Today was a huge transition day. We got up at 5 am to leave the Stella Maris guest house, but not before Ser Solange made sure we had breakfast! We then drove to the Cap airport only to find it completely dark and with one lonely employee outside. So much for needing to be at the domestic flight at least an hour in advance! Piti piti the other employees showed up (and eventually the pilots).
After arriving in Port au Prince, we were picked up by Jhonel's brother Jimmy who drove us to their father's church in Arcahaie, about an hour from PAP. Jhonel preached at the morning service; it was great to be part of this small church in a fairly disadvantaged part of town. The singing was incredible and it was wonderful to be so warmly greeted by the parishioners.
After we enjoyed a lovely Haitian lunch together, we were off back to PAP. The contrasts in Haiti are incredible. We went from poor neighbourhoods and beautiful ocean views to the upscale part of PAP known as Petionville. Here you can buy designer clothes and western groceries (and see people in Porsches and 5 star hotels). We dropped Rob off at a church he used to be part of and we then continued up to Fermathe where the Baptist Mission is located.
The road up the mountain from PAP to Fermathe is amazing with hairpin turns and gorgeous homes with incredible vistas. Fermathe is located at about 1500 metres above sea level so the temperature got progressively cooler the higher up we got. We pulled into the beautiful grounds of the Baptist Mission, complete with lovely children's playground and Haiti's only zoo (!). All this done by 3 pm!
The week ahead includes a BlackBerry training session in the morning and discussion on how principals might use them to engage in the Digital Mentoring Project. Each day, in the afternoon, I will teach a Master of Education course with Jhonel for approximately 35 students. It promises to be a great week!
About Me
- Steve Sider
- I have been an elementary and secondary school teacher and administrator. Currently, I am a faculty member in the Faculty of Education at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. My M.Ed. and Ph.D. had a focus on the educational and linguistic experiences of children who moved from other countries to Canada.
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