Las Cahobas -A Visit to Sonley’s Hometown

Sonley Joesph, a 4th year student awaiting his ordination and parish assignment, was the first seminarian to invite me to his hometown. This was actually one of the few weekends when I did not have other responsibilities and was free to travel. I was really looking forward to the experience.

A little background on Las Cahobas- it is a town with a population of approximately 40,000 located about two hours from Port au Prince. It is in the Central Department of Haiti, just outside of the town of Mirebalais in the Archdeaconery of Mirebalais. It is also only about two hours from the Dominican Republic. Its economy is agriculturally based. Originally called Ville des Acajou by the French because of the beautiful Acajou trees that filled the region, it was renamed Las Cahobas-representing the same meaning-when the Spanish arrived. A noted figure of the area was Charlemagne Peralte, who led the struggle for independence under the U.S. occupation of Haiti in 1915.

Sonley and I left around noon on Friday with a family who was in Port au Prince with their twin infants for a doctor’s appointment. Unlike my experience with small children in Kenya-my appearance prompting them to cry- these babies seemed intrigued and fascinated by my difference. We played for most of the ride. The ride was pretty smooth with the exception of one stretch of road that was under construction. The completed part of the road was quite impressive and provided a spectacular overlook of the area.

This trip was actually my first excursion outside of Port au Prince. Sonley is one of the Seminarians with whom I have developed a particularly close relationship. This made this weekend all the more special.

We arrived in Las Cahobas around two o’clock. Sonley first took me to the home of his sister Mireille where I met her family. After being introduced to everyone, we were served a wonderful meal of peas with rice, pwa (a puree of peas- considered a “winter” dish in Haiti- which serves as a kind of gravy or topping), broth and meat.

So as not to impose on Sonley’s family, I offered to stay in a guesthouse. After lunch, we walked down to the Hotel and I checked in. We then strolled through town, visiting the center square, the police department and the town bank where Sonley had worked at one time. Along the way, we met many people who knew Sonley and greeted him warmly. When I told him he was like the mayor of the town, he humbly responded, “No, this is my home town. I was a teacher of French. I cared about my students and their parents want to speak with me when they see me”.

We then borrowed Sonley’s uncle’s car to visit some people and places in Las Cahobas. As we got into the car, Sonley’s nephew and two godchildren hopped in as well. Their time with their Uncle/Godfather was precious and they wanted to be with Sonley as much as possible. We first stopped to see Father Milor, Rector of the town’s Episcopal Church, Saint-Esprit. Though we had not called ahead of time, he welcomed us and we have a wonderful conversation about the parish and the great need for Sunday School and youth formational programming. At present, there is no Sunday School in place. Father Milor was excited to learn of my background and eager to have me return and begin to work with lay leaders in interested in serving as volunteers in youth and children’s ministries.

Our next stop was the home of Sonley’s mother, Yrmma. She was very warm and welcoming. As soon as Sonley arrived, children from the block gathered in the house to greet him. I took a picture of the assembly. As always, the children enjoyed seeing their picture instantly.

Next, we visited a beautiful dammed creek with a pool of crystal clear water. It was now dusk and too dark to take pictures. As I gazed up from the water, surrounded by trees. toward a rolling hill with scattered rock, I immediately thought of the Garden of Gesamene (or Jesamane in French). It must have been just such a setting for the Disciples, prompting them to fall asleep in their last hours with Jesus. I could also picture the soldiers coming down the hill into this blissful place to arrest Jesus and take him to trial.

Our final stop was the new hospital, Zanme Lasante (Friend of Health in Creole). It as a lovely, pristine facility. There were two large central wards, one for men and one for women. Those with HIV/AIDS, TB and other infectious diseases were located in separate areas. I was quite impressed

Upon leaving the hospital, we returned to his sister’s house. We sat outside for some time, speaking with people in the community and spending more time with Sonley’s nephew, Rudens, and Goddaughter, Geraldina. During our time together, Geraldina brought Sonley her school papers so that he could see how well she was doing. She was very proud and so was Sonley. Sonley drove me to the hotel around 9:30 a.m.

I had a solid sleep, listening to the music and other community activity into the early hours of the morning. I woke around 6:30 a.m. to the sound of the Saturday market in full progress. Since I did not have to meet Sonley until 8 a.m., I spent some time observing the market from my windows and taking a lot of pictures. One of my favorite images was people and goods entering town on small horses, readying to do busy.

I got dressed for the day, had a quick breakfast and headed to Sonley’s. He had not yet eaten, so I benefited from sharing some of his delicious fish. He had raved about the fish in Las Cahobas. I can now testify that it is exceptional and very different from what we eat in Port au Prince.

We were picked up by Father Milor and travelled to Mirebalais to meet with Father Jean Jeannot Joseph, Rector of St. Pierre Church and Archdeacon of the Mirebalais deaconery. This was, once again, a wonderful exchange of information and ideas on the need for programming for youth and children in the region. Though I have applied for funding for this program that won’t be available until the summer, both Father Milor and Father Jeannot are anxious to get started. We agreed that we would begin some training and piloted programming in January. Sonley told Father Jeeannot about the BuildaBridge art program that we held at St. Vincent’s. He was quite interested in having the same experience for the young people of his community and volunteered to identify some local artists who might be willing to teach.

It was after 1 p.m. when we returned to Las Cohabas. As Father Milor dropped us off, he invited us to his home for supper. We accepted and said we would be there around 4:30 p.m. We had lunch and then walked through town a bit. One of our stops was the town bank where Sonley had, at one time, worked. He was greeted very warmly by everyone as we entered the bank. We spent a little time with the Bank Manager and President, including discussion of ways that the bank supports community-based initiatives, and then headed back to Sonley’s Aunt’s house.

Time passed quickly and soon we headed to Father Milor’s house for supper. Contrary to Haitian tradition, Father Milor had had a huge meal prepared for us. I suspect it was out of respect for my traditions. We had a wonderful evening together and then walked home. Sonley had been asked to preach at church the next morning, so I left him early to let him prepare and get a good night’s sleep.

My routine was the same on Sunday morning, though this time I was attracted by a group of boys playing soccer in the street. Again, I watched for a while and took a number of pictures. I then got ready, had breakfast and headed to pick up Sonley. Mothers are the same worldwide- when I arrived Sonley’s mother was preparing breakfast, and although close to the time of our departure, insisted that he eat. We ate together and then walked to Church.

It was a wonderful service with lots of children in the congregation, including a little baby that I was able to hold. Sonley gave a great sermon about John the Baptist and how he, with utmost humility, prepared the way for Jesus.

After church, we returned to Sonley’s Aunt’s house and, you guessed it, ate lunch. We then boarded a public van to head back to Port au Prince. This mode of transportation was very reminiscent of my travels in Kenya on Matatus- how many people (and animals) can you pack into a vehicle! It garners a real sense of community! We were back in Port au Prince city limits by 2 p.m. From the place where the van dropped us off, we took a small Tap Tap (a very colorful truck with a converted bed for seating) and then a taxi. Sonley gave me very little notice as we moved from one mode of transportation to another, adding to the humor of the situation.

The taxi dropped us off outside the Seminary gates. As I stood on the sidewalk with Sonley to say thank you and goodbye, I felt a little sad. It had been a wonderful weekend and it passed all too quickly. However, I know that this is the first of many adventures that I will share with the Seminarians and others during my year in Haiti. I was just glad that the first could be with Sonley.