Bonswa tout moun! Good afternoon everyone!
What an exciting past 10 days in the beautiful country of Haiti it has been! My first successful bartering experience in Creole went down, in which I acquired four avocados and four limes for 120 Haitian gourdes (just under 2 USD)...although a week later I’m still trying to figure out if that is a good price or not for a wannabe local. I have also figured out (with a little help) how to turn my Haitian phone into a hotspot! Thank the Lord for the small victories in my time here so far.
And even more exciting to report, this past week I spent four days with a team in two local partnering communities updating Disciples’ Village’s census of the area while getting to ask financial/economic questions and building relationships with the sweet people. The financial findings were eye opening and highly informative for my microfinance project. The census helped bring to light the people’s banking, saving, and borrowing activities or greater lack thereof.
The two villages were drastically different—one consisting of subsistence melon farmers living in meager stick and mud shelters with the other located within a high concentration of plantain farms and concrete blocking activities accompanied by more stable housing structures. While I am not sure if my project will focus on either of these two communities, I am learning a great deal about what questions to ask and how to phrase them to get the most pertinent information. In my continued research, I have also learned of more specific questions that I need to be asking with a greater focus on the need for loans and savings options rather than just their savings and borrowing history. In addition to the field experience I gained this week, in the mornings—while sipping fantastic Haitian coffee—I have been reading From Dependence to Dignity (Fikkert and Mask, 2015) and my eyes are being opened to the good, the bad, and what could be better through microfinance and savings and credit associations around the world. I hope to report more on the gems found in this book upon its completion.
The time spent in the communities has also been helpful in progressing my Creole! While I can usually talk to most children and teenagers with ease, conducting the census greatly helped with my communication amongst the adult population and the vocabulary that they use. I am so thankful for our translators and the community members who patiently work with me in my quest to become fluent. It will be easier and more beneficial for my project in the future if I can communicate with the Haitians myself and know exactly what is being said in the verbal transaction. Not only will it save precious time in the villages, but I believe it will build a greater trust and bond necessary for acceptance and inclusion for this blanc (although my skin is darkening with each passing day!) in the villages.
On a more personal note, I have had a blast getting to see my beloved Haitian friends who have become family and am enjoying the ‘perks’ of living in a Caribbean state. Getting to run early in the mornings while the sun is rising over the mountains is an experience like no other, and the breath-taking ocean and mountain ridges that continually surround us provide a sense of peace and awe in the presence of our Creator’s works of art. Fresh guacamole with Haitian-grown avocado and lime has been a highlight of my dining experiences, and the ocean’s salt water is the perfect frizz-free gel replacement for my curly hair. While the terrain can be difficult to navigate and the sun may be oppressive from time to time, I’m enjoying the many adjustments of this international move and am highly expectant for what will become of my microfinance project!
Thanks for sharing these updates. Glad you are doing well so far. Praying for you and the people there. May Good richly bless the work of your hands and heart. Hugs.