Reflections on LaFond

I find myself thinking about LaFond all the time. I am quite sure my friends will grow weary of my exclamations at the beauty of that community on the top of the mountain and the people who live there. When I think of my time there, I remember the shiny eyes of the children in their uniforms--girls with a zillion red ribbons in their hair and boys carrying backpacks. I think of the long walks around the mountain, hearing the stories about their lives and the work they are all doing to rebuild after the earthquake.

Three of my favorite memories involve children. One night, two sisters quietly watched me as I attempted to read a book and knit at the same time. When I offered to teach them to knit, they quickly learned and took turns at the needles. They were surprised at how easy knitting was and were intent on doing it right. Another time, I left the work site for an hour or so and visited the school which is now meeting in tents. I hated to cause a stir, but that was impossible. I talked to the teachers about what they were teaching their young students (ages 3-6) and was able to observe their lessons which were not so different from the lessons I will soon teach to my students. Finally, every day at the work site we would hear children crying. It was kind of getting to me when Joe explained that the house adjacent to the site was a day care center. The moms who were working at the site would hear their babies cry, walk down, nurse them, and then come back to work. When I visited, I saw young children holding babies and giving them all the love they needed while their moms were working less than fifty feet away.
There were times on the mountain that were challenging--the weather was less than cooperative, making sleeping almost impossible--but that's not what I will remember first. The children will always be first.
Urban Haiti, with the tent cities and piles of rubble in Port au Prince and Petite Goave, is a challenge that is beyond my grasp. But, those folks in that small community up on the mountain inspired me in a way I can not explain. Planting crops for the future, building a school for their littlest children, caring for one another, finding a way to rebuild after unimaginable destruction--those shining eyes and brilliant smiles fill me with hope.

Robin Smith, Ensworth School, Nashville