Krik?

Happy Independence Day, America!

I'm leaving you. But only for a little while.

As you can see, it's been more than two years since my last post. During that time, I hoped I would have a chance to bring this blog back for another international trip - and I finally got my wish.

Today officially marks one month until the departure date for my next adventure, but I have a feeling this one will be very different from my last. Instead of returning to Europe, I'm heading south to Haiti.

Plain Matin, Haiti, to be exact.

That's a small, rural community in the southwestern part of the country, located in a plateau at the end of a mountain road. I'll be traveling with eight others through Haiti H2O, a non-profit mission organization based out of Pittsburgh. Our goal is to help with basic construction projects in the community and with a new music program for local youth. My personal project between now and then is to create a one-day mini Vacation Bible School experience for the kids there (ideas are welcome!).

That's the quick description for right now. As we get closer to flight time, I'll provide more details about this trip. One thing I will say now (because I know you are probably wondering) is that I won't be blogging from Pain Matin. There is limited electricity in the area (and one toilet!), but internet access is basically out of the question, so I'll keep a handwritten (gasp!) journal during my stay and update this blog accordingly when I return to the States. But as long as I have internet access, you'll have real-time updates from me.

Also, by now you may be wondering about the title of this particular blog post. The official language in Haiti is French (which I don't speak), but less than 20 percent of the population speaks that. Most people speak Haitian Creole (which I also don't speak, but I'm trying to learn what I can). Less than half of Haiti's population is literate, making verbal storytelling traditions especially important. When a storyteller is ready to begin, he or she asks "Krik?" to get the audience's permission to tell the story or riddle. The audience answers "Krak!" if they are ready to listen.

And that's your lesson in Creole for today. So...

Krik?