Returning to School

Today it's time to pack Witchner up and return him to school. This morning he was really surprised that it was time to go already. He still has some homework to do. Tonight he'll leave on the bus and this time he'll go through Albany, Buffalo, and Erie. It's a 17 hour trip but he wanted to try it. When he returns in May he'll be coming back on the Amtrak Train. We went online last night and watched YouTube videos of trains and he's really excited about trains.

This evening he asked about the "Subway" sign on Route 5. Paul tried explaining it was a sandwich shop, but then the explanations got complicated because I'd told him about subways in NYC (underground transportation). Paul added "submarine" to the explanation in order to try to clarify why the sandwiches were called "subs"....I'm not sure that Witchner completely understood.

On the way to the bus station they also had a discussion about large animals (bears, deer, wolves, etc.) Witchner was astounded that people didn't own each animal. He told us that all of the animals in Haiti, even the free-ranging rabbits, were owned by someone. He couldn't believe we have animals that didn't belong to anyone. The concept of "wild" is new.

Haitian Potluck

Today we planned a potluck party, inviting people who know Witchner. Early in the day we drove to Hadley to the international market to buy dried shrimp for the rice. On the way to Hadley we drove under the Market St. trestle where a train was passing overhead. Witchner was startled by the sight and had no idea what it was, turning back to look at it as is continued along the rail.

I described what trains were and how they were similar, but different, than subways in cities. (This discussion on "subways" comes into play on Sunday.)

We also had a discussion about bears - I was telling him about how it was just about time to get rid of the bird-feeders so that they wouldn't attract the bears. I went on YouTube to show his what black bears looked like and how large they were. He was completely amazed and asked if we had ever seen them. He was a little taken aback when I told them we sometimes have them in the neighborhood.

About 20 people came to the party. Witchner made luscious rice and beans with a shrimp sauce. He guided me through making the beet and potato salad; all of the blans at the party were surprised by how much they liked the beet salad! It was a really fun party because many of our friends from church got to meet our extended family (The Boufs) and some of our Haiti team as well. We had a great time! There were pockets of people everywhere in the house, including a fiddling session with hymns in the music room, and a Jumping Wald1r session in the living room, not to mention a Haiti slideshow on the computer. Paul later told me they played "Danny Boy" on the violins and piano and Witchner sang along, only he knew it as the melody to a hymn!

Boring, but welcome, week

It was a pretty boring week for Witchner since Paul and I had to go to work each day, but that was OK with him because it gave him a chance to sleep in late and then be on his laptop all day long. We encouraged him to do some homework, but because it's only Wednesday, he's not feeling an immediate need to yet. He made diri e pwa for us for dinner tonight. It's soooo good.

There are a few things that are new to him. He was amazed when I told him that we eat beet greens. Although they grow lots of beets (betwouj) in Haiti, no one eats the greens. He looked pretty skeptical when I told him that we did. To prove it I steamed some, put some salt & pepper on them and had him try them. To his surprise he liked them. It sure seems like this would be a natural for increasing the vitamin/mineral intake for Haitians.

Snow duty

The snow on our garage and house was so deep and so heavy that we took advantage of Witchner's strong arms and legs to help us shovel them off. He got in a good workout on a nice winter day.

Spring Break!

Witchner arrived at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT at 6:30. Paul and I were there to meet him. He walked down the passageway so confidently that we weren't even sure it was him coming towards us. This was his first time flying on Southwest Airlines (i.e., no reserved seating), also his first time flying out of Pittsburgh and getting a connecting flight at BWI. He managed it all on his own without any telephone help. He's now been to 6 airports in two months!

As we drove home he used a common expression among college students at spring break: "I'm free!" Shortly after we got home he turned his computer on, got a cold drink and was IMing with Marie back in Haiti. At his bible school he's not allowed on the internet, so he was really anxious to be online.