Haitian Training, Part 2

We had our second round of training for the Haiti trip today. Our homework was to do some research on Haiti and share something interesting we learned about the country and to bring some type of foreign food for a potluck. I checked the CIA World Factbook website to get some information. I thought it was interesting that 80% of the population in Haiti claims to be Christian, yet more than half of them practice voodoo. Matt explained that they practice voodoo more as a good luck charm than as a serious religion. My foreign foods were dried squid and mochi from the Asian market. The dried squid is like squid jerky. It’s white and very salty. I actually haven’t tried it myself because I’m allergic to it. Most of the people said it tasted alright, but it was very chewy and salty. Mochi is pounded rice, rolled into a ball and filled with red bean curd. It’s meant to be a dessert. It is sweet, but not as sweet as American desserts. It wasn’t too popular among the other missionaries.

I was curious what the safety policy was for everyone on the trip. More specifically, I was wondering what the policy was if we woke up in the middle of the night and heard one of the others being dragged out of their tents and being kidnapped. Matt said that his plan was to come out of his tent ready to take action. That sounded good to me. I just wasn’t sure if the policy in those situations was compliance rather than resistance. I’m sure there won’t be any problems, but it’s always good to be prepared.

I was planning on taking a group photo to post with this entry, but I forgot to do it before everyone left. I’ll be sure to include one with the report on the next training session.