Haitian Protein and The Boys

A few days ago, I woke early because of the usuals: the disoriented roosters, the heat, and the mosquitoes. I've resorted to sleeping with my socks on, which I drench in 100% deet (yes, they sell 100% deet at Sports Authority) before I sleep. The bugs love my feet. There are two kinds of blood suckers - one is the mosquito, which leaves a small itchy bump, and another is this tiny green winged pest that doesn't leave an itchy bump but a burning hematoma (blood blisters). You scratch it and it turns a deep purple. Anyways, I was thirsty so I walked downstairs half-awake to get some water. I've been using the same cup each day, and I just keep it out on the counter for easy access (much like last year). I open the fridge, pull out the water, pour, grab my cup, and drink - and while the water hits my tongue and heads for my throat, a solid, legged entity slides past my tongue and down my throat with the water - a roach.

I gagged a few times. But what am I going to do? Regurgitate because of a baby roach? I walked back upstairs, wide awake, a bit nauseous, telling myself, "At least you got your protein for the day."

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On Monday I began my afternoon classes. The students are 7 of Bill's 15 boys (read below about Bill and his orphanage). It is heartbreaking. See, all of the students in my morning class are financially stable, relatively. But the afternoon class is a mess. Having been to Bill's orphanage, I know that all of Bill's 15 boys are housed in 2 rooms, with about 4 bunk beds in each room. Bill's kitchen is stocked with large cans of refried beans. And Bill supports these kids mostly from the $230 check he receives every month from the military. $230 for about 18 people, and cigarettes. It is apparent from their apparel that they wear clothes donated by charity organizations. Each of the students is in need of a haircut. Every class, water is made available to the boys. They can drink as much as they want. But I noticed that these boys drink 3-4 cups each. I was hesitant to ask them how many meals they eat a day, but I finally, nonchalantly asked, "Hey so did you guys have breakfast today?"

They eat two meals a day, one at 8am and another at 6pm. The usual is rice with sauce. No wonder they drink so much. 8 to 6 is a long time.

It is heartbreaking to teach these kids. Each student craves attention. They do whatever they can to get individual praise. They have this habit of yelling out "finished" when they're writing notes, to show me that they're done and they should be praised for it. It is obvious, though, that these boys have not been schooled properly - they are slow to learn, quick to forget, and far behind where they should be according to their age. At the end of class, each boy takes his turn shaking my hand and personally greeting me - they will not leave without doing so. The youngest of the boys never fails to hug me before he leaves.

Moreover, it is obvious that these boys have had to fend for themselves while growing up. At first, I thought it was selfishness. But it's not. It's their survival tactic. They learned quickly that they need to be selfish to survive.

There was an apple sitting on the kitchen counter. One of the boys, Carlos, saw it. He waited after class until most of the other boys were outside. He then grabbed me and said, "Teacher, I ask you question." But he noticed that two of the boys were still next to him. So he cupped his hands around his mouth and pressed it against my ear. He whispered, "Teacher, can I have apple?"

He didn't want the other boys to know he was asking for the apple. Why? Because there was only one apple, and the other boys would want it too if they heard him. He wanted it for himself.

I didn't give it to him. There was only one apple. I can't give an apple to just one of the boys. I'll get 7 apples.

Pray for these boys. It's bad enough that the well-educated, well-off, and well-trained students are having difficulty finding jobs. It's bad enough that there is economic turmoil and spiritual confusion in this country. It's bad enough that this country's leader is incompetent and pockets money for himself. It's bad enough that the wealthy are being kidnapped for ransom. What then for these boys?

Pray for them.