Seen Around Town Last Week

A work crew on our street. Did the new president send them?

The iceman cometh.

A welcoming hammock at Norwich House.

An unexpected mountain view.

A back street cathedral off Delmas 64.

The Hotel Olafson, made famous by Graham Greene's novel - The Comedians. Look for Pam in the picture. Jason is even harder to find.

Couldn't resist a pepsi and sandwich at the Olafson with our friend Jason.

(click pictures to enlarge)

Conflict Resolution

Conflict is a part of any relationship and society. We've mentioned before that in Haiti disputants can escalate quickly as voices are raised and attention is drawn. Bystanders seem welcome to enter the argument and we couldn't help overhearing and seeing what went on across the street from us this morning. The disputants are actually the woman in the dotted dress on the right and the man next to the gate. However the woman in the blue skirt had come across the street to give her input. Passersby begin to accumulate. Another inquisitive crowd is on the opposite sidewalk below my vantage point on the roof.

The man points to the woman's child as it seems that he is somehow part of the altercation. The speed of their Creole exchanges made it impossible for me to decipher - perhaps just as well!

The lady in front of whose gate they were arguing opened it to check the situation. It didn't remain open long as she probably realized it was better to listen from behind a barrier.

More onlookers accumulated and the man in the light blue shirt with the hat began to apply Proverbs 15:18b - a patient man calms a quarrel. He kept talking quietly to the man until the situation began to settle.

Closing arguments were conluded as the woman appealed to the gathered crowd while the man in blue is continuing his reconciliation work. Gradually all dispersed and it was once again quiet on the street - except for the traffic, the vendors calling for customers, the roosters, the sounds of Port au Prince . . .

P.S - Reserve your time at Wall's Guest House and be part of the action!

(remember to click pictures to enlarge)

Easter Weekend

We hosted a number of groups this week - medical teams, engineers and students. This particular group was from a college in Pennsylvania. They were a group of 10 students who had spent all week doing manual labor at a rural village project.
I show you this picture because the truck is by far the most common way of carrying a group of people. We observe a diversity of live cargo rumble through the S-shaped intersection in front of our Guest House - laborers, students, wedding guests, soccer players, and also goats and chickens - all in trucks of various sizes.

The next picture was taken on Good Friday - the clouds seemed particularly expressive as the day turned to night. As we look out over the city from our flat rooftop vantage point each evening, we can see hundreds of kites dancing in the warm tropical breeze. (The kites are made from recylced colored plastic with very long strings that forever seem to be getting tangled in wires and trees). I have yet to tire of our daily end-of-the-day repose on the roof. This is where we observe the evolving sky and listen to the lively sounds of the spirited people around us. Sounds that I associate with a warm summer evening in Ontario, are present here all year around - children playing, adults talking, music playing, dogs barking - the difference is that there are more of them( both people and sounds) packed closer together.


This is a parade that we saw today and several times in the last week. It was led by people carrying flags as well as drummers, dancers and singers. When I asked one of our vendors about it he explained that it was a voodoo tradition called a Ra Ra. When I asked him if his children participated in Ra Ra's, he said "oh no, I take my children to a christian church and teach them about Jesus." I have not met one native agnostic in Haiti.

This is Leah, Karli and Marie - daughters of friends at our church. They are standing in front of a flower-decorated cross where we celebrated Easter at Quesqueya Chapel this morning.

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday in Haiti involves processions with real palms. The pastor cut enough from the palm trees in the churchyard for about 40 children to wave on their way into the sanctuary. They enjoyed tickling those sitting along the aisles as they paraded by.



A baptism followed the morning service as two boys were baptized with the assistance of their fathers in the pool

The trip back to the guest house on main Delmas included a typical UN siting. The driver wasn't waving at us - rather at another jeep parked at the side of the road. The truck behind is also UN and is loaded with what appears to be UN off duty personnel embarking on a day trip - most likely to the beach.

Being caught in traffic meant an assortment of children coming to beg at our windows. These boys were easier to handle than most. Whereas the young girls often try to force tears as they stand at the window and tug on our arms, these two were ready to engage in conversation and brighten our day.

This motorcyclist was driving in the lane to our left against traffic and then got through the barrier to get in line ahead of us. He wasn't there long. As soon as there was an opening he was across lanes and down the sidewalk looking for any advantage to make forward progress.

This gentleman was one of many vendors who came to our window as well. He was selling deep fried plantain bananas (papitas). We bought a package for 10 gourdes - about 25 cents US. We then used them as our offering to the children who were begging for money. They accepted them but it was obvious that they would prefer money.

Finally we arrived back at the guest house, having dropped off our load of hitch-hikers along the way who always fill the back of our truck as we leave church. Another typical Palm Sunday in Haiti!

Logic and Little Ones

This was taken in a pensive moment this week when we stole away to a nearby Lodge for lunch. As we have had no formal way of taking a day off since January, we have to grab a few hours now and then.It's necessary to leave the premises just to be away from constant demands and interruptions. And since our truck was grounded because of a worn-out clutch, we had to walk the few kilometers - but it was worth it just to get away.
We chatted with the owner of this establishment who had first come to Haiti to upgrade a similar hotel. He had lived in a number of different countries all over the world before coming to Haiti. His goal was to increase the efficiency of both operations and management and he estimated that it would take 3 months to complete the project. It took him 3 years !! Three years to accomplish what he thought would take him 3 months! I understand completely. We've entered our last 3 months of our time here in Haiti. We are much busier than we've been in the past. The March calendar shows 350 guests altogether - that's good news for Walls and for FIDA. It spells hope for our future and hope for Haiti generally as visitors are again looking at Haiti as a safe place to visit. It's also time for us to evaluate what we've done and to consider what we want to accomplish at the GuestHouse in the time remaining. I have a feeling we need 3 years instead of one.
While on our walk we observed this wall of murals getting a face-lift outside a bottling plant. Most of the drinks available in North America are also popular in Haiti. Is there any place Pepsi isn't sold?


Whenever we walk we are a target of curiosity amongst school children walking home from school. We see the tailored uniforms in every color of the rainbow - representing as many different schools. We visited one school in particular this week where our friend Kim is volunteering as school administrator. One of the challenges she has faced is teaching the children to think logically for themselves. Children in most Haitian schools learn by chorusing back to the teacher what is read aloud to them. It is strictly a learning by memorization method. When Kim tries to make a practical application to the Grade 5 children by asking them how many oranges there would be if she had 17 and took away 9, they do not know. They also do not know whether she is multiplying, subtracting or dividing. This occurs in spite of the children knowing their arithmatic tables perfectly. It's the practical problem-solving that is not taught. Without learning to problem-solve, knowlege in and of itself is not always helpful. A teacher in Canada told me recently that children at home have to problem-solve in grade 1 already. The method of memorizing facts changes little from year to year in the Haitian tradition. I chuckle at memories of the "new math" that my own Gr. 6 teacher was forced to learn and how many times the methods of teaching have been revised since then in
Canadian schools.
I mentioned that children are curious about us. They love to practise their English with the "Blancs". Occasionally Waldo cannot resist taking out his camera and snapping their pictures. The scene invariably turns into the one shown on the left - a mob scene as each one clamors to be in the picture and to see what they look like as he shows them the result.



The term "special Ed." seems to be foreign in Haiti as is the concept. The school that Kim administrates has a higher number of children with handicaps. That is because regular schools discourage children from attending. Here, at Coram ( a school supported in Ontario, Canada) they are welcomed and feel safe and loved. This is one of the little boys that I met there.
One of our 350 guests this week was a "repeat customer". I posted a picture of Waldo with Sissy when she was 2 months old. Now she is 4 months and greeting everyone with smiles. We never begrudge the fact that our children haven't made us grandparents because we have ample opportunities to practise grandparenting with such little ones. Sissy and her brother were here for 2 weeks.