2 Degrees of Separation

January 27, 2010, 6:26pm

What an amazing start to my trip! I got off the plane and had to buy my tourist card and stood in line with an American who told me that she and a friend was going with their Haitian friend into Haiti to help. It was very interesting because just before I left my program director in the Dominican Republic sent me an article on Facebook entitled “Disaster Do-gooders can Actually Hinder Help”. Check out the artical (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34958965/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/) to see why I promised my mom I wouldn’t go to Haiti this time. Meeting the woman made me wonder what she was going to do in Haiti.

After this I walked out of the airport and felt like a movie star with people lining the pathway looking for their loved ones. One woman in line with me said she hadn’t seen her mom in 18 years and there they were embracing for the first time. Que bonita fue. There was my friend Miguel and his dad waiting for me. I was so excited that I ran and gave them a big abrazo (hug). They took me home and Miguel’s mom had a hot meal waiting for me (a traditional meal of mangu y tortilla de huevos). His mom told me that they left their Christmas tree up until I arrived because they remembered the last time I was in their house (New Years Eve with Tori) I had said that I thought it was beautiful.. so they left it up to make me happy. Let’s just say- it worked.

Yesterday Miguel and I went to the pool and surprised all my old friends there when I just walked into practice and everyone was yelling “Tomas, Tomas!” while they were supposed to be practicing. So I talked to many of them after I jumped in the water. On the way home from the pool I was approached by a Haitian woman with a baby in her arms. She stopped me and asked if I had seen her friend’s son. He was missing and he used to go to school in Santiago. I told her I was sorry and that I wish I could help but that I did not know him. I felt her helplessness. No one is more that one or two degrees separated from what happened in Haiti. Everyone knows someone who lived there or worked there, or at least felt the tremer even in Santiago. Miguel’s mom told me that “solo dios sabe”, only God knows, what the future of Haiti will be. She prays that it will be better off after all of this is through. Amen.

We ate lunch back at Miguels house together like they always do at noon and I felt very much apart of their family. After a siesta, I visited my host family and was bien recibido again. Jackeline y Abel my old host parents gave me a huge hug and soon their daughter Jackie and her three kids showed up. The kids were very happy to see me and David screamed as he ran to give me a big hug! They said that David was asking where I was on his birthday this year because he remembered that I had decorated his cake with M&M’s last year in the shape of his name and he wanted the exact same thing this year.. that made me happy! The new student living with the family told me that I was famous in my neighborhood and in the community where I worked as well. She said that everyone still talks about Tomas. That made me smile that I am not forgotten.

I love being here! It is 80 degrees and sunny every day! (Sry for those in MN!) Everyone loves to just take time to sit and talk. La vida es mas tranquila aqui. Life is more relaxed here. My host parents and I talked until late into the night and they drove me back to Miguels house so I wouldn’t have to take a concho so late at night. My Spanish comes back quickly with them.

Today I woke up late and went to my old school, La PUCMM, with Miguel and then to visit my community. I saw three of my artesanos: Ana Griselda, Maria Griselda, and Lourdes. They were VERY surprised and they all wanted me to eat in their house. We talked for a while about what is happing with the association of artisans that I helped to create and there are many changes being made. There are many more people involved now and they are now a part of the larger federation of artisans that represent all of the art of the whole country. Now they have other artists coming to Arte a Mano to be able to become a part of the federation through which they may be able to sell their art internationally! We are all going to have a meeting next week to get together and see where things are at.

We ate together again today and after the traditional siesta, or nap, I came with Miguel’s dad to his work. He works programming with Oracle and/or PeopleSoft (shout out to the UGP again!) Who knew that there were people all over the world working to create and maintain that program! So it was kind of a bring your foreign exchange child to work day- haha! He told everyone that I was an external consultant there to test everyone. The younger workers looked scared.. it was funny.

Now I am on my way to visit my old program director and her family. K dios les bendiga (God Bless) y nos hablamos pronto (Talk to you soon!)