In many ways, the start of school here looked like any
school in the States. The students
showed up Monday, lugging backpacks, lunchboxes and water bottles and bubbling
with a sense of anticipation and anxiety.
The teachers warmly greeted each student and showed them to their
classrooms, where posters adorn the walls and bulletin boards offer key
learning points. At eight o’clock a bell
rang and the students took their seats.
But the bell is not electronic – it is a literal bell and it’s
in the hand of Mrs. Z, a 70-something missionary from the States who teaches 1st
and 2nd grade. Electronics
are not anything you want to put too much trust in here in Haiti. At about 9:30 every morning the power has
been going out, leaving the classrooms without overhead lighting, but, more
importantly, without fans.
My class is dependent on electronics and we are paying the
price for that dependency. I have just
three students, Caleb, Jacob and Julia, and they are supposed to be doing the
majority of their coursework online. Today
is the fourth day of school and still no internet connection. The fine men of Access Haiti would make
stateside house contractors proud: “We
will be there Friday before the start of the school year.” “Saturday.”
“First thing Monday morning.” “Sorry,
our guy was sick. Tuesday?” “We didn’t bring enough cable.” “We will finish the job tomorrow.”
My students and I haven’t been sitting around twiddling our
thumbs. It has actually worked out well
for me. I have had plenty of time to
teach some writing skills and to get to know the students individually. By the time I leave a week from today*, we
will have a good foundation from which I can teach long distance the rest of
the semester.
I want desperately to come back with my family after
Christmas, in time to start the second semester. There
is a good reason why I have only three students: the principal had to limit the
number of upper grade enrollments as a result of not having a teacher – me! –
on site this semester. Other students
were interested but were turned away and I am told that this is the only school
in this area which offers the upper grade classes now. I read recently that the average Haitian
adult has the equivalent of a third grade education.
And then there is the kindergarten where Melissa is to
teach. For now, the principal is
teaching the class and so is only able to offer it three times a week. Even so, with all the other responsibilities
Angie must juggle, I am hoping our family can get here and Melissa take the reins
of the kindergarten before Angie is burned out completely.
If I were handed a magic wand next Thursday when it’s time for
me to board a plane, and told I could use it to instantly be reunited with my
family, I wouldn’t hesitate to use it to bring Melissa and the kids here with a
couple of suitcases rather than to pop me back to Indiana.
* Heard a rumor today that the Cap Haitien airport may be shut down for the next 5 weeks! We shall see. I would appreciate your prayers over this matter. Of course, it DOESN'T mean that I won't be able to fly to Florida until October if the rumors are true. But it DOES mean that I would have to alter my plans quite a bit. First, I would have to get to Port-au-Prince somehow and book a new flight from there. Also, my rental for the trip home is from Ft. Pierce and I would likely be flying elsewhere out of Port. I already have lined up several friends I want to see on the way back and a speaking engagement in Flowery Branch, Georgia for the 16th of September. So... I am praying.
P.S. I will try to post some pictures this evening if the internet around the compound is working!
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