Returning to Haiti....

Exciting news came from Converse College: We are the recipients of a Creative Collaboration grant that will cover the airfare for a second trip to Port au Prince in December. We are very excited to be returning and we'll be collaborating with the Converse Music Therapy program as well as our friends and colleagues from Emporia State University. It is so wonderful to recieve such support. Thank you Converse!

Home again

After a day of traveling, we are home and a bit tired. I awoke this morning to a cool breeze.... something I have not felt in awhile. It was very warm and humid in the mornings in Haiti, but it was nice to wake up to the sounds of roosters crowing instead of highway traffic. I went to the store today, and thought of how I can get in my own car and drive to a supermarket and get almost anything I want (except, of course, wonderful flavorful ripe mangoes). It's clear that we take many things in our lives for granted. But if I bring one thing home from this trip, it is that during the past week, I lived with purpose. Every moment was significant. It can be easy to miss the significant moments in our normal lives. As a teacher and therapist, those wonderful moments when you can affect someone's life are significant. Each moment in Haiti was significant. We nurtured relationships, opened doors of communication and understanding, and shared insights. We were welcomed with warmth, our hosts shared their experiences and their love for their people with us. It was a little bitter sweet to leave, but I know I'll be going back.

Final day at Kings Hospital

Everyone slept really well after yesterday's experiences. This morning I think we began to realize that our trip is coming to an end, but we didn't have time to really think about it much. After breakfast, we went to work with the nursing staff. Our goal was to have them use the symbols and graphic language they had learned, and make t-shirts with these symbols on them as a reminder of why they are in their chosen profession. We got off to a late start because of an emergency surgery, but soon the room filled with people in uniform doing artwork. M. Jn. Baptiste, one of the doctors, brought a patient in to the group, and Gaelynn began an art assessment with her, but it was a short-lived assessment and she needed to return to her room to rest. We spent a good deal of time talking with the doctor about what the patients circumstance was, and Gaelynn shared her insights based on her experience working in the medical field. As people finished their shirts, they modeled them and we took photos. They shared their symbols with the group. It was interesting to see the similarities across the culture and profession. We ended the week by repeating a legend about light, and each person was given two glow-in-the-dark bracelets and given the instruction to keep one, and then give someone else the other while telling them one of the strengths they notice. Everyone joined and and shared affirmations happily. It was a little bitter-sweet. It will be sad to say good-bye, even if it is just for now. We let the children work on mandala drawings, which was a nice way to end the week. They drew them, and some gave them to us as gifts. As they finished they went of to play on the swings and basketball area. A couple of boys picked up a handmade hexagonal kite made with clear plastic sheeting and long fringe. As it took off, it reminded me of how jelly-fish swim through the ocean. It was really good to see them having a good time and enjoying themselves. We all relaxed until it was time to leave. One of our students shared that she felt more like she was living in the present moment than ever before. There is no real sense of day or time. Our senses have all be heightened with all the sights, sounds and smells. I think we will all experience a little culture shock when we return home. It may actually be good that we arrive in the middle of the night. The darkess may filter some of the typical things we'd experience so that we can ease back into western culture. Tomorrow we will be preparing to come home. Undoubtedly we will be bringing some fun things back, but the best thing we will be coming home with is our memories and the warm feelings we have shared with everyone here.

A special day --

Today will likely be looked back upon as one of the high points of our trip. Gaelynn and I were asked to teach the nursing students, so we split up and allowed the students to test their skills with the group we have been working with all week. They stepped up and did a fabulous job. We were not told how many to expect, but ended up with 60+ wonderful students all dressed in teal uniforms. They filled the room to capacity, and were eager and interested. We spent the morning teaching them a little history and method of art therapy, and explained some of the ways that art can be used by nurses to reduce anxiety and fear of medical procedures. They responded beautifully, which was evident when we concluded the morning with a role play. They paired up as nurse and patient (with an imaginary illness). The nurse would encourage the patient to use art along with traditional verbal techniques to describe their symptoms. They jumped right in with enthusiasm, and I think they did a remarkable job with only a few hours training. This afternoon we met again with the children. This time, we used construction materials, craft (popsicle) sticks, paper, and glue. They were instructed to create a house. This is a significant task, because most of these children live at the school, many are orphaned, or have family who cannot adequately take care of them. The responded by beginning to build two dimensional images of houses using the craft sticks to outline the shape. Some were completely disorganized, reflecting the disorganized debris we see all around the city even one year after the earthquake. After making a few attempts, they began to work with more accuracy, and eventially began to build three dimensional structures. Even the youngest seemed to progress through the process. Many even decorated their homes with stickers and would identify who would live there with them and who might visit. We could see the confidence increase, and they were very proud to share their creation with us and have their pictures taken. It was a great accomplishment for them. Tomorrow is the day before we leave, and we are already feeling a little melancholy about leaving everyone. Our hosts, Dr. Morquette and his wife, Dr. Hiacynthe-Morquette, have been most generous hosts. It has been a pleasure to serve with them and share our knowledge with their staff.

Medical Art Therapy

We have evolved into a nice cohesive group. Gaelynn and I have become a good tag-team at presenting, and today the students jumped in to facilitate the art activity with our supervision. They are continuing to develop excellent presentation and facilitation skills. I love that they are so enthusiastic about this work. They have also become very fond of the seminar participants and the children we work with in the afternoon. Good-byes will be difficult. Today's participants were slightly fewer in number. Twenty-seven attended, and the focus of the training was the benefits of art therapy in a medical setting. We covered the basic history and a few well-known examples (at least in the art therapy world). There was no recognition of Frida Khalo, but these are medical staff, not art students. This was followed by some case studies from Gaelynn's research and work. The students facilitated a body awareness exercise so that the participants would be able to do a body transformation drawing in a small scale. It was interesting to note that this was a foriegn concept to this group, as was dreamwork. But with a few explanations through our well-spoken translator, they began to understand. It is difficult for them to go from the concrete thinking of their medical profession to thinking metaphorically, but they may be getting the idea slowly. They are willing and good natured about exploring all the information we present. Dr. Morquette took us to lunch at Visa Hotel today, which provided a lovely buffet. It is a different world away from the dusty streets. The food was excellent, and the restaurant was filled with relief workers from many countries, business people, and other professionals. We were primarily the only female group there, however I did spot a couple of women with their companions as well. The doctor asked if we would give another seminar tomorrow to the first year nursing school students, and, of course, we agreed. It's exciting. His confidence is evident in the invitation to expand the training. After lunch, we went to an Artists Coop in the center of the city. It was quite a drive through narrow roads and a lot of traffic, but it was well worth it. We all wanted to support the local economy and artists by purchasing some items to bring home. We ran long, and were unable to work with the children, but will look forward to being with them tomorrow. It feels like we have just arrived -- it can't possibly be half way through our trip. I believe we will return in the near future. It has been such an edifying experience, and we are all very grateful to be here.

Reflections on Day 2

On March 29, 2011 Gaelynn Wolf Bordonoro wrote: Our training this morning went well; I counted 37 participants! We went with Plan B this morning after Plan A was deemed technically unavailable. (We'll go with Plan A tomorrow morning).... ah, the spontineity of international art therapy work. The participants have asked such interesting questions about the similarities and differences between mental health diagnosi/challenges and spiritual unbalance or evil spirits inhabiting a person's body. We've needed to carefully think about and articulate the cultural implications of the work and trainings in which we're engaged! Our students have been very successful in processing all of their new experiences. I'm very proud of their flexibility, compassion, honesty, and intra-personal intelligence. It's difficult to find meaning in the aftermath of a disaster, but they are working hard to understand the needs, culture, complesity, and challenges in place here.

Day two - refreshed and ready to go

After a really good night's sleep, we were all up and ready to go this morning. Yesterday's end of day processing gave us a chance to address all that we had seen and experienced. The interesting thing to me is not only how quickly our norm is challenged, but how quickly we adjust. Yesterday's heat, combined with the sights and sounds seemed extreme. Driving in through the tent cities, the simple sidewalk markets, one sees a population struggling to maintain life. This morning, driving out, we noticed how industrious and entrepenurial these same people are. They are using the existing resources to make a meager living. For example. A group of women were gathered together under a makeshift awning selling used firewood. From an American perspective, we would likely thing this odd. But it is a resource they have, they have gathered it, stacked it according to size, and sell it to vendors who need it for cooking. Brilliant! This morning at the hospital we had a larger group. It was nice to see familiar faces return, and new ones emerge. I met a wonderful woman who is working with local women who want to enter politics. It is fabulous to see leaders cultivating leaders from among the host group. She was fascinated by what we are doing, and suggested that when we come back, we meet with the women's group. We agreed. After lunch, we met again with the children. We split the group today into three groups. One for the smallest children, one for those from 11 to 14, and one for those 15 and older. The youngest ones clamored for the clay, and it was difficult for them to follow the directive to take one small ball of each color. These children have little, so, of course, they would grab and reach for each other's clay. They enjoyed making animals with the clay. Most made snakes, but one made a spider and a few other animals showed up. One little boy made 9 snakes. We counted them together, and I asked him how old he was. "Nine," he said. The other groups made three sections on their papers. The first was to create a picture of their life now; the second, what the see in their life in one year; the third in five years. Most of the childen wrote, but some drew. The first part varied somewhat, but many wrote their names. Some drew a person respresenting themselves. In the second section the girls mostly put that they see themselves in school, and wanted a doll. In the third we saw houses, cars, school and sometimes the university. The younger children are schooled at the orphanage. The older ones go out for public school. Many of the older ones want to be doctors like the Morquettes. There is a strong connection to the needs of the community. Most understand that there are many medical needs. Noel, the young 15 year old boy we met yesterday, said he wants to be a surgeon because there were so many injuries and illness due to the earthquake. Our interpreter, Emanuel, wants to be a trauma counselor. A 17 year old girl want to become a doctor and treat children, which we had learned yesterday. After we were done, we just sat with the children and shared individually or in small groups. The younger children wanted to show us what the knew in English, numbers, letters, etc. The older children just want to be heard. A couple of the 16-17 year old girls had taught themselves to crochet and had made hats, handbags and doilies to sell in order to put themselves through school later. Another myth dispelled. Outsiders may see inactivity or lack of industriousness in less developed countries. I do not. As we settle in for the evening meal and good conversation, I am relaxed and enjoying a nice breeze. In case you're wondering, we are still wearing the same two sets of clothes -- no bags yet.