My life is my story and I choose to share it with my readers because I believe we all have something to share and you are no exception. If you are a first time visitor or a return visitor I invite you to look at your own life and find the things that have impacted you the most. Those events are what we commonly call life changing events. They are the things that shape who you are what you do, how you think and they lead you towards your greater purpose.
The Bible tells us before we were formed in the womb God knew us by name, we are His and he has a plan to give us hope and a future. Every single day of our life has been prepared for us. Look forward to His plans.
My blog (or collection of blogs) has been a process of identifying my dreams, core values and beliefs. I’ve shared everything from a personal letter to my son to how messy my pantry looks, my birthday (twice!), the sadness I feel for the conditions in Haiti, my cool job, statistics, funny moments and my struggle listening to God. Along the way there have been a couple of life changing experiences. I am looking forward to Gods plan for me and the life changing events that are sure to come my way.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Looking Back
This month marks six months I've been working with my class in Delmas, Haiti. The first day I met them, they were still identifying colors and shapes. I've asked the students to write an essay as best they can in English, today I received my first essay to grade. I'd like to share it. If my students can do this in six months with only an hour a day on an "iffy" internet connection, just think what we could do with 6 hours a day, 5 days a week with a good internet connection.
Would you all like to help me grade this paper :-)
What makes you unique?
The core word of this question is “UNIQUE”.ENCATA defines unique as being the only one of a kind, being different from other in a way that makes someone or something special or worthy. Regardless of one’s belief, either in Bible either in the theory of evolution of Darwin, everyone can agree that the earth has been peopled for more than one million years. With this age knowing as humans give birth fast, the number of humans that have lived is uncountable. But let’s focus on men .So all these men were they similar, or were they different?
Is there a chance that I’m the exact copy of somebody who had lived before?
A sharp study will bring light upon our debate.
To discuss that subject we will consider five points: BIRTHDATE, FAMILY NAME, RESEMBLANCE IN APPEREANCE,SIMILARITIES IN CHARACTER at least the PERSONALITY.
Life is with no doubt the most beautiful thing that exists… To experience happiness, bliss and love one must be alive. The process of life will not be part of our study but we’ll emphasis on the birth in this point .Even though we take count of the exact time of the delivery it’s probable that more than five babies take birth at the same moment. Therefore many people can have the same birthday or if you allow this abuse of language the same birth minute.
Generally after the birth every baby is given a name .According to the Bible since God had created the first man HE had given him a name and thus to the woman; this has kept on up to now .A name is given to a child to call him or her when needed and to identify him or her from other members of the family ,surrounding et cetera. The question of last name has been coined by Italians at the beginning of our era… Normally children bear the last name or their father but sometimes resulting to a variety of problems some mothers give their last name to their child. The last name tells the origins of the child and helps identify the child from other children who might have the same first name as him or her.
Hereditary links are so remarkable that some children walk, talk in the same way as their parents. Sometimes when you see a kid there is no need to meet his father or his mother. We made this a approach to make you see and understand that two people could have the same name or the same character and behavior. Even though we do know that nature has a different impact on each person, which will help the person to build her personality.
The personality is somebody’s set of characteristics, his or her total attitudes, interests, behavioral pattems, emotional responses, social roles and other individual traits that endure over long periods of time. George Sylvain a Haitian poet of the 19th century said that the name we are given is a mirror in which our behavior and personality are reflected sometimes.
From the first point to the last discussed in this study let’s notice that none can top the personality. Though it is seldom that two people have the same full name but it is something that’s already happened. According to the fact that the birthrate in a hospital in the USA is “X” and in Haiti it is “X” so we can all admit that many babies can be borned at exactly the same time. In family children can have the same handwriting as their parents. And we cannot ignore the prominent resemblance that exists between family’s members.
Someone cannot be the only one of his kind depending on his birth date, name ,appearance, character just because regardless, as we mentioned at the beginning of this study, of one’s belief we’ve all been created in the image of God or come all from one man. But the human kind is spread on a big ball of 40,000km of circumference; each region is different from others by its climate, relief, culture, wealth, education level, belief et cetera. Every nation is different from others. In families, the source of all societies, there is a lot differences between siblings. The nature impacts every body differently so in this point of view every body is different from others; but that difference dwells in the personality of everyone. People’s personalities are like their finger prints none one on earth can have the same characteristic, given in the definition beneath of personality, as you. I am unique because I have a lot of qualities and flaws that nobody else has; because the way I think nobody else can think that way ,nobody else can love my mother, my brothers, my girlfriend the way I love them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All I can say as a teacher, is I'm proud.
Vicki
Would you all like to help me grade this paper :-)
What makes you unique?
The core word of this question is “UNIQUE”.ENCATA defines unique as being the only one of a kind, being different from other in a way that makes someone or something special or worthy. Regardless of one’s belief, either in Bible either in the theory of evolution of Darwin, everyone can agree that the earth has been peopled for more than one million years. With this age knowing as humans give birth fast, the number of humans that have lived is uncountable. But let’s focus on men .So all these men were they similar, or were they different?
Is there a chance that I’m the exact copy of somebody who had lived before?
A sharp study will bring light upon our debate.
Life is with no doubt the most beautiful thing that exists… To experience happiness, bliss and love one must be alive. The process of life will not be part of our study but we’ll emphasis on the birth in this point .Even though we take count of the exact time of the delivery it’s probable that more than five babies take birth at the same moment. Therefore many people can have the same birthday or if you allow this abuse of language the same birth minute.
Generally after the birth every baby is given a name .According to the Bible since God had created the first man HE had given him a name and thus to the woman; this has kept on up to now .A name is given to a child to call him or her when needed and to identify him or her from other members of the family ,surrounding et cetera. The question of last name has been coined by Italians at the beginning of our era… Normally children bear the last name or their father but sometimes resulting to a variety of problems some mothers give their last name to their child. The last name tells the origins of the child and helps identify the child from other children who might have the same first name as him or her.
Hereditary links are so remarkable that some children walk, talk in the same way as their parents. Sometimes when you see a kid there is no need to meet his father or his mother. We made this a approach to make you see and understand that two people could have the same name or the same character and behavior. Even though we do know that nature has a different impact on each person, which will help the person to build her personality.
The personality is somebody’s set of characteristics, his or her total attitudes, interests, behavioral pattems, emotional responses, social roles and other individual traits that endure over long periods of time. George Sylvain a Haitian poet of the 19th century said that the name we are given is a mirror in which our behavior and personality are reflected sometimes.
From the first point to the last discussed in this study let’s notice that none can top the personality. Though it is seldom that two people have the same full name but it is something that’s already happened. According to the fact that the birthrate in a hospital in the USA is “X” and in Haiti it is “X” so we can all admit that many babies can be borned at exactly the same time. In family children can have the same handwriting as their parents. And we cannot ignore the prominent resemblance that exists between family’s members.
Someone cannot be the only one of his kind depending on his birth date, name ,appearance, character just because regardless, as we mentioned at the beginning of this study, of one’s belief we’ve all been created in the image of God or come all from one man. But the human kind is spread on a big ball of 40,000km of circumference; each region is different from others by its climate, relief, culture, wealth, education level, belief et cetera. Every nation is different from others. In families, the source of all societies, there is a lot differences between siblings. The nature impacts every body differently so in this point of view every body is different from others; but that difference dwells in the personality of everyone. People’s personalities are like their finger prints none one on earth can have the same characteristic, given in the definition beneath of personality, as you. I am unique because I have a lot of qualities and flaws that nobody else has; because the way I think nobody else can think that way ,nobody else can love my mother, my brothers, my girlfriend the way I love them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All I can say as a teacher, is I'm proud.
Vicki
Saturday, April 9, 2011
I have a question.
I am all for the United States Navy. They are my heros in so many ways. All around the world our men (including my two sons) and women serve our country and provide support to so many other contries. On April 6 the HSV 2 Swift finally delivered nearly $1 million worth of relief supplies to Haiti. However, the Navy’s program Project Handclasp spokesperson said because of various transport difficulties the bulk of the food had passed its expiration date and had to be thrown away.
Now I know most food has an expiration date of a “long time” which tells me that the food either was old to begin with or it’s been sitting in a warehouse for a “long time”. Which is it?
If it was old to begin with, why did Project Handclasp accept it in the first place? If it has been sitting in a warehouse that long, why is that? Someone needs to be doing their job a little better. It is not only wasteful, it is heartbreaking.
Commander Lewis Preddy, said sending the food on a ship earlier would have meant drawing down resources from humanitarian missions elsewhere and I wouldn’t want that to happen either. But I would like to know who didn’t check the expiration dates before it was loaded on that ship.
We are the United States, we make things happen in a timely fashion. Commander Preddy, you need to check the expiration dates a little closer.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Young Haitian professionals working towards lasting development
MOJECF- a French acronym translated to English means, the mobilization of the young people against the flails was created in 2006 and recognized by the Haitian government in 2008 as a nonprofit, humanitarian, Christian community organization. MOJECF is committed to community education to combat the flails the youth of Delmas encounter every day of their life.
Recently MOJECF has sponsored several community awareness programs to address environmental protection, communal hygiene, sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis. In partnership with CCHER (Center for Community Health Education and Research), Food for the Poor, CONCERN, Grace Children’s Hospital, guest speakers Dr. Blandine and Dr. Duc, hundreds of Delmas citizens have been given the proper tools to develop a framework for lasting development.
Join with me to help spread the word, support them and pray for their successful continuation.
Visit their web page and send them a note of congratulations.
MOJECF
The mobilization of the young people against the flails
Rue MarienT Delmas 31 #21 Port-au-Prince (W.I)
Email: mojecf@yahoo.com
Tel.: (509)3441-0979
http://www.wix.com/ourhaiti/mojecf
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Happy Birthday to Me!!!!
How on earth could I have missed the opportunity to share with you my birthday? Well here it is. This is my intermediate class in Port au Prince (Delmas) Haiti. I'm taking a video with my camera pointing at my computer screen. You can see my shadow but more important, you can see just how suprised I was!
It is Elie who is reading the "Birthday Card" for me, but it is the whole class singing. Enjoy!
It is Elie who is reading the "Birthday Card" for me, but it is the whole class singing. Enjoy!
I know today is a red letter day for you and you may trust me if I tell you we feel the same. Today is not only a day that God preserves but also a day that He did a miracle. Thank goodness that we have met that first teacher and we can not exchange that day for anything. I know you know my hands can’t reach you but my words can reach your heart. In the world there are many different ways to say that you love some one but here is a different way …. And there are many different languages in which you can wish Happy Birthday to some one but mine is in Creole, Bon fet.
Does it sound cliché to say, my life has been changed because of this class? Even if it does...it has.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Communique' #86
Here is a picture of my friends Nora and Leon. Nora is the Executive Director for Caribbean Children's Foundation Missionary to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Among about a million other things, Nora likes to gather sea glass and I like to buy sea glass! That's how we got to be friends. A few day's ago I was reading Nora's Communique' #86. Every time I read that word communique' it makes me happy! By the time I was done reading Communique' #86 (see I just had to say it again because it makes me smile!) anyway... I wanted to share with you a little story that happens right out side of Nora's door.
At about 4:30PM every morning, it seems that a truck stop of sorts is located on the shoulder of the road across the street from my home. Blowing their excessively loud air horns, two or three large open bed trucks will arrive, pulling their vehicle onto the side of the road to park their rig facing the oncoming traffic that is entering the gates of the city of LesCayes. Soon smaller vehicles, people on motorcycles and people on foot will arrive to start filling the trucks with their merchandise in preparation for their long journey from LesCayes to Port-au-Prince. Large bags of various products are lifted up into the bed of the truck, where the men in charge wedge each parcel into a precise spot. The bags will contain one of many things, such as charcoal, rice, fruit or clothing. The passengers, mostly peasant woman, will climb on top to begin settling in for their long ride. Some very elderly women will defy their age by making two or three very un-ladylike steps from the ground, up the side of the truck and over the top railing to find the best seat possible for the lengthy ride to a roadside market in the capital city of Haiti.

A most enterprising lady always appears alongside the trucks. She is pushing a rusty old wheelbarrow with a tire that is more square than it is round. Nestled under a bundle of towels and rags is a steaming pot of food. The roll-along diner is soon swarmed by hungry passengers needing some sustenance prior to their nighttime journey. A heaping mound of beans and rice is artfully placed on a Styrofoam plate with a plastic spoon piercing the savory food. The passengers are adept at climbing up into the truck without spilling a morsel from their plateful of food that will be enjoying, while perching on top of one of the gigantic bags of juice oranges heading to market. Many passengers finish their food just as the driver of the truck prepares to start the engine. The discarded plates soon become the stepping stones of pedestrians on the gravel paths below. Even the next morning, the remnants of the food feast lay scattered throughout the neighborhood, in spite of a nearby sign that pleads for no trash to be thrown in this area.
When departure time seems imminent, passengers wedge themselves into the best possible position for the long, bumpy, breakneck speed ride into the big city – a ride that may include unpredictable weather of high winds or rains or the serenity of a beautiful umbrella of a starlit sky. Some tighten a scarf around their head. Some put on a sweater in an attempt to keep the chill of the damp night air from their bones. Some decide that a more reclining type position would better suit them for being able to sleep along the way.
This is the life of a street vendor. A small fee is paid for each sack of merchandise brought on the truck. A small fee is paid for each passenger who will nestle themselves amongst the hodge podge mounds of market goods. At times, passengers are even accompanied by livestock of goats and chickens who are heading to market. The truck will wind over two mountain ranges, forge through rivers where bridges have been washed away and slide through treacherous sections of road that sometimes require the passengers to get down from their thrones of rough sack cloth to walk through the area so that the lightened load can get everyone to their destination.
The destination for many is a little place to squat in a tiny spot on a smelly, muddy, trash-strewn roadside. There they will compete, shoulder-to-shoulder, with hundreds of others who have come to sell the very same product that they have come to sell. There they will stay, many times in the baking sun, until they have sold what they have brought and made enough money to return home and start the process all over again.
One cannot say that the Haitian people are not hard workers. The Haitian people will do whatever they have to do to survive. I watch grown men riding bicycles to their jobs, as it is their only means of transportation. I watch as men carry live chickens throughout the community, trying to sell them to a housewife needing a meal for her family. I watch teenagers peddling brooms, pharmaceuticals, electrical gadgets and other desired items, as they weave on foot through the chaotic traffic. My thoughts then turn towards corporate America. Has anyone climbing the corporate ladder ever worked under conditions such as this, just to bring a single dollar home to their family at night? Yet, here in Haiti, we see this type of labor day after day after day! It is the norm, rather than the exception. Haitians earn little, but work hard! Haitians are survivors!
When you sit in your homes tonight, after a long day at work, take a moment to bow your head! Take time to thank God for the blessings that you have! And while you are at it … ask him for a special blessing for a Haitian worker !
And for Nora and Leon and their work with the The Caribbean Children's Foundation.
Until next time,
Vicki
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Artists for Hope

Or if you click on any of the pictures you will go directly to the shopping page. Enjoy!
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