Wednesday 7/31/13

Today was 100% better than Monday.  I knew it was going to be different when I got to the school and wasn't greeted by a concrete courtyard of dancing children.  Don't get me wrong-the kids are adorable out doing their morning workout, but excited squeals and unhealthy decibels of Beyonce can't be blocked out when there are no doors or windows in your college "classroom".  

No children also meant a downstairs classroom where you can feel a breeze coming through the cutout holes ("windows") in the concrete instead of only feeling the rising temperature of 40 adult bodies crammed into a small rock wall room-"hell" as one student referred to this place.  The description is quite accurate.

We spent the next 8 hours discussing and debating topics in Social Psychology.  Does altruism exist? Students gave compelling arguments of their own sacrifices helping people out of crumbled buildings after the earthquake or personally carrying a stranger with cholera onto a bus when the bus driver initially refused to take the sick passenger.    We debated what constitutes an act of aggression, and if prejudice is purely learned behavior ("But, Professor Childs, who taught the person who taught that person who taught that person to value one thing above another?)  I also got a long round of applause when I announced we would spend a couple of hours talking about theories of attraction.  As an introduction to the topic I asked them to go around and describe one thing that attracts them to the other person.  They didn't even let me finish as body parts began being shouted out.  They quickly became speechless when I added the qualifier. "and I don't want physical characteristics-think of other aspects of a person you find attractive".  They gave pretty thoughtful answers after having to stop and think about this for a minute.  Note-taking also greatly increased during this topic.

I finished the class by having the students get into groups and create a public service announcement addressing forms of prejudice that exists in Haiti today and perform their radio or television commercial for the class.  I was in awe at the passion and talent the students have for addressing complicated topics of gender bias, French/Creole language bias, the treatment of restaveks, educational inequity, to name a few.

Even after 8 hours of class, the students left energized and begging for a second course in Social Psychology.  It was a nice compliment, but more importantly I reminded them that just as we had talked about the power of group influence, though they are small in number, they have the drive, passion, and ability to make big changes in this community.

Monday July 29th, 2013

Teaching social psychology in a culture where i don't know all the social norms.  A classroom that doubles as a human oven.  40 bodies smashed in this oven from 9-5.  Brain overload from 8 hours of using an interpreter. Hormones.  A wooden shed for a "bathroom" where instead of working toilets I found the 5-gallon pee bucket and a smaller poop bucket (both half full of their intended contents).  A giant scary black bug crawling out of a dark scary latrine hole.  A class that was asleep for most of the afternoon.  Heart rash. Nearly fainting a few times from heat sickness.  

All in a day's work. 

Still Here...

This last month has flown by, and free time has been a precious commodity between teaching, counseling, lesson planning, and a few random adventures that just come with living in a place like this.  I decided that since I probably will never get this blog caught up on that section of this experience, I'll just jump in to where I'm at right now.

Wednesday 6/26/13

I spent the morning getting caught up on my journal/blog and some email.  It’s nice to have a pretty flexible schedule right now so I can get prep work done for the counseling center, class, self-guided creole studying, and anything else I want to do.  The mornings are quiet as everyone else is busy in the creole classes or teaching, and I can sit out on the porch and focus on what I need to do.

            M., one of the Creole students, wanted to run up the road to the Baptist Mission.  I have heard they have an amazing bakery up there so I went along for the ride.  This was the first real touristy place I have been, and it was weird to see so many white people (all wearing some kind of mission trip shirt) everywhere.  They did have an amazing selection of breads, jams, and other delicious Haitian treats.  I tried some coconut candy and oatmeal bread, all of which were amazing. 

            I memorized some more Creole vocabulary and spent some time talking with S. in the afternoon.  He was telling me about some of his experiences around 2004-2005 when violence in the streets was a commonplace occurrence following the ousting of one of the Haitian presidents.        

            My roommates and I have decided to take turns cooking dinner for each other, so my night was tonight.  I made spaghetti with vegetable-packed sauce (I know, I actually chose to do this) because we have been eating so much rice and beans that I was really ready for something different.  Most everyone in the house had left to go for a walk and then to get drinks at the little bar down the road. C., L., N., and I stayed, which turned out to be a good thing because there was a torrential rainstorm that started flooding the roads.  The four of us spent the evening playing games and talking.

Right before bed I saw something big and black come crawling across the floor.  It was probably a good, fat 2 inches big.  I refused to look at it, but made my roommates take care of whatever it was.  They know of my fear of cockroaches, so they obliged.

Tuesday 6/25/13

This morning I was planning on spending a few hours getting ready for my first class and going down to the school with K. for the afteroon, but L. ended up getting sick and K. had to cover for her 9:00 am class.  Since I still don’t know how to get to the school by myself, I quickly grabbed my things and left with her.  Good thing I planned today’s lesson yesterday so I wasn’t completely unprepared. 

            I sat in on the English class that K. was subbing for.  The students are working on a lip sync to the Black Eyed Peas “Where is the Love” to perform for a final project.  I didn’t know this at the time, and was really confused when the students were asking K. to define Bloods and Crips.  K. is from the UK, so she had no idea what they were talking about.  Good thing I’m pretty savvy on American gang culture.  You never know when that information will come in handy.

            K. and I found a corner at the side of the schoolyard to eat a lunch that M. and I grabbed at a grocery store on the way to the school this morning.  It’s a little uncomfortable eating there because we know that many of the students often have to choose to pay for bus fare to get to school rather than eat.  We did pack an extra cheese sandwich for one of the student translators because K. said that he works so hard, but hardly ever has enough food to eat.  She also said that when he does, he ends up sharing most of it with everyone else, so we had him come and eat in the corner with us.

            There was randomly a kid on the schoolgrounds wearing a Utah Jazz jersey.  Of course I had to get a picture with him.  This is actually the second Jazz jersey I have seen here.  I wonder if this is evidence of Deseret Industries in action?  One guy at the school had actually heard of the Utah Jazz, though.

            After lunch I  met with the student council to get them involved in the creation of the counseling center.  They are so excited to be a part of this and had a great conversation about what types of services would benefit the students the most.  This language barrier things is pretty frustrating, though.  I wish I could just magically speak Creole so I don’t feel like such a speedbump in this process.

            I then taught a 3-hour class on relaxation and coping skills for half of K.’s health psychology class.  We had a great discussion on what stress looks like in Haiti, and what coping skills people already use.  Just like Ghana, the first answers were singing, dancing, and religion.  I then taught them ten different techniques they could use when working with their own clients as counselors and social workers.  They really got into it and had a lot of great questions about the purpose and effectiveness of each one.  Their favorite (and mine) was the body shake.  All my Judi’s House friends will appreciate this.  J

            J., one of the Creole students picked K. and I up from the school since he was down in Petion-ville at the time.  We ended up picking up about 8 other ETS (university) students along the way and they just kept piling in to the back of the pick up so we could drop them off at a taptap station.  K., J., and I stopped at a grocery store called Giant before heading home.  This place was the Walmart of Haiti filled with all the American imports you could ever want.  The constant socioeconomic extremes is sometimes overwhelming,  and it’s hard not to feel the associated guilt. 

            I was reminded again of the poverty perspectives as soon as I got home.  C. told me of an interaction she had with one of our friends who lives near our house.  We walked to his house on Friday to see some new piglets.  There we saw the humble shack he shares with his seven brothers and sisters and parents.  A friend of C.’s had sent some money to help pay for a YMCA-sponsored soccer camp.  When he exchanged exchanged the American dollars to Haitian goude, he ended up with an extra 30 goude (the equivalent of about 75 cents).  Instead of keeping that money for himself (which could have helped feed his family), he saw an old woman walking down the road and gave the money to her because, as he explained, she needed that money much more than he did. 

Monday 6/24/13

Today has been a pretty uneventful day.  I got up and worked on creating all the forms that one would use in a counseling center.  Then I planned tomorrow’s lesson and studied some Creole.  I sat on the porch and talked with S. for a while, then came and had dinner with my roommates.  C. made brownies for dessert, which tasted extra good considering how rare a treat like this is out here.

Sunday 6/23/13

Sunday 6/23/13

            I really wanted to go to church this morning, but I still don’t know exactly where it is.  People know where the Mormon church is, but no one really uses addresses, so I’ve gotten directions like, go to the first Parc in Petion-Ville, and you’ll see a Catholic church.  Then walk a few meters past that and there is another street or maybe two.  Then the Mormon church is down one of those streets.  You can’t miss it.  ???

            So, instead I sat out on the balcony and headed self-guided church.  I read my scriptures and some Ensign articles while staring at the incredible scenery right in front of me.  My roommates and I then made a delicious brunch of French toast and mangoes, which was a special treat because so far my breakfasts (and dinners) have consisted of granola bars. 

            The rest of the day was spent talking to my parents, resting, re-organizing the new counseling center (moving piles of laundry from the couch to the bunkbed), playing games with the other housemates and talking to my new friends here.