with lots of Deet and excitement in the air, we are through the airport craziness and waiting in the final line to board the plane. i have amused myself for the past few hours, practicing my creole with the other passengers who are waiting with us. it’s so thrilling to be exploring this new key to comunication! i can’t wait to use my creole and french in HAITI where we will be arriving in a few hours! in our matching blue t-shirts, we all look quite silly, and it’t wonderful.
As we wait patiently to board our flight from Fort Lauderdale to Cap Haitien, where we will be based for the next two days, the excitement is building. We know that all sense of time and flow will change from the moment our flight lands, and we are all ready for the adventure ahead.
Sixteen intrepid travelers with 32 bags, although at this point more than 1/2 the bags – supplies for Chermaitre – are on another flight. The amount of luggage is, well, a lot, and for those of us who have been to Haiti before, we can just picture how it will make its way to its final destination – on backs and on heads! For now, every bag has been weighed. Every person has been weighed. Our creole is already being called into use. Boarding call. More from the Cap.
VHP ale Ayiti.
Hello! Kristen here at the Meade house with the whole crew as we are wildly packing all our personal possessions with medical supplies, school supplies, goodie bags for all the schoolchildren, and every last possible thing into the 32 pieces of luggage we are flying down with us. Everyone is here: Lila “Liler”, Andrew “Dr. Daddyo”, Caryn, Pam, Mario “Handsome”, Samin “Simon/Simone”, Janeen, Caitlin, Fiona “Fi”, Claire, Claudia, Lauren, Charlene, Livia, and Anh, plus helpers extraordinaire Deb (VHP Haiti trip alum ’08) and Jess Bennett! We’ve seen hundreds of ziploc bags and stuffed animals, and though it’s getting late, as every minute goes by we get more and more excited to be doing this together. Smiles, love, and laughter have filled all the rooms of our house that the trip prep has taken over, and we know that though we might not know what to expect, we are prepared to just BE with what is. We hope to update this when we can, so stay tuned!
In the weeks since the earthquake, many celebrities have stepped up to help relief efforts. The Huffington Post has collected the best charity singles for Haiti. You can vote for your favorite, then purchase it to help relief efforts. Check it out here.
We are pleased to announce that the Vassar Haiti Project will partner with Macaulay Honors College in New York City to host an art sale on Sunday, March 7, 2010 from 2 PM to 5 PM. This event will feature original Haitian paintings, and handicrafts, and will benefit victims of the recent earthquake in Haiti. One hundred percent of the proceeds will fund relief efforts. Students from both colleges will comprise the staff at the sale. This is the first all-student rule arts sale and we hope to get your support. So, if you live in NYC or happen to be there for Spring Break, please stop by! We hope to see you there!
About the Macaulay Honors College:
Founded in 2001, the William E. Macaulay Honors College (MHC) is the City University of New York’s landmark program for students of exceptional ability. CUNY’s seven participating campuses admit incoming freshman to the Macaulay Honors College. These students, called University Scholars, are granted scholarships covering their full tuition in the fall and spring semesters for four years, given laptop computers, and awarded access to funds for study abroad programs and internships.”
Don’t forget to go to the rescheduled Vigil for Haiti tomorrow (Monday 2/15) at 7 pm in the chapel!
With the immediate, necessary focus on fundraising, it can be hard to find enough time for reflection and prayer in the wake of the Haitian tragedy. The interfaith ceremony tomorrow will incorporate a Haitian priest, Haitian community members, poetry, and live music.
VHP Members and students going on the spring break Port-au-Prince trip will all be sitting together at the front left of the chapel.
Quick Recap: Vassar’s Interfaith Prayer Vigil for Haiti
Stepping back from the frenzy of media coverage and fundraising efforts for Haiti, members of Vassar and Arlington communities came together last Monday (2/15) to address the spiritual needs that January’s earthquake left behind. The ceremony incorporated prayers and religious traditions from a rich variety of faiths, which was woven together with an uplifting array of musical performance. A harpist and a powerful vocalist singing traditional Haitian spiritual music began the vigil, and at its close the entire congregation was invited to join in the chorus of Let There Be Peace On Earth. Intercessory prayers addressed the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the people of Haiti, as well as Haitian political leaders and international aid workers, missionaries, and volunteers. Each prayer was led by a representative of a different faith, and was followed by a period of silent reflection. Before the closing song, Michel Joseph and Sabrina Jaar Marzouka, representatives of the local Haitian community, led a beautiful candle lighting ceremony that tied together the spirituality, reflection, and solidarity of the evening. The vigil reaffirmed our emotional and spiritual commitment to Haiti and was strengthened by the diversity of religious and ethnic backgrounds it brought together.
A new song by T-Vice, the popular Miami-based Haitian band, celebrates the strong and enduring Haitian spirit. It is called “Nou Pap Lage,” which translates as “Don’t Give Up.”
And here’s some good news for Haiti: G7 Nations have pledged to relieve Haiti of debt. They are also encouraging multi-lateral donors, such as the Inter-American Development Bank, and the International Development Association, to do likewise. Read about it on the BBC.
Come tonight to for music, dance, and comedy to celebrate and support Haiti.
8-10pm, AULA
From the Vassar events announcement:
Holla for Haiti” is a night of music, dance, and comedy to benefit earthquake relief in Haiti, presented by Hip Hop 101, the French Club, African Students Union, Caribbean Students Alliance, Vassar Democrats, the Vassar Haiti Project, and ViCE After Hours. The night of entertainment features Vassar student singer songwriters, a string quartet, comedy troupe Happily Ever Laughter, and various other performers from Vassar and the Poughkeepsie community. Donations of $5.00 collected at the door go towards the Vassar student body donation.
On January 17, Sir Hilary Beckles published an excellent article in the Barbados Sunday Sun. Haiti is often depicted by the foreign media as a failed state. “Poorest country in the Western hemisphere,” is the favorite refrain. In The “Hate and the Quake,” Beckles tells another story, of a people who successfully rose above their slave-masters to become free and independent, only to be devastatingly punished by the very nations that prided themselves on freedom in equality. It is the oft-forgotten story of the crippling dept imposed on Haiti by the French after their successful revolution. The enormous dept, paid to the former masters, burdened the young country until 1922, and is in large part responsible for the deplorable economic and political situation in which Haiti finds itself today.
And Beckles is not just recounting history for history’s sake. He calls for France to repay the unjust debt they demanded from the Haitian people: “The value of this amount was estimated by financial actuaries as US$21 billion. This sum of capital could rebuild Haiti and place it in a position to re-engage the modern world. It was illegally extracted from the Haitian people and should be repaid…Such an act at the outset of this century would open the door for a sophisticated interface of past and present, and set the Haitian nation free at last.”
Sir Hilary Beckles is an historian and pro-vice-chancellor and Principal of the Cave Hill Campus, University of the West Indies. You can read the article here.
