Rain, Rain go away
Needless to say, it's been raining like crazy but that hasn't stopped us at all. We ventured to the St. Louis du Nord professional soccer game. It was packed and intense. The players were so good and the Haitians were extremely passionate. They value soccer more than their lives. You can't say your a fanatic until you have literally knocked someone out because they disrespected your team. We got prime seats on the only bench in the entire place but probably because we were the only blancs there.
I'm convinced that every Haitian babys first word in Blanc. No matter how old, they all know it.
Mom, we have Air Conditioning and our own little area for interns to hang out and us girls made our own little room and we have real mattresses. It's awesome!
Our hike today was very muddy and slippery. It was about nine miles round trip. We crossed the river several times and it was very difficult. There were these two little boys walking with us and they were like something you would see out of a cartoon. They were obviously good friends who were playing jokes on each other and just laughing the entire time. However, when we got back to the market they thought we would pay them since they walked with us there and back but we didn't. The market is really gross. Let's just say dead animals or soon to be dead animals everywhere. Since it was market day on wednesday, the cook staff went and got our meats for the week. People joke about the burgers still mooing, ours really was.
It's been really heartbreaking the past few days. The kids at the orphanage are not getting treated as well and the conditions are not necessarily what the mission would like (i.e. no running water). It's really frustrating watching these people work their butts off to get no reward or pay. Watching aid groups and MUNISTAH (the UN group here) are doing very little. Everyone just throws money at the Haitians and expects them to know what to do with it. They need people devoted to living among them and teaching them how to develop sustainable living practices. (Sorry for the rant but it's just frustrating)
The mission ordered bunk beds so that we could house double the people because there was not enough beds for everyone and there still won't be. Somehow us four female interns got stuck with the job of moving these metal frames across the campus, an entertaining sight to say the least. The Haitian lady was cleans the girls dorm saw us very quickly jumped in to help. She was awesome and by far way stronger than the rest of us. When we left to go relax, she had made our beds perfectly. She is so sweet, all the Haitians are.
I'm convinced that every Haitian babys first word in Blanc. No matter how old, they all know it.
Mom, we have Air Conditioning and our own little area for interns to hang out and us girls made our own little room and we have real mattresses. It's awesome!
Our hike today was very muddy and slippery. It was about nine miles round trip. We crossed the river several times and it was very difficult. There were these two little boys walking with us and they were like something you would see out of a cartoon. They were obviously good friends who were playing jokes on each other and just laughing the entire time. However, when we got back to the market they thought we would pay them since they walked with us there and back but we didn't. The market is really gross. Let's just say dead animals or soon to be dead animals everywhere. Since it was market day on wednesday, the cook staff went and got our meats for the week. People joke about the burgers still mooing, ours really was.
It's been really heartbreaking the past few days. The kids at the orphanage are not getting treated as well and the conditions are not necessarily what the mission would like (i.e. no running water). It's really frustrating watching these people work their butts off to get no reward or pay. Watching aid groups and MUNISTAH (the UN group here) are doing very little. Everyone just throws money at the Haitians and expects them to know what to do with it. They need people devoted to living among them and teaching them how to develop sustainable living practices. (Sorry for the rant but it's just frustrating)
The mission ordered bunk beds so that we could house double the people because there was not enough beds for everyone and there still won't be. Somehow us four female interns got stuck with the job of moving these metal frames across the campus, an entertaining sight to say the least. The Haitian lady was cleans the girls dorm saw us very quickly jumped in to help. She was awesome and by far way stronger than the rest of us. When we left to go relax, she had made our beds perfectly. She is so sweet, all the Haitians are.
Hi, Caitlin--I just looked at your note you gave us from Miriam Home Orphanage. I love it--it helps me to think about how to pray for you and the Haitians and other aid workers you are with. Thanks for opening your heart in such a wide way, so that God has his Spirit working in you. Your compassion for the Haitians is tremendous!! I hope the rain stops soon. It may be a rainy from time to time this summer because there seems to be more rain fronts coming through the Caribbean this summer. It just makes the roads harder to travel on. By the way, you should have taken a blow-up cushion to use when on a tap-tap! Just be sure to hold on when riding because they do fly around, especially when taking the curves.
ReplyDeleteToday in Worship time you will be part of my prayer time. I may not always know exactly what to pray for but God's Spirit will guide me. I'll keep reading here to know how to pray for you. By the way, I can understand how weird and strange it is to be in that Voodoo temple. Neil and I experienced that when we were in a Buddist temple in Hawaii--darkness and lack of God's Spirit--just remember He is in you and is actively at work in you. Take care--have a good week! Carole