Konbit Pou Ayiti

My son, the littlest member of JDS, Youth for the Development of Cyvadier

When Joe and I started talking seriously about having a baby we naturally discussed the issue of where we would raise him. Haiti is one of our homes, and the U.S. is still very much our home, too. We both feel a pull to our own hometowns and remember our childhoods fondly. Joe grew up climbing coconut trees, playing soccer on the beach and stealing mangoes, whereas I caught fireflies, went sledding, and picked raspberries in our garden.

Due to my all-day morning sickness, we moved back to the U.S. to have our baby, but our conversations continued. In the U.S. we have health insurance, dependable infrastructure, grocery stores – a whole host of conveniences, really – as well as our family and friends. In Haiti the weather is always perfect, we can go to the beach every day, and we are surrounded by children and young people, especially the ones working in the Youth for the Development of Cyvadier program.

We decided to come back to Haiti for a lot of reasons, from the exciting work we are doing this year to moving forward on Joe’s dream of a bed and breakfast here in Cyvadier. But having baby Kaya helped make the decision, too. In the U.S. we could easily find quality childcare for him that would allow me to work full-time, but the costs could equal my salary. And to be separated from Kaya! I couldn’t fathom it. Having a baby is such a precious experience, and those tiny years don’t last all that long anyway. We wanted to situate ourselves in a way that would allow us to spend as much time with Kaya as possible, at least until he is two years old! The longer the better, that’s what I say. Once he is grown, he is grown. We won’t get these years back.

What a good decision it has proven to be! Having Kaya here in Haiti does bring special challenges and problems, but it is also an added joy to see him experiencing life here. He drinks fresh coconut water and eats all kinds of tropical fruits. He swims in the ocean and plays in the sand all the time, and he never has to wear a sweater. Here in Haiti we've been able to find a nanny who can play with Kaya at
the house while I work in my office upstairs, allowing me to see him
anytime I want. We've also been able to take him on roadtrips with us
to different parts of the country.

Even more wonderful is the community that our son is experiencing here in Haiti. When I walk around our village with him, everyone calls his name, “Hey, Kaya!” All the children know him, but so do most of their parents. He plays at Nerline’s house some afternoons, or I go out and pick him up across the street at Alberta’s. The most heartwarming relationship is the one he has formed with our foster son, Guypson. After mom and dad, there is no one Kaya loves more! And it is quite obvious that Guypson feels the same about Kaya, taking him out to visit all his friends on the early morning breakfast run.

The community here isn’t just people either – there are so many animals, too! Just between our door and the road Kaya visits a dozen animals. There is Dooby’s pig, tied to a small coconut tree behind where we park our car. There are usually a few “moos”, or cows, tied up in the field next to the house. Further down the driveway we usually spot a horse as well as three big pigs that always delight Kaya with their noises. At the house we have a little cat that comes and goes, sometimes stealing our dinner right off the stove! And finally, there are the chickens. Thank goodness for the chickens! When Kaya is having a tantrum or feeling generally cranky, I am always excited to hear the mama hen coming into the yard with her nine little chicks. I’ve been known to throw bread just outside the kitchen door to entice them to come closer and entertain my little man!

It is a pleasure everyday to see Kaya’s little curls get blonder and his little arms get tanner as he is growing to be so strong here in Haiti. He is always a source of wonder wherever we go in the country – from the market in downtown Jacmel, to the villages we pass through in our car, all the way out to the island of Ile-a-Vache, where Kaya passed a whole afternoon on the beach in his birthday suit! Guypson says we need to keep a list of all the places in Haiti Kaya has visited as we go along, so one day the map of this homeland of his can be covered in little stars.

I imagine we will live in many other places before Kaya is completely grown and choosing his own exciting places to live. And I will always look back on the time when Kaya went from being a bow-legged baby, just learning to walk, to a brave adventuring toddler, trotting through the zoo in his Teva sandals.