Last Wednesday, August 5th, Marie Carmel Chery, a rising third year student at Seminaire de Theologie, took her first plane ride across the Atlantic Ocean and began an exciting visit in the United States. Carmel and the only other woman at the Seminary, Margarette Saintilver, were offered summer internships with Episcopal parishes in the United States. This is a rare opportunity for any Seminarian from Haiti, let alone a female student.
Margarette left for her post at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Bangor, Maine a couple of weeks ago. I was on my leave when she departed and not able to share in all of her final preparations. I was pleased that I returned to Haiti in time to support Carmel as she readied for 6 weeks in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina.
It had been a long journey for both Carmel and Margarette to be eligible for such an experience. They each had to secure passports and then Visas. It is extremely difficult for Haitians to obtain Visas, especially single young adults who appear to have the least motivation to return to their homeland. Once Carmel and Margarette had their passports, they visited Sogebank, paid a fee and made an appointment at the American Embassy. They left the apartment at 6 a.m. and returned at 11 a.m., having successfully secured their Visas. They were particularly excited about receiving their Visas since they had stood in a line where the representative was issuing them to very few people.
Ongoing communication followed with the sponsoring churches and respective planning committees, arranging housing, schedules of activities and, of course, airline tickets. Soon it was time to make final preparation for departure.
When I returned to Haiti last week, I found Carmel feverishly washing clothes and organizing her personal things for the trip. She also secured all prescriptions and other items that she might not find in the states. When it was time to pack, Carmel loaded a large suitcase with an ample supply of outfits, toiletries, books etc. We went to bed around 11:30 p.m.
Carmel and I were up at 5 a.m. the next morning. She had a beautiful new outfit on and was packing the last of her items. Her father, also in a new shirt and pair of slacks, joined us to spend a little time with Carmel and travel to the airport. We quickly ate breakfast and loaded the car.
At 6:30 a.m. in Port au Prince, there is certainly traffic. However, it is not nearly as bad as later in the day. We arrived at the airport in record time. We unloaded her suitcases and made sure that she had a “red cap” (an airport sky cap) to assist her. Then it was a group picture and she was off to manage security and check-in on her own.
I texted her a couple of times while she was in the Port au Prince airport . She let me know when she had boarded the plane. Then all was silent until I received confirmation from the sponsors who met her at the Charlotte, South Carolina plane that she had arrived safely.
Given my age, the fact that I am a mother and my professional background working with youth and young adults, I have been particularly committed to seeing that Margarette and Carmel felt well prepared for their internship experience and making certain that their time in the states would be fulfilling and transformative. Though Carmel has only been in South Carolina for about a week, I have the sense that she is both enjoying her time and learning a great deal. I also have no doubt that the members of her sponsoring parishes, particularly those on the Internship Planning Committee, are also appreciating the opportunity to better understand the rich and vibrant culture of Haiti and the depth of training that postulants receive in the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti.
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