My life in Haiti - Aug '04 to Feb '06

made it home

2006-02-21T21:20:00.000-05:00

Well I made it to BC on the 17th of February! I was in Port from the 13th - 16th not able to do a whole lot because of demonstrations in the streets. I ended up taking a bus from Port to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and catching a flight out of there! It was an adventure to say the least! This will be my last post on this blog. From now on, you can find me at http://theresajohnstone.blogspot.com

What a day!

2006-02-12T13:01:00.000-05:00

Okay - so the day started off fairly well! I repacked my suitcases and I think that they are both now in their limits. Then I went and spend the day with Ronel in Borel - more fun, taking photos of the neighbourhood kids, playing the "Voyage game" (some little tiny game - it was interesting!) Then I showed Ronel how to play the Frog Hopping game, ate some yummy food and then came home. Decided to check my emails and it was good I did - email from my mom saying that she had gotten a call from American Airlines saying my flight to Florida on Tuesday was cancelled. So, panic starts to slowly set in, try to call my mom - no answer, so next best thing - call your big brother and tell him to call mom and email me more about the cancellation. Well - turns out there wasn't a whole lot more to tell!

So amazingly - I was able to call the 1-800 number from my cell phone here ( didn't work when we tried to call in October for my cousin Lynn!) and spent a long time and lots of gourdes (Haitian currency) to find out that American Airlines isn't flying from Port to Ft. Lauderdale before March 1st! Well - that wasn't what I wanted to hear and so I asked what my options were - the lady said that they were still flying twice daily into Miami from Port and there was room on the 11am flight on Tuesday - so I quickly grabbed it and then called the next airline to change the rest of my flights home. (cause the Miami flight (arrive 1:10pm & then go through customs - min 1 hour plus find transportation to Ft Lauderdale) wouldn't allow me time to connect to my current flights scheduled to leave Ft. Lauderdale!)

So wait on hold for Continental only to find out that even though my flight in Continental airlines and I have a Continental confirmation number and I can see my itinerary online at Continental.com - I don't have a Continental ticket!! It is an Alaska Air ticket - so 3rd call - and I get the most helpful & wonderful lady (insert tons of sarcasm here!!) She said that the only option she saw for the 14th would cost me $300US minimum! & that there was no way she could let me change the flight without change fees -even though this isn't my fault at all! American Airlines cancelled all flights into Ft Lauderdale - what do you want me to do!

Now, my original ticket with Alaska/Continental was $228 Cdn - a really good deal from Floriday to Vancouver! Then, after I almost cried asking her if there was any other options available to me, she tells me that there is a flight on the 16th (2 days later!) that would only cost me the $50US change fee.

Now, I really don't want to have to spend 2 days in Florida! I want to leave Haiti and arrive in BC - all in the same day! This departure is already emotional enough - I don't need two days to sit in Florida and think about how much I miss Ronel and also how much I want to see family & friends in BC. I do have a friend who I can most likely stay with for the two nights (though it is now Sunday morning technically and I would arrive Tuesday and I haven't gotten a hold of her yet - If I decide to do this - I'll have to call her tomorrow cause she doesn't check her email often)

The lady at Alaskan Air said my other option was to search for a cheap flight online with any carrier and then just eat the price of the current ticket with Alaska (though I think I should be able to get a credit for it - or something!) If it worked out to be anything less than the $300 US - I'd be saving money . Well - after searching, and searching, and even more searching - this "travel agent extrordinaire" (one of my many titles here at HATS) was not able to find anything for less than $300Cdn - well that is not that much of a difference than $300US!

And as tempting as it is to want to see Eileen & leave on the 16th (and save money!)- that also means I don't get to see my mom when I arrive in BC and that isn't cool to me! I want to see my mom - I need to see my mom! She is flying out on the 15th with her mom to visit my aunt & uncle in Curacao (some island off the coast of Venezuela) She will be gone for 3 weeks returning the 9th of March - that is too long to not see my mom while I am in BC (especially since I haven't see her for 3 months already!) I want to be home on the 15th to go to minichurch, to see my sister & my nephews, to see my friends!

well I am going to go sleep on this and make my decision in the morning!

Good night!!

sleepover!

2006-02-10T18:57:00.000-05:00

well, I am going down to the kids home so that we can have fun and then I'll sleep down there with them - for the first & last time :( We're going to move all the mattresses into the big room and get out the CD player and music and have fun!!! Maybe I'll even get my hair braided! (can do that cause I dyed it this afternoon ;) no more roots and no more grey hairs!!

I'll try and take some photos of the activities tonight to post!

Friday...

2006-02-10T15:10:00.000-05:00

I don't know if I have ever been so sad to see a Friday arrive! It means that I only have the weekend left oh - and Monday - which I know will be filled with lots of last minute stuff and making sure I am fully prepared to leave (which will include basically taking apart my bedroom - clock, lamp, curtains, bathroom stuff - all must either be down at Ronel's or in my suitcase by Monday evening!) Monday I'll be sleeping in a bare room - with my bed & my alarm clock - I will leave out my toothbrush, toothpaste & hairbrush for Tuesday morning and then they will get tossed into my carry on. Last night I went up to pack and was exhausted! So this morning I took out some time and went and packed - Well, I got everything into my suitcase but when I weighed it - it weighed 90lbs! I am allowed 50lbs and had thought of paying to be able to take 70lbs but either way - my suitcase is way overweight! ARGH! So it looks like I am going to have to do some rearranging and see if I can get everything into my 2 suitcases and 1 carry on and not be overweight - looks doubtful but I'll try! Also looks like I am going to have to be tougher on leaving stuff behind! :S I don't like that idea at all! :(

I'll let you know how my packing goes!

2006-02-09T22:24:00.000-05:00

This is a shot of the jam that was made from the "peel" of the grapefruits I used for juice last weekend. It isn't made from the outside peel but from the white part that is between the outer skin and the actual fruit. Ronel's mom boiled the white stuff twice, then mixed in sugar and boiled it again (between each boiling -she squeezed them and also cleaned them) Then she added tomatoes, cinnamon sticks (the brown bits in the photo), guava (the orange bits), and more sugar. (she would have also added cherries if they were in season and available but none to be found at this time of the year) This boiled for a long time and then it had to cool. Today, she then added in essence of vanilla (after it was cooled) and then put it into two jars. We sent Olritch to buy some bread and we all tried it. It is sweet and lots of chunky bits in it (which I am not a fan of!) but Ronel just piled it onto his bread and he loved it! He also ate some right off the fork! It was just another reminder to me how smart Haitians are - nothing that can be used, gets wasted. I would have just thrown that part of the fruit away! (I wouldn't have even peeled the grapefruit before juicing - I would have just cut it in half and squeezed the fruit half - or if I was so lucky - used one of those hand juicers things that you just twist the fruit on and it gets the juice out!) One more "Haiti first" for Theresa before she leaves!

YEAH!!!!!

2006-02-09T18:43:00.000-05:00

I did it - I emailed off the financial reports for 2005 this afternoon! A whole day earlier that I had thought! I am so happy!! This means that I basically have 4 days to just enjoy myself here in Haiti {and say goodbye to everyone! :( }

I still have my last suitcase to rearrange - I know what needs to go in it - it is just making it all fit and be under 50lbs. I will work on that tonight and hopefully be 95% finished with that ( there are some things that can't go in till Monday night cause I need them till then!)

Spent the afternoon with Ronel and he was very quiet and not himself. I think me moving back to BC is harder on him than it is on me, cause I am the one starting something new and he will be coming to work everyday and NOT seeing me - everywhere he goes he is going to have reminders of me, while I won't have the same problem in BC - I'll just be wishing he was there with me!

Trying to get all my important emails into my new account - I have alot of emails I want to save and so it is taking a while to redirect them all to my new address! But atleast I can do other stuff while I am waiting (like post this!)

Alexandre - way to go!!

2006-02-08T15:28:00.000-05:00

Alexandre had great fun this afternoon. Rose Martha had set up all the marbles for chinese checkers on the tin lid. Alexandre was lying on his stomach on the blue pillow that is in the photos. He was facing away from the lid but managed to work his way over and then start banging on the lid with his foot! He was making lots of noise as the marbles hit the tin lid and he was enjoying himself! As you can see in the photos, he managed to spread the marbles quite a distance! (they were originally all in the points of the star in their places -waiting to be played!)

Good job Alexandre - as long as you're working at getting yourself mobile - you can cause all the "dezod" you want!!

2006-02-08T15:16:00.000-05:00

Moyiz & I hanging out in my office - he loves to see photos of himself!! We took a bunch of photos but this was the best of both of us!

2006-02-08T15:13:00.000-05:00

so this is a look at my burn on day 12! It hasn't really scabbed over yet and every time I shower the "scab" goes all soft and the wound starts oozing again! Very frustrating cause it isn't like I can skip showering! I haven't been able to keep it covered cause that also keeps it from scabbing and then it oozes and I think the oozing is so gross! The red has spread to the left (right oin the photo) and I am a bit concerned but I will be visiting the doctor as soon as possible after I get to BC! It is still very sore and I can't lie on my stomach without propping that leg up on something - I forgot about it last night and went to turn over to write something down and quickly remembered as soon as my leg hit the bed! So I lay there with my one leg bent at the knee sticking into the air! You do what you have to to keep the pain down!

2006-02-08T15:09:00.000-05:00

Mushrooms - Haitian style! This is jhon-jhon that Martha just bought at market so she can make some delicious rice with jhon-john & pwa congo! It is dried mushrooms and they boil them and then take out the mushroom bits and use the mushroom "juice' to cook the rice in! Delicious!!

map

2006-02-08T14:14:00.000-05:00

Okay - So I really find this cluster map thing cool! I saw it on someone else's blog and had to get one for my blog! It shows me in the form of dots on a map where the visitors to my site are coming from! (the funny thing is it looks like I never visit cause for some wierd reason my satellite service seems to be coming from somewhere in the middle of the US - so no dots on Haiti)

I had originally just put one on my new blog for when I get home (which has already had 71 hits - I am sure the majority of those are me but I know there are others who have checked cause I see their dots! - but hey - leave comments!!) and then decided I wanted one for this blog too! So I put it on today - wish I had known about it when I had started the blog but such is life! It'll be interesting to see how many people visit the site and from where.

129 hours 33 mins till I leave Haiti - can't believe it - I've got a lot to do in those 129.5 hours!

last Wednesday...

2006-02-08T12:25:00.000-05:00

craziness has started to set in! I had wanted to have everything done by Friday afternoon so I could not worry about any work stuff my last weekend here. Well - that is looking less and less likely! I have not been feeling well today and yesterday evening so that is cutting into my productivity! I stayed up working till about 1am last night since we had electricity and I am not yet finished with my reports! Getting the Visa stuff straightened out took awhile since we recently switched credit cards for HATS and so I have to combine visa statements from two separate accounts! and figure out which expenses are HATS charges still going on the old card! It's been a learning experience!

If I have to stay up all night again tonight I will cause I want to be able to have fun this weekend!

Today was the last time I will prepare funds to send Cecile & Martha off to market!

my life next Wednesday will be very different from today!

elections

2006-02-07T22:11:00.000-05:00

Well - the voting stations have now been closed for a couple of hours and I haven't heard any news! There was report of an incident in Liancourt (about 15 mins away) where two voters got into a fight because they were backing different candidates - an innocent by-stander is now in hospital here in Deschapelles after taking a bullet because of the fight between the two voters (but neither of the people involved were hurt!!)

Here's praying that things calm down tomorrow and I (& Karen) will be allowed off the compound! I don't want to spend the last few days I have in Haiti being locked inside my own yard!!!

family

2006-02-07T21:58:00.000-05:00

from front to back:
Joanne - Ronel's neice (she is 4 years old)
Dayana - Ronel's sister (she is 7 years old)
Olritch - Ronel's brother (he is 9 years old)
They had come to the door of Ronel's room to see what we were doing (going through and junking out tons of stuff!) and they looked so cute all lined up and so I took this photo - they LOVED getting their photo taken and I took many more the next day! and I am sure I will take even more this coming weekend when I am down there!

memories!

2006-02-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

a photo of the three of us hanging out tonight. ( this was taken by placing the camera on the edge of my desk and using the 10 sec timer - I'm impressed with the results!)

Rachelle & Alexandre

2006-02-07T21:48:00.000-05:00

Rachelle & Alexandre - sitting next to me watching me do financial reports (not the most exciting thing!) The kids LOVE to come in and just sit watching me do whatever I happen to be doing - Occasionally if I have time I try and show them photos - especially ones that they're in! Yesterday I had 5 kids up around my desk looking through all the photos that were taken while Sandra, Dickie & Don were here in January (that is over 800 pictures!) I love Rachelle - she is so adorable and sweet. She comes up and will just sit beside you and then slowly start rubbing your arm or playing with your hair. She is extremely helpful and loves holding Alexandre. I am going to miss all the kids here but there are some that hold an extra special place in my heart - Rachelle is one of those!

venting....

2006-02-07T12:40:00.000-05:00

Okay - so this is me just getting out my frustration and since I am alone in my office, I am posting this!

Today is election day here in Haiti - that means no school, no work, nothing is open today. Ronel just called me (just cause he wanted to hear my voice and know that I'm okay) on a friend's cell phone. I asked if he was going to come see me tonight (since I am not allowed off the compound today!) and he said No, cause "they" would take his moto if he tried to come up here or even just go on the road. "They" would be the police or UN. Only authorized vehicles allowed on the road (ones that are transporting people to or from the voting centers) - trying to keep the chance of violence down. I only have 6 days left in Haiti that I can spend with Ronel and one of them we have to be apart because this country is so filled with troublemakers and so its unsafe to come see me because of the elections happening! ARGHHHHHH!

One more thing on my list of things I am not going to miss!

things....

2006-02-07T10:04:00.000-05:00

Things that I will miss in Haiti

Ronel!! (my fiance)
devotions every morning with the kids & staff
Martha's good Haitian coooking and Ronel's mom's delicious pates (a fried dough thing with yummy stuff inside)
the sun and its warmth!
my kids
the friends I've made here
walking the canal
the beautiful scenery outside my door
the night sky - with such an abundance of stars visible!
the Creole language

Things I won't miss in Haiti

roosters crowing at all hours!
trucks laying on their horn at 3am
Needing security 24/7 (and having them need a gun!)
standing out because of my skin colour
repetitive meals! (though I LOVE the food - you get tired of the same thing over and over again!)
not being allowed out after dark (which is 6pm!!)
the need to shower multiple times a day because you're sweating so badly!
being called blan
cockroaches, tarantulas, mice, and any other unwelcome animal!
being HOT almost all the time!

Things I'm looking forward to in BC

hanging out with my friends & family
playing with my nephews
speaking English
not standing out in a crowd because of my skin colour
food - so many different foods that I have missed! - lasagna, 7 layer dip, chicken breasts (in any form!), steak, a BBQ burger from Cactus Club, nachos, .....
minichurch, Sunday morning services in English - and PT's sermons!!
the ability and option to go shopping (if and when I want) without a 4 hour drive and the possibility of not finding what you need.
playing a good game of Canasta with Stacey!
Being able to go out WHENEVER I want! Being allowed to drive alone, after dark(or after 6pm!)
following God as He leads me in a new direction and into a new adventure!

Things I'm not looking forward to in BC

being cold!
having to prepare my own meals - all the time! (Yes, I'll admit I've been spoiled!)
the possibility of snow
being apart from Ronel
being cold! (have you got the idea - I don't look forward to being cold!!)

6 days left...

7 days.....

2006-02-06T21:20:00.000-05:00

The countdown is on - I have a week left in Haiti - that means I have 7 days to take in as much as I can. I know that come next Monday night at 8:30pm - I am NOT going to have as big of a smile as I do in this photo! I'll have said goodbye to the staff, friends, the kids and Ronel. Tuesday morning I'll leave the compound at 4am and head to Port au Prince with Nicolas. He'll drop me off and that's it - I'll be on my way to BC. It seems so unreal to me, but everytime I open my bedroom door - reality hits! My bags are almost all packed, I have given away almost all of my clothes that I either am not bringing home or don't see purpose in keeping here at Ronel's, I have brought everything down to Ronel's that I want to save or am giving to him to use. My room is very bare and almost depressing! Ronel and I had another good long talk and a good cry on Saturday. It isn't going to be easy saying goodbye but as we keep telling each other - We know that this is God's plan and He has something great in store for us! I keep telling myself that nothing worth having in life is easy! and I think that we're worth it!

I am very thankful that I am going home to some great friends who I know are going to be there for me - friends who will be there to listen, give advice when needed or just a shoulder to cry on. As much as I am looking forward to seeing family and friends again, the thought of not knowing when I am coming back to Haiti is very hard. Ronel & I have only been apart once when I didn't know when I was coming back and that was when I went out ill in Sept of 2004. That was only 2 months after we were officially a couple and things were much harder then first cause I was really sick and we didn't know what the doctors were going to find and also because Ronel didn't know how to email - thank God things have changed since then!! This fall, before I went out in Nov, Ronel asked me to show him how to email so he could get in touch with me himself and not always be dependant on others. He was a quick learner and we were able to email each other while I was out in BC. It was nice to be able to keep in touch and I know it is going to be a blessing while we are apart this time. Knowing that I am talking to him (and only him!) makes communication much easier and more open! Sending emails to someone else to print off - you are never as open and I know Ronel was more reserved in his letters too as someone else had to read and type his letters to me. I am thankful that people were willing to be the go-between for us but much more happy now that Ronel has learned to email on his own!

UNO

2006-02-06T19:48:00.000-05:00

Playing & teaching UNO at Ronel's. I bought Ronel UNO cards for Christmas (another visiting blan had taught him and some others but they had no cards) and yesterday he wanted to play. So, Marie-Berth, Manouchka, Oltrich, Ronel & I all played (Dayana & Joanne just hung out and watched) - Manouchka (girl with pink pants & red top) caught on really quick! The others did well too. Everyone but Marie-Berth won a hand and she was a good sport about it! (but I have to say I won the game - I've been losing at every game lately so it was a nice change!)
It was nice to hang out and play with kids outside the compound. Gave me a glimpse into "normal" Haitian life and having just anyone pop over and visit - here everyone who wants to enter has to first check with security and they check with us if we want to see them -it isn't the same!
There were probably 3 0r 4 neighbourhood kids who just stopped in for a short visit - I think some of it was cause the blan was there -but fun none the less!

look what I did!

2006-02-06T19:03:00.000-05:00

< This is 6 cups of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice I squeezed all by myself! (that is 6 cups of pure juice - before I added water!)

I was proud of myself!

just a little enthusiastic!

2006-02-03T20:05:00.000-05:00

Okay - so maybe "Hello" isn't the best program for me to have on my computer right now! I have a ton of photos I wanted to post and it is so easy with Hello and their BloggerBot (I find it way easier than Picasa's Blog This if you are doing more than one photo. Well, once I got started - I couldn't seem to stop! I think I posted over 50 photos in like a 45 min window -all while still doing my financial reports for 2005~~

Anyway - I still have more work to do on the reports so enough blogging for today - it is so easy to procrastinate and blog! but I only have 10 days left in Haiti and still have lots of work to do, and I have been spending lots of "extra" time with Ronel these days! :)

Pharlie

2006-02-03T17:58:00.000-05:00

Pharlie - a friend's daughter. She is so adorable and is slowly warming up to me. She has her name stitched into the front of her uniform (on the blue part - on the left side of the photo) She walks over to Ronel's all the time - by herself and she just turned 3! (she does only live 2 houses away but still)

2006-02-03T17:54:00.002-05:00

Alexandre - smiling for the camera

Mirlande - watching Martha at work

2006-02-03T17:54:00.001-05:00

Mirlande - watching Martha peel and prepare vegetables for our dinner

Ronel & I - all smiles

2006-02-03T17:53:00.000-05:00

Ronel & I - all smiles after a fun day at the river

having fun with the camera

2006-02-03T17:52:00.000-05:00

Mirlande and I having fun with the camera while Maudeline braids my hair

good place to sit?

2006-02-03T17:43:00.001-05:00

Mirlande thought I looked like a good place to sit! I was on the floor after falling over trying to sit "haitian style" squatting with your butt way down and your feet flat on the ground. Not as easy as they make it look!

2006-02-03T17:43:00.000-05:00

now, can you carry all that on your head??

2006-02-03T17:42:00.001-05:00

rice fields

2006-02-03T17:42:00.000-05:00

me and my boy - Moyiz! Gonna miss this one a lot!

2006-02-03T17:41:00.002-05:00

rice drying

2006-02-03T17:41:00.001-05:00

huge truck filled with sacks of flour

2006-02-03T17:41:00.000-05:00

quick - take the photo - I'm starting to fall over!

2006-02-03T17:40:00.002-05:00

busy life and it's not even 7am

2006-02-03T17:40:00.001-05:00

field prepared for sweet potatoes

2006-02-03T17:40:00.000-05:00

dozens and dozens of eggs waiting to go to market to be sold

2006-02-03T17:38:00.000-05:00

yummm. Bananas!

2006-02-03T17:37:00.000-05:00

Moyiz - singing I have the joy, joy, joy

scenery

2006-02-03T17:36:00.000-05:00

what a beautiful sight - I am going to miss walking the canal.

pushing me around.

2006-02-03T17:32:00.000-05:00

Ronel "pushing me around" - literally! He rolled me out of my office into the living room, we chatted with Sandra and then he rolled me back to my desk!

seeing double

2006-02-03T17:31:00.000-05:00

this was hilarious - Dickie & I were in matching outfits all day and no one noticed until like 9pm when I came into my office to help Sandra with that night's blog update.

2006-02-03T17:29:00.000-05:00

Rachelle showing off her new outfit

2006-02-03T17:28:00.000-05:00

Sandra and I with our Haitian hairdos!

Avocado fun

2006-02-03T17:24:00.000-05:00

these are three shots we took today with this HUGE avocado Martha bought at market.

Mirlande holding it - cause she is so little it looks like a small watermelon.

Ronel trying to show the size of the avocado

me showing how enthusiastic I am about eating it!

2006-02-03T17:13:00.001-05:00

look at me - i'm getting there

2006-02-03T17:13:00.000-05:00

gazing lovingly at the woman he loves (ME!)

2006-02-03T17:12:00.001-05:00

are these not the cutest little feet!

Ronel & I

2006-02-03T17:12:00.000-05:00

Rachelle took this photo of Ronel & I (just today actually while we were getting our lunch ready

2006-02-03T17:10:00.000-05:00

having fun at the river

smile!

2006-02-03T16:42:00.000-05:00

boy, he loves the camera - as soon as you take it out, he breaks into a big smile

2006-02-03T16:41:00.001-05:00

he totally knows when I am taking photos!

2006-02-03T16:41:00.000-05:00

Ronel & I - November 2005 (with my extensions in)

Joanne

2006-02-03T16:40:00.000-05:00

Joanne - Ronel's niece, she was just lying there and I snapped this shot.

2006-02-03T16:39:00.001-05:00

I see you too~

2006-02-03T16:39:00.000-05:00

Haitian boat

2006-02-03T16:38:00.001-05:00

vladimy

2006-02-03T16:38:00.000-05:00

aww - my Poppa Dickie came back to see me!!

2006-02-03T16:37:00.000-05:00

and this is my tongue!

2006-02-03T16:36:00.000-05:00

JJ & Rose Martha - having fun

2006-02-03T16:35:00.000-05:00

I love the Haitian scenery

2006-02-03T16:34:00.001-05:00

my boy - getting so big

2006-02-03T16:34:00.000-05:00

This is Ronel and I sewing curtains for my gallery off my bedroom. Isn't he quite the guy!

2006-02-03T16:01:00.000-05:00

I got caught wearing my sweater again! This time I wore it until 11:30am - even when we went up to the hospital. Sandra couldn't believe it and so she had to take a photo to send back to friends to show that while she was sweating tons, here I was cold and wearing a sweater (over a shirt with sleeves - another big thing for me!) Well atleast it was the middle of January! though temperatures were still in the high 20's - what can I say I've adapted!

great photos

2006-02-03T15:57:00.000-05:00

Alexandre - during a hospital admission for some meds to help him breathe - even sick and in the hospital he looks so adorable!

Rose Martha & Alexandre

Alexandre - adorable as usual and happy to be back in Poppa Dickie's arms!

one of many beautiful sunsets here in Haiti

Another gorgeous sunset - this one over the canal just outside the compound

Hibiscus abound in Haiti - these are in the flower beds right outside the house

2006-02-03T15:46:00.000-05:00

LOVE this photo! I think it is an awesome photo of my cousin Lynn and that it's a great photo just all together. This photo was taken on our way to the airport when Lynn was leaving Haiti. It was like 6am and Amanda & Lynn just wanted to be able to touch the ocean (we hadn't been to the ocean while they were here - we don't live very close to the ocean, but we had gone to the river with them)

I ♥ these photos

2006-02-03T14:23:00.000-05:00

Just going through all my photos as I prepare to come home and I came across these ones of Ronel & I that I wanted to share with you!
♥

preparations

2006-02-02T10:52:00.000-05:00

wow - never thought that preparing to leave the mission field could be as hard if not harder than preparing to come. After three and a half years, you collect a lot of stuff - plus, living in a third world country I had reserves of alot of items that I use - shampoo, body wash, razors, shave gel, etc, etc. I spent 2 days straight almost going through the numerous rubbermaid containers in my room - deciding what I needed to bring back to BC with me, what I wanted to leave here (benefits of having a fiance here - free storage!) what I wanted to give to Ronel to use, what I wanted to leave here for HATS, etc, etc. Plus a ton of stuff I just junked out and burned.

(and in the process also burned myself! while watching the garbage burn, something jumped out onto the front of my leg and burned me! let me tell you - that hurts and still does - this is what it looks like today - day 6!)
not really liking the red look! It is still really tender and sore and unfortunately it keeps getting bumped and hit cause of where it is - right on the front of my lower leg!

Yesterday Ronel & I took 3 rubbermaid containers full of stuff, a makout with a pannier inside it full of stuff, and two small rubbermaid containers of stuff down to his place. And I am not finished yet! I just wanted to clear out some of the stuff from my room so I feel like I am making progress! Most of this is stuff for him to use but some of it is stuff I'd like to have when I come back in the fall for our wedding. There was a bunch of candles that I brought when I very first came to Haiti and I barely ever use now cause we have almost constant power during the day and evening - just not at night when we are all sleeping. Some of the stuff we also blessed family & friends with - like the bunches of hair accessories Ronel has no use for! there were sandals of mine that fit his mom, some clothes and such also that were passed onto his mom as well. Then last night I went through all my clothes and decided what I was bringing with me (not very much!) and what I was giving away - I think I am going to go through and keep like 4 or 5 outfits that I will be able to wear when I come back and then give the rest away. I was very proud of myself - I managed to be quite good with the junk out process - there are many things that I have emotional attachments to, but don't have the space to bring home with me. Things that I have kept for 4 years, I have finally got rid of. It wasn't easy but I realized that it was necessary. I only have 2 - 50lb suitcases that I am allowed to fill (used to be 70lbs each but American airlines has once again changed their rules!) and my carry on. My carry on will be filled with my fragile items - like my wooden globe that is not being left behind! and some bottles of vanilla extract and almond extract. It's so funny to me to be worrying about luggage when leaving Haiti cause I almost always have left with empty suitcases! Once I went out with full luggage but I was carrying gifts for my nephews and also items to give to Karen's daughter to sell as a fundraiser. What is hard is leaving behind books and things like that. Even though I have read them all many times, I still enjoy all my books - most of the novels and such, I had a much easier time leaving but teaching type books - especially ones that have meaning attached to them, I couldn't part with. The next week shall be interesting - seeing how much I can really pack into my suitcases and still be under the limit! I'm travelling on 3 separate airlines or else I would overpack one bag and just pay the overweight charges - but paying it 3 times - I don't think so! I have 10.5 days left here in Haiti - the 14th is going to be a "non-day" as I will be leaving here at like 3:30am and driving to the airport, flying to Florida

it's been a while...

2006-02-01T22:02:00.000-05:00

well, it has been over a week since I last posted and a lot has happened in that period of time!

I am nearing the end of my "adventure" here in Haiti and will begin a new chapter in my life. I am moving back to Canada on the 14th of February and am looking forward to what the future holds. It is not without sadness that I say goodbye to the people and country which has for the last 3 1/2 years been my family & my home. I will always have a very special place in my heart for Haiti and her beautiful people!

I will definitely be back - even as early as this fall .... cause I'm still getting married! Ronel & I are still getting married and so I will be coming back to Haiti for that - what happens after that is all in His hands! Whether we apply to have Ronel come to Canada as my spouse, we find a new ministry in Haiti to work with, or..... - we don't yet know!

I will be moving to a new blog once I get back to BC - my new blog can be found at
http://theresajohnstone.blogspot.com

I will be keeping this one "alive" as it hold many great memories for me!

I can't promise that I will be posting regularly on my new blog but will try to keep everyone (though I don't know who everyone is!) updated as much as I can. I do not have internet service where I'll be living in BC (though that is something I would like to get in the not to distant future - a computer and internet service.) but either at my sister's or elsewhere - I will try and let you know what is happening with me!

these feet were made for walking

2006-01-22T15:42:00.000-05:00

and that's just what we did!
Yesterday morning at 6am Sandra, Karen & I walked to Borel and back and then decided to walk to Verrettes as well! In total we walked 9 kms yesterday all before 10am! (We drove it today and clocked it on the odometer) It was 12544 steps on my pedometer but it must have miss counted or something cause it said it was only 7.6 kms on the pedometer but 9 kms when we checked in the truck. I had even reset the odometer so that it was easy to tell. It was approx 4.4 kms to Verrettes one way and 4.6 kms to Borel round trip. We took just under an hour to walk to Borel and back, came into the house and ate breakfast and then Rose-Martha asked when Sandra & I were going to walk to Verrettes with her - we said, how about tomorrow morning - then Karen said, why don't we do it right now and we all agreed. Rose-Martha & Maudeline joined us on the trip to Verrettes - we walked down and then took moto taxis back home - it was quite the site - 5 motos in a row all the drivers had on t-shirts for Rene Preval - one of the candidates for the presidential election here in Haiti. Maudeline & Karen also had them on and Rose-Martha had on a Preval hat. Only Sandra & I weren't decked out in Preval gear. It took us approx an hour to walk to Verrettes and then Sandra & I sat in the shade and people watched while Karen and the 2 girls took moto taxi's to Fedna's to check in on her cause she was sick.

pic of the day

2006-01-22T14:22:00.000-05:00

pic of the day

2006-01-19T18:00:00.000-05:00

I did it!

2006-01-19T17:49:00.000-05:00

Well - I made 8700 steps on the 17th and yesterday I broke 11,000!!! I was SO excited especially since at lunchtime I was way behind. Sandra & I took a walk down the canal and after the canal road turned into a rabbit trail we turned around and decided to come back along the road - We were gone about 45 mins but we went a long way and also were walking at a good
pace. I have really enjoyed my walks with Sandra and will miss them when she is gone. Today I didn't do very well as I have been having some dizzy spells and so haven't been out of my chair as much - I was 2500 at lunchtime and at 4pm when I checked - it had reset and I was only at 79! ~after that I just took it off cause it was too disappointing to see only 79!

how many steps taken:11333 how many kms walked:7.1 how many calories burned:252.5

I'll keep you posted on my progress!

7700 and counting!

2006-01-17T19:37:00.000-05:00

That is how many steps I have taken today in 12 hours. Yesterday (all day) I only had 6500 so I have already beaten that. (Though I spent 2.5 hours at the hospital so I didn't get much walking done then!) Since I spend most of my day in front of the computer I have to be conscious of getting in steps. I hope to break 10, 000 tomorrow and then just keep going from there! So far - I have walked the equivilant of 4.73 kms!!!!

Will let you know if I break the 10,000 mark!!

(it is only 7:45 so hopefully will get in lots of steps still today!)

later...

pic of the day

2006-01-17T19:34:00.000-05:00

pic of the day

2006-01-16T18:29:00.000-05:00

What an amazing sight!

pic of the day

2006-01-14T17:22:00.000-05:00

I LOVE this photo

pic of the day

2006-01-12T13:21:00.000-05:00

This photo is overlooking the Artibonite Valley (which is where we live)

The road below is what we drove along to get to this fort in TiRiviere.

pic of the day.

2006-01-11T11:43:00.000-05:00

just another day.....

2006-01-10T12:20:00.000-05:00

Another Haiti first! Today, (when I am the only one in administration left on the compound!) Cecile comes up and says that the new kerosene stove we bought them (and only gave to them like yesterday!) has flames shooting out of it and the flames are going higher than the pot and making everything black. My first logical thought was - turn it down! - well turns out they had never touched the volume to start with - so I went down (knowing NOTHING about these new stoves!) and there in the corner of the front gallery is this stove with flames coming out everywhere! and it is sitting next to the propane stove & two propane tanks! So first things first - GET THE PROPANE TANKS FAR AWAY FROM THE OPEN FLAME!!!! Then I called over our security guy and asked him to try and turn it off - No luck - flames still coming out. We (okay - so maybe it was only Odner!) took off the pot and moved it away and I called Karen! The staff were all telling me to throw water on it but not knowing anything about kerosene, other than it is a flammable gas, I wanted to wait till I asked someone who knew more about it than I did. I also knew that throwing water on it wasn't going to turn off the flow of kerosene coming from the stove! So I get ahold of Karen and she is trying to talk to me and drive in Port au Prince at the same time, while following closely behind Nicolas who was in our truck in front of her! Luckner tells her to tell me that it is okay to put a little bit of water on the flame and then try and shut off the valve to the tank. Easier said than done! First off - it was hot and flames are coming out all over so I didn't want to get too close. First dose of water did nothing - it just boiled and steamed as soon as it hit the metal! Then I threw the whole bowl of water on top and it stopped the flame but the flames coming out the bottom and side where the knob is was still going strong - so another bowl of water and finally all flames are extinguished. But (isn't there always a but!) I could still smell the gas and had to figure out how to close the valve from the tank. The knob was HOT so using a rag, I tried turning but it turns both directions so couldnt' figure out if I was opening it more or actually closing it and of course, anyone who has actually used the stove kept saying that they didn't know which way to turn it! Just turn till it feels like it won't turn anymore!! Right - best piece of advice I have ever received!

So then I asked Claudy to help me carry it over to the far side of the yard where it will sit and wait for Nicolas to return from Port. Then I got a propane tank and hooked it up to the propane stove and told the mommies to wait atleast 15 mins before lighting the stove so that all the gas in the air could evaporate.

Life in Haiti is never dull!!

pic of the day

2006-01-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

Every day I am going to try and post a photo that I like from the vast collection of "Haiti pics" that I have collected.

confession time....

2006-01-09T19:50:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I have to confess that I am addicted to Color Junction - this widget game thing that I have added to my personalized Google homepage. I am constantly playing it - thankfully it only takes like a minute to play. This is a screenshot of the game - this is the easy version, there is also a medium and hard level of play but they take more concentration and more time to play so I stick with the easy level but a larger gameboard so that I can finish quicker.

my frog friend

2006-01-09T14:44:00.000-05:00

This is my little frog friend. Two nights ago, I went up to my apartment after dark (as usual) and there was no lights on outside my apartment. I reached for the door handle and jumped back as my hand had squished something slimy instead of a doorknob! Turns out it was this little guy sitting on my doorknob - after I squished him, he jumped onto the wall next to my door and kind of watched me. He did stay nice and still, allowing me to take some photos of him. I felt bad about squishing him but tried to tell him that a doorknob, in the dark, is not the best place to just hang out!

I am a bit more cautious now, and turn on the light before going to open my door!

T

sweater wearing in Haiti!

2006-01-09T12:51:00.000-05:00

Today is an unusual day! When I awoke this morning at like 5am, I was freezing cold and I looked out onto my gallery and still being half asleep - saw my new all white curtains, and thought - what! SNOW!??. I then realized it was my curtains but I was still cold. I went to devotions this morning in a long skirt and a sweater! Now, it was only a thin sweater but it is black and still quite warm. I had it on from 7am till 11:15am (and by this time the sun was out!) It was 25C and I had a sweater on!

Not even the Haitian staff or my kids were cold this morning - but there was the blan who is usually sweating up a storm, sitting in a black sweater and still shivering! The kids thought I ws joking but I wasn't - I have been sleeping with a blanket on my bed since June! It is a thin blanket but some nights even it isn't enough - last night I thought about getting up and getting a second blanket but I didn't want to leave the nice warm cocoon I had created for myself! But I will be pulling out a second blanket tonight and keeping it on the end of my bed so that if I am cold again - it is nice and handy!

The temperature has now warmed up to 27C and the high is expected to be 30C so we will see what happens - but for now I have taken off the sweater and don't think it will be back on any time soon...

Friends

2006-01-09T12:19:00.000-05:00

I realize often that I have wonderful friends - some that I have from BC and others that I have been blessed to meet here in Haiti when they come for short term mission trips.

I can think of 4 ladies that I have met here in Haiti with whom I have a lasting friendship.
These gals can understand some aspects of what I am doing and going through better than I could ever explain, we share experiences that have to be lived through to understand, and they are friends that I wouldn't trade for the world. We have a different relationship than I have with some of my other friends, but these friendships are just as real and important to me. I value their input into my life.

My friends from back home - the ones who have seen me through so much - they are worth more than gold! They have stood by me through thick and thin - through the good times and the bad, they have comforted me, laughed with me, and cried me. These friends are women who I would travel any distance for if they needed me. (and I do have guy friends whose friendship I value greatly but nothing is the same as a great girl friend!)

Friends are such a blessing - I love the fact that they know the real me and they can usually see right through any type of mask I might try to put on. They encourage me, they listen, and when needed - they talk.

Some of these friends are older than I, some are younger - age has no hold on friendship. From those who are older - I learn wisdom and in turn, I hope that I am able to pass that wisdom on to my friends who are younger. We have all been down different paths and we are able to share and learn from each other's experiences.

I thank God, my friend, for the blessing you are... for the joy of your laughter...the comfort of your prayers...the warmth of your smile.

May you each know how extremely valued your friendship is to me, how much I love, care and respect you, and how thankful I am that God allowed me to be your friend.

I may be many miles away - but you are always close in my thoughts, my prayers and in my heart!

T

me & my hair extensions

2006-01-05T20:52:00.000-05:00

I thought that I should post some photos of the extensions I got put in before I went home to BC in Nov.

This was me burning the ends of my braids - this had two purposes, would make them less likely to come undone (as opposed to just putting elastics at the end which can easily come out especially when sleeping) and also it cleans up the straggly bits that come from split ends in the
extensions. It was quite an adventure - last time I got extensions I didn't burn the ends and so this was a new experience for me. It took some practice to figure out how close to get to the flame but by the time I was finished I had it down pat! This was the finished product!

Cecile & I with our braids

There was actually five of us on the compound with extensions at the same time - both of the mommies, Maudeline, Rose Martha (our two oldest girls) and myself.Plus we put in the left over extensions in Mirlande's hair (our youngest girl) there was only enough for about 10 braids but she was so happy and so proud of her braids! She had helped with putting in the extensions - she had held the hair for Maudeline after I prepared them to be braided into my head. She was quite the little helper and so I was glad we could make her happy by giving her some braids as well.

So, that was my latest hair experience in Haiti - and I don't think I will be getting extensions put in again any time soon! It took Maudeline & Cecile probably close to 9 hours to braid the extensions into my hair (and alot of sore spots on my head from pulling when they were trying to get the braid nice and tight!) and then Amanda (who was visiting us for a month) and I spent probably a good 3 hours if not more putting in the elastics, burning the ends and making sure that they were all close to the same length. I enjoyed having them in and it sure made getting ready in the morning so much easier - you don't really have to fuss with them much - you wrap them at night (in a bandana) and in the morning you take off the bandana, finger comb them and you are ready to go -
Taking them out also took a long time - I think I did that over the course of two days at my sister's house. You have to unbraid the entire thing (or risk ripping out my own hair!) and that can make your fingers very sore!
All in all, I enjoyed having them in and would do it again if it didn't take so long to put them in and take them out. For now I will stick with getting my own hair braided into fun Haitian styles!

my guy...

2006-01-05T09:47:00.000-05:00

my smiling man!

I love Ronel's smile - after the wedding on Saturday we were hanging out at his house and he took a photo of me in my wedding "finery" so that I could show my sister the skirt I had bought here for the wedding. As I was looking at the photo, I decided to snap a casual photo of Ronel. He had been standing next to the column that holds up the overhang outside the house and as I turned the camera on him, he gave me this lovely smile. I really like how the photo turned out! Even better is the fact that his eyes are open - so many of the photos we have of the two of us or even just him - his eyes are closed!

This photo is a keeper for sure!

family photos...

2006-01-04T11:08:00.000-05:00

So here are the photos we had taken on Saturday of Ronel's dad's side of the family.

This is Dieumaine (Madame Frankel - stepmom), Frankel (dad),
myself, Fanny, Dieuverti, Abdias & Nukel

This one has Ronel as well. (as well as some cute little guy that walked into the photo while we were taking it!)

There are some missing siblings in the photo - a sister & brother weren't at the wedding
and one of his brothers (Verna) had left before this photo was taken.
(and that is just the siblings on his dad's side)
I will write more about his family and how many siblings once I know the spelling of all the names and also ages!

wow can they sing!

2006-01-04T08:38:00.000-05:00

Ronel & I went to a concert Monday evening. It was put on by a choir that is made up of young people from this area (Deschapelles) who are all in Port au Prince, either going to school or working.

There was probably 25-30 members of the choir and it was quite the production. They sang beautifully and it was very well done. The church was packed and everyone was having a good time. After the choir sang 4 songs, they sat down and then a young boy came up (he was maybe 9-10 years old) The MC told us he was going to sing and boy, could he sing. He was fantastic! I was so amazed at the talent of this young boy! The whole place was on their feet applauding when he was done! At the end of the night, he came back up with a friend (another boy about the same age) and they sang a duo - again it was wonderful and they sang the song in Creole, English & Spanish - I was so amazed!

There was another young man (probably in his early 20's) who also got up during one of the breaks for the choir and sang. He first told us how he used to sing for Satan but now he sings for his Lord. He also sang wonderfully. Then a young man from Port au Prince who was here singing with the choir as a special guest got up and sang a solo and by the end he had all of us singing along with him.

It was an amazing night and I enjoyed it totally! I have not had that much fun in a long time and to hear these wonderful voices praising God together was so great! You knew that God was with us there and He was also enjoying hearing His children lift their voices in praise to Him.

first "family" wedding in Haiti

2005-12-31T19:00:00.000-05:00

Well, it is over and done and I survived!
Today was Frantz & Badeline's wedding.
Frantz is Ronel's cousin on his dad's side (the son of his dad's sister - I know, but I am just clarifying so you'll all understand)
Badeline is Ronel's cousin on his mom's side (I don't think that she is Ronel's first cousin but somewhere in there - she is related to him!)

So - there was ALOT of Ronel's family at this wedding and that meant ALOT of family that I had yet to meet! (some of them travelled a long way for this wedding)

So the wedding was supposed to start at 8am this morning (Dec 31st) Ronel was coming to pick me up and he had said he would be here like 7:30-7:45am depending on how many people were at the church and if the wedding party was there or not. I told him that I would be ready at 7:30am. So this morning I got up at 6am, showered, blowdried my hair, put on my makeup, etc. etc... and then got dressed - it was 7:35am. I then had to find my camera, make sure I had everything necessary to be gone all morning and then I started searching for my keys (not a huge deal but still wanted them just in case I came home and Karen had gone out) It was now 7:55am and still no Ronel. At 8am, devotions were finished and so I decided to walk down to the kids home with them and wait there. (with no keys - couldn't find them) As I was walking down - trying to avoid Pal (our German Shepherd who loves to jump on you when you are in nice clothes!) there was a knock on the gate and it was Ronel. It was just after 8am and he was in his dress pants but a casual shirt. So we went down to his house and NO ONE was at the church yet! So, we got to Ronel's, wrote the card for our gift (I hadn't been able to remember how to spell the bride's name so had waited for Ronel!) and as we were talking, the bell at the church rang, so Ronel changed his shirt into his dress shirt, tie and jacket and we went off to the church. When we got there it was about 8:25am and there was a handful of people outside the church gate, maybe about 15. There was the groom's mom & dad (Ronel's aunt & uncle who I know so was very happy to see them!), an uncle of the groom & Ronel along with his wife & a couple of kids, and a bunch of other people that I didn't know! Ronel & I went into the church, and cleaned up a couple of things that had been left out and then we waited.
We waited for about 15 mins before anyone else started entering the church and then people started slowly coming in. At the same time, the music guys, photographer and videographer showed up and started setting up (45mins after the wedding should have already started!!)

Then, at like 9:25am, most everyone was in the church and they started.

First off there was the "announcer" - a young lady dressed like a bride who danced (oh, yes - danced - it was quite hilarious to watch!) then - she got to the front and a young man came out from the side door dressed like a groom and another young lady again dressed like a bride did their own dance down the aisle. Apparently these were the king & queen. She danced down the aisle while he danced up and then they passed each other and then they finally turned around and found each other and danced down the aisle together to the front.
Then came the men & ladies of honor (that is how it translates) There were 7 of them and as couples they did a choreographed dance down the aisle all together - each couple doing the same thing. It was like sychronized dancing! Then when they got down to the end of the aisle - the flower girl (she was a teen and also dressed in white, with a veil) started down the aisle. At this point in time, the groom and his paren (best man) came into the church from the side door and started up the aisle, while the bride and her maren (maid of honor) started down with two children in front of her (dressed like a little bride & groom) The men & ladies of honor had all stood in line men on one side and ladies on the other down the aisle and held flowers up in their hands making an archway for the bride & groom to walk under. The groom went halfway up the aisle and the bride came down to meet him. They then walked down to the front of the church together. At the front of the church was 4 chairs set up - 2 on one side facing 2 on the other. On one side, the bride & maren sat and the other side sat the groom & his paren.

They sat for the entire ceremony other than standing to say their vows and kneeling down for the consecration prayer. After they had said their vows, they changed seats and sat with the bride & groom beside each other.
There were 3 groups that sang, a choir from their church, a trio (the bride's sister and friends) and another smaller choral group. The groups were actually quite good.

When they signed their marriage papers, they then have any number of people from the wedding come up and sign as well (not on the actually marriage certificate but some other legal paper) giving testimony that they witnessed the wedding as well.

There was a TON of people taking photos and video and for the vows and presentation of the couple they were all standing right in front and no one could see (people behind us started telling them that they weren't standing in a bad spot - we were in the front row and we couldn't see anything either!)

Then there was the reception - we got down to the house where the reception was (at the sister of the bride) There was a bunch of chairs set up outside of the house under a tarp but not enough for everyone that was there - Ronel found one for me and he sat beside me on his moto.
The wedding party entered the house where there were photos taken with the food (a big thing in Haiti)
After a little while some people came around with drinks and some food - but they didn't get to everyone. Some people went in, got food in take-out containers and left.
For the entire reception, we never saw the bride & groom again, there was no program or anything - just handing out of drinks & food and mingling in and amongst ourselves.

Ronel took my camera and went in and got some photos of the couple with the cake

This is Frantz & Badeline cutting their wedding cake.
I think that this is more elaborate than any wedding cake I have ever seen in Canada!

I also love how Badeline isn't smiling - it looks like she is at a funeral, not her own wedding but most Haitians don't smile when they get photos taken.

So, that was my morning & afternoon and tonight I am going down to Ronel's church in Borel for a New Year's Eve service which will be from 8pm till midnight. Apparently it is a huge celebration - so I will see what happens tonight and I will write about that tomorrow!

Happy New Year's to you all!!

only in Haiti..... the undie story

2005-12-29T12:26:00.000-05:00

Okay,
So I just have to write about this because I was laughing so hard and trying not to pee my pants!

So today I have been doing a TON of laundry and Germaine has been hanging it on the line for me

About my second or third load, I did a load that was mainly undergarmets and whites. I had told Germaine that she could put most of my clothes on the clotheslines on the second floor (which is right outside my apartment) as there aren't that many lines down below and the kids clothes is getting washed today too. (plus I don't really need for my undies, bras and other such items to be on display for all the male workers!)
So Germaine comes into my office and comes over to my desk and asks me if I "soaped" my underwear before putting them into the machine. In Haiti, they have this soap that apparently is a good stain remover and they use it on all their clothes before they wash them with detergent.
I tried to explain to Germaine that not all my underwear were new and some of the "stains" were there from a long time ago and those were not everyday undies (come on ladies - you know what I mean!)

Germaine was clearly a bit upset and said that all my undies need to be beautiful. This was where I started laughing. I told her that no one sees them but me and I don't really care how beautiful they are as long as they are clean. Poor Germaine - she was horrified! She said that Ronel (my fiance) would be horrified and if he saw my undies he would tell me that I needed to throw them out! So, in an attempt to make her feel better, I told her that maybe I would need to just throw all my underwear away before the wedding and start fresh! She seemed to think that this was a great idea but said that I still need to learn how to soap my undies before washing so that I didn't need to keep buying new underwear!

I just had to share this because it made my day! I laughed so hard and thought it so cute how Germaine felt the need to let me know that my undies would not be acceptable should my future husband see them (which he shouldn't be doing until after he is my husband! - just thought I would make that clear!)

So, that is my day so far!

my 2 boys & my adventure home to Haiti!

2005-12-28T21:03:00.000-05:00

My gorgeous nephews!

This photo was taken back in October just after Tristan's first birthday. I love that there is a Christmas tree in the background and Calvin is wearing shorts & a short sleeve t-shirt!

I couldn't believe how much Tristan had grown since I was home in May. He was not too sure of me when I got home in November with my extensions in my hair and tons of braids but he did start to warm up to me by the time I left 3 weeks later! I spent lots of time with Rhonda, Calvin & Tristan this time. I also got to spend time with friends, some of whom I didn't get to see much of when I was home in May. Janine came down again to visit for 3 days and we had fun catching up and we went shopping for some gifts for me to bring back to the kids here.

My first Sunday home I had an invitation to come speak at Vic & Dorothy's minichurch (bible study) This group is made up of mostly seniors' and I was glad to go and spend time with them. They all told me that they were looking forward to hearing about life in Haiti. So I went, unsure of what to expect, but took my photos as well as my mom's scrapbook from her trip to Haiti in June. (She did an AWESOME job on her scrapbook! It is really neat and shows so much of what she did here!)
There were lots of questions which I was more than happy to answer, especially since I find it easier to answer questions about Haiti than just have to talk - I never know what people want to know about!
After talking for quite a bit, Vic starts to tell me that each minichurch chose someone who has gone out from our church into ministry to bless this Christmas season and that their minichurch has chosen me. I was quite blown away! It wasn't anything I had expected! So, they presented me with a cash gift that they told me was to be used on me personally and that they were very proud of me and what I was doing. Also, that they kept me covered in prayer (and that group is filled with prayer warriors and I am very thankful for their prayers!) I was speechless (not an easy task!!) and so touched by their thoughtfullness and generosity!

I truly enjoyed my time in BC, though it flew by WAY too fast. Then I spent a fun filled day with my mom and Jacques in Seattle, visiting Pike's Place Market before they dropped me off at the airport for my 11:30pm flight to Miami. There were a few tears at the airport and I found it hard to say goodbye to my mom. I had a really good time with her here in Haiti and I think I feel closer to her after having her see what I do and where I live. I then flew to Miami where I spent three days with Eileen and Pia. Eileen was my roommate in Haiti my first year and I enjoy hanging out with her and her roommate Pia in Florida. This time, Pia's sister and neice from Austria were also in town so it was a lot of fun, and a bit of an adventure as her sister speaks very little English, her niece speaks a fair bit of English and I speak NO german!! But we still had fun, and Tuesday afternoon, while Eileen & Pia were both at work, the three of us went shopping together and had fun and even found ways to communicate!

My trip from Seattle to Miami had turned into a bit more of an adventure than I had wanted! When I got to Miami, The only suitcase of mine that showed up was my carry on which I had checked in at the gate (the flight was full so they were asking people to check some bags at the gate and I was only more than happy to not have to drag my suitcase around) So after waiting till ALL the bags had showed up (there was another family who was missing one suitcase - out of like 6) I went over to baggage services and filed a claim - the lady said I needed the local address where I was staying so they could deliver my bags so I went and found Eileen and came back to the baggage services and the lady told me that they had found one of my bags somewhere in the airport (Somewhere??? Why wasn't it on the carousel with the rest of the luggage from my flight!!) So, then only one bag was missing - and man, they ask a lot of questions. They wanted to know what the bag looked like, a list of 5 items that were in the bag, and a bunch of others that I can't remember right now! Well, maybe for most people, remember what was in your luggage is easy but when you have 2 suitcases that are fully packed with stuff for an orphanage - Christmas gifts for the children and other needed supplies - it is hard to remember what was in each bag and even what I packed. They said my bag was still in Dallas and should be delivered before 2pm. So off we went to Eileen's house. We went to a birthday party for the son of one of Eileen's friends that I had met when I was there in May of 2004 for Eileen's graduation. Then when we got home, we called to check on my luggage and they told me it was on route and should be there before 8pm. Well, the bag finally arrived at Eileen's at 4am!! (Bless Eileen, she let me go to sleep at 1am and she stayed up to wait for the delivery guy! - I was exhausted after sleeping on the plane, and even then it was only 2 hours here and 2 hours there!) Well, my bag arrived, but not in the same state that I had dropped it off in! It was the large duffel bag that Rhonda gave me (which has been so useful!) But when I saw it, it had a huge rip in one end, and one of the end pockets was almost completely ripped off! I don't know what they did to it to make it fall apart like that but thankfully everything was still inside and still intact! I got some thread and a needle and sewed the bag back together as good as I could and then used like 6 luggage straps to tightly secure the bag and lessen the chances fo anything happening to it before it got to Haiti!

Leaving Florida for Haiti turned into an adventure too!
I missed my flight from Ft Lauderdale. I was the next in line to check in when the lady said that no one else would be making the flight - there was probably atleast a minimum 25 more people behind me that also missed the plane.Jay (the American who was in line behind me and who I had started talking to and works at the US embassy here in Haiti) and I were put on the standby list for the next flight out of Miami (leaving at 9:45am - 10 mins after my original flight would have landed in Port au Prince!) and we hoped we would get there in time to check in for that flight. We found out that we had to find our own way to Miami, Eileen was the only one I knew in Ft. Lauderdale and she was due in court that morning (for her job!)so Jay & I decided that we would split a taxi to Miami, (cause we wanted to make any effort possible to get to Haiti that day!) the lady at the desk said that a taxi was probably like $50 (US) to get to Miami, well turned out it would have been more like $75 minimum and we could get a whole van (to ourselves) for only $65 flat rate. So we took a taxi van from Ft Lauderdale to Miami, traffic was brutal and I got a little nervous about whether we would even make this flight out of Miami, especially since we would be on a standby list. - When we arrived, the desk attendant gave me problems with my suitcases and then when I got to security I had been tagged for extra security checks! I was so frustrated and kept having to ask God to give me peace and patience that I would get a plane to Haiti! I then got to the gate and tried to call into Haiti to anyone to tell them that I wasn't on the original flight. I finally got through to Val (a friend who work with Clean Water for Haiti) who called Karen and then Chris (who also works with Clean Water and was supposed to be picking me up at the airport since he was flying out that same day so his driver had to be there anyway) to tell them that I would be on the later flight from Miami. When I saw Jay in the waiting area I found out that they had given him a seat at the check in desk and he joked that I was not having a good day! Man, was that so true or what! So when they called my name to come up to the desk for a seat assignment I was so glad and even happier when I saw that I had a window seat - I thought for sure I would end up with a middle seat! When I finally arrived on Haitian soil, I was SO happy and when I saw my suitcases arrive I was even happier. I was picked up by Jean Renaud, Clean Water's driver and driven out to Clean Water for Haiti which is about half way to our compound. I spent the night there with Val and Barb (another Canadian missionary) and Nicolas came to pick me up the next morning. It turned out that Karen had come in to pick me up with Nicolas and a police inspector friend of ours. He came in UNIFORM in hopes that he would be a deterrent to anyone wanting to harm our vehicle or anyone in it! He had to get back to work in St. Marc by noon so they weren't able to wait for me and so Karen had asked Chris if Jean Renaud could pick me up after all! Chris had found Karen at the airport to tell her the news from Val that I wasn't on the original flight. I guess Karen had gotten quite nervous when I didn't come out of the airport and actually managed to get inside the arrivals terminal to look for me! When she didn't find me, she got even more nervous and so was happy when she found out from Chris that I wasn't on that plane but she couldn't wait for my plane to land because of the police inspector having to get back to St. Marc.

Well, that is enough for now. I will try and be much better and writing in my blog in 2006!

Good night!

what an adventurous trip to Port au Prince!

2005-11-14T16:20:00.000-05:00

Well, I had the funnest trip to Port au Prince ever! Saturday the 5th of November my cousin Lynn was heading back to Fraser Lake, BC after being here for 3 weeks and I went in with her to drop her off at the airport, get some shopping done and also do the first of my 4 yearly shifts at the "post office" where the missionaries pick up their mail from Agape Flights. Amanda (who is visiting us from Calgary for a month) decided to come along for the ride and get to see some of Port au Prince.
First off - we left the house at 4:15am! and picked up Nicolas (our driver) from his house and then hit the road. I drove as far as the outskirts of St. Marc so Nicolas could wake up a bit more. Then at about 6am Amanda & Lynn got a glimpse of the ocean and asked if we could stop so we stopped and jumped down to step into the Altantic ocean - boy was it nice and warm. And the view was gorgeous, the sun was just rising

Sunrise over the ocean

Amanda's feet in the Atlantic Ocean!

The gorgeous view

Lynn & Theresa in Haiti together!

Amanda & Lynn - actually in the warm Atlantic Ocean in Haiti!

and then Lynn & Amanda collected some shells before we had to hit the road again. I am sure that Nicolas thought we were three crazy white women!
Then we had to keep stopping to take photos of the UN tanks - especially for Lynn's son Shaun. We had one tank that was in front of our truck but there was a taptap in the way so I jokinly told Nicolas to get in front of him, so sure enough he did! He cut right in between this truck and a tank full of Brazillian UN soldiers.

The UN guys were quite friendly and waved at us while we are in the truck taking a ton of photos and then one of them pointed to his Brazil patch and we thought he was showing us where he was from, so Lynn showed them the Canadian flag on my bag and he shook his head and with actions, asked us if we wanted the patch, so Lynn said YES! and he threw it off to the side of the road and we stopped and ran out and got it!

We were all so excited and then when we stopped for a bathroom & water break at a gas station just before the airport there was an UN Police tank and we went over and asked if we could get out photo taken with them!

Theresa & the UN soldiers from Jordan Amanda & the UN soldiers

The Jordanian soldiers were more than happy to oblige us!

We then dropped Lynn off at the airport, - Amanda & I went inside with her and made sure that she got all the way through to the customs area (where we couldn't go any farther). We then went back out to Nicolas and the truck and started our day of errands. First off was going to find wire for the clothesline and doors. So off to Batimat where we found 2 doors and were stopped by more UN who were checking for hidden weapons in the vehicles - the UN soldier just stuck his hand in my window and opened up the glovebox and moved things around and then looked in the back where Amanda was. I had no idea what he was doing and when we left, Nicolas told us he had been looking to see if we had any guns in the truck! Such is life in Haiti!

We then had to run off to drop me at the Agape office so I could work for an hour and a half and Amanda went with Nicolas to pick up a part for the Montero that we needed and then checked for some other stuff we needed for the two vehicles and then back up to pick me up. Then it was time for lunch - off to La Pause for a big meal of rice & beans and chicken.

Yes - those are bottles of Pepsi - they were out of Cokes and only other thing they had was Limonade - so we went with the Pespi - Amanda chose the Limonade! Then off to Delimart - our first of 3 grocery store stops to stock up on a variety of needed supplies. The store was packed and so Nicolas said to stand in one line while he stood in another and see who moved quicker - well that caused a small riot as we had a HUGE buggy FULL of stuff and the people behind Nicolas weren't happy when I came over with the buggy! But that problem was solved cause the owner knew that Nicolas & us had been there for a long time waiting. Then off to One Stop which is also where we cash money so first stop was the office to cash two checks and then pick up a few items (mainly to make it look like we went in to grocery shop and not just get money!) then off to the Caribbean supermarket and finish off our shopping list. Amanda and I went in while Nicolas stayed with the truck and got stuff moved around so we could fit everything in. I was impressed - we were in and out of the store in 35 minutes with almost everything on the list! Then the fun part of packing the truck! With 3 doors also loaded in the pan of the truck we had some manouvering to do! We had 2 rubbermaid containers filled with stuff, 2 coolers full of stuff needing to be on ice, a case of toilet paper, a 20 lb coil of wire, plus a number of other boxes full of stuff. So - Nicolas climbed up to hold up the doors while I tried to rearrange stuff with Amanda helping. Then this truck full of UN guys pull up beside up and some of them went into the store and 2 of them stayed with the truck (open jeep with guns still in it!) They were watching Amanda & I trying to get stuff into the different parts of the truck and climbing up into the back of the truck (in skirts!) and they started laughing and one of them pulled out his camera and started taking photos and I am pretty sure that he even took a little video of us!

Amanda went and took a photo of Nicolas and I so we could remember the fun we had loading up the truck!
After we loaded everything into the truck we headed off for home - we took some back roads out of Port so we wouldn't get stuck in as many road blocks or traffic jams and we saw the sun setting on our way home

- we dropped Nicolas off at his house and I drove up to our house and then Amanda & I unloaded everything out of the truck (including the 3 doors!) and put it into the gallery - we were exhausted!

All in all though - it was one of the most memorable trips into Port au Prince!

I am looking forward to going into Port again on Thursday with Amanda - should be fun again!

creatures!

2005-11-10T16:42:00.000-05:00

Well, as you can see - this was a gorgeous tarantula (or so I was told!) - The shadow you see if of Lynn getting up really close for a photo while I stood in the gallery shining our big flashlight! She even tried to touch it! There were a couple things Lynn wanted to see while she was here - A tarantula (and if it happened to make it into her luggage on her way home - well all the better!)

an up close look..

The other thing she wanted to see was a cockroach and so when I went down into the storage room the night before she was leaving and a cockroach came running out at me - I told the kids to run and get Lynn - so she came down and saw the cockroach and then we killed it and took a photo ~This is what a dead cockroach looks like in Haiti~

So - enjoy this little glimpse of the creatures of Haiti

getting into your work...

2005-10-12T22:43:00.000-04:00

Now this is what I call "getting into your work!" Jacques, our hard working gardner, got down on his hands and knees and crawled under the bridge that comes up to our gate over the small canal/ditch outside our property. We have had 6 guys cleaning out the canal for three days and they took out all the weeds, cleaned out the mud that has collected and made it so that the water will actually flow through it and not just sit stagnant. But the water is not what you would want to crawl in - but yet here's Jacques, doing his best to make sure that the job is done well - cleaning out the mud with his bare hands, down on his knees in the muck. Some of the guys you could tell were not happy with the muddy work but wanted the money, others -like Jacques and a couple guys who often do day labour for us - they were right in there .

Check it out!

2005-10-12T20:27:00.000-04:00

Well, after a lot of hard work and combined efforts by Brian, Stacey (contagious design.net) & I. HATS-Haiti now has their own website up and running. You can find us online at www.hats-haiti.com. There are still some items I need to put up but for the most part everything is there. There is a online photo gallery that I will keep updated and all the HATS updates are on there as well!

For those of you who wanted to know more about what I do here in Haiti - this is a good place to look and find out more info!

exciting and wonderful news...

2005-07-22T23:27:00.000-04:00

So, I have some news to share with you all.

I have been dating a wonderful young Haitian man for the past year and we got engaged on the 3rd of June. We have not yet set a definite date for the wedding but it will not be before late fall 2006.
I met him when I first came to Haiti in 2002 and we became good friends. We spent alot of time together because we had many mutual friends and he helped me alot with my Creole. His name is Ronel, he is a teacher and is actually this year teaching our children here in our compound school. He is a great guy, loves kids and is a strong Christian. I love to hear people tell me what a great guy I have chosen when we would tell them we're dating or now tell them that we are engaged! I find it funny cause if I didn't know he was a great guy already then I wouldn't have started dating him.

I know that to some of you this may come as a shock or surprise. I hadn't wanted to tell people we were dating via email or my blog but I don't know when I will get the chance to see many of you and the longer it goes without me telling people, the harder it is for me to remember who knows and who doesn't. Life has gotten so busy that I knew if I didn't tell people this way - some of you may not find out till after we are already married!

We started dating last July after many, many hours of praying and talking. Ronel came to me in May after I got back and said that while I had been in BC for 10 months, he had realized that he cared more for me than just friendship and wanted to know how I felt about that. I was a bit surprised, more because I hadn't allowed myself to even consider that! I had come to Haiti as a missionary and that was what I was going to do! I wasn't here to meet guys and especially not date them! I had friends tell me when I left that I was going to find a husband here in Haiti and I said "No way! That is not why I am going" Well, apparently my initial plan was not totally in line with what God had planned. I knew while I was in BC that I cared alot about Ronel but I had kept telling myself that it was only as a friend - nothing more! After allowing myself to really look at the feelings I had for Ronel, I came to the quick realization that I didn't feel the same way about him as I did with all my other male friends! I had just not admitted it to myself. I had many long conversations with Karen and many emails sent back and forth to friends that I trust and respect back home. Because dating is not looked at the same here as in Canada or the US, I was (and still am!) careful to go very slowly and Ronel and I spent many, many hours sitting on the front porch talking and getting to know alot about each other. Questions that may not get asked early on back home, I asked and we discussed many things that I would have waited till after dating awhile back but here, I wanted to know beforehand. If I had to describe "dating" in Haiti - I would say it is more like courtship than what we see as dating now. Dating here is not the time to find out how you feel (oh, I think I might like him/her), it is more the time to grow and develop the feelings you already know you have. Before you officially become a "dating" couple, both people already have come to the decision that they have strong feelings for the other person. This was something new for me but then so is alot of things I encounter in Haiti!
It seems so funny to me that even with the strong call I know God has given me for missions and for Haiti and yet I was so adamantly against it.

June 3rd we had a party for Karen (my Haitian mom!) and after the party I was talking with Ronel and he asked me to call in Karen and my mom (who came back down with me on June 1st for 3 weeks) . So I did and he started talking, with me translating for my mom, and very quickly I realized what he was doing and Karen had to take over translating as I was speechless (quite the feat!)
Ronel asked me to marry him and I said "YES!"
(this is a photo taken of the two of us in February)

We then took a couple of photos of the two of us and then went to tell my kids and the mommies. We then went and spoke to Ronel's parents and told them. They were all thrilled and very happy for us. We have not yet set a date but it will not be before late 2006 (for those of you who said you needed lots of advance notice - that should be enough!)
I am very happy and Mom tells me I haven't stopped glowing yet!

I want everyone to know about this special young man in my life and be able to pray for us and pray that God would show us what He has planned for us.

2005-04-25T20:59:00.001-04:00

Me and my cutie-patootie nephews! This is a photo taken in November the week I was leaving for Haiti so Tristan is only 6 weeks old.

2005-04-25T20:59:00.000-04:00

My sister, Rhonda and her youngest son,Tristan at my grampa's 80th birthday party the end of March. It is a very nice photo of the two of them. Rhonda will be getting married on the 14th of May and so I am going back to BC the 2nd of May and returning to Haiti on the 31st of May.

2005-04-25T20:52:00.000-04:00

Well, I figure that it is time I posted a photo of Tristan. He is now 6 1/2 months old and this will be the first photo I have put on my blog! As a totally unbiased auntie - I have to say that I have some cute nephews!