Charlie Inn Port-au-Prince

... des choses qu’on n’a jamais connuou vécu. C’est de l’extrapolation, et c’est dans le domaine de l’abstraction.On n’a pas ça tout de suite en naissant, ça se développe plus tard. On l’a ditsouvent, les vietnamiens sont pas les champions de l’abstraction. On donne dansla pensée plus concrète, dans laquelle ils excellent, d’ailleurs. Dans l’exécutionet la reproduction aussi, ils ...

... Haitians come out and watch us try to navigate. They are rightfully laughing hysterically at us as they do this daily! Eventually they take pity and help some of our group down. Then they volunteer to clean our muddy shoes. Their kindness knows no boundaries!

Father Reginald is the new priest at St. Pierre. He graciously offers up his home to us. We have solar electricity, flush toilets, and a refrigerator. This is ...

... Prince. All our luggage has made it with us. We make our way out to our transport bus. Lots of Haitians are around us all wanting to handle our bags. We make our way over to the international airport. Luckily this year our flight to JFK is not cancelled. Fred and I get everyone checked in except for Jerry who is heading to Miami. We go through immigration and then head upstairs to wait the many hours until our flight. Steph, Sarah ...

... roads back home, which would be fine, except that P-au-P is the largest city in the country. We're constantly on winding, narrow hills or unpaved back roads - and don't get me started on the drivers! :P Let's just say car horns come in handy a little more often. Electricity - we average about 8-12 hours a day, primarily in the late evening and sleeping hours. It's an ...

... been fantasizing about. Instead we have a slice of pizza which is still pretty darn good. Board the plane to Chicago, almost there. The flight is noneventful. I can't sleep because I'm filled with excitement. We land at O'Hare only to be stuck on the runway. There are no places to deplane. They hold us for over 45 minutes causing us to miss our flight to GR. When we finally deplane not only ...

... them but they are mangy. Chris plays the bongos for awhile. We discuss how the Haitians perceive us. It must be strange to see these "white people" come in, driving new trucks, with different clothes for each day, more than one pair of shoes, suitcase filled with treats. They lead a simple life and spend every day working hard. They are not bitter at all. In fact they are happy and helpful, they truly want to make ...

... dirty, and sweaty. After dinner we spent the evening on the veranda enjoying a small breeze and drinks. We shared some reflections on our trip so far. Bill, Chris, and Dave are amazing guides, cool, calm and collected. It is nice to be able to count on them as well as trust them fully. *Travel Tip-Do not pack large bottles of shampoo and shower gel in duffle bags. They will explode!

... agradecidas. ¡Paz! ENGLISH TEXT Greetings from Cap Haitien, where my missionary internship as a deacon is still unfolding very well. I feel very happy in many ways. I now understand Creole much better, and I am capable of conversation. I participate regularly in some parish groups. I have begun to give some talks, as well as baptizing and preaching. Soon I will get started on funerals and weddings. MILOT One of the Oblates was asked to go to Milot to ...

... it seems that things went well, people were grateful and excited - at least my Creole pronunciation seems to be better than my French! Today, December 12, I preached on the feast of Notre Dame of Guadalupe - in French, which though more difficult in pronounciation, is easier in syntax. I experience preaching in French as something very different from preaching in Creole, just like preaching on a Sunday is very different from preaching on a weekday ...

... in my throat. Instead, I felt a tiny thrill of joy that these women and I met, fragile as the curl of dawn, that my hands caressed their skin. I paused, beating at this feeling-surely there could be no positive feelings from a visit to the hopeless. The gloves made me gag, but amid all the horror, the women had seen me, and I them; I recalled the faint smile lifting a woman's face and my own grin. A faint butterfly struggled within my breast, so I allowed it to stay ...