Three

Hey guys,
I have arrived in Victoria! The first (short!) leg of my journey was smooth, and to my great fortune, my beautiful sister Cayce was waiting at the end of it. Cayce understands probably better than anyone else my compulsion to travel, and last night marked our brief reunion after an autumn, winter and spring of her living in Bordeaux, France. Hi, Cayce!

I've just received an update from GVN about my placement in Haiti. I will be based in a place called Croix des Bouquets, which I'm assured is a short drive from the airport and which my ever-helpful Lonely Planet describes as "a market town east of Port au Prince" which "is filled with a cacaphony of braying cattle, goats, pigs and horses accompanied by the cries of hawkers". The book is eight years old (I bought it more for background than for on-the-ground use), so it would be out of date even before the earthquake, but it sounds like it should an interesting space.

I'll be posted at a school called Ecole Shalom. The bottom floor of the two-storey building is used to conduct classes for children. The second floor is incomplete, with only a tarp roof, and this is where I will be staying with my fellow GVN volunteers and a group from another volunteer organization called Haitian American Caucus.

There's a variety of amazing-sounding things that happen in, out of and around this place. I'm looking forward to bringing my good energy to their sports and arts programs, assisting at their medical clinics, helping to teach English and assist with their school curriculum, and participating in their drop-ins for women and children.

The GVN email mentioned an individual in Croix des Bouquets who believes in the value of challenging youth to find their success in life. He is trying to work through sports and the arts to push Haitian youth to excel. Last year, he facilitated a large soccer tournament. I understand it was a very positive event which he will replicate this year. Now, he is also trying to initiate a writing contest for youth. You know what? It doesn't matter where you go in the world. You'll always find someone who shares your deepest values. And it brings great strength to me in my own work to know there are good people, strangers though they be, who strive for the same success and integrity wherever they happen to be in this world.

There is a long list of "wants" and "needs" coming out of Croix des Bouquets. I have limited resources, but I'll bring what I can. If any of you feel inspired to help, please contact me, and I'll find a way to shuttle supplies or funds.

They are requesting medical supplies (multivitamins [adult and children's]; pedialite; monistat; antibiotics; condoms; syringes; tylenol; baby wipes; IV supplies; bandages; cold/cough medicine; and antiseptic wipes). They are also in need of educational and sport supplies (ESL exams; ESL teaching books; white chalk; notebooks; pencils; colouring books; chalkboard erasers; soccer balls; volley balls; an air pump with a needle for sports balls; dolls; kids' games [indoor and outdoor]; beads; and seeds for a garden).

I'll bring what I can, and all those of us who have been placed at Ecole Shalom have also received this list. But we can only carry so much, you know? When I figure out how to make it work - think about sending a little care package in the mail to your brothers and sisters in another part of this wide world? It'll make you feel good. I promise. There are lots of ways you can help, and I know I'm just giving you one more to choose from, but the above supplies respond to a need that is already present in one community, and rather than trickling funds through non-profits (though this is also good!) will serve some immediate practical use.

It's a beautiful day in Victoria. I woke up at 6:30 AM to the sun shining through my window and birds singing in the trees outside. The sunshine seems to follow me wherever I go. And hell, when it's overcast, I'll keep carrying it inside me. I feel good.

Today, I'll be running errands around town, picking up some last minute supplies and items to donate and taking a moment to breathe -- appreciate the best things this town has to offer me -- and haunt some of my old favourite places. I thought to myself earlier, "I can't believe that I used to live here, just six weeks ago". But you know what? I move around too much for that.

My home is in my culture, and I carry it with me wherever I go. I live in all the places that matter to me. I'm so lucky that, for brief and meaningful spurts, I've had a chance recently to "live" for a bit in Hakai, Koeye, Kitimat, and now Victoria again. I'm glad I've had some real time in Bella Bella. And I'm looking forward to seizing that idea, dad, of just being where I am, while I'm there. It'll be Haiti, for awhile. I can't anticipate what it's going to be like. Even the duration is out of my hands now. But I look forward to just being there, and seeing what kind of good things will happen.

People keep telling me that this is going to change me, change my perspective and my awareness of the world. I just want you to know, if you're reading this, that it already has. I had no real idea, until now, what a truly incredible support network existed all around me. When I decided to do this, no one gave me any negative feedback. Everyone mobilized, with a speed and a passion that totally floored me, to help me make this happen. You helped me to fundraise, you asked me challenging questions, you told me you loved me, you kept me strong. You're keeping me strong. I am already changed, simply by the knowledge that my loved ones, my community, and even strangers who have no reason to feel invested in this...have stood up and made a positive contribution.

You guys totally inspire me. Whenever the challenges in my life prey on my human weakness and make me question the goodness in this world, I'm going to remember what you've done for me, and it's going to make me strong again. That's a great gift, and one I don't take for granted.

Love,
Jess

PS: My antimalarial pills were retrieved! By someone else. After I was on the plane. (Thanks, mom!) Now it's a race against time to see if they arrive before I leave...