Lucia

So every Wednesday I meet with Lucia who works at the school. I practice my Creole and she practices her English. She brings with her her little nephew Giovanni (Sr. Danielle named him). She’s thirty- three years old and is in her last year to become a teacher. She was an aspirant for the Sisters for a year but left after that. Every time I ask her if she wants to get married. She says I don’t know what is in store for me but my vocation right now is to help others. Asking her about her life, she lives in a house with seven other people, her mom, her brother and sister-in-law, her sister and her two nephews and nieces. Her dad died when she was little. She is the one who takes care of the kids. She gets them up in the morning at about 5, tires to get them bathed and dressed, fixes them breakfast, helps them to study their lessons, and goes to school with them. Everyone else in the house works and doesn’t come home until very late. In Haiti, raising kids is a family affair. Sometimes a child will live with his aunt or uncle or his grandparents. Although Lucia works everyday, takes care of the kids, goes to school on Saturday, she likes to spend her time on Sunday with the poor- that is after she goes to Mass at 6am. She goes with a group of women to the poorer side of town and fixes the women’s hair there, talks with them, and tries to bring little gifts for them. She is pretty amazing.