It’s an unusual friendship…
He doesn’t speak Enlgish. I don’t speak Creole (amidst my many attempts).
Nonetheless, I have made a new “Zanmi” (which means friend in Creole)! His name is Alcage, but I mostly call him “My Zanmi.”
I worked with him one of our first days of construction. I was helping him hand sift sand and he took it upon himself to teach Creole to this clueless American.
I was able to learn enough Creole to SOMEWHAT communicate with My Zanmi.
Soon we were the best of friends!
He is 17. He has Jesus in his life! He works construction instead of going to school, because he can’t afford it. He lives with 8 friends in a room that is connected to MOHI (Mission of Hope International). He loves music and plays the drums. Allegedly, he is a good dancer (although he refuses to show me his skills). He has 5 brothers and a mother that live on an island I can see from our compound called Lagonav.
If you met him, you would sense such a sweet and kind spirit, although you may also see someone that has already been through so much and is still so strong.
That is My Zanmi!
I wish I could learn so much more about him. I want to tell him more about my life too.
I want to show him pictures of my home…of my friends…of my family…show him my “normal.” I want to tell him my story. I want to encourage him with what God is actively doing in my life.
I wonder what he would think? How ridiculously different he would see my life from his? Would he find it THAT ridiculous?
Amidst an extremely large language and cultural barriers, I’ve made a good friend and honestly My Zanmi has been one of my biggest highlights of Haiti.
Alcage and I won’t keep in touch though. He doesn’t have a mailing address, phone or internet access (no email…no facebook). That makes me really sad!
(I have a feeling that’s going to be a common theme here on the Race.)
But I am confident I will see My Zanmi again, because of our shared faith in Jesus Christ.
And perhaps he will remember the crazy American girl that was so happy to be his Zanmi for a month!
