Soul Seeking: i'm back!?

seriously, it has been so long since i've posted, and i only keep putting it off because i really just don't know where to begin. catching up….. since my last post… a lot has been going on!

spent about a month in the states from early august to early september… family, friends, love & my first burning man. vacation well spent. :)

snake (soley leve's graffiti artist) tagging his way thru the cite

back in haiti, things are rocking & rolling in Cite Soleil. Soley Leve (the rising sun movement) has been getting lots of attention and has found some financial support! this means that not only can we achieve a lot more regarding community development, but also that i will have a stipend to cover my living expenses, allowing me to stick around a while longer! you see… just go after your dreams, do what you really love, and things generally work out for the best. love it!

soley leve truck brings the sound & the party

So life in the Cite is pretty good… there has been some violence in my hood since being back, but things seem to be stabilizing now. Each day this week we've been holding community action days in different neighborhoods to revive the movement in a big way. The events have been a big success… every day we load up the Soley Leve truck (yes, we have a truck now!) w/ a big sound system, bringing the party to the street where the action is happening… envision crowds of people dancing w/ brooms, shovels and paintbrushes in hand. It makes getting dirty a lot of fun! Monday is a Haitian national holiday commemorating Dessaline's death. There will be a big march through the Cite, followed by a big party in Plas Fyete, the public plaza. i love my life.

Here's a nice excerpt from the book i'm reading now (Just & Lasting Change: When Communities Own Their Futures, by Daniel and Carl Taylor), which pretty much sums up what i'm doing here in Haiti:

Go to the People.

Live with the People,

Learn from the People.

Plan with the People,

Work with the People.

Start with what they know,

Build on what they have.

Teach by showing, learn by doing.

Not a showcase, but a pattern.

Not piecemeal, but integrated.

Not odds and ends, but a system.

Not to conform, but to transform.