Back to Work!

Mariette poses proudly with the Easter cake she made for the children here at Be Like Brit!

Easter Sunday started like most mornings here at Be Like Brit do.  As the roosters started to crow and the chirping of birds began to fill the air, the sounds of the children rising from their slumbers mixed in.  From my room in Be Like Brit, I listened carefully as the children exchanged words filled with excitement:  "It's Easter Sunday!", or "my new dress is so beautiful!" - Indeed, there is an anticipation and an excitement in the voices of these children that is so refreshing and so rejuvenating.  They wear this anticipation and excitement openly on their faces each and every day.

Ready for Church!

I just returned to Haiti and to BLB after my first week off after 3 months here as Program Director.  I can't really believe it.  Here we are, swiftly moving into April, and the changes in my own life are far too many to count.  My own reality between September 19, 2012 when I applied for this position up to today is one that I still can't quite grasp entirely.  Five months ago I was working in the Sociology department of a state university, teaching undergraduate classes to some very well-off (mostly) American teenagers, and today by 8a.m. I've spent two hours helping orphaned children in the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere get ready for church in their donated clothes with smiles more genuine than any I have seen before.  It's quite a shift from life in the States.

We take so many things for granted.  I think that may be what struck me the most during my visit home last week.  Surrounded by family, friends, food, drink, all of those comforts of home we in the developed world "need" in order to survive.  A hotel bed, king sized of course; wifi a necessity; a rental car (because who wants to walk in the cold!) - all of these things seem so wasteful when you return back to a place like Haiti.  While I don't fault myself or any of us who know this as our own realities, it really is so trivial and so selfish to think we need any of those things.  That's something that Haiti has taught me, we really don't need much.  We just need to know different.

I definitely feel a bit rejuvenated after my first week off.  Part of my contract mandates that every three months I take a week to avoid burnout and fatigue.  This is a good thing, really, because Haiti demands the most from a person both mentally and physically - especially in a position like mine.  Living where you work brings a whole new meaning to being dedicated to your job, and the children at Be Like Brit mean very much to me like I imagine my own children would.  Watching things happen here at Be Like Brit on Facebook while I was away was so strange for me - and being removed from it only underscored how much these kids mean to me.

Rolson, Alexander, Kervins, Medlens, and Whenly (L-R)

I was so blessed my last two weeks in Haiti before my vacation to have Debra Pallatto-Fontaine on hand, as well as a visit from my cousin, Giovanina.  Debbie is a member of our Program Committee, and she wears many different hats!  Debbie is a Minister and an educator.  Her expertise and guidance over her two week stay was invaluable to our staff and children here at Be Like Brit.  Through caregiver training, modeling of behaviors, helping to implement schedules and routines, and her overall guidance have made life a bit less chaotic and much more ordered!  Our caregivers and our staff alike miss Debbie already, and we can't wait for her return again this spring to lend another hand in her gentle, patient, and generous way.

Debbie with Saradina and Kervins

My cousin Giovanina Bucci from Plattsburgh, NY decided to spend her spring break from her master's program in School Psychology here at Be Like Brit.  Part of me is convinced it's because she missed me so very much (Ha!) but I also know how excited she was to get the chance to work with the children here!  Giovanina and I are cousins, but we are and have been inseparable for as long as I can remember.  Something like kindred spirits comes to mind - At any rate, Giovanina wasted no time in jumping right in with our children, bringing along with her hundreds of dollars worth of art supplies, paint, brushes, paper, etc., so that she could share her talents and skills with Brit's children.  For those of you who missed it, she and one of our own caregivers, Willman LaGuerre, were able to paint an incredible mural in our courtyard - in just two days!  This mural has brightened up an area in the orphanage where the children spend much of their time playing, and together they produced a magnificent and culturally relevant piece of art which will remain on these walls for years to come! Bon Travay!

Willmann and Giovanina work hard on their mural which now brings new life to the courtyard at Be Like Brit!

During my week off, of course I attended to some business.  I am fortunate to Skype with members of the Program Committee every week back in the States to seek their advice and guidance on a whole range of issues I run in to on a regular basis.  From sponsorship policies, to visitors, rules, discipline, staffing, issues with children, etc., I have unwavering support from our Program Committee which includes a nurse, child psychologists, a priest, a minister, college professors, and more!  After a few days back in my hometown, where I was lucky enough to visit the 4th grade classroom of a good friend to talk about Be Like Brit and after visiting and catching up with my amazing and supportive family and friends, I set off for Boston to meet with a few members of the Program Committee.

While they are all important and valuable assets to me, I speak most regularly with Christine Steinwand, Len's older sister and the Chair of the Program Committee.  Chris and I Skype two times a week - sometimes for just a few minutes, sometimes for more than an hour.  Chris is a great source of support and guidance for me - and so meeting up with her while I was up north was wonderful!  Along with Susan Johnson and Suzanne Brady, we had a great dinner and evening together.  We even ran into Bernie Gengel while we were out grabbing dessert from Modern Bakery in Boston's North End.  I think it's safe to say we were all pretty content that night!

Susan Johnson and I in Boston

Suzanne Brady and Christine Steinwand, Program Committee members (and dinner dates extraordinaire!)

Blurry, but group!

While in Boston, I was even able to meet up with Tim and Mike, Team Leaders from the St. John's Group of Britsionarys we had here back in February!  We went out for dinner and had a great evening catching up! It was so nice to see that the relationships we formed while they were here as Britsionarys carried over into life after the fact.  The next night, two of the students, Tim and Quinn drove out to Boston from Shrewsbury to say hello and catch up, too!  These trips are about more than just coming to Haiti and doing some work - they are about forming lasting friendships and connections and common bonds - and seeing these guys put forth the effort to meet up was so awesome!

So, after some brainstorming and some rest (okay - a LOT of rest - gotta love those king-sized beds, the ones with the pillow tops - worth every penny!) it's time to get back to work!  As most of you know, we have 20 children.  Our goal is to bring another 12 children in by the end of May.  This, of course, requires us to bring in and train an entire new group of caregivers.  Rosenie and I will begin the process of identifying children and families in need, venturing our into the community to visit and interview them, and making those tough decisions all over again.  This time, however, I will have the benefit of some practice and some experience - and definitely the advantage of speaking enough Creole to know when I am being talked about!  This round will be different.  As the number of children grows here at Be Like Brit, my role shifts.  As much as I love being hands on with the children and being a part of their every day lives, I know realistically that working in that capacity is not sustainable nor is it in the best interest of the children who will call Be Like Brit home.

As I shift a bit and delegate more responsibility and autonomy to our caregivers, I do so with some anxiety.  I know with the help of my co-director Gama (Mr. Incredible, indeed!) and through supports from the Program Committee that in just a few months I will likely be reminiscing and exclaiming my disbelief that we now have 32 children - how I can't believe it was only January 21st when we brought our first child home to Be Like Brit - how I can't believe what little hair I have left hasn't fallen out!  I know the support and prayers from all of you who have been so good to Be Like Brit will help along the way, too!

We have lots of exciting new things in the works at Be Like Brit! I'm in the process of working out relationships with several U.S. universities who are considering Be Like Brit as a placement for graduate level social work and public health students.  We have other long-term volunteer (Britsionary) applications in the works, projects being considered, and networking and collaborations in progress.

Stay tuned for some great new happenings here in Haiti - and remember that it's only because of the support and generosity of our friends and the hard work of those committed to our cause that these wonderful things are possible.

Happy Easter! Please enjoy some photos from our Easter Egg Hunt, and stay tuned for more exciting updates!

Thanks for reading,
Jonathan

How many eggs did we hide in the toy box?

Nashca is looking!

Sherly found her two!

Loobens!

Saradina ignores an attempted high five from Giovanina! Ha!

Saradina found her two eggs!

Ephesiens is all smiles!

Gotta love that Love na! 

Shnaider is proud!

Mirna!

Whenly!

Socrate!

Daphney!

Madame Sintana wanted in on the hunt, too. Tisk, tisk!

Caregiver Carline snuck in on the hunt after Sintana!