Dear Haiti, Love Alaine
Page 10
Eat. With so many other things going on, it might be hard to prioritize.
Advocate. You want the best for your loved one and so does their doctor. But if something doesn’t feel right, don’t be afraid to speak up for them.
Take five. Every so often, evaluate the relationship between patient and doctor and confirm the schedules, medications, and general treatment plans are still working.
Have a life. Make some time for yourself and keep up hobbies that make you happy. Go on a cruise. Practice meditation. Write letters to your loved one that you can share when they’re having a bad day.
Empathize. It’s easy to get frustrated, but imagine what it must feel like to actually have Alzheimer’s and experience the changes in personality, judgment, and cognitive ability firsthand. When those emotions bottle up, take a breath and a step back to put things into perspective.
The American Association of Alzheimer’s Awareness (AAAA) is a national organization devoted to increasing public knowledge of a form of dementia that affects over five million Americans. Please consult with a physician if you suspect you or a loved one has Alzheimer’s. The AAAA does not replace expert medical opinion.
Bomb Twist-Out Instructions:
A water and leave-in conditioner mixture with a glob of aloe vera are your best friends when attempting a twist-out. Spray a small section of your hair until it’s slightly damp and separate into two individual sections. Rub some mango butter on your hands and twist the two individual sections around each other. Do this across your whole head. For a stretched twist-out, start off each section as a flat twist and then two-strand twist to the ends. Leave overnight so that it can dry completely and rub some mango butter on your fingers as you untwist to keep things sleek. You’re welcome.
Friday, January 22
From: Tatiana Hippolyte
To: Alaine Beauparlant
Subject: Hey Girl!
Hey, hey!
How is the motherland treating you? I know you can’t be on your phone like that, but I still thought I’d check in. I’m already missing you! And you’re so lucky that you don’t have to endure the rest of these presentations. After your...mishap...Sister Wagner stopped all the presentations for a week. We’re just getting started with them again because she had each person submit a line-by-line agenda of what they would cover and all props being used for review. It goes without saying that the rest of the presentations are stale AF.
Anyway, talk to you when you get a chance!
Your bestie,
Tatiana
P.S. Oh! Almost forgot. Peter says that he forgives you. That boy’s got it bad.
-----------Message-----------
From: Alaine Beauparlant
To: Tatiana Hippolyte
Subject: Re: Hey Girl! (Unsent Draft)
How’s the motherland treating me? Pretty terribly. Why, you ask? Well, because my mom has Alzheimer’s. I know. It doesn’t make any sense to me either. That’s why she slapped that senator (not that he didn’t deserve it). But she definitely wouldn’t have reacted that way otherwise. I’m sorry to spring this on you... I’m just so lost. What do I do, Tatiana? How can I help her? I’m trying to research to better understand this disease and it’s all so scary. How am I supposed to focus on this immersion project and try to redeem myself from The Incident? You don’t have any answers? Neither do I, for once. And I don’t like it.
Scared, sad, and sleepless,
-A
Monday, January 25
PATRON PAL: The Digital Age’s Response to Charitable Gifting
By Henry Boulder, Techable
PATRON PAL is single-handedly changing the way millennials and Gen Z donate.
Created by Estelle Dubois, Haiti’s Minister of Tourism, the app allows users to connect directly to a child in Haiti who is in need and shows how their donations impact the lives of its recipients. For instance, donors can view photographs of their “Pal” with their brand-new book bag for school or eating a warm meal at dinnertime.
“I’m so happy to be able to give back to my community,” Dubois told Techable. “Haiti still has not fully recovered since the earthquake and this is one way that we can all help get this country back on its feet.”
PATRON PAL appeals to young people through its gamification of charitable giving. The app’s interface is user-friendly, and users receive notifications if they haven’t logged on to their account for more than a week to check on the progress of their Pal. While Patrons can be from all over the world, Pals are currently limited to Haiti. There are talks to expand the app to other countries as well.
“When you make donations to certain charities, sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint exactly how your contribution is impacting someone. PATRON PAL allows you to see firsthand how your monetary donations are being used in Haiti and, very soon, throughout the world,” says Dubois.
PATRON PAL isn’t without its controversies. Some critics believe that the app reduces the suffering of the children showcased to no more than a human version of the once-popular Tamagotchi game.
“Apps like this are just a fad. Once people move on to the next craze, the kids that are serviced on the platform will return to a life overrun with hardship,” said Haitian-born activist Michelle Charrier. “Who will explain to the child when they inevitably stop receiving support? They aren’t Pokémon. We shouldn’t put the Haitian people or any other group through this.”
Dubois’s role as Minister of Tourism is already under a microscope. The line between public service and private company blurs as PATRON PAL grows into more of a force.
While the merits of the app can be debated, Dubois’s efforts as a political official in Haiti have unquestionably increased Haiti’s GDP through tourism and the creation of PATRON PAL. The app’s future is still uncertain, but one thing is apparent: it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.
From Estelle Dubois
To: @PATRONP-TEAM
Cc: Alaine Beauparlant
Subject: Company Updates
Hi there PP Team!
I hope you’re prepared for another awesome week of changing lives and having fun doing it. We are on track to meet our biweekly goal for subscribers but not quite there so let’s kick it into overdrive, Sales.
Engineers: even one email from a Patron having issues with accessing the donate button is a problem. It may be $10 for us but that’s the difference between missing school or a week’s food to our Pals.
Let’s give the Marketing team a cyber round of applause for setting up the latest interview singing the praises of PATRON PAL. Next time, we’ll be even clearer in the objectives of this company and preempt any questions of misconduct. I can’t reiterate how delighted I feel knowing that I can have a vision one day and that my loyal team of movers and shakers will execute it the next. Don’t let the haters hijack the narrative!
And finally, I’d like to take the opportunity while I have you all here to introduce you to my wonderful niece, Alaine. She will be joining the team for the next few weeks and I expect everyone to teach her something new—and to assign her plenty of work! Make her earn that A, as she is doing this as part of a spring immersion project for her school in Miami and I’ll be giving her teacher regular updates. ;)
Alaine was the coeditor in chief at her school’s online newspaper before taking a leave of absence to explore the world of nonprofit app development. Her series on gang members using online social media platforms to plan attacks and illegal activities won her the Gumshoe, the National Student Press Association’s leading scholastic award. She’s volunteered at the Miramar Assisted Living Facility for the Elderly as a bingo caller for the past two years and was a candy striper at Aventura Hospital for a year before that until she decided she hated children (joking). To say I’m a proud aunt is an understatement.
Also, please stop by the kitchen and hel
p yourselves to some of Tony’s famous peanut butter. I grabbed a few jars earlier and decided to share. Yes, it is true—I am the best.
ED
Your fearless leader
——
Estelle Dubois
Haitian Minister of Tourism
CEO of PATRON PAL
L’Union Fait La Force
P.S. I can’t wait for our company-wide volunteer day!
From: Florence Jean-Pierre
To: Alaine Beauparlant
Subject: Re: Company Updates
BIENVENUE, Alaine! Estelle gushes about you and your amazing accomplishments all the time. I’m so happy to formally make your acquaintance at the afternoon meeting. Bring your ideas!
FJP
From: Thierry Dieudonne
To: Alaine Beauparlant
Subject: Re: Company Updates
New kid. Bring snacks.
TD
From: Antoine Rochelle
To: Alaine Beauparlant
Subject: Re: Company Updates
Hey.
AR
From: Jason Williams
To: Alaine Beauparlant
Subject: Re: Company Updates
Finally another intern in the house! I’m excited to have someone lower than me on the office hierarchy. Don’t worry, I’ll be gracious in my ascent.
Best,
Jason
From: Alaine Beauparlant
To: Jason Williams
Subject: Re: Re: Company Updates
Ah. How quickly you’ve forgotten a key fact: you’re not Our Fearless Leader’s niece, are you?
Best,
Alaine
P.S. I can’t promise grace or anything else to you.
From: Jason Williams
To: Alaine Beauparlant
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Company Updates
True. True. Well, I’ll be your faithful servant then. Let me know if you need anything and I’ll be sure to show you the best food truck that comes to the plaza at lunch. (It’s the only food truck so it really is the best.)
Best,
Jason
From: Alaine Beauparlant
To: Jason Williams
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Company Updates
And technically also the worst. I’ll take a rain check but thanks.
Wednesday, January 27
SENT ON BEHALF OF: Jeremie Francois
To: Alaine Beauparlant
Welcome to the world of your Pal, Alaine!
PATRON PAL was created to give the young people of Haiti a chance at success. The inhabitants of our small island nation don’t just see “the poorest country in the western hemisphere.” They see home. The truth is, even though they’d like to make their home better, they can’t with what little they have. That’s where you come in, Alaine. With your minimum weekly donation of $10, less than the price of some streaming service subscriptions, you’re helping support the brightest children in our country on their quest to change its landscape. You’ll be a Patron to a burgeoning talent and gain a new Pal in the process. Get it? Good.
Without further ado, check out this handwritten note from your new Pal!
PAL NAME:
Jeremie F.
AGE:
9
LOCATION:
Plaisance, Haiti
FUTURE ASPIRATIONS:
I want be lawyer for my country.
A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR PAL:
I am oldest brother of 3 with 2 sisters. I play futbol. I love the beach. My favrit food is griot and bunon.
PAL SINCE:
January 27
POSTCARD #1 TO DAD
Howdy,
You’re probably overwhelmed by my avalanche of calls, emails, smoke signals, and pigeon-carried messages but I want to exhaust all forms of communication with you so you can’t say “You never call” or “What have you been up to?” or “I’m all alone in Miami and could have died two weeks ago and no one would know until my body got warm enough to make a stink.”
And I would inevitably respond, “Uh, I called this morning” and “I’ve been enriching the lives of Haiti’s children, its most precious resource” and “If you didn’t show up at my school for your monthly delivery of baked goods at 9:00 a.m. on the dot like you always do, Nurse Kelley and the rest of the office would send out a search team by 9:15 a.m.” Oh darn, I’ve run out of space.
—Aly
POSTCARD #2 TO DAD
Speaking of places of employment, let me tell you a little about mine (if you can call working for free, employment... Educational employment?). It’s awesome! Mostly. PATRON PAL took off seemingly out of nowhere and it’s exciting to be experiencing the start-up culture at a place that creepily takes all your personal data and financial information for good and not evil. There are only ten full-time employees (plus another intern) in the Cap-Haïtien office (and a small team in Palo Alto) and everyone is so passionate about the Pals. Oh yeah, they’re super strict about referring to their users as “Patrons” and the kids as “Pals.” It’s kinda weird.
—Aly
POSTCARD #3 TO DAD
The Dubois’s ancestral home is absolutely breathtaking. I have my own room, which is so critical for us teens and our angsty feelings. It used to be Mom’s, who’s now in another even fancier suite nearby. It’s strange to be up close and personal with her stuff here, especially considering how I can barely even point out where her bathroom is in her apartment in DC. I tried to brush my hair with the brush she kept on the dresser and broke its handle right off, Mia Thermopolis–style. Ultimate fail.
—Aly
POSTCARD #4 TO DAD
Oh! And her closet. It’s amazing. I’ve decided to take up the vintage ’80s–’90s look for the time I’m here because it’d be wrong to stay in that room and not wear those skirts. You wouldn’t approve of the length, which makes them even more perfect. I really hope Mom and I click. I want us to stop the charade and start being ourselves while we still can.
Whoa. That got pretty #heavy for a postcard. My bad.
Love you, mean it,
Aly
POSTCARD TO TATIANA
Hey girl hey! How quaint is it that I’m sending you a postcard? Isn’t it nuts that they still make these things even though we can just text and email one another? I know. It doesn’t make any sense to me either. Speaking of email, sorry I haven’t replied to yours. Things have been hectic since I got here. But I’m loving the motherland! Eating all the fritay and tablet that my stomach can handle.
Anyway, miss you. Talk soon!
Alaine
Thursday, January 28
The Life and Times of Alaine Beauparlant
I know, I know. I wasn’t being honest with Tatiana. While I was definitely eating all the amazing treats that Haiti could offer, I wasn’t on some wonderful vacation. Although it did sometimes feel that way whenever my aunt’s driver, Fernand, pulled over to buy freshly cut coconuts for us to drink on the side of the road. It was disconcerting how many men walked around with machetes in hand like they were briefcases. In the few days that I’d been here, we’d already started a little ritual. Once a day, we’d sit out on the second-floor balcony and look down the hill that Tati Estelle’s house was perched on, watching the crowded streets below as people went about their daily lives. Colorful tap taps, obnoxiously painted school buses or pickup trucks repurposed into share taxis, were decorated with images of Michael Jackson and Bible verses. They zoomed down the road, loaded with more people than was safe, a random person on Rollerblades grabbing ahold of some part of the truck to help them glide through the crazy traffic a little faster. Just when I’d settle into a nice rhythm of people-watching, I would suddenly remember that I wasn’t there for a getaway—I
was missing school because I let stupid Nina get under my skin. And even worse than that was the fact that my mom was suffering from something that I still didn’t fully understand. I didn’t know how to feel about everything and the thought of sharing that with Tatiana gave me a major headache.
And I wasn’t completely truthful in my postcard to Dad (#2 that is). PATRON PAL may be doing amazing work, but I’m def not a part of making that happen. What did I expect, that I’d waltz into an office with powder-blue-and-pink-striped wallpaper and glass cubicles and a not-so-ironically-declared Fearless Leader and change everything up? Don’t fix what ain’t broke, as they like to say, and it looked like PATRON PAL was a well-oiled machine running at peak levels. But I knew that if I waited any longer to get into the mix of things, Tati Estelle would just dump me on her favorite intern, *Jason*, and have me figure out my place from there. Yes, he had been pretty nice so far. But what did I look like, becoming the intern of an intern? Not gonna happen. Even if he was distractingly cute...with a quick smile, warm brown eyes, smooth light brown skin, and wavy dark hair that looked like he cared for it but not in a douchebag way. I quickly realized that the only way that I’d be able to make any impact was if I put myself out there and asked how I could be of service. But let me tell you, it hasn’t been an easy task to show how useful I am to what I’ve dubbed “Estelle’s Trifecta.” In fact, they’ve all rebuffed my advances in varying degrees of politeness:
FLORENCE, CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER
Florence was a tall, thin woman who wore all red and had the splotches of discoloration on her face usually associated with people who used harsh creams to lighten their skin. I remember making eye contact once with a young woman who walked out of my dad’s office while I was waiting for him to get dinner. She must’ve also used those lotions. The center of her face was as yellow as her arms were black and she shrugged on her sweater protectively when she noticed where my gaze had naturally trailed. I tried to smile at her in what I hope was solidarity. My mom was fair-skinned, and I shared the same deep brown complexion as my father. They never made me feel like one shade was more valuable than another...but one time, Tatiana did spend the morning crying in my car on the way to school because her mother had thrown a tube of the skin lightener Peau-Clair at her.