Sunday, August 31, 2014

Childhood in Haiti - Sometimes, it's About Playing a Bad Hand Well



Crazy Eights! Very popular, and teaches categories (sports, fruit, transportation) and English





Childhood in Haiti - Sometimes, it's about playing a bad hand well.
Lowest number takes all.

And the winner is...
Suspense...
Counting to three and -
This summer's exploration of activities for Early (and Middle) Childhood Education led to many discoveries.  With card games and innovations, we tackled Concept Building, in Kreyol (for me), in English (for kids), learning (for all).
Stuffing that little face
Childcare and learning about others' needs during childhood!  Bring these lessons home!
 
That's Dieula's baby with mashed rice on face.  Dieula - is she 20 already?! - is off to fetch water.  The girls insisted on this photo.  Gotta win those hearts and minds, so...

Mancala with coffee beans on the patio, if you please
Makilange makes her move...

Jezilen replies...



Goliath is ready to attack those zwazo

"There was a farmer had a dog..."
"...and BINGO was his name - Oh!"
"B-I-N-G-0...was his name."


The Sove brothers - en route to porting a casket at a funeral, so they won't put on their "good" shirts till later.  Marie-Josee remains here with me.

Begging for a photo...

HEADLINES

Never mind the headlines,
The horror and the chaos
Never mind the headlines,
Keep mindful of the good news!

The good news that will linger
More than an ice cream,
Keep a smile for the good news!

The graduate!

The good news:
On part of a Caribbean island
In a remote mountain zone,
A young woman took charge,
Took her sewing machine and
Most of her husband’s earnings
And invested in training for herself
Made by herself
By herself!
Not a sweatshop, it's a school!  



The good news: Kloteed just graduated Level I, with

A State certificate and
Can now support her family, sewing school uniforms
- and clothing for children, and women.
She surprised me with a dress just my size,
In gratitude, she shared what she had.

More good news:
Water flows, through pipes and a spigot
In that remote mountain zone!
For the water project, Senilus brought us yam guinee,
it tastes a bit like pomme de terre -
In gratitude, he shared what he had.















After bathing,
The boy, Nelinsky, carried over a pot of hot fresh cow’s milk,
A rare treat, in gratitude, he shared what he had.
For the water project, Evensline brought over a hand of banana
 She shared what she had.

Other news?
Back home, I bought an ice cream,
One scoop small cone - exotic Early Grey or
Salted caramel, for otherwise jaded
Sophisticates -
‘Cost me Four bucks, seventy five.
It’s gone in a New York minute.
Almost the amount paid for Cash for Work, for one day,
days’ wages for one worker,

Post-earthquake in town.

But -

Never mind the headlines,
The horror and the chaos
Never mind the headlines,
Keep mindful of the good news!

The good news that will linger
More than an ice cream,
Keep a smile for the good news!