Meeting New Friends

We've enjoyed meeting many new people here, including a good friend of Jordan's who now lives in Grand Rapids, MI with his family (they're the ones with Haitian restaurant, Chez Olga). Dieuseul Beloit (here with daughters Diouly, 25 and Dieulove, 23) came to the US in the early 90's after the coup in Haiti. His daugthers hadn't been back to Haiti since they left as children, and they've been very open with this experience. Diouly (pronounced much like Juli ;-) said, "It's been life changing." They now have a much better understanding of their parents, especially their attitude towards hard work, taking advantage of the opportunities in the US and the abundance of goods, especially food. Now they understand why their father was frustrated to see them throw away food. He used to tell them that the food they put in the trash might be the best meal a child in Haiti has all day. They speak english very well, so conversation has been easy and insightful.



It's amazing how open Jordan and others have been, sharing significant stories after knowing some of us only a few hours. There's very little small talk or chit-chat, but rather quick connections and significant conversations. The team was teasing me a bit for the nature of my questions the first night (e.g., asking Jordan about his best and most challenging moments here at school), but I think everyone appreciated the level of sharing that ensued.



Another special friend is Mykili, the 3-yr-old niece of one of the school cooks. Both live here in exchange for their work (Mykili's mother died). Mykili captured our hearts instantly; stoic at first, but warming up by the second day. The first night she fell asleep standing up between my legs with her head resting on my knee. Here she's wearing one of the dresses made my Amy's grandmother & her community - they are designed to fit a range of sizes...so cute!! Below Jen is looking at a coloring book with her.


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