While this week has not been all together terrible, it certainly has not been my best. Since Friday is here and I can reflect back on my week, I see that there are some humorous parts amidst the misery (I'm exaggerating...it wasn't actually that miserable). I hope that this post makes you chuckle as you get a glimpse at some of the absurdity of my life.
It all started last weekend. I took a bus to Port-au-Prince to visit friends and I felt myself getting sick as soon as I got on the bus at 6 AM Saturday. By the time I was on my way home Sunday afternoon, I felt downright awful. As soon as I got back to my house, I went straight to bed and crashed for several hours. When I woke up in a feverish headachy daze, it appeared to me as if the sun was just starting to come up. In reality, it was actually setting. I couldn't believe that I had slept all night! I checked my phone and saw that it said 6:30. I thought it was 6:30 AM on Monday...WRONG! It was Sunday night at 6:30 PM. Thinking school would be starting in an hour and a half, I called April, my principal, to tell her that I was too sick to teach that day. Needless to say, I was quite confused as she informed me that it was Sunday night and NOT Monday morning.
When Monday finally did come, I was still sick. I spent the day in bed. Tuesday, I was feeling slightly better so I went to school and taught. In hindsight, that was a terrible idea. By Wednesday morning, my voice was completely gone and I had a fever. So, I missed school again both Wednesday and Thursday.
I'm being dramatic, but having a fever in Haiti has got to be one step away from Hell. Its bad enough when its nearly 100 degrees out and you're sweating your butt off just laying motionless in your bed (keep in mind I have no air conditioning). However, its even worse when the power goes out from about 6 AM until 2 PM almost everyday. Then, its just stagnant heat. So, there I was festering in my bed, covered in sweat, and watching all the mosquitoes swarm around the outside of my net. Because my mosquito net has several holes, the little pests kept sneaking inside. I practically drown myself in mosquito repellent every hour or so. At one point I remember thinking, "If I don't die from this fever, the chemicals in this repellent are sure to kill me."
This morning (Friday) when I woke up, I was feeling better but my voice was still gone. I realize that it is basically impossible to teach without a voice, but I had cabin fever and was sick of being cooped up at home. So, I got on my moto and left for Jubilee. On the way there, I noticed that I was running on fumes. As luck would have it, there is a gas shortage and none of the stations have gas. "Oh well," I think to myself. "I should have enough to get to school and back home." Three quarters of the way to Jubilee, my back tire went completely flat. AWESOME. I pulled over and saw a large nail in my tire. Again, just my luck. There wasn't much that I could do in that situation other than push my moto half a mile to the school....in a skirt and while not feeling so well. By 7 in the morning, I was already a sweaty mess. Major praise to God, I saw a friend as I was pushing my moto along. He offered to take it to a "boss" (man who fixes tires) and get it taken care of for me. When I went to give him money to pay for it, I saw that I forgotten my wallet at home!
Thankfully, a friend lent me money for the tire, and I somehow made it through the day teaching my classes. I had the assistance of a student who would stand next to me and repeat to the class whatever I whispered to her. By the end of the school day, I was sweaty, tired, and cranky. On the way home from school, I decided to treat myself to a snack from the "supermarket" across the street from my house. It is about the size of a gas station mini mart but with less selection. I ended up getting a coke and splurging $1.25 US on one imported apple (apples don't grow here). As is typical, they didn't even have enough cash in the register to give me the roughly $4.00 change that I was owed. So, I left with a handwritten receipt showing that they owe me money the next time I go shopping.
Many days, I stay sane by simply just shaking my head and laughing. Sometimes there isn't much else you can do! I am going to start of my weekend right by taking a cold shower and enjoying my apple. I hope you can all find some humor from the events of your week, too.
Have a blessed and joy-filled weekend everyone!
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