val writes: Munsch before Moses

I think I may end up being a teacher.

I’ve been fighting being a teacher since I graduated from fighting with highschool teachers and since then I have been more or less sucking at everything else I try to do. I keep coming to this point where “there’s nothing for it, I’m going to be a teacher.” but then somehow jamming out again. I don’t remember the last time I did this, but I do it more often than I do my taxes. (Which, admittedly, isn’t very often because I never owe the government money, never having made any in the first place, because I more or less suck at making money, presumably cause I keep not being a teacher.

The problem is that I don’t want to be a regular schmuck teacher. I want to work on CBC radio, I want to work with disadvantaged folk, I want to work one on one, and now, I want to make books.

I don’t actually want to write books, I just want there to BE books, and I kinda get the impression it may be up to me to make that happen.

Obviously, I am not talking about just any books, as books do exist in the world. I read a book yesterday, in fact. (It wasn’t a very good book, so I won’t tell you its name in case you one day see it on a shelf and remember hearing about it and think that must mean it is good, but the day before I read a very good book called “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” which I don’t mind you thinking I’ve recommended.)

I am talking about children’s books in Creole. There are very few books in Haitian Creole, it is considered by some to not even be a real language (thus it being “Creole” and not simply “Haitian”. That used to include me, before I’d much interest in Haiti, when I’d only heard bits of the language and understood them and so decided it was just corrupted French. When I got here, I understood a lot less (although most words, when I finally do understand them have an obvious French root) so no longer had time to waste thinking about what quality of language it was.

The thing is, it doesn’t matter. There are 8 million Haitians, (possibly more, I’m not sure if that includes the Diaspora) and they should have some books to read besides the bible. Not that I don’t think the bible is worth reading, but I don’t think it’s the key to improving literacy, which in Haiti is less than half.

Adult literacy rates, UNDP "HUMAN DEVELOPMENT REPORT 1999

Haiti 46% Cuba 96% Dominican Republic 86% Nigeria 60% India 54%

Jack and I, and now my mom, are trying to help some kids learn to read. It’s very frustrating because I remember how hard it was for me to learn how to read. I’d like to believe I was precocious, but carefully preserved exercise books show otherwise. It was hard for me to learn how to read, and I had the help of Dr Seuss, Robert Munsch, Richard Scary, and two loving (of me and books) parents. Haitians have the bible, some school primers (with blue and white pictures) and a picture bible with one picture per story. I know these are better than was available throughout much of history, but Haiti isn’t “once upon a time”. Haiti is NOW.

Literacy would make the job I have now- health education & water filter sales- so much easier I can’t describe. I have a friend who did her master’s on …rats, I forget the word. Alternate Participatory Learning? Shoot, sorry Kristin. I’d look it up but the internet is down right now… anyway, she knows a lot about not forcing paper and pencils in cultures that don’t use them, and I really respect that work, but I don’t know enough about it to be able to rely solely on it, and I have to admit that really I enjoy reading and want to share “The Paper Bag Princess” and “Leo the Lop” (and maybe eventually, Brothers Karamazov!) with my friends here.

I went to the Saint Marc library, hoping at least to get some French books. The library is pretty small, and the children’s section is mostly old books from various school libraries in Quebec and other parts of Canada. (Even some in English) The thing is that when you’re reading a book, you can look at the words or you can look at the pictures. But when the words are in a language you don’t speak, and the pictures are of things you’ve never seen, you don’t get much out of it.

I’m pretty sure it would be good to start with “Jidline Goes to Market” (One banana, two mangoes, three papayas…) and “Marie-Phila Fetches Water” (and on her way she sees Anana, Banann, Chen...) I went searching the internet and found some beautiful picture books about Haiti and Africa. It would be so lovely to get them published in the languages of the culture, instead of having them just be part of a cultural exchange program. (Which is also a really good thing- we only work on behalf of what we love, and we can’t love what we don’t know)

So, Dad says that Peter Gzowsky started a book foundation of some kind, and Mom said that perhaps one could have a book with both Creole and English in it. Not like a dictionary but like subtitles or something. Does anyone have any concrete information on this? Are there groups translating books that I can sign up with? Is there a grant which could apply?

val writes: fishing

I used to live with Haitians, but unfortunately now I live on the beach. It is nice though I can go swimming to cool off, which is much more pleasant than just having a shower (also cold, a hot water heater is a luxury I will never again take for granted!)

We also get to watch Haitian fishing, which comes in many styles.

BBC News writes on appropriate aid

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4514312.stm (11 dec 2005)

Dilemma over new quake shelters
By Aamer Ahmed Khan
BBC News, Karachi

Fakhre Alam is one of Pakistan's most celebrated showbiz icons.

Since 8 October, he has been in the earthquake zone as a relief worker at the Chatta Batta tent village in North-West Frontier Province.

"Only a few days ago, a man with three children came up from one of the tents and pleaded with me to allow him to light a bonfire in his tent," he says.

There had been a few fire incidents in tent villages by that time and Alam had no option but to say no.

He thinks setting up tent villages was a bad idea.

"He went back but I could hear him muttering, 'All my children will die'," Alam recalls.

(snip)

"Corrugated iron sheets, nails and hammer is all that we need," says Akhtar Abbassi, a resident of Bambian in the Neelam valley.

Like thousands of others, Akhtar was able to pull wooden planks out of the debris but does not have the iron sheets that can be used for a roof or tools to put the structure together.

(snip)

Relief commanders say they shifted their focus to shelter, especially in the high altitude areas, well over two weeks ago.

But they say their effort has been slowed down by the lack of response from private donors and NGOs.

One reason for this could be the private donors' obsession with prefabricated structures.

....Their prices range from about $1,200 (£680) for a single-room house ...However, none of the major prefab companies are manufacturing locally...Even if enough were available, it would be next to impossible to transport these 400kg structures to high-altitude areas - many still without roads passable even by jeep.

(snip)

Besides, before placing their orders most of them were forced to wait for the government to announce its policy on reconstruction, which came in the last week of November.

(snip)

Only time can now tell how much this desire to do more rather than the obvious is going to end up costing the affected people in high-altitude areas.

Pictures, photos, images, drawings...

All thanks to Google, my favourite brand name of the day. (Google earth is also really cool, and has helped us a little in finding our way around Haiti, although you can't zoom in outside Gonaives or Port au Prince, it does allow us to get a general idea of where we've been walking.

Or, in this case, give you an idea of where I am in relation to you.

i want this in my profile