| 
“I’m
hopeful because my work is bearing fruit,” said
Samson, a Beyond Borders and Limyè Lavi colleague,
when I asked how things were going for him. I had
just returned to Haiti for the first time since I’d
moved back to the United States almost three months
ago with my wife, Merline, to focus on developing
The Experiment in Alternative Leadership in the U.S.
Samson Joseph |
“If
you go to Madame Evelyn’s classroom on any Thursday
between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m.,” Samson continued,
“you’ll find her sitting in a circle with
all her students doing a Reflection Circle. She is
one of more than a dozen teachers that I trained last
year who are doing weekly Reflection Circles.”
His radiant enthusiasm is an oasis for me. Before
we are finished talking, he has told me of several
other recent accomplishments teaching literacy instructors
and introducing Open Space to various groups.
After
living in Haiti for thirteen years, moving back to
the States has been quite an adjustment for me. Now,
on my first return visit to Haiti, I’m readjusting
again: from Washington, D.C.’s relative afflucence
to the landscape here in Port-au-Prince with garbage
piled as high as buildings, junkyard-looking vehicles
transporting people packed like sardines, begging
children dressed in rags.
Along with training teachers, Samson Joseph has
taught an adult literacy class for adults in the
neighborhood surrounding the Limyè
Lavi office in Port-au-Prince. Here he presents
Meliane Joseph (no relation) with a certificate
at a graduation ceremony held July 30, recognizing
her successful completion of the two-year literacy
program. Before accepting her certificate Meliane
said, “My goal was to learn to read and
write and be able to read the lyrics from a hymnal
with my church choir.” Meliane then proudly
stood before everyone with her hymnal and sang
all the verses of a hymn. |
Yet
somehow Samson’s smile and the twinkle in his
eyes are as beautiful as ever. He gives me energy.
Suddenly, seriousness comes over him as he continues
to share: “My big problem is that I’ve
got to get my ID and other official documents replaced.
It’s going to cost me 7,000 goudes (US$200),
assuming the bribes are within reason. It’s
hard to estimate how much time it will take, given
the government’s state of disorder.”
John
and Merline Engle |
Samson
had been robbed at gunpoint three days earlier. Two
thieves got away with about $100, three cell phones
(he was carrying two for friends), and some personal
items—including all his ID and documents. The
ache I’m feeling for my friend is showing. He’s
aware of my sadness. It’s as though he flips
a switch; his beautiful smile returns, lighting up
his face. Once again he’s radiating energy and
power in a frame less than half the size of mine.
He won’t let us wallow in his misfortune. He
laughs, shrugs, and says, “You have to adapt
to reality!” |
