Haitian News Link

Hi there! This posting will be short and sweet. Just wanted to let you know about a link I learned of today. It is an online Haitian Newpaper based in New York and it covers the local news as well as political and social. There are some very good articles in there right now that would give you a lot of information as to how this country is doing and what is going on over here. Also a few good pictures to view as well as some music videos of a Haitian concert held in New York. Definitely worth a look for those who are interested or just curious. I will write again later.
Link: www.haitiantimes.com God Bless!

Remember When.......?

The kids were enjoying a friendly game of soccer when the rain came down once again. They decided, what the heck, let's just keep on playing.

Game On!!!
Everyone trying to stay on their feet.
Smith is really having a blast. His laughter is contagious.
The girl with the jug in her hand was just trying to carry some water home. The girl with the red rag on her head grabs her for support. Aquel hangs on to the back of the girl with the red rag. They all came tumbling down. It was hysterical! I was laughing too much to capture the moment.
Abela applies a mud mask.
Going for the goal...and.....he.....scores!!!!!!!

I can remember days like that when we were kids. Slipping and sliding in the mud and loving every minute of it. Our clothes and hair were covered in it but that's what made it fun. It was always the cleaning up part that was not so fun. First it was the cold water from the water hose to rinse off the majority of the mess. That is when the discovery of small scrapes and cuts would come to our attention. Then it was the removal of the gritty clothes and into the warm shower. Washing the matted hair took longer and so did combing it out. The final step was to clean up the mess of the clothes and the mud in the tub. But in the end, it was always worth it. Afterwards, I always felt refreshed. Maybe that 's why people pay the big bucks to have a mudbath at private spas? They should just save their money and go play out in the rain.

As for the kids here in Haiti, the clean up is not as involved. Just a trip to the outdoor water faucet. Rinse off, strip down, wash off the excess, and then run to the house for dry clothes. No need to be modest; it's Haiti!!!

Saga of the Rodents - Part II

I could have written this story the next day after the last posting but I really needed to have a major attitude adjustment first. My quest to hunt scavengers began shortly after dinner. (I first had to decide if it was better to search on an empty stomach or eat first and risk losing my dinner over what I found. I decided it was better to be full in case I was unsuccessful. It's not like I could go to the refrigerator later on and just zap something in the microwave.) Anyway, once again, I will spare you the gory details.
My first discovery did not take long but the cleaning up took longer. Then there was another, and then another. It was getting later and I was getting tired. My fatigue turned to frustration. My frustration turned to anger. Then I found what I did not want to find and that was the nest. There was the Mama mouse with her four newborns at the bottom of a large box of my blankets and they were still moving. Aacckkk! Okay, no details but they were disposed of. Three hours later my anger was escalating. I could still smell an odor but could not find the source. My room, which was already a mess, became a chaotic pile of everything that I had to lift, move, drag or toss here and there, to get to what I needed to get to. Finally, I found the source and had to deal with that as well.
Four hours later and my anger became more intense. I was angry that no one listened when I told them a month ago that we needed to take care of the problem immediately. Angry that they did not take the multiplication factor seriously. Angry that they waited nearly three weeks to get the poison. Angry that I had to find and deal with a total of twelve rodents in a week's time and five of them were still alive. Angry that there are still one or two more that are invading the kitchen and living room area. Angry that I could not be resting peacefully in my bed and then thought of a hundred other things to be mad about. Yes, I admit it! I lost my happy thoughts! That made me mad, too! I finally finished at around 11:00 p.m. and climbed over the piles to get into in bed. Oh yeah, did I mention that the generator and lights were turned off at 9:30 p.m. and that the finding of the last rodent and the worst clean-up happened with a flashlight in one hand? Yeah, that was the best part! I have to say that I really did sleep well knowing that my room was rodent-free. I'm glad to say I did not lose my dinner. I wish I could say I'm glad it's over. We still need to catch the other two, or three, or.....???? I really don't want to do that again! I know I will be very busy for the next two weeks trying to get my room in some kind of order again. What a mess!!!!
Thanks for allowing me to get this off my chest and to update those who were actually interested in the drama. My next posting will be a little more focused on the real stuff that is going on. Got a little side-tracked.
I feel better now. :) Love to all!

Another One Bites the Dust...(or Tootsie Roll)

Well, when I first came to Haiti I was a bit squeamish about having an encounter with the foreign(er) creatures of nature. I was never fond of spiders and snakes and anything that moves quick, has too many legs, bites or is slimy.
My first run in was with a very large spider (as big as the palm of my hand) that found its way to rest on my arm while I was sleeping. I managed to jump to my feet from a horizontal position. Not an easy task since I have a pedestal bed. I also smashed him to smithereens for scaring me like that. It took another hour for my heart to calm down enough for me to get back to sleep.
My next surprise was accidentally stepping barefoot on a tiny tree frog that was in my shoe sending me across the room where I slammed my knee into my dresser. One day I came upon a large 4" grasshopper in my laundry basket that clung to my hand. I sent him flying into the next room (since we don't have ceilings yet) and traumatized a couple of the boys. Another time a large cricket jumped out of my backpack and onto my blouse. Well, it was only a cricket. I can handle those. After that, I became more cautious with my surroundings and suspicious of anything that resembled a creature.
Yesterday, as I was about to sit down to work on my computer, I just happen to notice something moving on the seat of my chair. A closer look revealed a very ugly looking walking stick!! Ewe! Where did that come from? He wasn't walking anymore. He didn't look much like a stick, either.
Now this brings me to my topic of the rodent situation. In my last posting I shared that we found one casualty. I rejoiced when I discovered a second one the next day. When a rodent dies, they have a very distinct odor. If you have ever had the experience, you know what I am talking about. Well, this odor caught my attention because it was in my room. I quickly found where he was resting (in peace?) and disposed of him. However, the odor continued to linger. Now, I was not sure if it was just lingering or actually another dead mouse. I looked several times in several places without success...until last night. OOOOHHHHHH!!!!!!! I finally found him! He was resting in pieces and had some other creatures that were enjoying the feast. It was not a pretty sight! I had to quickly remove the contents of the box while trying not to breathe and take it outside. After all the excitement died down, I returned to my room. Now, another full day has passed and the odor is still lingering. What that tells me is we have another situation. I know I need to find it immediately but I am not too thrilled about actually finding it. I'm still a bit queasy from last night.
I also know that we still have the Mama running lose because we keep finding her evidence in the living room. I already have a Tootsie Pop baited and waiting for nightfall. I just hope it does not end up in my room. I especially hope that it is only the odor and not actually a dead rat. I'm pretty sure it's not just an odor. Wwaahhh!! :( Stay tuned for the Saga of the Rodents....to be continued.

Potpourri News

Hello once again! We have been busy as usual. So much has been going on at once so I decided to just touch on a few different topics and fill you

in on some of the news.

We are currently in the process of adding another classroom to our new addition to the school. The classrooms were just getting too crowded. It will still be a simple structure until we can get more funding to construct a solid building with the ability to add on a second story in the future. For now it will just be wooden posts and a tin roof.

Constructing the third classroom of the new addition outside of the original school building.
Here are a couple of shots of the plants in front of the house. From all the rains we had, they have grown quite a bit. A few have been trampled by the kids while playing soccer but seem to come right back over time. The kids are oblivious to the landscape during the heat of the game. Landscape in front of our home. If you look a little closer you can see a small peanut patch jutting out over the dirt in front of the landscape. (near the center of photo). Someone threw a few out in the yard and they grew. Not the best place but, they are there. We've only seen a couple of shells but the insects are taking over. There still is not any uniformity to the landscape but there is definitely lots of color. Only a nature lover can appreciate this shot. I'm sure the landscapers are shaking their heads. :)
Remember my posting of the scary adventure of coming into Bayonnais? Well, a lot of people had the same experience and it was said that one woman fell during the night. I was unclear as to whether she fell into a hole or off the cliff. Anyway, Actionnel organized a large group of people to go and try to make some repairs. Over two hundred showed up and they did the best they could with what they had to work with. The road is now again considered safe, however, I still have no desire to travel that route. I wish I had some before and after shots but this will give you an idea.Construction began at the base of the incline and continued on up and around the curve. Here are a few of the many who came to help. People at the top of the photo are looking at the higher part of the curve. Actionnel is right behind the arm of the man in the white cap on the lower right. Fortunately for them, the rain did not interfere with their efforts.
Filling in the deep crevices that made driving nearly impossible. A little further up is where we fell in. The cliff is on the left side. It's a long way down.
Chopping into the rocky side of the mountain in order to widen the road and level out the steep hill on the right.
I will have to check with David Nichols (who was visiting here from North Carolina) to see if he was able to get any photos of the completion. If so, I will share them with you.
Next we have a shot of the our bus stuck in the mud. The guys did the shopping and loaded the bus with a month's worth of groceries. It survived the roads from Gonaives to our house but just could not make it into the gate. We had to unload very quickly in the pouring rain and then leave it as it was overnight. (Quickly is an overstatement, considering the fact that it was dark, muddy and we had a number of large 50 pound bags of food as well as cases of water, cokes and other food). The next day it took about a half hour to get the bus out of the mud and back on the road. What a mess!
Below is the aftermath of where the bus made several attempts to get free. Notice the nice shade of green slime in the water? Something we see everywhere after the rain.
Several people have inquired as to how Angeline is doing these days after her accident with the motorcycle. I am very happy to say that her heel has healed! She lost about five of the seven layers of skin but it healed very quickly and she was up and around in about three weeks time. However, the other night we had another scare. She fell off the top bunk of the bed where she sleeps. I heard a loud thump (we have concrete floors)
followed by a very loud and long scream. Then she was calling for me. When I got into the room I found her on the floor holding her leg. I checked her out and determined that it was not broken. Put her back to bed and placed a large pillow next to her. The following morning, she had a very large lump on the outer side of her thigh. It was as hard as a rock. She was walking with a limp. Our watchman called another man who came with some home remedy to help her with her leg. What he actually had was a bar of plain soap. He dipped the soap in water and lathered his hands. He then massaged Angeline's leg starting from the thigh and slowly moved down to her knee, calf, ankle, foot and finally her toes. As I watched, I was thinking: I wish I could get a massage like that! Anyway, it took about ten minutes and he said she would be fine. After breakfast, I checked her leg and the lump was completely gone. Not only that but she was walking without any discomfort or limp. I was pretty impressed. So, here are a couple of pictures of our little darling, Angeline.
Angeline with her sweetest smile.
Here she is demonstrating her recovery by dancing.

Now to give an update on our rodent situation. It seems that my biggest concern has been realized. A couple of nights ago I awoke to a suspicious noise and discovered two baby mice enjoying a few Tootsie Rolls that they managed to steal from the bag in my room. They scampered away as soon as the light hit their eyes. I also discovered a half-eaten Tootsie-Pop that was on my dresser, which I was saving for an emergency craving. :) Since they did not go for the tomato laced with poison that the Haitians suggested, I decided to give them more of the same, (chocolate) only dusting them with rat poison. This morning we found one baby that has gone off to rodent heaven. I am not sure how many more are left but the twins saw one pass them by in the hallway. I've got more chocolate ready and waiting. Hopefully we will be rid of them in a few days. No photos for this story. I am sure you appreciate that.

I would like to end this posting with one of my favorite photos. It is a close up view of what I see every morning. This is one of the blessings of living here. I really love sitting on the porch in the cool mornings and getting lost in thought with this scenery. Enjoy! Hope to write again very soon.

Crime Happens Everywhere

The days have been flying by! I can't believe that I have not posted anything since last Wednesday. I am constantly writing (in my head) but then something or someone that needs my attention, which is often, interrupts my thoughts. I have topics or occasions that I think of sharing or things that I feel passionate about but those times come when I am not sitting at the computer. Usually it's late at night when I am restless or fighting off the multitude of different insects that I can hear and feel but can't see. That, too, is a huge distraction from my thoughts. Last night was one of those nights so I am sitting here now, a little fatigued, trying to decide what I should write about….?

One topic has been heavy on my heart because it was close to home. Here in Bayonnais, three very sad circumstances affected our community in the past week. I struggled with how to process the information and whether or not to share it with my readers. My thoughts ranged from: It is just too sad and disturbing, all the way to: I want to keep it real, honest, and share what goes on around here. I am still torn but have decided to share it to a certain extent. If you have no interests in knowing about tragedies, then just skip this and wait for the next posting. I will understand. It is important to me to document the happenings here whether they are cheerful or depressing because they are all part of my experiences. As I write, I discover new ways of understanding a different culture and of human nature in general. Of course, there are times I don't understand at all, but even that is a process for acceptance.

I know that crime happens everywhere. I keep telling myself that. But, when it happens this close to home, it is very hard to be an observer and not feel the effects of the pain. We first learned that something was amiss more than a week ago. It seems that a Pastor of another church here in Bayonnais had been missing since Saturday night and failed to show up for the Sunday morning service. His wife called for help from the community to form a search party to find him. One person claimed to have "a vision" and saw him tied up and lying in a hole in another town. A large group of people set out on foot to walk the long distance to see if it was true. It was not. A farmer discovered him four days later, just off the side of the road in a cornfield, near the market, right down the street from us. He was definitely tied up, very badly beaten, and barely alive. They took him to a hospital in Gonaives where the doctors told them they were not equipped to help him. They suggested that he go to Port Au Prince. He died in route. Later, word spread that the killing was for personal reasons. He was married but had a mistress and was either coming or going to her house when he was ambushed. Another day later, six people were arrested in connection to his death. His funeral was held last Sunday and there were literally hundreds of people on the road following the hearse to the mountain gravesite. It took about a half hour for the entire procession to pass our house.

The next horror happened over this past weekend. Two 15-year-old girls got into an argument and then it escalated into a physical brawl. One of the girls actually bit off most of the tongue of the other! I could not even comprehend that! She was transported to Gonaives (with tongue in hand) and was told they could do nothing for her. I just shuddered at the thought of such a horrible thing to have to go through. The victim, as well as her mother, was devastated. The mother kept saying, "Why did she do this to my beautiful daughter? What's going to happen to her now?" I last heard that the young girl was not doing well and could possibly die from the injury that did not receive medical care. The lack of good medical care in Haiti is another tragedy in itself, especially when it comes to trauma cases.

The last sad event happened to one of our church members. For months, we watched her glowing with joy about her pregnancy. A week ago, Sunday, I spoke with her after church and learned that she was due anytime. She finally gave birth last Thursday afternoon. She had it at home with the help of a mid-wife, as most of them do. The baby was fine. The mother was fine. Both rested well during the night. The next morning, she awoke to find her newborn dead. They do not know why. No one had any answers. It was a baby boy. They had the funeral on Saturday with just a handful of people for a quiet ceremony. No hearse needed. One man carried the coffin under his arm like a stack of books. He was not being disrespectful. It's just the way they do things. The mother did not attend. I heard that she was still in shock and in a deep depression. It will be a while before we see her again. She has a daughter that is a toddler so I am hoping that the little girl can keep her grounded. It has been very quiet here in Bayonnais. Many are still reeling from the first event.

Yesterday, I read the story about the senseless killings in Wisconsin and my heart felt like it would burst. I cried for everybody. I could not help but think of my own son and all his wonderful high school and college friends. I love them all like my own and know that it would be unbearable to have to endure something like that. My heart is still so heavy. I can only imagine how those who were personally affected must be feeling. It is said that time heals all wounds, but for some, the healing never comes, especially where children are involved. I am praying that God will heal their pain and grant them the peace that surpasses all understanding. I ask that you also include all of these families in your prayers. There is strength in numbers and the power of prayer can make a difference. Amen.

Rain, Rain Go Away…or at least give us a break!

Since my return from Texas on August 29th, we have had rain every single day. (It was also raining daily before I left) Not only have we had rain but some serious thunderstorms as well. The weather forecast predicts more of the same until next Monday. Although it helps to cool things down, it also keeps everything muddy and messy and the mosquitoes seem to have quadrupled in the past week. They are absolutely everywhere, including inside the house. The kids are all sleeping (and roasting) in their long-sleeved, long pant pajamas just to have a bit of protection. We are out of our repellent and there is a constant sound of slapping and whining going on throughout the day as well as the night. It doesn't help to know that there is a serious strain of Dengue fever going around in the Caribbean and that there have been reports of a few deaths in the Dominican Republic. From the mosquitoes that I have managed to squash after biting me, I have seen three different sizes. There is the normal size that I am accustomed to in Texas; there is a slightly larger version, and then there is the pesky little microscopic one that bites the hardest. I really get annoyed with them because you don't know they are there until they bite. The actual wound seems to be bigger than the others are. I also discovered an unusual looking bite on my thigh that appears to be from a spider. I am keeping a close eye on that one. So far, I feel fine.
The other creatures we have been dealing with are the mice that have found their way into the house. Although we have seen evidence of their presence every morning, we have yet to see the actual rodents. I suspect that they are camping in my room since I still have a large number of boxes from the donations and other supplies. Some of them have shredded paper in certain areas and I have seen their droppings in my room and even on my desk. Yuck!!!! One of the critters even munched on my candle. I'll just have to keep trying to get organized so I can find their nest. Not sure what I will do when I find them but at least I will know where they are. It is just too miserably hot to do it during the day and the early mornings and evenings are busy with the kids. The temperature is already in the mid eighties by 8:00 a.m.. I could always wait until winter (?) but by then we will have an epidemic. Our cook says that the market sells the poison so we plan to get some on Thursday.
Speaking of cooks, we have a now have a wonderful woman who started working for us last week. Her name is Madame Ginette and she is the sweetest lady. Very God-centered, loves the kids, and is a terrific cook. Everyone has been very happy to have her here. I will probably gain back all the weight I have lost. Ha!
Our current housekeeper (#4), however, did not work out. She tried but just could not follow directions and could not accomplish the tasks that needed to be done on a daily basis. (The spray bottles did not survive either). She said the work was too hard because she is an old lady. When I asked how old, she said she was fifty. I wanted to say, "Hey! Watch out with that "old" stuff!" I told her that I was also fifty but I don't think she believed me. She received her month's salary; we parted on good terms, so all is well with that.
Our new housekeeper, Madame Meladette, started today. I am hoping that she will be a real "keeper". She is the sister of the House Mother, Madame Rode; we met at the Ebenezer Glenn Orphanage in Dessalines and says that she is very familiar with how an orphanage should be maintained. Meladette is a single mom with a seven-year-old daughter. She loves kids and was a teacher at one time. I loved her energy and she asked several important questions, which pertained to the job, so that was a good sign. We will know very soon.
I guess I should mention that the reason I have not posted in a few days is that our generator broke again last Thursday. We were without power until yesterday. I always feel like a true Haitian when that happens. It is not fun at all to be in the dark, especially for several nights in a row. I was grateful to have the Ecolight but it only lights up a small area. We placed it in the bathroom on top of the dividing wall so that the kids could use the facilities and take their showers. The Watchman uses the $5.00 wind-up generator light I bought more than a year ago during a power outage and little did I know it would become a valuable tool in Haiti. The only other light is a small handheld flashlight. I have to run all over the house with it just to keep up with the kids in separate rooms. The other six that I brought are either broken, missing or out of batteries. That includes the emergency road light that I used to keep in my car.
The kids were not happy about having to go to bed early on Friday and Saturday and especially unhappy about missing movie night. A couple of them cried. I felt like crying, too! Not so much about the movie, but about the real inconvenience for everyone. Even our neighbors count on us to have power so they can charge their cell phones or come over to study on our front porch. We share our electricity with the market across the road so when our lights are out, their livelihood is in the dark as well. It is a real shame that so many live each day without power. I know in the back of my mind that for me, this is only temporary. I will one day go back to my comfortable existence in the U.S. but the rest of the folks here don't have that choice or opportunity. I know that someday all of Haiti will be lit up like the rest of the States (if they are adopted as a State in 2009 as proposed) but it will take a quite a few more years.
Our blessing came in the form of a man name Tigarr. He has a physical defect, which causes him to walk with a serious limp, but he is an excellent mechanic. We were so happy that he knew what the problem was with the generator and repaired it in a matter of hours. (This included a trip to Gonaives to get the parts). I could have kissed him! I think I will try to buy him a pair of shoes instead. His looked pretty beat up. Anyway, we are all back to our (un) usual routine and it feels great.
Thanks for stopping by and checking on me. I want to mention again that I welcome any comments you would like to leave. I get jealous when I read other blogs and can see that they get anywhere from 10 to 20 comments on each of their postings. One or two comments would be nice from time to time. Anyone? Critique? Questions? Encouragement? It's Free!? :)
I will end this posting with some photos of the newest additions to our family. We met them this morning when they were swimming in our small garden pond. (It's really just a big hole that Lucner dug to catch the run-off water from the faucet. Our roads are muddy enough!)

Mama Duck taking the babies for a swim. There were 11 eggs but one did not hatch. In this photo, the tenth duckling fell off the edge of the property and into the muddy road. Someone was retrieving it for us while Mama watched and waited.
The "Ugly Duckling" trying to fit in. It still had a clump of mud on its beak and covered his not-so-pretty down.
Poor Baby, he is almost camouflaged! (center of photo) Looks like a strange porcupine.

The babies are moving in for the shade. The muddy duckling tries to find a way in.

Note to Mama: Still working on trying to upload the video. I can't even get it to work on YouTube. I'll keep trying.
Peace be with you and my love to all!