Haiti flashback and some news . . .

This was the sunset from our beach view on Montrouis, Haiti. This was taken by Leif Andersen the first evening we were there.  Such a beautiful place.

Since coming back from Haiti, there has been some awesome news about certain members of our group that I have waited to tell about till the most opportune time.  I have been given the go-ahead so . . .

See the lovely lady with the long turquoise t-shirt hugging a girl with the really tall gentleman behind her?  Some of you know them.  They are Leif and Heather.  They have decided to adopt Elvy, one of the orphans.  She is the one being hugged by Heather. :)

Leif and Heather do not yet have children of their own, but they fell in love with Elvy and by the last day that we were there, they knew they just had to make her their daughter.

Elvy is 9 years old and from what I understand of her story, her mother already had too many children to try and feed, and Elvy was left to fend for herself on the streets.  Dina gave her the opportunity to join the orphanage.  Elvy is one of the sweetest and most kind hearted children you'll ever meet.  She is extremely helpful with the younger orphans and has the most stunning smile.  She's such a beautiful person, I was overjoyed that Heather and Leif couldn't leave her without coming back to get her permanently. :)

Here's a close up picture:

Elvy in on the right holding onto her new mommy.

When Heather and Leif asked Dina if they could adopt Elvy, they sat down and asked Elvy if she would like to go home with them.  I guess she broke down into tears she was so happy to be given a home.  It was absolutely darling watching them as a family when Dina brought Elvy to take the trip with us to the airport on our final day.  They hugged and kissed and were seriously the sweetest mental picture of the entire trip.  Many tears were shed when they had to say goodbye, not knowing exactly when they'd be able to come back.

She started to call them "mummy" and "puppy" the day they asked for her and the language barrier seemed to pose absolutely no problems in their ability to communicate their love for each other as a family.  (Elvy doesn't know any English yet, and Heather and Leif know very little Creole or French)

Now, I'm sure Heather and Leif are getting their fair share of annoyances with paperwork and whatever other complications an adoption affords.  I'm praying that everything goes smoothly and quickly so that they can go get Elvy and bring her home.

I'm so thrilled for this family and we all as a group were overjoyed to hear their news.  I've been bursting at the seems for a while now, so it's lovely to be able to share their story.  Not many go on a mission trip with a mind to adopt. ;)

If I could talk to Elvy now I would say "Congrats Elvy for finding a new family.  You couldn't ask for better, more loving parents!"

Shopping . . .

I went shopping today.  I don't normally have enough money to buy coffee, but I needed shoes for the wedding coming up.  I needed something cute, a higher heel (I'm short), yet compatible with walking on grass.  Here's what I got:

If there's one thing I ALWAYS love shopping for it's shoes, because my feet are perfect and literally look good in anything. :P  One of the few body parts I say that about . . .

I also bought my first maxi dress.  A few years ago, when I first heard the term, it made me think of feminine products.  Lol.  But I guess it refers to "maximum length" dresses.  I'm naturally diminutive (as I mentioned earlier, in case you had absolutely NO idea ;) so I didn't think they'd ever look good on me or not be too long.  I have tried on maybe 2 with the stretchy bandeau top, yeah, not flattering and kinda gave up.  But these days, they've become so popular that they have expanded the styles and lengths.  The small actually IS considerally shorter than the medium, thank goodness.  And I found one that actually flattered my  . . . decolletage.  So here IT is:

I also bought another light blue print dress that is so soft and flowy.  If the weather is nice, I'll be wearing it for the bachelorette party and hopefully be taking pics there too, so you'll see it.  Lastly, I bought 4 tank tops, because what gal can get enough of those? :P

All in all, it was a good day.  One of my books is rather promising, the heroine being red-haired and a fairy, unbeknownst to herself at this point.  Shopping is always fun, coffee is always tasty, and then relaxing and eating an artichoke really topped it off (butter sauce dip?  yes please).

I think I will head back to my book for now and count my many blessings in life . . .

Passing the time . . .

I hate to just go on about my summer off and make everyone else jealous, but that's all that really going on right now.

So how am I passing the time?

The internet.  I spend quite a bit of time reading blogs, facebooking, discussing things with various fb groups, reading news articles/articles that really should be called opinion, etc. :P  The internet contains so many fascinating things to do.  But, after a while, my eyes and brain get tired of looking at the glowing screen and I must change it up.

I read.  Let me just say that libraries are the best invention ever, especially interlibrary loan.  It's really too bad that my fave books happen to be everyone else's faves and I always need to return them before I've finished, or I rack up fines.  I have $3.40 in fines so far, so you can tell which option I often choose.  Right now, I'm reading a fairy fantasy novel, it's alright, not like Tolkien or Rowling though.  I have a couple other fantasies that I'm going to start soon, hopefully they're more entertaining.  I've read several books about Christianity, once I'm STILL waiting to get back, because it's huge and I couldn't finish it, even while racking up several days of fines.  It must be a pretty popular book. I've read some Elaine Pagels, Paul Tillich, James Carroll.  I usually only read the books that are on religious topics that interest me, but I haven't been disappointed so far.  Paul Tillich is pretty difficult to wade through, though, so philosophical . . . I read a few books on Haiti before leaving and have been borrowing books from my sister's rather extensive collection.  I think I'll be borrowing Lords of the Rings from her soon once I'm done with what I have.  So many books, so little time.

I cook.  Today I dug out my pasta maker and tried it for the first time! :D  I made wholegrain/white fettucine, and the noodles turned out so delicious tender.  I made a stroganoff sauce with lots of mushrooms and onions to go with.  It was declared good by the ultimate food critic (Micah), but with the recommendation that I put cutlets into it next time as his mother does.  *sigh*  Just can't win can I?  ;)  In my defense, I was going to anyway, but don't have any on hand, so he will have to get some for me.  I will attempt ravioli at some point, just to make my hubby happy.  He loves him some ravioli.  I love exploring tastespotting.com for all the best blog recipes as well.  The pictures are to die for and you can literally search for anything and find tons of options. 

I swim and fast walk.  I'm not into exercise, but as my girth slowly expands, it is a necessary evil.  I fast walk and watch TV in the exercise room and then swim whenever Micah has the time to go as well, cause let's face it, it's always better with someone else with you.

I netflix.  I finally broke down and got netflix.  I've got Nanny Mcphee Returns coming next, I'm pretty excited about it.  The instant play is nice, but I'll be stopping that once they start charging extra for it.

I shop and run errands.  Don't we all.  I went shopping with BFF Naynay the other day for some cute bachelorette party items for "G", our other BFF.  Speaking of which, G's wedding is only 12 days away!  It should be a blast, as long as I fit into my bridesmaid dress . . . :S  And even then, at least everyone else will have a blast.  Lol.  I exaggerate . . . maybe.

Anyway, this is how I pass the time.  I'll take pics of making ravioli when I get to it and pics of the wedding and bachelorette party too, of course! :D  Bye for now, lovely readers (or handsome, if you prefer).

A little more Haiti . . .

I found this touching video/slideshow about Haiti done by an artist in the area who paints pictures specifically of Haiti to help people remember that our work there is not yet done.

Home from Haiti . . .

Whew!  What an experience.  I arrived back home to my favorite place in the world last night.  I was so relieved to climb into my bed.  It feels luxurious now, wonder how long that will last . . .

I now I have the summer off to prepare for school, relax, and perhaps start an etsy shop for jewelry (been debating this for a while). 

Will I go back to Haiti?  Definitely, if I have the money.  I don't know if all of the loving and generous people out there would be willing to help me again and again if I go each year, but perhaps I'll be able to wing it every other year or something.  The projects we started need to be finished, and more projects need to be started.  I need to learn Creole, because I would like to prove to be an invaluable asset. ;)  Knowing just French was only about as useful as I expected, but it was a whole lot of fun talking with random people who knew it. :P  And, I can always get around.

I have dealt with times of frustration, because of the severity of the poverty and sickness in this place, with Americans, Christians, even my own religion.  I have had the joy of knowing that I helped directly many people who needed it.  I have experienced the pain and suffering of another people closeup and personally.  I have enjoyed the pleasures Haiti has to offer:  the ocean, the breeze, the trees, the fruit.  I have also endured an astronomical number of mosquito bites, sweat, and exhaustion. 

And I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Haiti always seems to get the short end of the stick in this world.  They are willing to work hard, but have no jobs.  They are extremely committed to their respective Christian faiths, yet are accused of being a devil-worshiping country hence why God's wrath on them caused an earthquake.  They are happy and cheerful, despite the number of orphans, sickness, and a 45 year life expectancy.  They find ways to enjoy and get the most out of life, despite their country being the poorest of all the Americas.  In short, these people are inspiring in their own right.  They have a good future, if only we can help them find it.  Haiti is a very special place.

I am not an avid photo-taker, but many people on the trip were/are so I'll be posting highlights of Haiti now and then when I get ahold of some of their pictures.  I will be warning those who don't want to see the huge spider, so don't worry. : P

It is time to move on for now and blog about my rather mundane life.  But before I do, I must give a shout-out to our group.  First to my wonderful roommate, Amy, who is so eager to learn and grow as a person.  She's only 15 (I'm pretty sure) and has such a big heart and such an inspiring work ethic.  I must also acknowledge Justice, my other close companion on this trip, we shared electronics, a bag, and even food.  She's absolutely a wonderful person and would carry the backpack despite me asking if she needed a break. : P  She is extremely thoughtful, honest, and hardworking.  She was such an asset.  I hope to be able to go on another mission trip again with her.

I also want to recognize everyone in our group of 38.  We all managed to get along quite well and get a whole lot done.  They are all such wonderful people.  Thanks to Howard, Nicole, Nyron, and Jean-Claude for being such wonderful leaders.  Thank you to Mitchell, Scott, and Leif for all the laughs.  Thank you to Sharon, the sweetest and most energetic lady on earth who always mended us back into health with her expertise and special oils. ;)  Thank you to every single person.  We would not have made as much of a difference without each of them along.  What an amazing team.  I hope we can do it again.

Goodbye for now Haiti!  Hellooooooo SUMMER! : D

Last Full Day in Haiti (Day 10)

I finally got the few pictures from my camera onto this computer now, so I have those to show you all.
Today was our last full work day. We kept busy trying to hurricane-proof and paint our two buildings. They get 100 mph winds here so I've heard. It has been pretty windy most evenings and it's thundered every other day with some rain. So, I believe it. :P It was a sad goodbye we said to everyone. Dina, the lady who runs the orphanage, was especially sad, and several children teared up, making the rest of us tear up as well. We did not get everything done that we had wanted, but we made some very good progress. The next project will be fully filtered, running tap water for the orphanage, and then improving the kitchen side building (which is rather makeshift).
As I'm typing, lightening is flashing across the sky. It's about 10 or so miles away according to the thunder. Last evening, we watched a thunderstorm rage out at sea. It was nice getting the bird's eye view.
I will miss Haiti the country and the people here. I will not miss the mosquitos, the humidity, or the cost of food at the hotel. :P I hope to come back to help with the next trip, but I've got to learn Creole before then. I can communicate just enough to realize just how much I need to know Creole. This will be my next project I suppose, as well as trying to come up with the funds. We have started a very specific mission field and it would not do to not be able to see it through to completion. Though I know the work needed will never cease.
Tomorrow morning we leave early and I'll be back in Seattle in the evening. I'm looking forward to seeing my husband, cat, and family.
On a side note, I will be a long term sub in a new high school this next year. I'm teaching full time, French 1 and 2. I've got all sorts of plans up my sleeve. 'm really looking forward to it.
Enjoy the pictures, and till later everyone.

Me and two of my favorite little girls.

They LOVED their balloons.

They haven't learned the art of smiling for the camera yet.  They are still very precious though aren't they?

Mmmm, coconut milk.

We spent a large amount of time washing brushes and pans, the old-fashioned way. 

This little guy came in seriously dehydrated with some sort of infection to boot.  We revived him and I fed him pureed peaches with a tongue depressor.  He was such a cutie pie.

Here he is again with his grandma.

Saying our farewells . . .

House number 1.

House number 2.

Head of the orphanage, Dina, cutting the "red tape", or in our case mosquito netting decorated with leaves.

Entering her new residence.

Dina and the little girl on the right are tearing up.

Last picture taken.  This was the one day I wore a sleeveless top.  I regretted it.  I put on bug spray 3 times and still got bit.  It also stung having so much bug spray on.

 
Au Revoir Haiti.  Nous te garderons toujours dans nos coeurs.  A la prochaine!(Goodbye Haiti. We will keep you always in our hearts.  Till next time!)

Haiti Day 8-9

So yesterday the internet was down . . . again.  (surprise, surprise) So I'm posting for yesterday and today. Yesterday was another work day at the orphanage.  I haven't downloaded my camera's pictures from that day yet, but I hope to get to it before I leave.  It was much the same as our other work days, painting, building, and babysitting.  Building came to a standstill though when the saw battery went dead and we ran out of roofing materials.  We hope to finish building tomorrow.

Today we went to a medical clinic in Port au Prince and did our best to treat the people in the area.  I got another opportunity to speak french but it was a little shaky since I couldn't understand it when they replied in Creole. :P  It was an interesting experience. Just about everyone had infection related to lack of water or bad water and everyone had anemia at some level.  We had very dehydrated little babies come in listless and hyperventilating.  Gladly, we were able to send them all home in recovery.  It's amazing what a little water, food, and cooling down can do.  We also were able to treat all of the common infections and colds and only had a few people that clearly needed to go to the hospital.  We can only hope that they are able to go and will get treated despite the hospital prices.  It's approximately 100 dollars to get treatment at the regular hospital, which is approximately 800 haitiian dollars.  We snuck one very sick lady out with 20 dollars, hoping they would admit her when she went.

We only had one nurse practitioner, who kind of gave us a rundown of how to do vitals, etc, and 2 good translators.  It was pretty hectic, but overall very successful.

On the way back, we sang all the patriotic songs we could think of in honor of July 4.  Those of us who forgot the words did background noises.  It was quite funny.  We were lamenting that we didn't get to set off fireworks . . . It was nice to know though that we were doing a decent job of representing our country here in Haiti for the holiday. 

Some pictures from today, more later, always more later . . .

There were full markets out today.  Here was the banana "aisle".

Another view of the beautiful mountains. 

Leif was tired.

A caved-in building that hasn't had any rubble moved since the earthquake.

The medical clinic sign.

The official name of the clinic.

Setting up.

Justice helped to do temps, Blood Pressure, height and weight.

The "waiting room".

I have had the opportunity to meet several people at this hotel who are involved in mission groups based in Haiti itself.  I was pleased to know that there are so many locals who believe in their country and dedicate their lives to helping.  I met one gentleman who was part of an organization that travels the country to help locals prepare for hurricanes each year during hurricane season (which happens to be now, by the way).  We have also noted that some of the worst roads have been improved in the last few months and some parts of the capital have been cleaned up. 

I must away, they are forcing me to participate in another group photo. :P Till later everyone!

Haiti day 5-6

On Thursday we worked a long day, till 5:30pm until it started to thunderstorm.  The raindrops here are not so many, but they make up for this in size.  They are enormous, and riding in a truck bed means those drops are coming at you fast.  Ouch.  So, we stopped the painting in a hurry and came home quick.  Since we were running so late, showering and eating took up all the time before our evening meeting and I didn't have time to blog Thursday night.

Friday night the internet was down, so here I am trying to make up for lost time during our short break Saturday morning. :)
Thursday we painted some more and built soccer goals for the kids. Here's the pictures:

Our paint-induced leprosy. ;)

Ude giving us a dancing show with the water bottle. :P

I'm Howard's servant, but it was the easier job, so I didn't revolt.

Justice and Amanya cuddling.

I fell in love with this poor thirsty kitty.  She's so tiny and very pregnant.  I gave her water out of my hand.  I was desperate to take her home.

Nicole helping us paint by using her height advantage.

Now Justice and Ude cuddling.

Mitch, Leif, and Scott's project.  Almost complete.

Another view of the first little "house".

A sleepy baby that I fanned to keep away the flies and gnats.

Ude fell asleep as well.  This little guy is special.  He's the one with the extra mini fingers that we removed.

That little bump is where the little tiny finger was removed from.  It healed extremely quickly.  He only needed a bandaid for 2 days.  He screamed bloodly murder while it happend though of course. :P  No anesthetic.

On fanning duty.

A sweet and entertaining fellow middle school teacher, Michelle.  I've loved chatting with her on this trip.

This picture is for Mitch's mother as per request.  He said to say he was alive and that he would tell everyone about his trip when he arrived home. :P

This is Dina, the lady who runs the orphanage.  She was in Port au Prince during the earthquake and some of the ceiling fell on her back.  She still has back problems that she hasn't been able to get fixed yet.  :(  She dropped everything to help provide for her 30 orphans.

Our soccer goals we built for the kids.  They needed goals that were movable and yet sturdy.  They were absolutely thrilled. :)

Alright, now for Friday.  Friday we spent most of the day in the Van.  We went north to Saint Marc to see the market there and sightsee a little, then we drove down to Port au Prince to sightsee and document the damage and nonexistent infrastructure.  You will see just how horrific it still is.  Then, we ate dinner at one of our translators' grandparents' old house (they moved to the us a while ago but caretakers still maintain the house).  It is large and luxurious in comparison to the rest of Port au Prince.  The translator, Daniel, grew up in this house and went to school nearby.  Then, we headed home for the next 2 hours and only stopped when Justice needed to go to the bathroom the Haitiian way (by the side of the road).  We finally made it back, I pulled out the computer, only to realize the internet was down.

Today we are going to take supplies to the outerlying villages in the hills.  So, we'll probably post those pictures tomorrow.  Otherwise, we're still relaxing until then and catching up on the internet.

Here's the pictures from Friday:

Entering Saint Marc.  This city was not damaged by the earthquake.

The local Cathedral, one of the most lovely buildings in the entire area.  Remember this when we take a look at the Cathedrale in Port au Prince.

Translation:  Church

Adventist of the seventh day. We had to check it out.

Here's the inside.  It's in pretty good shape.  AC is provided by the spaces and holes in the walls.  This was never damaged by the earthquake and is one of the better buildings in Saint Marc.

Here's a schoolroom in the back of the church from what it looks like.  They were learning history, math, and chemistry. 

Amy pretending to be a student in the "schoolroom".

A glimpse of the markets in Port au Prince, they did not take kindly to us taking pictures inside the market, so this is the best I've got.  Needless to say, it is very crowded, with slabs of meat right next to the grains, right next to the underwear.  We did not stop to buy anything, too hot to bother.

Here you can see a little bit of the garbage lining the streets, this was a clean street in comparison to the average.  The canals in this town were so filled with garbage, the water could not drain out and just stagnates.  Disease is rampant due to the unsanitation.  But Port au Prince is worse.

The side of the road now in Port au Prince.  I have so many pictures, I had to choose just some that really show the devastation.

The roads are pretty much just dirt or really pot-holed pavement if you're lucky.  Or a mix of both.  It takes forever to get anywhere and the dust kicks up making visibility really bad.

This is a glimpse of the marker in Port au Prince.  It is hard to tell whether they are selling garbage or food/goods.  The garbage just piles up and they set up on top of it or around it because there's no space left.

You can see how unsanitary it is.

The entire left side of this street had 3-story plus buildings before the earthquake.

Now it's just a pile of rubble.  Hopefully they've been able to remove all of the bodies from it.  Some building crumbled like a matchstick house.

And more.

And more.  All of these piles of rubble were 3-plus story buildings.

A pile of garbage in front of more useless buildings.

Some little "shops" in front of their tent residences.

More rubble.  No building are untouched, but any that have 4 walls and a roof are still being used, despite the concerning cracks on the walls.

This buildling was gutted.  The roof completely fell in.  Only one wall remains.

Here's what's left of the Cathedrale in Port au Prince.  My camera can't even fit in the entire thing.  This used to be the size of the Cathedrals in Europe.

More closeups of the damage.

We got out to get some better pictures.

You can see how the roof just completely collapsed.  They still haven't cleared out all the rubble.  Homeless people now make their home here for lack of a better place to go.

This is the President's palace.  It is hard to see the damage unless you get up close, but it's all closed off because the current President lives in a repaired portion of the palace in the back.  It's been a year and a half since the earthquake and they have not even removed all the rubble yet.  Even the President's Palace in too damaged to use.

More up close pictures.

Almost the entire way around the palace is a huge park.  You can see the trees.  So many people lost their homes that they moved into the park in tents and you can't even see the grass that used to be there, they are living on top of one another.

Porta Potties are a luxury for the tent community. 

You can see the fountain and original park walkways that used to be the park.

More rubble and damage.

There isn't proper channels for rainwater runoff, so it just flows through the streets, taking garbage along with it.

The pigs always seem to be able to find dinner in the garbage piles.

This is one of the better streets, not as many potholes as some.

Sellers in front of their dwellings.

You can see the building in the background that is slanted . . .

This is a "Tap-Tap", their main form of transportation here in Haiti.  One taps to start off and to indicate where one wants to stop, hence the name. They are always decorated very colorfully.

This is a canal in Port au Prince absolutely stuffed full of garbage.

This pile of garbage is at a random street corner downtown.

Here is the Adventist Hospital.  It has largely been repaired and looks in pretty decent shape.

You can see just a little of the white hospital building in the back.  This hospital is open only 5 hours a day, to have crowd control and probably lack of doctors/nurses.

There was one Adventist Church that was pointed out that had a structure.  It was destroyed during the earthquake and rebuilt in metal.  We only caught a glimpse of it as it was behind other buildings we drove by so I don't have a picture.  2 other churches that we saw are completely decimated and have not yet been repaired.  Many Haitiian Adventists have resorted to living in tents as well since their homes were destroyed.  They have not yet been given funds to build or buy actual houses.  This rather blows away the things I heard about the Adventists in Haiti right after the earthquake.  I heard things like "Praise God, none of our churches were destroyed and our Adventists there were spared and are helping the rest of the locals out".  Or some such.  This is not true on any account.  All of the Adventist Churches have been largely devastated, many Adventists are still homeless a year and a half later, and the Adventist Hospital is one of the most expensive hospitals in the nation, if not the most.  They actually have policies where they keep patients at the hospital until they can pay and charge them for each day they must remain.  They also do not provide food for their patients.  So patients who don't have friends or family to bring them food go hungry.  I'm sure this is because of a lack of resources, but it is deplorable that the GC either doesn't know about what's going on there, or is turning a blind eye.  I hope for the former, but things need to change.  The Lutherans, Scientologists, and Baptists have done more for this country than we have, despite our big presence here.  We need to take this criticism as a church and FIX this.  Something must be done.  Those who donated 10 dollars to Haiti to relieve their guilt for not helping will not be happy to know that billions of dollars are not accounted for and have not been distributed to those most in need.  The only sure way to help Haiti is to donate to a smaller organization that actually sends PEOPLE who can give real help and supplies in person.  Right now, Helping 4 Hurting Humanity supports fully one orphanage and we're working on building and establishing as many wells as possible with proper filtering and pumping.  I encourage all my readers to open their eyes and realize that our work here is not done, for any of us.  We must donate carefully and wisely to people who actually come and help and distribute resources in person, because the corruption and disorganization could very well destroy this country.

One last thing.  There was an outbreak of cholera.  It was a strain of cholera not yet found in Haiti, and is actually from Southeast Asia.  It is most likely true that the Sri Lankan military came to help and dumped their sewage into a river in the hills of Haiti, causing this latest Cholera outbreak.  The hospitals have been overwhelmed by Cholera cases.  The incompetence of those here to help will devastate this country even further.  It breaks my heart to see the people continue to suffer because of things out of their power and control.

Well, everyone.  The next few days will be spent trying to improve the current ancient well at the orphanage and finishing painting and building.  More updates and pictures to come.  Keep my testimony in mind and I encourage you to find some way to help the people here in a constructive way. There is no longer any excuse for us to live the priveleged lives we do and to allow other countries to wallow in misery not of their own making.