Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, October 13, 1994 TAG: 9410130030
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RICK LINDQUIST STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
"The American government is doing the thing it should have done long before," Jean-Louis said recently on a break between classes.
Thelus agreed. "After we thank the good Lord, we should thank the Americans," he said.
Thelus and Jean-Louis have been in the United States since early 1993, their visit sponsored by St. Mary's parish in Blacksburg and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Richmond's Outreach to Haiti. Both men are staying with host families in Blacksburg while they attend classes.
Now, after almost completing their two-year agricultural technology programs at Tech, the pair - both in their late 20s - no longer feel as though they're on some other planet. In fact, they've gotten downright cozy with the American way of life, from cable TV and pizza to french fries and doughnuts - and even the English language, which both found difficult at first. Now, colloquialisms like "y'all" are becoming second nature.
"When I get home, the first thing I do is turn on the TV," admits Jean-Louis, who watches the coverage of the events his country on CNN. Thelus - the more gregarious of the two - is a big fan of the Black Entertainment Television network.
Some American traits have been harder to swallow. Working in a campus dining hall, they report being shocked at the amount of food that is thrown away. "I ask myself, 'Why is it that way?'" Thelus said.
Back home in Haiti, good food of any type is a luxury. As for TV, they might see a channel or two, if there's a set in the house and power to run it.
They miss their families - news from home is often months old if it gets here at all - and, with President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's return and their graduation impending, both are willing to leave the relative luxury of American culture behind for their impoverished native land, where peace and prosperity remain alien concepts.
Both say they're really excited to be going home, albeit to an uncertain future where getting a job is a high priority but a low probability. But they're also confident that the end of the embargo and the resumption of U.S. foreign aid will turn things around. As a hedge, though, they're taking a few U.S. dollars along.
Putting their high-tech educations to work could be another problem in an mostly agrarian country where traditions die hard and decisions often are based on superstition. Jean-Louis and Thelus say they will adjust accordingly. "The basics are the same," Thelus said.
For their families, much rides on their return. "Everybody in my family depends on me," said Jean-Louis, who plans to work on the family's house in the central plateau village of Hinche and hopes to buy enough land to raise some cattle crops. "My major concern now is how to get started with my projects, my dreams." He also wants to teach others what he's learned.
Likewise, when he returns to his home village of Matabonite in Pignon in the northern highlands, Thelus hopes to share his farming expertise with his neighbors, as well as teach them to read and write.
While illiteracy is notoriously high in Haiti, the despotic regimes of the past have used language as a political lever to divide the powerful and the powerless.
The common language is Creole - a variant of French. But Haiti's past governments have insisted on educating in French, the language of Haiti's elite.
"That will change, that should be changed," said Thelus, who expects Aristide's government to declare both tongues official and to permit schools to teach in Creole.
Neither is happy about talk of amnesty for Lt. Gen. Raoul Cedras, the Haitian coup leader, who stepped down Monday.
"I think Cedras should be punished," said Thelus, who's confident Cedras eventually will be forced to leave the island. "He'll do the same as Michel Francoise," he said, referring to the Port au Prince police chief who recently sneaked out of town one night. They'd also like to see U.S. troops hang around long enough - "maybe four, five, six months" - to ensure some continuity when Aristide steps down in 1995, and new elections ensue.
Despite their enthusiasm, Jean-Louis and Thelus are guarded in their optimism about Haiti's future. "It's not all right, so far. It's going to be all right, but it can still go wrong," Thelus said. "But, I don't want to lose my hope."
Contributions to the Haiti outreach program are welcome. For more information, contact The Newman Community, 203 Otey St., Blacksburg, Va. 24060, or call 951-0032 or 552-9170.
by CNB