I am excited at the progress of my kindergarteners' English. They now understand my English for the routine things that we do in the classroom. Whenever I explain a worksheet, I always explain in English first and then clarify the instructions again in Creole to make sure they know what they are supposed to do.
Today, I gave instructions for a worksheet in English. However, this time after I finished talking, I did not get the usual list of questions from the kids: "Ki koule Crayon? Kisa nou bezwen fe, Miss Katie?" (What color Crayon? What do we need to do, Miss Katie?) They simply listened to my instructions in English and then immediately went to work...doing the correct thing! I was so excited!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
This Christmas...
...consider doing something different. A friend of mine posted this video on her facebook wall recently, and I couldn't help but share it on my blog. I encourage you to take the two and a half minutes to watch it. It helps to put things into perspective.
There are nine students at TLC Barefoot School that do not have sponsors yet. I would be willing to bet that the amount of money most families spend on Christmas gifts this year will be more than enough to sponsor a child's school tuition for the year.
Two of the nine students in need of sponsors are in my Kindergarten class.
To sponsor one of these children in full is $525 for the entire school year. It can be paid in one sum, two payments, or monthly payments. If you cannot afford a full sponsorship, you might want to consider a co-sponsorship for $263. A sponsorship provides a child with two uniforms, one pair of shoes, underwear, socks, hygiene items, two meals a day, and a quality education.
If you are interested in sponsoring Clavens, Danielson, or any of the other students in need, please check the school website for more information!
There are nine students at TLC Barefoot School that do not have sponsors yet. I would be willing to bet that the amount of money most families spend on Christmas gifts this year will be more than enough to sponsor a child's school tuition for the year.
Two of the nine students in need of sponsors are in my Kindergarten class.
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| Clavens Alcine is 6 years old. He has been through a lot of hardship in his short life, but he is an extremely happy and playful child. Recently, his father passed away. He takes a lot of pride in doing a good job in my class, and he is very eager to learn! |
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| Danielson Jean is an incredibly intelligent little boy. He is very bright and learns new things quickly. He is always smiling and excited to do things by himself. When I ask questions, his hand is always one of the first to go up. |
If you are interested in sponsoring Clavens, Danielson, or any of the other students in need, please check the school website for more information!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Loving vs. Doing
The more time that I spend in Haiti, the more I realize what it is all about. For me, being here is not about accomplishing some big "goal" or "mission". It is not about feeding every starving person or clothing every naked child. Yes, the Bible tells us in Matthew 25 that we are supposed to do all of those things, BUT I think that they should come as a byproduct. Those things happen after relationships are built and friendships are established. We clothe the naked, feed the hungry, heal the sick, and free the oppressed out of pure and genuine love for the person. You see, I've realized that if we do those things for any other reason other than love, then we don't actually accomplish anything.
When I am in the classroom teaching, I get so much joy out of seeing the children learning and growing. It warms my heart to see them excited about the things that I am teaching them. But, what brings me the most joy is being able to get to know them and establish relationships with them. When I get to hug one of my students that I know needs comfort or love, I feel like I am doing what God has called me here to do. Teaching the students is great, but it has never been just about the teaching. It is about the loving. I want to learn to love well. There are certainly more than a few times that I've had to take a step back and remind myself of why I am here. You see, I lose patience, I lose my temper, I get frustrated, I get cranky and tired, and sometimes I forget that I'm not only here to teach but to love. I get wrapped up in my goals for the classroom and the physical things that I hope to accomplish. While those things are all necessary and great for my students, they should not take precedence over love and relationship.
When Widline masters a new letter sound, that's great and I'm very happy. But, when she comes to me and wraps her little arms around my waist, I know that what she needs more than an education is love. She told me one day during recess that she lives with her aunt because her mother just packed up and left her there one day. She said that she never sees her mama anymore. So, while I am happy that Widline is learning her letters and numbers, I am even more happy that I can be here for her when she needs a hug filled with as much love as I can offer. When Clavens acts goofy and playful and doesn't listen to my instructions, my instinct is to get a little frustrated at his behavior in the classroom. But then I smile to myself because I realize that he is comfortable enough to act that way without fear of being beaten by me. He knows that I love and care for him and I will never hurt him the way that his father did.
Life for many of my students is complicated, messy, and difficult. I want to be someone consistent in their lives, someone that they can count on for love and support. While it is easy for me to think about all of this in my mind and write about it here on my blog, it is not always easy to live out on a daily basis. I'm human, and I make mistakes. I ask that God will expand my capacity to love each day.
When I am in the classroom teaching, I get so much joy out of seeing the children learning and growing. It warms my heart to see them excited about the things that I am teaching them. But, what brings me the most joy is being able to get to know them and establish relationships with them. When I get to hug one of my students that I know needs comfort or love, I feel like I am doing what God has called me here to do. Teaching the students is great, but it has never been just about the teaching. It is about the loving. I want to learn to love well. There are certainly more than a few times that I've had to take a step back and remind myself of why I am here. You see, I lose patience, I lose my temper, I get frustrated, I get cranky and tired, and sometimes I forget that I'm not only here to teach but to love. I get wrapped up in my goals for the classroom and the physical things that I hope to accomplish. While those things are all necessary and great for my students, they should not take precedence over love and relationship.
When Widline masters a new letter sound, that's great and I'm very happy. But, when she comes to me and wraps her little arms around my waist, I know that what she needs more than an education is love. She told me one day during recess that she lives with her aunt because her mother just packed up and left her there one day. She said that she never sees her mama anymore. So, while I am happy that Widline is learning her letters and numbers, I am even more happy that I can be here for her when she needs a hug filled with as much love as I can offer. When Clavens acts goofy and playful and doesn't listen to my instructions, my instinct is to get a little frustrated at his behavior in the classroom. But then I smile to myself because I realize that he is comfortable enough to act that way without fear of being beaten by me. He knows that I love and care for him and I will never hurt him the way that his father did.
Life for many of my students is complicated, messy, and difficult. I want to be someone consistent in their lives, someone that they can count on for love and support. While it is easy for me to think about all of this in my mind and write about it here on my blog, it is not always easy to live out on a daily basis. I'm human, and I make mistakes. I ask that God will expand my capacity to love each day.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Thanksgiving Festivities!
So many fun and wonderful things have happened over the past four days that I don't know how I can write about it all in one blog post! To my family: I love you all more than words can say and I treasure our time together. So, please do not take offense to the following statement. This year was the best Thanksgiving that I have ever had!
I just returned home to Port-au-Prince today. I spent the long holiday weekend in Gonaives, Haiti with my dear friends. On Thursday morning (Thanksgiving Day) my friend, Keziah, and I took a bus north to Gonaives. This sounds simple enough, but as I've said before: In Haiti nothing is simple or easy! Thursday morning the first part of our "journey" began. I left my apartment at 6 AM and walked about a mile uphill (literally) to meet Kez at main Delmas. From there, we waited and walked until we could find a tap-tap with room for both of us. Unfortunately, we could not find one that was going as far as we needed to go. So, we took one tap-tap as far as we could, hopped off, and then caught another the rest of the way down Delmas. After getting off of that tap-tap, we then walked a couple of blocks to the "bus station". Just to get the few miles from my house to the station took us over an hour.
Now, I don't know exactly what you might be envisioning when I say "bus" and "bus station" but I will explain. The bus station is basically just a designated area along the side of a road where all the buses load and unload. If you didn't know about it, you might not even realize that it is a "station". Oh, and the buses? They are not nice air conditioned roomy charter buses or greyhound buses, ha, think again!! SCHOOL BUSES. Yes, school buses.
For 225 gourdes (about $5.50 USD) you can get a ride on one of the school buses from PAP to Gonaives. In my opinion, a good deal. That is, if you don't mind the uncomfortable riding conditions. When you arrive at the bus station, you find a bus that is loading, pay the 225 gourdes, and get on. If you are lucky, the bus will be mostly full. If it is not full, then you have to sit on the bus and wait until it is filled beyond maximum capacity before it will leave the station. You see, school bus seats are made to fit two or maybe three small children comfortably. NOT three large adults, but this is Haiti. While we were waiting for the bus to load, street vendors tapped at the windows selling food, medicine, drinks, sunglasses, flashlights, etc. Several men and women came onto the bus trying to peddle their snacks to the passengers.
After an hour of waiting in what seem to be the smallest school bus seats ever created, our bus was finally full. I did a quick calculation in my head and realized that there were over 100 adults on the school bus. That poor bus. Not surprisingly, Kez and I were the only two white people on the entire bus. Keziah was sitting smashed against the window (somehow sleeping), I was sitting in the middle with my torso turned in an uncomfortable angle and my hips being smashed on either side, and a rather large (and slightly cranky) Haitian woman was sitting to my right in the aisle seat. In order to accommodate this cranky woman, Kez and I had to stand up and slide the seat cushion away from the wall so that the woman had more of her body on the seat. That meant that Kez was now sitting in a crack rather than on a seat cushion. I basically could not move anything but my hands for the duration of the drive. Every few minutes the woman to my right would attempt to shove her hip and shoulders farther onto the seat. She did not seem to understand that there was literally no place for our bodies to go. Sounds pleasant right? Yes, I will admit it was pretty uncomfortable, but it was only for several hours and it makes for a good story, ha!
Normally, the drive takes between two and half to three hours one way. However, that was not the case for Kez and I. It took us almost 45 minutes to go roughly two or three miles because we made several unexplained stops along the side of the road. Then, we were stopped by not one, not two, but THREE police checkpoints (all of which were on the same small stretch of road). Finally, we hit the main road and were able to drive at a decent speed. All the while, a man was standing at the front of the bus trying to sell random things like azithromycin, lotion, toothpaste, bars of soap, a cologne called "sex appeal", and bottles of homemade cure-all that looked like rum mixed with pieces of tree bark. Surprisingly, he was selling a lot of stuff!
We were cruising along nicely when all of the sudden "BAM!" Can you guess? A FLAT TIRE! Despite being hot, dust covered, tired, and unable to move my body, I could not help but laugh to myself. Of course we would get a flat tire...just our luck! Thankfully, the driver was pretty quick at changing the tire and we were back on the road.
Finally, we arrived in Gonaives. The station in Gonaives is not within walking distance of the Brooks house. So, From there, Kez and I each hopped on the back of a moto (motorcycle taxi) for the final leg of our journey. Over six hours after leaving my house that morning (only having traveled about 93 miles) we arrived at the Brooks house!
In Gonaives, Kez and I have friends with a ministry called "Much Ministries". They are working on establishing relationships and rebuilding a community called Jubilee Blanc which happens to be the ghetto slums and poorest of the poor in the city. When they are not working in Jubilee, all the missionaries are very close knit like a giant family. They rent two large houses that are across the street from each other. Most of the girls live in one house, while the Brooks' family, some of the guys, and other random guests stay in the big house. It is pretty chaotic and there are people constantly in and out doing all sorts of different things all the time. But, it is chaotic in a good way just like any large family. I don't know if I've ever experienced so much love under one roof!
They decided to celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday because it worked out better for everyone. So, on Friday I spent most of my day helping to prepare the feast and intermittently relaxing with everyone. Julie (one of the permanent residents in G-town), Keziah, and I made cookies, brownies, salad, fruit salad, and green bean casserole while Mama Rustin made the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, apple strudel, and pumpkin pie. Half-way through cooking, we realized that we needed fruits and veggies from the market. So, Becca (the Brooks' 12 year old daughter) and I took a tap-tap to the local market. I love market shopping so we had a blast weaving in and out through the tiny paths between vendors. I love listening to the Haitian women talking to each other trying to figure out if we can speak Creole or not. I heard one woman say to another "well, the white lady asked me how much the peppers cost and when I told her 50 gourdes, she handed me 50 gourdes so she must speak Creole!" After two different trips to the market, Becca and I successfully purchased fresh bananas, avocados, oranges, bell peppers, lettuce, carrots, coconuts, and sugar.
In the afternoon, our work was done and we just had to wait for dinner time. What better way to relax and enjoy Thanksgiving than to go swimming?! Scott, Isaac, Amos, Brayton, and I hopped on the motos and went to a nearby hotel to swim. For 100 gourdes (roughly $2.50) we were allowed to swim for as long as we wanted. It was the first time I've ever gone swimming on Thanksgiving Day!
At dinner time, TWENTY SEVEN people held hands and each shared what we were thankful for. I felt so much love and joy in the room that I was overwhelmed with happiness. Then, we pigged out on the best food I've eaten since I moved to Haiti.
That night, seven of us decided to sleep out under the stars on the roof of the girls' house. So, we spread out a blanket on the roof. The breeze was heavenly...the concrete that we slept on, not so much. But, it was great none the less. I swear the sky is bigger and more beautiful in Haiti.
By 10 AM Saturday, we had successfully devoured all of the leftover Thanksgiving food. We spent the day relaxing, talking, and playing card games. Seven of us decided to take motos out for a joy ride along the river. Mama Kathy led the way on her bright yellow moto. We stopped off for a while to get in the river and enjoy the beautiful view. Yes, most of Haiti is gross, but there is so much beauty, too.
After our joyride, we spent time in Jubilee hanging out with all the local children.
That evening, we were invited to a "God Party" thrown by the children of Jubilee. It started at 4PM in the community gazebo. A bunch of the boys lead worship by drumming and sining in Creole. Most of the kids in the community came out and gathered for the party and quite a few adults came, too. We all laughed and danced together until the sun went down! It was amazing!
That night, Julie and I decided to "baby-nap" Frances and Francesca for a sleepover. If you remember, Julie was the one that brought the twins to Dorothy last November when they were three weeks old and only four pounds. Their mother had died after giving birth and the twins were not doing well. I lived with them helped to care for them until they were bigger and could return to their family. So, both Julie and I call them "our girls" and we feel like we have a special connection with them. Their grandmother was a little bit too eager to let us take them, but we were happy just the same.
The girls are pretty healthy looking considering how extremely poor their family is. However, they are 13 months old and much thinner than when they were living with me at Dorothy's house. Neither are walking yet, and Frances was wearing a size 0-3 month old outfit the night we watched them. I know they could be much worse off, but it pains me to see how much lack of stimulation they have and how much weight they have lost since August. Julie and I had a blast loving on them all night Saturday and all morning Sunday. Francesca spend the night with me in my bed and Frances spent the night with Julie in her bed. The next morning we reluctantly took them back to their grandmother. I never imagined that I would ride on the back of a motorcycle, in Haiti, while holding a sleeping baby. There are a lot of things that I've had to do in this country that I never imagined!
I experienced so much sense of family, community, and love this weekend that I was reluctant to come home today. But, my students here at TLC need me! Keziah is staying another day in Gonaives so I had to take the bus home alone this time. I had to sit sandwiched in between two grown men. However, it was much more comfortable than the ride to Gonaives and it took significantly less time. The man to my right listened to his iPod the entire way while the man to my left held a live pigeon in his hand. When I asked him, he said he was going to give it to his friend in Port to eat. Oh, Haiti!
Thank you God for blessing me with so many amazing and loving people in my life. I am thankful that I have a "family" here in Haiti. I'm thankful for crazy adventures, bus rides, Thanksgiving dinner, rooftop sleepovers and friendships. God is so good.
I just returned home to Port-au-Prince today. I spent the long holiday weekend in Gonaives, Haiti with my dear friends. On Thursday morning (Thanksgiving Day) my friend, Keziah, and I took a bus north to Gonaives. This sounds simple enough, but as I've said before: In Haiti nothing is simple or easy! Thursday morning the first part of our "journey" began. I left my apartment at 6 AM and walked about a mile uphill (literally) to meet Kez at main Delmas. From there, we waited and walked until we could find a tap-tap with room for both of us. Unfortunately, we could not find one that was going as far as we needed to go. So, we took one tap-tap as far as we could, hopped off, and then caught another the rest of the way down Delmas. After getting off of that tap-tap, we then walked a couple of blocks to the "bus station". Just to get the few miles from my house to the station took us over an hour.
Now, I don't know exactly what you might be envisioning when I say "bus" and "bus station" but I will explain. The bus station is basically just a designated area along the side of a road where all the buses load and unload. If you didn't know about it, you might not even realize that it is a "station". Oh, and the buses? They are not nice air conditioned roomy charter buses or greyhound buses, ha, think again!! SCHOOL BUSES. Yes, school buses.
For 225 gourdes (about $5.50 USD) you can get a ride on one of the school buses from PAP to Gonaives. In my opinion, a good deal. That is, if you don't mind the uncomfortable riding conditions. When you arrive at the bus station, you find a bus that is loading, pay the 225 gourdes, and get on. If you are lucky, the bus will be mostly full. If it is not full, then you have to sit on the bus and wait until it is filled beyond maximum capacity before it will leave the station. You see, school bus seats are made to fit two or maybe three small children comfortably. NOT three large adults, but this is Haiti. While we were waiting for the bus to load, street vendors tapped at the windows selling food, medicine, drinks, sunglasses, flashlights, etc. Several men and women came onto the bus trying to peddle their snacks to the passengers.
After an hour of waiting in what seem to be the smallest school bus seats ever created, our bus was finally full. I did a quick calculation in my head and realized that there were over 100 adults on the school bus. That poor bus. Not surprisingly, Kez and I were the only two white people on the entire bus. Keziah was sitting smashed against the window (somehow sleeping), I was sitting in the middle with my torso turned in an uncomfortable angle and my hips being smashed on either side, and a rather large (and slightly cranky) Haitian woman was sitting to my right in the aisle seat. In order to accommodate this cranky woman, Kez and I had to stand up and slide the seat cushion away from the wall so that the woman had more of her body on the seat. That meant that Kez was now sitting in a crack rather than on a seat cushion. I basically could not move anything but my hands for the duration of the drive. Every few minutes the woman to my right would attempt to shove her hip and shoulders farther onto the seat. She did not seem to understand that there was literally no place for our bodies to go. Sounds pleasant right? Yes, I will admit it was pretty uncomfortable, but it was only for several hours and it makes for a good story, ha!
Normally, the drive takes between two and half to three hours one way. However, that was not the case for Kez and I. It took us almost 45 minutes to go roughly two or three miles because we made several unexplained stops along the side of the road. Then, we were stopped by not one, not two, but THREE police checkpoints (all of which were on the same small stretch of road). Finally, we hit the main road and were able to drive at a decent speed. All the while, a man was standing at the front of the bus trying to sell random things like azithromycin, lotion, toothpaste, bars of soap, a cologne called "sex appeal", and bottles of homemade cure-all that looked like rum mixed with pieces of tree bark. Surprisingly, he was selling a lot of stuff!
We were cruising along nicely when all of the sudden "BAM!" Can you guess? A FLAT TIRE! Despite being hot, dust covered, tired, and unable to move my body, I could not help but laugh to myself. Of course we would get a flat tire...just our luck! Thankfully, the driver was pretty quick at changing the tire and we were back on the road.
Finally, we arrived in Gonaives. The station in Gonaives is not within walking distance of the Brooks house. So, From there, Kez and I each hopped on the back of a moto (motorcycle taxi) for the final leg of our journey. Over six hours after leaving my house that morning (only having traveled about 93 miles) we arrived at the Brooks house!
In Gonaives, Kez and I have friends with a ministry called "Much Ministries". They are working on establishing relationships and rebuilding a community called Jubilee Blanc which happens to be the ghetto slums and poorest of the poor in the city. When they are not working in Jubilee, all the missionaries are very close knit like a giant family. They rent two large houses that are across the street from each other. Most of the girls live in one house, while the Brooks' family, some of the guys, and other random guests stay in the big house. It is pretty chaotic and there are people constantly in and out doing all sorts of different things all the time. But, it is chaotic in a good way just like any large family. I don't know if I've ever experienced so much love under one roof!
They decided to celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday because it worked out better for everyone. So, on Friday I spent most of my day helping to prepare the feast and intermittently relaxing with everyone. Julie (one of the permanent residents in G-town), Keziah, and I made cookies, brownies, salad, fruit salad, and green bean casserole while Mama Rustin made the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, apple strudel, and pumpkin pie. Half-way through cooking, we realized that we needed fruits and veggies from the market. So, Becca (the Brooks' 12 year old daughter) and I took a tap-tap to the local market. I love market shopping so we had a blast weaving in and out through the tiny paths between vendors. I love listening to the Haitian women talking to each other trying to figure out if we can speak Creole or not. I heard one woman say to another "well, the white lady asked me how much the peppers cost and when I told her 50 gourdes, she handed me 50 gourdes so she must speak Creole!" After two different trips to the market, Becca and I successfully purchased fresh bananas, avocados, oranges, bell peppers, lettuce, carrots, coconuts, and sugar.
In the afternoon, our work was done and we just had to wait for dinner time. What better way to relax and enjoy Thanksgiving than to go swimming?! Scott, Isaac, Amos, Brayton, and I hopped on the motos and went to a nearby hotel to swim. For 100 gourdes (roughly $2.50) we were allowed to swim for as long as we wanted. It was the first time I've ever gone swimming on Thanksgiving Day!
At dinner time, TWENTY SEVEN people held hands and each shared what we were thankful for. I felt so much love and joy in the room that I was overwhelmed with happiness. Then, we pigged out on the best food I've eaten since I moved to Haiti.
 |
| post dinner "food coma" |
That night, seven of us decided to sleep out under the stars on the roof of the girls' house. So, we spread out a blanket on the roof. The breeze was heavenly...the concrete that we slept on, not so much. But, it was great none the less. I swear the sky is bigger and more beautiful in Haiti.
 |
| Our rooftop bed |
After our joyride, we spent time in Jubilee hanging out with all the local children.
That evening, we were invited to a "God Party" thrown by the children of Jubilee. It started at 4PM in the community gazebo. A bunch of the boys lead worship by drumming and sining in Creole. Most of the kids in the community came out and gathered for the party and quite a few adults came, too. We all laughed and danced together until the sun went down! It was amazing!
That night, Julie and I decided to "baby-nap" Frances and Francesca for a sleepover. If you remember, Julie was the one that brought the twins to Dorothy last November when they were three weeks old and only four pounds. Their mother had died after giving birth and the twins were not doing well. I lived with them helped to care for them until they were bigger and could return to their family. So, both Julie and I call them "our girls" and we feel like we have a special connection with them. Their grandmother was a little bit too eager to let us take them, but we were happy just the same.
The girls are pretty healthy looking considering how extremely poor their family is. However, they are 13 months old and much thinner than when they were living with me at Dorothy's house. Neither are walking yet, and Frances was wearing a size 0-3 month old outfit the night we watched them. I know they could be much worse off, but it pains me to see how much lack of stimulation they have and how much weight they have lost since August. Julie and I had a blast loving on them all night Saturday and all morning Sunday. Francesca spend the night with me in my bed and Frances spent the night with Julie in her bed. The next morning we reluctantly took them back to their grandmother. I never imagined that I would ride on the back of a motorcycle, in Haiti, while holding a sleeping baby. There are a lot of things that I've had to do in this country that I never imagined!
I experienced so much sense of family, community, and love this weekend that I was reluctant to come home today. But, my students here at TLC need me! Keziah is staying another day in Gonaives so I had to take the bus home alone this time. I had to sit sandwiched in between two grown men. However, it was much more comfortable than the ride to Gonaives and it took significantly less time. The man to my right listened to his iPod the entire way while the man to my left held a live pigeon in his hand. When I asked him, he said he was going to give it to his friend in Port to eat. Oh, Haiti!
Thank you God for blessing me with so many amazing and loving people in my life. I am thankful that I have a "family" here in Haiti. I'm thankful for crazy adventures, bus rides, Thanksgiving dinner, rooftop sleepovers and friendships. God is so good.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Oh, precious time
I've come to accept that time is just different here in Haiti. Things move at a MUCH slower pace. Time is valuable here, and you have to be flexible because things almost never go as planned. Take last Saturday for example:
This past Saturday, I had planned to help Mr. Nickson do grocery shopping and get some things done around my house and at the school. But, at 7 AM I received a phone call from one of the Haitian nannies, Jesula, at Faith Hope Love Infant Rescue. Dorothy is currently in the U.S. for a month. So, I am an "emergency contact" if they need anything at her house while she is gone. One of the babies, Angel, has been sick for several days with a fever. The pediatrician, Dr. Pierre Louis, came to the house to check on the kids. He thought that Angel might have malaria so he went ahead and prescribed chloroquine for him and gave orders for him to get blood work done as soon as possible. Dorothy's driver only works on week days. So, Jesula needed me to drive her and Angel to Medlab. Sick baby definitely trumps grocery shopping so I immediately headed over to get the truck, Jesula, and Angel.
I drove Jesula and Angel to Medlab and we did not have to wait long to get the blood taken. However, they also needed a urine sample which we did not have. So, Jesula and I spent the next hour sitting in the waiting room feeding Angel milk while holding a plastic bag over his privates. It is moments like that where I just have to laugh out loud at my life: In Haiti, sitting in a waiting room full of people who don't speak English, chatting in Creole with Jesula while holding a sick baby, and waiting for him to pee into a bag.
Thankfully, he eventually peed and we were able to leave. The next part of the journey was to get Angel's prescription filled. "Simple," you may say. Well, not here in Haiti. In Haiti we don't have nice big pharmacies full of hundreds of types of medicine. We have tiny pharmacies not much larger than a walk in closet with no guarantee as to what medication they carry. Most of the people that run the pharmacies know nothing about the medications they sell. You don't even need a prescription.
So, on the way home we stopped in every pharmacy that we passed. I think I checked five different pharmacies without finding chloroquine. We were tired and frustrated. So, as a last resort I called Keziah, my good friend and nurse. She told me that she was pretty sure she had liquid cholorquine at her pharmacy in Delmas 31 (the direction we had just come from). I dropped off Jesula and the baby at the house and turned around to go back to Delmas 31. Kez does not live there and the person that does live there was not home. So, I spent the next half hour helping some complete strangers try to find the key to the pharmacy so that I could search for the medicine for Angel. FINALLY, I located the chloroquine! HORRAY!
Five hours after leaving for the hospital, I was finally finished. if you have even been frustrated by waiting in a line at the pharmacy or doctor's office...please...don't be. Something that would probably take two hours max in the US took us five, ha!
Want to hear the kicker? The next day I got Angel's test results back and he was negative for malaria so he didn't actually even need the cholorquine that I spent all afternoon searching for. Oh, Haiti.
This past Saturday, I had planned to help Mr. Nickson do grocery shopping and get some things done around my house and at the school. But, at 7 AM I received a phone call from one of the Haitian nannies, Jesula, at Faith Hope Love Infant Rescue. Dorothy is currently in the U.S. for a month. So, I am an "emergency contact" if they need anything at her house while she is gone. One of the babies, Angel, has been sick for several days with a fever. The pediatrician, Dr. Pierre Louis, came to the house to check on the kids. He thought that Angel might have malaria so he went ahead and prescribed chloroquine for him and gave orders for him to get blood work done as soon as possible. Dorothy's driver only works on week days. So, Jesula needed me to drive her and Angel to Medlab. Sick baby definitely trumps grocery shopping so I immediately headed over to get the truck, Jesula, and Angel.
I drove Jesula and Angel to Medlab and we did not have to wait long to get the blood taken. However, they also needed a urine sample which we did not have. So, Jesula and I spent the next hour sitting in the waiting room feeding Angel milk while holding a plastic bag over his privates. It is moments like that where I just have to laugh out loud at my life: In Haiti, sitting in a waiting room full of people who don't speak English, chatting in Creole with Jesula while holding a sick baby, and waiting for him to pee into a bag.
Thankfully, he eventually peed and we were able to leave. The next part of the journey was to get Angel's prescription filled. "Simple," you may say. Well, not here in Haiti. In Haiti we don't have nice big pharmacies full of hundreds of types of medicine. We have tiny pharmacies not much larger than a walk in closet with no guarantee as to what medication they carry. Most of the people that run the pharmacies know nothing about the medications they sell. You don't even need a prescription.
So, on the way home we stopped in every pharmacy that we passed. I think I checked five different pharmacies without finding chloroquine. We were tired and frustrated. So, as a last resort I called Keziah, my good friend and nurse. She told me that she was pretty sure she had liquid cholorquine at her pharmacy in Delmas 31 (the direction we had just come from). I dropped off Jesula and the baby at the house and turned around to go back to Delmas 31. Kez does not live there and the person that does live there was not home. So, I spent the next half hour helping some complete strangers try to find the key to the pharmacy so that I could search for the medicine for Angel. FINALLY, I located the chloroquine! HORRAY!
Five hours after leaving for the hospital, I was finally finished. if you have even been frustrated by waiting in a line at the pharmacy or doctor's office...please...don't be. Something that would probably take two hours max in the US took us five, ha!
Want to hear the kicker? The next day I got Angel's test results back and he was negative for malaria so he didn't actually even need the cholorquine that I spent all afternoon searching for. Oh, Haiti.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
2011-2012 Pre-K Class
I am pleased to introduce you to the Pre-K class for the 2011-2012 school year!
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| Kenley |
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| Erlens |
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| Marclay |
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| Henock |
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| Colo |
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| Lourdjina |
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| Avenise |
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| Mathania |
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| Lentschie |
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| Myrlanda |
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| Winie |
Friday, November 18, 2011
Taino Beach
Today we had no school for a Haitian holiday. So, I was able to spend the day with some friends. They teach at Union School and have access to vehicles. So, we loaded up in a van and headed south in search of Taino beach.
Two hours later (after getting directions from several different locals and driving down narrow dirt roads) we arrived at Taino beach. Unlike other beaches I have seen to the north, this is a public beach and we did not have to pay anything to use it! When I heard that it was a public beach, I thought that maybe it would not be very nice and there might be lots of trash. That was definitely NOT the case. It was like arriving in paradise!
There were enough trees along the coast that we set up camp in the shade. The water was crystal clear blue and as warm as bath water. We could even see tropical fish swimming under us. The tide is very calm so we were able to relax, swim, and float around all day long.
Because it was not a resort, we were the only foreigners there. There were very few people on the beach with us. It was great!
Shortly after arriving, the Haitian men and women making food on the beach asked us what we would like them to make us for lunch. Since I don't like seafood, I enjoyed some fresh mandarins. But everyone else was in heaven eating freshly caught lobster, fish, and lambi with Creole sauce.
It was the first time I've ever seen a cow on the beach!
I am so thankful and blessed to have had the opportunity to enjoy God's tropical paradise today. It was a wonderful reminder of just how beautiful this country really is. Living in Port-au-Prince (a smoggy, dusty, trash filled city) makes it easy to forget that I am on a gorgeous tropical island in the Caribbean. It is still hard to believe that just a short two hour drive from my house is a tropical paradise! Thank you, God, for your beautiful creation.
Two hours later (after getting directions from several different locals and driving down narrow dirt roads) we arrived at Taino beach. Unlike other beaches I have seen to the north, this is a public beach and we did not have to pay anything to use it! When I heard that it was a public beach, I thought that maybe it would not be very nice and there might be lots of trash. That was definitely NOT the case. It was like arriving in paradise!
There were enough trees along the coast that we set up camp in the shade. The water was crystal clear blue and as warm as bath water. We could even see tropical fish swimming under us. The tide is very calm so we were able to relax, swim, and float around all day long.
Because it was not a resort, we were the only foreigners there. There were very few people on the beach with us. It was great!
Shortly after arriving, the Haitian men and women making food on the beach asked us what we would like them to make us for lunch. Since I don't like seafood, I enjoyed some fresh mandarins. But everyone else was in heaven eating freshly caught lobster, fish, and lambi with Creole sauce.
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| My friend, David, eating the largest lobster I've ever seen |
It was the first time I've ever seen a cow on the beach!
I am so thankful and blessed to have had the opportunity to enjoy God's tropical paradise today. It was a wonderful reminder of just how beautiful this country really is. Living in Port-au-Prince (a smoggy, dusty, trash filled city) makes it easy to forget that I am on a gorgeous tropical island in the Caribbean. It is still hard to believe that just a short two hour drive from my house is a tropical paradise! Thank you, God, for your beautiful creation.
2011-2012 Kindergarten Class
Meet my Kindergarten class for the 2011-2012 school year! (I know I'm a little overdue in posting this!)
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| Laniese (with an adorable milk mustache) |
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| Christelle |
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| Patrick |
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| Danielson |
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| Makarios |
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| Clavens |
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| Kellanda |
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| Widline |
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| Youloveto |
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| Jeanel |
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