22119: Kathleen: Re: There is no MPP/rebel alliance and I am far away from the floods (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: kathleen burke <kathleenburke704@hotmail.com>


Dear All:

I feel guilty I am so happy, really in the garden of Eden.  Saturday, Fre
Lama of the Brothers of St. Therese took me to Kobanal, where the order has
a manmade lake with carp, at least 7 kinds of mangoes, including the
purple-skinned variety.  Huge orchard; on the way back, we saw the men from
Chile under the leadership of one HNP in the fork of the road examining cars
for weapons.  The "ancien militaire" and rebels are far from MPP, occupying
an abandoned agricultural normal school run by the State, on State land.
In the town of Hinche, there are many graffiti proclaiming VIV LAME and VIV
(JOSEPH) JEAN-BAPTISTE.  Fre Lama told me that the people of hinche welcomed
the army and rebels because the police "didn't work out."  They are
prohibited from carrying arms but there is surely a cache in the school,
Henry says.
Let me try a geography - If you are standing (or driving) with Hinche and
the cathedral at your back, you will face a fork in the road - to go
straight all the way will bring you through Pignon and San Raphael and
finally to Cap Haitien.  If you take a right, you will travel with the river
on your right and private land on your left until you come to another fork
in the road.  Take the left fork: on your left are state roads and the
army/rebel base, abutting the church land at Massina.  On the left there is
a large farm and factory run by the Sisters of St. Therese (peanut butter,
jam, honey, cremas, mmmm), on the right a diocesan center and a small shop
where charming sisters extract more money from me than I planned (Oh, bring
some of our peanut butter, so your nieces and grand nieces can taste the
difference), Radio Vwa Peyzan, the MPP office, a primary and a normal school
run by the Sisters, the turn off for Ti Do (Little Hill) where lodgeth a
hospital, two more schools, the Catholic church, a seminary cum farm of the
brothers, and moi-meme.  If you don't take the Ti Do turnoff but continue on
for about two more hard miles, you will come to the entrance to the MPP
center, where Chavannes rebuffed the rebels led by JOSEPH JB.  there are, i
repeat, no rebels there.   But there is a clinic and meetings for
agronomists studying and applying sustainable development, from Europe,
Canada, and America.
Now I'm going to make Bob Corbett jealous - Tuesday, i went to Pandiassou!!!
  I stood on the cliff where the brothers of the Incarnate Word have their
cottages, and looked over the sweeping vistas where a Haitian doctor and his
wife built a house over 12 years for retirement AND someone is building a
huge hotel!!!!  What a great idea!!!
My cat had two blue-eyed kittens, FrankieWhitesox and LadyDay.  She is no
fun anymore.   Some nights, I look up from my book and muse upon the pained
yelpings of dogs foolhardy (and hungry) enough to venture into her
territory.  We planted morning glory seeds around the house and I gave away
a lot of fruit and vegetable seeds.
Now I'm going to sign off and check my messages.  The MPP delco is down so I
am in a cafe in Hinche, more limited for time.   Also, veronique, I am
taking your advice about the bank.  Kathleen