Random Things and Good Things

          Well, I've been back in Haiti now for about a month.  I have settled back into some routines, I've had good times with good friends, I've stressed about some stuff, and I've experienced both touching moments and moments of frustration.

Let's start with some random things:

I never feel clean in Haiti, not even when I'm in the shower!  I blame it on many things--the constant dust; the foul water that splashes on my feet when I drive through puddles on my moto; the foul water splashed on me when larger vehicles speed through puddles, not caring that they get me wet; and my propensity to sweat.  Constantly.  I blame that one on my father.  He passed onto me the sweat gene, and, boy, does it go into overdrive here in Haiti!

Might as well check under the
shipping container!

Easter egg hunts in Haiti appear to be a rarity.  I had to explain it to our new staff members, and they looked at me as if I were a bit off (which I very well may be!).  Easter egg hunts in the States either have so many eggs that every child is bound to find one, or after the kids find them, the eggs are evenly distributed.  Not so in Haiti.  It's every child for him/herself!  We had five-year-olds with 14-year-olds, and those poor little kids never stood a chance!  And God forbid you be a bit shy or a bit confused about the whole thing.  By the time some kids figured out what was going on, the hunt was over.  Some teachers were also confused about the "hiding" of the eggs.  Most were put in plain sight for the little kids (makes sense), some were put under leaves or up in trees to challenge the older kids (makes sense), but some were hidden inside boxes buried under the box's contents!  Took quite awhile to find those eggs!

Back to the sweating thing.  I don't mind sweating; really, I don't.  Basketball practice?  Sweat good.  Mowing the lawn?  Sweat good.  Sitting still?  Sweat bad.  Sleeping at night?  Sweat bad.

Jeffte and Wilcia with their
new outfits

Gas shortages.  A few weeks back most gas stations didn't have gas, so when gas was delivered to a station, people mobbed it.  It was mostly organized chaos, but to me, it was overwhelming.  So, I was paranoid about running out of gas.  If I ran out, I wasn't sure I could find a gas station with gas or whether I would be able to navigate the crowd to actually buy the gas.  One late afternoon I stopped at the gas station not far from Notre Maison.  It was packed, but it seemed calm.  I started talking with a couple other moto drivers who were waiting for gas.  I asked whether there was gas--yes, there was.  When would it be available--they didn't know.  They were just waiting until the station decided to start giving out gas again.  And, since they didn't have any gas in their motos, waiting was their only option.  Since I had gas and was just wanting to top up, I decided to head back to Notre Maison. There is more gas available now, but I still fill up every chance I get just in case there's a shortage again.

The good things:

My birthday fell over Easter Break, and when we got back to school one of the teachers had bought me a birthday present!  She gave me a card, two apples, and a bunch of grapes.  That was so thoughtful!  We've become friends over the years, and it meant a lot to me that she spent money (that she and her family probably didn't have to spare) on a gift for me.

Paola and me

One of our special-needs students is a young lady named Paola.  She is a total sweetheart and really enjoys coming to school.  Unfortunately, some health issues often keep her out for days or weeks at a time.  Well, since my return at the end of March, she has started referring to me as "Marren," or Godmother.  In Haiti, to be a child's godparent is a HUGE deal.  It's a special relationship that is to last the child's entire life.  I don't know why Paola began calling me Marren, but for now, the name has stuck.  And I am honored.

A picture of Jean Daniel with
the chickens--just because!

In early April three friends visited, as they often do.  I met Marg, Sheri, and Emily six years ago at Notre Maison, and for the most part, that's the only place we see each other (twice a year: November and April).  I often go with them when they take the typically-developing kids to the Haitian public beach, but this year I couldn't go.  Instead, I was able to go with them when they took a number of the kids with handicaps to the beach.  What fun I had!  I was responsible for Maxo, and he was content to simply float in his inner-tube all day, so I was able to float in the water next to him.  Not a bad way to spend the day!  Wilcia loved the boat ride and chair danced so much on it that I was afraid she would topple off the side of the boat.  The best part of the day, though?  The ride back.  We were crammed in to the van, which is typical of Haitian vehicular transportation.  Because of that, I held Woodmeyer in my lap for the ride home.  Now, Woodmeyer is not (very) cognizant of his surroundings.  I'm not even sure he knew he was at a beach.  I'm not sure whether he even knew he was in a vehicle.  I'm not sure whether he even knew he had left the orphanage.  But, he got to fall asleep on the way back while being held in someone's arms.  I'm not sure he knew that that happened.  But I did.  And I was grateful that God allowed me to do that for Woodmeyer.

Madame Kettlie and Medjina

Vacation Days

Girls with attitude!

Haiti doesn't do "observed days" as versus "days off."  Like, regardless of when Martin Luther King Junior's birthday actually falls, the 3rd Monday of January is the "observed" holiday.  In Haiti, folks get the actual day off or nothing.  This year, because May 18--Flag Day--falls on a Saturday, schools don't get the day off.  While there's something to be said for a three-day weekend, a mid-week break is nice, too.  This year, May 1--Agriculture Day or Labor Day--fell on a Wednesday (today), so we don't have school today.  That's nice.  It also means that yesterday was sort of a "party day" at school. The kids, and most of the staff, dressed up in traditional Haitian attire and brought traditional Haitian food for snack.  Each of the kids living at Notre Maison had a brand-new, homemade outfit to wear, including hats for the boys.  The kids were too cute!

Oscar--1st Grade

Students also had an hour-long recess during which much dancing took place.  Not by me, mind you, but by the students!