Haitian Hiatus

With a little under two days left to enjoy beautiful Vancouver, BC, until I leave for Haiti and my first international teaching posting, I find myself unable to sleep. Not surprising as I still have the majority of my packing to do and I'm trying (increasingly desperately) to find my to-do list. I've said most of my good-byes...twice...and wish that it wasn't considered rude to just up and leave. I like to pretend that I'm not leaving and that we'll run into each in the grocery store, on the seawall, or on the Grind! For the purposes of this post, I'm going to make an effort to shake off this mood and describe how excited I am to be embarking on this latest adventure. My friend Ashley and I will be living in Petionville, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

At the Union School, I will be teaching grades 6, 7, 8 English, and am looking forward to reigning supreme over my own classroom. Obviously, we've considered the dangers and the culture shock, and have decided to take up the challenge anyway. For the first time ever, linen dominates the fabric of my wardrobe. I am taking as little as possible, and have spent more time considering how i'll manage the heat than how I'll navigate the curriculum. I am thrilled to be moving to a country where voodoo (not the stereotypical definition North Americans think of) is the main religion, where seafood can be found in abundance, and where French is the first official language. As always when I travel I am going with very few preconceived expectations. I can't wait to arrive and soak it all up!

More posts to come. Departure date is Saturday, August 12th.