So far, so good...

I had this really great two and a half hour conversation with my cousin last night. I consider him a male version of my sister and I really value his perspective. We talked about religion and his future plans and my trip. He inspires and supports and he's such a genuinely good hearted young man. I love that cat.

The shop is not doing as well as I'd anticipated at this point. I've sold 5 items. I expected to sell half my shop during the holidays. I guess this is a great lesson on the power of marketing and getting an early start. I plan on keeping the shop open while I'm away, but I'm going to make it very clear that I cannot ship while I'm out of the country. My brand new sewing machine arrives just after I leave but when I return, I'm planning to work on those old church dresses mom's kept all these years. They're all so pretty and in perfect condition; crinoline, lace, and sashes all as pristine as when my sister and I last wore them. They'll make beautiful summer dresses--both sexy and fun. I've already sketched out some ideas. I can't wait to get started on them!

As momentous as this trip could be, I feel like I'm being really casual about the whole thing. I haven't followed up with my non-familiar contacts and I'm not 100% sure what I'll be doing down there. I had it in my head that I would spend the time exploring, taking photos and footage of everything I see. I've become really interested in my mother's voodoo heritage and I hoped that I might be able to see the ceremonies with my own eyes. But after speaking with my cousin, Beverly, who I'll be staying with in Port-au-Prince, I'm doubting the possibility. She and my aunt Michaelle, her mother and the owner of the home/school/mission where I'll be staying when I get to Chambalain, are not supportive of voodoo. My not knowing the language well and being a stranger to the country doesn't really put me a position to go wandering off into the sticks looking for rawkus, gyrating practitioners. My less controversial plan was to go search for Haiti's art. Go to concerts, and galleries, and dance schools, and performances. I don't know where and if this is happening and if I will be privy to experiencing it, but I want to if I am able.

I bought myself a video camera with my sweet end of year bonus! It's pretty rad. Tiny little thing and light as a feather. On sale too. Here's my first test run:

I'm going to create a travel log with all my pictures, footage and journal. Stay tuned. For those of you who are interested, I was lucky enough to come across this blog at www.haitiphotos.com by a South Florida-based photographer. His images are very beautiful and inspiring. I hope that I can capture the spirit of Haiti similarly with my little digicam. It's going to be a wonderful trip.

Happy New Year y'all! Here's to exploration and growth in 2008! Suckaz :P

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