Catching UP

           Just over a week back in Haiti, and I am loving it! It feels so good to be back with the kids, starting with the therapy, catching up with what has been planned for the rest of the school year, and beginning long overdue programs (cooking, laundry, etc.)

Phonsley in therapy doing Would Would

            The biggest challenge so far has been cleaning the chicken coop—I don’t think it was really cleaned at all while I was gone.  People just put more wood shavings down.  Then, they ran out of wood shavings at some point and just didn’t go get more. Some of the roosting bars had come down, so the chickens were roosting in the nesting boxes.  The amount of chicken poop in one of them caused the bottom of the nest to rot out!  Not pretty.

So glad our three-year-olds have room to play!

            Today after school Jonathon and Naika, two of our students who live at Notre Maison orphanage, stayed after and helped me clean it.  Took the three of us about 1.5 hours to get it done, but we did it! We were able to put down a nice deep layer of fresh wood shavings, so the place spells much better!  The chickens seemed very happy with their new digs. And, Jonathon climbed up onto the roof of the coop and was able to sweep of quite a few leaves.  The chickens will have fun nibbling on all the little bugs that came down with the leaves.  Maybe now they’ll start laying more eggs!

            Unfortunately, another one of the chickens died.  We started a year ago October with 20, and we’re now down to 13.  Not good.  The biggest issue is that no one cleans the coop when I’m Stateside.  May have to look into paying Jonathon and Naika to go over regularly to clean it.  

On a completely different subject, let’s talk eating.  Specifically, my eating.  I know my eating habits are very different between Haiti and the States. I pretty much always lose weight in Haiti without really trying.  That’s nice.

            But, when I go home, I pretty much gain weight without really trying.  That's not nice.  Different foods.  More access to food.  Tend to drive places rather than walk.  And, this time home I was around for four food-laden holidays—Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.  Needless to say, the weight I lost in Haiti in September and early October came back with a vengeance.  

            Upon my return to Haiti, a few people took it upon themselves to point this out to me.  As in, the cleaning lady at the school said to me, “Hello.  You got fat.”  What does one say to that? 

            “Oh, thank you.  I was wondering why my clothes didn’t fit so well.”

            “Really?  I just thought I was bloated.”

            “You don’t say!  Thanks for pointing that out for me.  Never could’ve figured it out on my own.”

Or, how about the man on the street who told my driver on Saturday that he was with a fat blanc (white person).  The downside of understanding Creole is that I knew what he had just said.  My driver, in an attempt to make sure I understood why he had chuckled, repeated the man’s statement for me 

Preparation

v-e-r-y slowly: “He said that I am with a fat white woman.”

            Thanks.  Didn’t need that one translated, but thanks for thinking of me.

            If I’ve ever needed motivation to watch what I eat and exercise more, this has been it!  

The proud chefs!

            I’ll throw in some positives—the therapy is going great!  The kids are responding, and I love the challenge of thinking of activities to do with them so that they don’t get bored.  

We’ve had one new boy with mild CP enroll, and he has been a joy!  

            I was able to purchase and new motorcycle and start driving it a bit.

            The 3^rdgraders made scrambled eggs for the first time last week; tomorrow it will be the 4^thgraders’ chance.

Lots of good stuff going on!