Mes Amies!

Pictures will come when I return to the States--the upload time here is ridiculously slow.

I so wish I could have blogged last night about the wonderful day we had at the beach yesterday.  It's hard to even put into words what the day was like.  Pretty much everything went according to plan--in terms of time--and traffic wasn't bad at any point.

The kids absolutely loved their day.  From the moment we loaded them into Pedro's "pap a dap" to the moment we returned, the kids smiled.  Seriously, they smiled all the time.  And so did the adults because the kids were so happy!

One of the best parts of the day was walking down the steps of Wahoo Beach and hearing two of the kids say "Mes amies!  Mes amies!," which translates roughly as "Oh, my God.  Oh, my God."  They had never seen such a sight.

After they put their suits on (that's a story in itself), they jumped right in the water.  They had absolutely no fear . . . that means they played lots in the water, but it also means that we had to keep herding them in from being out too deep (none of them know how to swim!).  They got on our shoulders and jumped off.  They built sandcastles.  They floated and played with the inner tubes.  For hours, they entertained themselves in the water.

It was also cool to see the nanny, Marimat, relaxing in the water.  Susan had brought an old swimsuit for Marimat, so she was able to enjoy the beach.  She took the time to hang with the twin babies--Kinsly and Kinsle--and kept an eye on the other kids.  Even meal time went smoothly.  The kids shared chicken baskets and fries without fighting over who got more, and the older kids made sure that the babies were getting enough.  Susan, Rhonda, and I ate our lunches with the kids and sent Chedner and Marimat to eat with Oriol and Pedro.  Marimat seemed to really enjoy being able to eat a meal without having to attend to children!  I don't blame her since she probably NEVER gets to eat in peace.

After lunch we took the kids out in shifts for a boat ride.  The girls went first--too often girls are second to boys in Haiti--and Marimat and Rhonda went on that trip.  Then came the boys with Chender, Oriol, and Susan.  The boat man let me drive on the second trip--I think I may buy me a house on the beach, get me a boat, and make my living giving short tours along the shoreline.  I could do that!  One of the boys, Gibsoh, was afraid, so I had him sit between my legs and help steer.  He eventually smiled, but I don't think he ever really relaxed.

Here are some of the highlights of the day:
1.  Getting the kids into their suits--they were supposed to wear them to the beach, but they didn't.  They simply changed right there on the beach!  We had to corral the naked kids running around.

2.  Jerry coming up to hug me . . . just because.
3.  Watching the older kids take care of the younger kids during lunch.
4.  Sharing our lunches with the kids who were still hungry.  They all took their "one bite at a time," and no one ever pushed, shoved, or complained.
5.  Watching eyes light up as they climbed into the boat.
6.  Sharing cookies on the way home.
7.  Babies sleeping in our arms.


I'm not sure I've had a better day in Haiti.

A Bit of Everything

The painting is finished!  We were able to get a second coat on all the walls in each room and paint two of the doors.  We did as much as we could with the paint that we had.  The place looks tons better than when we started even if there are spots that don’t look too professional.  We were all out of energy today by the end—I think it was a combination of exhaustion, paint fumes, heat/humidity, and kids running amok while we worked.  The biggest blow came right as we were leaving for lunch—one of the kids had taken a marker and drawn on a wall in the front room!  We all just about lost it.  The nanny could tell how upset we were, and by the time we got back from lunch, someone had painted over the marker. 

The trip to PID with Va Va was uneventful.  She most likely has conjunctivitis, and the doctor gave her ointment, cough syrup (I think), vitamins, and something else.  I think the vitamins and cough syrup are standard for most of the kids who come through PID.

I then planned to take Alexandria to Healing Hands for Haiti for an exam that we could use for her medical visa.  Lauren was back from the embassy, though, and she agreed to take Alexandria instead.  I headed over to Chedner’s to paint hopeful that we would be one step closer to the visa.  My hopes were sort lived.  Lauren shared that when they arrived at Healing Hands they were told that they only took patients on Tuesdays.  Lauren mentioned the doctor’s name that Gertrude wanted to see the kids and was told that he no longer worked for them!  Wish we had found that out months ago!   Lauren was at least able to get the doctor’s phone number so that Gertrude can call him.  Not sure why it has to be that doctor, but it apparently needs to be.

I have been trying to get lots of board work done tonight, and like all things in Haiti, it seems as if bits and pieces are accomplished in fits and starts.  But, we keep plowing away.

Am looking forward to tomorrow and the day at the beach with the kids.  It will be work, but it will so be worth it to see the kids enjoy themselves.

Friday should also be a good day—hanging out with just Rhonda, Susan, and Oriol and doing some shopping and dining out.  At least on Friday my brain won’t be fried from trying to speak Creole so much.

I have no idea when I can post this because the Internet has been incredibly painful tonight.

I have pictures that I want to post, but the Internet is driving me nuts.

Unsure

I titled the post "Unsure" because I wasn't sure whether I wanted to post it or not.  I wrote it last night, but couldn't upload it due to Internet issues.  I thought about just not posting it at all because it wasn't overly flattering to me or anyone else and because it isn't my best writing.  But, I decided to go ahead with it because it's real.  Yes, it's not the best.  But, I wasn't at my best yesterday either.  And as hard as it is to share the very real, very not-so-best sides of me, I want to be honest about what I feel and do here in Haiti.  To whitewash and sugar coat events does little good.

New Clothes

Painting the hallway

     So much to learn as American working in Haiti.  I really want things to happen so that our sponsors back home can see the results of their donations, but in order to do that, I sometimes have to push the receivers to do things on my time table so that I can get the requisite photos to take back and show.  It’s a balancing act that I don’t know that I always do so well.  Chedner did find (make) the time to go out today and order the fabric for the boys’ pants, and he bought them new shirts and shoes.  He also got the girls new dresses.  At first he said that he couldn’t do it until tomorrow, but I wonder whether he thought he had to do it today to please me.  I hope not, but I think maybe so.

            My leadership skills were put to the test today, and I failed miserably.  I felt pulled in multiple directions while we painted: get this moved, get the kids out of here, tell him to stop painting, can’t they move that crap?, I think we should do this, no do that, start here, no there.  My voice became snippier and snippier.  I try to communicate with Chedner what all we need/want, but it’s hard.  I just don’t know enough “painting” words in Creole. 

A before picture of the bedrooom

            Then, I tried to get the group to stop for lunch, but some of the members didn’t want to stop.  I tried to explain that we needed to break not only for ourselves (eat, replenish water), but also so that the kids could eat.  I didn’t do so well.  I also let personal feelings get in the way.  I felt as I had somehow become the resident idiot painter as every (or so it seemed) idea I presented was shot down.  Back at the guesthouse we had to rearrange our plans for the next couple of days because we want to finish the painting before taking time to “play.”  I again tried to explain that we couldn’t just skip lunch to work straight though the next day (we need to take care of ourselves and make sure we have enough water), we couldn’t eat in front of the kids to save time (culturally insensitive), and we couldn’t just eat outside in the street (again, culturally insensitive).  I guess I should have done more official cultural awareness training before we left.  That’s hard to do when with a group made up of friends and sort of acquaintances.  I need to figure out how to handle that.  Even at the end of the day when it was time to pack up, the comment was made we’ll stay until we finish the tray of paint.  I responded with “No, we have to leave so that we can be back at 5:00.”  That’s because I want to respect the schedule at the guesthouse. 

Alligator didn't make it a day

            As is obvious, I did not handle my leadership responsibilities well today.  I let my own emotions get in the way as I talked with people, and I let my frustrations show. 

Highlights of the Day

1.       Finding swimsuits for the kids who are going to the beach on Thursday.

2.      Taking Va Va to PID to check out the gunk in her eye.  We couldn’t get in before the 3:00 closing, so I will go back in the morning (7:30 a.m.).

3.      Talking with Gertrude about future plans for the guesthouse and school.

4.      Bringing out the Scooby Doo coloring pages (all kids seem to know Scooby Doo).

5.      Seeing Roberto again!

6.      Drinking an ice-cold Coca after a hot day of working.

7.      Making plans to take Alexandria for an evaluation tomorrow (one step closer to a medical visa—please be praying!).

8.      Sitting on the roof top chatting with friends.

9.      Helping Rosie with her homework.

The babies get diapers and a swimshirt