Announcements November 10-16, 2006

Daily Journal from Cotting Staff Members' Visit to 'Wings of Hope'


Several Cotting staff members visited Haiti, working with our sister school, Wings of Hope.

Read more about Cotting's relationship with Wings of Hope here. Click on a photo below for the larger image.





___________________________________________________________________________

Friday, November 10, 2006

4:10 AM Many Cotting Staff come to work early, but 4:10 AM at Logan Airport?

With 6 trunks full of school and medical supplies, sporting goods and clothing generously donated by our staff, students and their families, we arrived in Port au Prince. 90 degrees on the tarmac, an easy trip through customs and then the walk out of the airport and into the intensity of Haiti – the crush of people, garbage, traffic, air pollution, smiling children and friendly vendors everywhere.

John Unni took us to the Iron Village, an artist colony where used oil drums are hammered flat, stenciled, and cut into striking metal sculptures. With vigor we all supported the local economy.

Over paved and unpaved roads we traveled to St. Joseph's Home for Boys, our home for the night. St. Joseph's is family for 20 formerly homeless street children. We were met with hugs, flowers and song by the children, then later entertained by their extraordinary dancing and drumming.

Our tired crowd was off to bed early. By the way, I thought roosters crowed at sunrise not ALL night long.

— Dave Manzo
___________________________________________________________________________


___________________________________________________________________________

Saturday, November 11, 2006

In the van by 8:30 AM for the 45 minute trip to Wings of Hope in Fermathe. A mile above sea level, the air was clearer and cooler.

Today is the 13th anniversary of Wings of Hope and we were fortunate to join their celebration of songs and reflections. Within minutes, Cotting staff and Wings students were fast friends. Cathy and Stephanie joined the feeding team.

Ginny had her new best friend, Sadraque, glued to her and Krista had Stevie jumping into her arms.

Thanks to all in the Cotting Community for your support for this important trip to Wings of Hope.

— Dave Manzo
___________________________________________________________________________


___________________________________________________________________________

Sunday, November 12, 2006

We awoke at 6:30am in the guest rooms at Wings of Hope – not to the rooster this time – but to the voices of the kids.

The kids get up around 5:00am and get bathed and dressed. Sunday is a relaxed day for them.

We were treated to a great breakfast by our gracious and welcoming hosts, KC and Maya. During breakfast, KC gave us a quick lesson in French Creole (Bonjou! for Hello, Kijan ou ye? for How are you?). At 8:30am we piled into the van and rode back down the St. Joseph's Home for Boys to be guests at their Sunday worship service.

Just as the first time we arrived, we were greeted by each and every boy with a “Bonjou” and a hug. The service was just as lively and energetic as their dance performances. Walnes led the service with song and dance, making sure that all of us participated. After lunch, we had a chance to walk through the streets a bit – lined with people, people, people – selling everything from shoes to live chickens. Walked back to St. Joseph's and we were the audience for a rehearsal of the boys' performance of Godspell which they are doing for their anniversary celebration in January. What was amazing about this performance was not only are these guys talented dancers and singers, but they have learned this entire play in ENGLISH!

A sentiment I have heard a few times here makes the point that not only are the children here a gift, but they HAVE gifts. This is very clear in the way they foster the singing, dancing, drumming, and artistic talent in every child. With the sense of community and family here, the optimism, the mindset of doing the best you can with what you have, and the ability to experience joy and happiness despite incredible adversity; it is clear that we will learn just as much - if not more - from them, than them from us.

— Stephanie Gulla
___________________________________________________________________________


___________________________________________________________________________

Monday, November 13, 2006

We were all up early again for a nice breakfast together, and then set out to start our first day with the Wings of Hope kids. We were all put to work right away feeding the morning meal to one child after another. Without gloves, or bibs, or even a plentiful supply of napkins, we experienced the day's first challenge. We feed one meal a day to our students at Cotting – with every resource we could possible need available to us – this was so much more intense – and it's done 3 times a day, 7 days a week.

After breakfast, one of the kids wanted my baseball cap (which I gave away without a second thought). Then several other kids wanted caps, so I gave away all 10 that I had brought – lots of SMILES! After that, we were each paired with one child to “shadow” through their day's activities. We went to physical therapy and saw kids working on stretching, range of motion, and walking. We went to play sessions where kids worked with a variety of fine motor toys and games.

And we went to several different classroom areas. In the classrooms, the kids worked on activities very similar to our students – morning calendar and language activities, math, reading, and choice making. All of the activities were purposeful and well planned. Each child is included at their level, and the children have such a thirst for knowledge and a desire to please and do well. We kept looking around and imagining how much more they could do if they had the resources we have.

After feeding lunch to the kids (another overwhelming experience), we unpacked the trunks of donated materials from the Cotting community – that was fun! An immediate hit, were the sports balls, which were quickly blown up and bounced, kicked, and passed all over the place. We spent the rest of the afternoon just playing with the kids. By the time dinner rolled around, it was hard to tear yourself away from them. When we sat down to eat – it hit everyone at the table at once – we were all incredibly tired – but it was the good kind of tired.

— Cathy Mayo
___________________________________________________________________________


___________________________________________________________________________

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

This morning we started our second day at Wings with the bell calling us to another wonderful breakfast. Everyone is so generous with all that they have – food, time, hospitality, patience for struggling Creole-learners. Having had a full day under our belts, today we knew many of the children by name and felt like we were greeting friends this morning. It is amazing to see how hard everyone here works to take care of the children and what an awesome job it is. Just like at Cotting, there are a million things happening all the time with many, many needs that must be met, not only from 8:00-3:00, but 24 hours a day. Unlike Cotting, the basic resources that we take for granted to do our work are often just not available.

We spent the first part of the day working with the kids in different areas around the school. Stephanie tried being a PT for a while, and put one of the smallest children on an impromptu therapy ball. Ginny worked alongside Wings' two PT's helping to stretch and walk kids. Cathy and I taught a lesson in Creole, although it's hard to tell how we did since we couldn't understand most of the kids' answers!

After classes were over we had a community inclusion experience and took 5 children to the cafeteria in the nearby Baptist Mission for lunch. We only walked about half a city block to get to the Mission, but traveling that distance along the semi-paved road packed with people, trucks, and road-side wares with two wheelchairs and three other students was quite an experience. We had to carry the wheelchairs down a flight of stairs to get inside, but once we were settled the kids had a blast! Hot dogs, french fries and ice cream have universal appeal no matter what country you're in!

— Krista Macari
___________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

As always, we awake to a breathtaking mountain view, a bountiful breakfast and beautiful children. We are now familiar with the routine and hope we have become a part of the Wings family. Class work, PT, Activities, lunch and a giant card game before dinner kept us all busy and happy. Many of the kids turned out to be card sharks at Uno and Fish. A smile, gentle touch or a kind work are so much more than any material thing. Each day we are reminded of the importance of family, the power of kindness and the value of friendship.

— Virginia Birmingham
___________________________________________________________________________


___________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, November 16, 2006

Today our agenda is say thank you and goodbye to all our new friends. The difference between day 1 and day 6 is incredible.

Things that were so overwhelming initially have faded. We have managed to learn enough Creole to communicate the basics. I even mixed in some very poor French and Spanish. It‚s a wonder anyone could understand me but it seems they did! Krista, Stephanie and Cathy did much better at sticking with the Haitian Creole. The names of the staff and students once so confusing have become familiar and meaningful. The early morning sounds of roosters and pigs, as well as colorful tap-taps (trucks or vans used as taxis) racing up and down the street have become routine. The street vendors, the market place and bargaining over prices once so intimidating has become, well - a little less intimidating.

We have connected with the children, each in their own way. They seem to know us as much as we know them. It is sad to say goodbye. Just like at Cotting each staff member is incredibly kind and caring, each child is unique and special.

The ride down the mountain to Port-au-Prince reminds us of both the beauty of Haiti and the disparity in the lives of the rich and the poor.

2 planes, 3 airports, numerous stops at customs, identity checks, shoes on and off at each security check and a couple of luggage carousels bring us home safely tonight.
We have many memories, pictures and stories to tell but first--bus duty tomorrow!

Bonswa

— Virginia Birmingham