And the Rain, Rain, Rain, Came Down, Down, Down...

A lot has been going on in these past few days!  First update, I know everyone has been curious about how we faired through the hurricane.  All is well here in Pétionville, we just had a LOT of rain.  The hurricane also caused us to have a few days off from school, which I have renamed as Haitian snow days.  Thank you to everyone for the extra prayers these past few days and you are in mine as you prepare for the storm.

As you can see, the rain did not keep Kelsey and I inside!  We took a little walk around town in the rain.  The only true discovery from this adventure was that my jacket is not in fact waterproof!     

Also I now have a schedule with the school, which means my days have gotten very busy.  To give a little taste of the different things I’m doing with the school, here’s a rundown of what my schedule entails.  Everyday of the week I begin with office hours in Pétionville doing administrative work for the school.  This includes working on the satellite school plans, the newsletter, and anything else that pops up!  

Around midday, I head down to Port-au-Prince to teach.  When I first get there, I help teach the students at the primary school.  I’ve also enjoyed observing my colleagues teach; it’s a great learning opportunity for me to see teaching in Creole!  

Then after I’m finished with the primary school, I teach private woodwind lessons.  I teach most of the OPST woodwind players and a few younger flute players.  I was surprised to find out how much I enjoy teaching oboe, clarinet and bassoon...who would have ever guessed that I would teach anything other than flute!

One particularly touching moment was when one of my oboe students thanked me after his first lesson.  He explained to me that he hadn't had a private teacher since 2009 and claimed that he was anxious for more lessons.  It made me smile to know how appreciative he and so many others are to learn about music.  Their passion and drive is literally contagious! 

Other highlights from this week have included getting to have a debut performance at a local jazz club.  The guitar teacher at Holy Trinity asked if I played jazz and the next thing I know I’m performing with his group at Latin Quarter (translated from Creole).  I had a blast and it was wonderful to make connections with many of the local musicians!

Also last weekend, I made a trip to Jacmel, which is located in the southern part of Haiti.  I went with Kelsey and Pierre, who helps conduct at the music school in Jacmel.  I had a lot of fun playing with the band during the rehearsal.  Best part was getting to play a piece that I haven’t played since high school (it was quite comforting how much easier it was than when I played it ten plus years ago!).  

We also took a quick trip to the beach, so I have now officially taken a swim in the Haitian waters!  This week is another busy week of rehearsals, but I’ll write again soon!  And thank you to my sponsors from this past week, Deb and Dennis Shows!