranted on needs vs. wants in another post.

The question that I am now facing is whether or not I should leave this current position for a sales position. This is a daunting choice because ultimately I'm betting on my ability to generate income on my own rather than a guaranteed paycheck.

Thoughts? Honestly, I'm interested in all feedback here. Give me your best shot.

Take Time For Yourself

A sign in a museum in Angers.  It reads:  In this museum...As you please.  Muse, Converse, Smoke, Study, Touch, Mess, Look, Eat, Contemplate, Discover, Draw, Photograph, Stroll. Note: the crossed items on the sign are indicated by red text.

Today, I had the day off and the house to myself.  I had a list of things to do that would be productive but decided to scrap the list for the sake of my sanity.  This new job of mine has me on constant edge to the point that I do not take time for myself--not counting sleep.  Instead of doing dishes, laundry and changing the bed sheets I did some reading, watched tv and ate popcorn for lunch.  In addition to those activities, I went to Starbucks and had a pumpkin latté.  Generally, I'm not a coffee fiend but I do take advantage of a gift card if one comes my way.  Shortly, after I got there, there were only 2 young people working and I engaged them in conversation.  We had a nice time chatting and then a friend of mine walked in and we drastically changed the tone of the conversation--because we were speaking French.  What a rare delight to do one of my favorite things in a place I so rarely go.  Turns out, I may see one of these young people again as this person goes to places I go, etc.

Life is full of surprises and some of them are pleasant.  A nap, for instance, may be pleasant.

Things are Not What They Seem

Mural in Québec City on the side of a building.

Much like this mural, many things are deceiving.  On the surface, I'm a person who works, goes to a gym, attends a church and is married.  If you get to the depth of me, you'll find different results.  Sure, I'm still married and still go about daily business like most people.  What I mean is, we're different people on the inside than what we present to others.  We often put our best foot forward as the adage says of us.  It's not until we let down our guard or get close to someone that we let the truth reveal itself.

I have to say, as transparent as I am, I still keep distance with a lot of people.  There are only a few people that really know me well enough to be able to predict my behavior.  Most people know me for my Eiffel Tower collection, love of French things and love of youth and travel. What most people don't know is...

1. I have a love/hate relationship with cooking
   
2. I have the ability to convince anyone of anything--yet I'm not in sales
3. I am an introvert though I appear to be an extrovert.
4. I refuse to let myself get emotional.
5. I'm not just a pretty face, ya know

As I said, things are not what they seem.

Sobering Reality

I have had the great fortune of being a part of the Step into Africa planning committee to bring the traveling exhibit to Jamestown. As a group, we've been toiling since February to pull together our labors into a fantastic orchestration of the exhibit. The exhibit's objective is to promote global awareness of HIV/AIDS worldwide, particularly in Africa, and to promote the importance of child sponsorship.

After months of work, the exhibit and World Vision team arrived. The set up began Friday evening and it was open for visitors starting Saturday morning. I had the fortune of going Saturday afternoon. Its profound to go through and listen to the life of a child and look at pictures and sit on their beds and hear how they have been personally impacted by HIV/AIDS.

Today, I devoted my entire day to volunteering at the exhibit. From 8am to 8pm, I worked in the marketplace area of the exhibit to explain sponsorship, fundraising opportunities, donation opportunities and talk with people. Many people come out of the exhibit speechless and not ready to express the impact. Some want to spring into action right away and want to pour out their hearts and pocketbooks to the efforts. Its an interesting thing watching people come out of such a startling reality.

One such young woman caught my attention today. She seemed deeply impacted as she was weeping continually. I approached her and thanked her for visiting thinking there was nothing else I could say to her at that moment. She hovered at my words. Curious, I told her about the function of the exhibit's marketplace but withheld many details for she did not seem financially stable. She still stood motionless in front of me. Not sure what else to offer her, I asked her some questions about the exhibit and that opened a flood gate of words from her.

She began to tell me about how she had fallen on hard times. She had been diagnosed with HIV in the winter and her fiancé had died of AIDS as recently as 6 weeks ago. Stunned, I offered condolences. I hugged her out of sheer sympathy and to prove a point that not all people are afraid to touch her and that I certainly was not. I did not want to seem judgmental or harsh so I just hugged her, no questions asked. She walked away.

As she was looking at other things in the exhibit, I felt my eyes tearing up. I couldn't get her out of my mind. Why was she so prominent in my thinking? What was it about her? I couldn't let her go without talking with her again. I chased after her.

Once I caught up with her, I asked her for her name. She replied without asking why I would even want to know. I introduced myself formally this time unlike of the casual encounter we had before. I asked her more questions about her fiancé and how they came to be together and how HIV/AIDS became a part of their lives. She told me everything. Under 30 years old, 3 children, infected and a deceased fiancé. That was more than I would have thought just by looking at her.

I thanked her for confiding in me such a sensitive and personal topic. She told me she felt that she could speak freely since I worked at the exhibit and associated my presence there with working with infected people on a regular basis. This was a wrong assumption. One I was glad she made. As our conversation was winding down, I asked her if I could pray for her. We stood together and I held her hands and prayed for her. There is so much healing that this young woman needs that she feels the utter shame of sharing with anyone about being infected. I hugged her again and thanked her again.

It does not seem like enough. Here I was at an exhibit about HIV/AIDS awareness giving people tools to financially support those in Africa and felt so ill-prepared at that moment. Was it enough that I made physical contact to banish potential feelings of estrangement? Was it enough that I listened to this hurting person? Is there anything else I could have done? I pray that I did what I was called to do and that it was adequate.

Sometimes my heart hurts so much, I cannot give enough.