I wanna move to Haiti!

      I want to move to Haiti--but not for the reason that first pops into your mind...I know, you think I've completely fallen in love with the kids and want to move here to see them grow and help them learn, love, and live, right?  Nope.  Well, kind of.  But that's not what the title of the blog initially implies.  Let me give you background for a sec--I've been here for 10 days and have consumed a heart attack amount of salt due to the salinity of the food from the BLB kitchen.  I swear they put chicken bouillon in the peanut butter or something--but really, they do put it in each lunch and dinner meal from rice and beans to any soup made.  Due to this creation of my new salt-water body, I've been able to gain crazy weight from holding lots of water in.  I shoulda brought those damn water pills that I'd planned to bring.  Can't just run to a Rite Aid or Kinney's cuz those don't exist.  Ignorant American girl that I am--I asked if I could go get some of those on our way into town one day.  Jonathan laughed at me and said, "Yeah--right."  He went on to explain that the "pharmacy" was a guy's house close to the hospital that has medicine that he sells.  He must purchase it in Port Au Prince and come back to Grand Goave and sell it to people.  Needless to say, I haven't purchased any water pills.  Therefore I have no ankle anymore, I'm extremely bloated, and my clothes are all snug.  You can tell in pictures that it's not the camera adding 10 pounds--it's Haiti.  Back to wanting to move here--cuz I'm sure by that background info that you're a bit confused as to how the weight gain and absence of ankles could possibly be a positive thing.  The thing that keeps me fat and smiling is that ALL of the Haitians are calling me "belle" which means beautiful!  They love my fat a@#, hips, legs, shape, etc.  I was told in Creole on the 1st day I came that I was pretty by some of the men here.  They like their women thick and with a large derriere.  I wasn't too surprised by this because it often happens to me with certain populations; however what was quite surprising is that the women are telling me that my shape is belle and my butt is belle.  One of the caregivers told me that I "work like a Haitian" and " have a body like a Haitian woman".  Straight faced.  Honest as all get out.  So, while I'm complaining and secretly getting angry that I've gained back 6-8 of the pounds I had lost in the 3 months before I came to Haiti, the Haitians are complimenting me almost hourly.  I guess I should be proud that I'm quite the beauty in Haiti...haha! Now you see why the title of this blog is correctly named.
       My accommodations are great: enough food, plenty of water and drink, comfy bunk beds (bottom for me!), A/C in my private room when it's sweltering (read: 24/7!) (but I only use the A/C when I'm physically  in the room to conserve on energy), and most importantly, (for those who know me well), the coffee is brewing at 5:30am :).  The bright sun wakes me each day because my bed faces a large window.  I can almost always see the ocean from the 2nd floor balcony while I'm working.  therefore, being on the computer, writing, etc. is not too torturous due to the breathtaking view.  I brought tons of chocolate down with me for the other 3 long-term Britsionarys and Jonathan as well as myself.  It disappeared within a week, and now we're without!  That will prove difficult, but I shouldn't be trying to put more sugar in my mouth at this point.

Alexander and I relaxing after a yoga pose!

     Of course I'm getting to the best part of BLB...the munchkins!  There are 33 of them and they are beautifully wonderfully amazing.  There are the definitely monster children and ones who test the adults on a regular basis.  But there are also angels who listen and follow directions and treat their "brothers & sisters" and caregivers with love and respect.  I was having a hard time getting to know the kids' names and therefore asked to be able to see their names with a picture so I could get to know them better.  At home, I know all 20 of my students' names by the 2nd morning of school.  Therefore I frustrated myself at my lack of memorizing these BLB kids and their names.  I was getting sick of asking, "Como rele ou?" (What is your name?) as much as I'm sure they were like, "Why's this woman keep asking me my name?  I just told her!  We created a binder with each child's picture, full name, and an excerpt of their background info for current and future Britsionarys to peruse through.  It has helped tremendously.

 
  Although I haven't chosen a favorite child, there are a few who test my patience and a few whom I gravitate to frequently.  They all have strengths and qualities that make them unique.  It's great to live with 33 kids and about 20 staff day in and day out.  We've gone out on a few excursions with and without the kids.  We've been to the beach twice and out to eat one of those times with just the 4 Britsionarys and Jonathan.  We've taken all of the kids to a community soccer field to do physical activities.  And the most heartbreaking excursion was a visit to a local family of 3 of the kids who live at BLB.  Anji, Davidson, and Kerby are all brothers whose family live quite close to BLB--only about 10 minutes by car.  In Haiti, it's only a distance of about 1 1/2 miles; however the roads being unpaved, walkers, motorcyclists, other drivers, etc. make for dangerous and slower driving!  The visit was great and sad in the same instant.
    Until next time!  I'm just getting the hang of this blogging with inserting pictures, so I'll write more  later and you all can read!!

Arrived in Haiti!!

So the flights to Haiti were uneventful...except that I couldn't sleep due to restless legs and just read a new Nicholas Sparks book to pass the time. I landed in Port au Prince, Haiti and had to go through 45 minutes of a line for customs to get a quick second stamp in my passport and be on my way to the scavenger hunt for my two over-sized crazy heavy hockey bags! 65 pound hockey bags should be easy to spot; however they were nowhere to be found. I was told not to let anyone help me in the airport cuz I'd have to pay them big bucks...in the end, some security guy--not a "red polo man"--read my baggage claim tickets and disappeared into the baggage carousel behind-the-scenes area. He reappeared with one, then the second bag and loaded my cart with them. I paid him and was on my way! I wouldn't have found my luggage and would've been lost without this guy. I was on my merry way ( through another customs counter) to find Jonathan. I was conronted by a man whom I knew had to be "Big" cuz he fit the description of a "big, short guy". I shook his hand, and he lead me out of the airport. Jonathan awaited my arrival outside of the airport and I was super glad to see him and his driver, Francky. The drive from PAP airport to BLB orphanage (from hereonout named BLB for ease of typing) could've been from 2 1/2-4 hours. Francky hasn't had his driver's license for too long; however he worked his magic. We weaved in and out of traffice like I'd imagine those NASCAR buddies do. I was definitely snapping pictures like any silly American tourist. I saw the effects of the earthquake, poverty, whathaveyou...it's quite devastating to say the least. We stopped at a place halfway between PAP and Grand Goave called, Respire. It's a cafe to benefit a missionary school and we were greeted by an American named Stephanie who said that God told her to quit her job and move down to Haiti to do life work. She made a killer iced coffee which hit the spot in 100 degree weather...should I mention I was running on 1 1/2 hrs of sleep? It was decadent. Jonathan and Francky were my tour guides pointing out the places and sights along the way while Bijou stayed silent riding both in the cab and the truck bed guarding the bags. Once at the orphanage, I met the workers as well as the kids having their academic lessons. They greeted me with, "bonswa Amanda" meaning good afternoon/evening. I had a tour, settled myself into where I'll sleep tonite, and began to gather with the kids to join in their programming. I observed and help with crowd control during Melissa's memory book activity and watched the kids play their hearts out in "futbol" outside in the unbearable heat. They did't seem to notice it was hot, sticky, and icky. Perhaps, just this American girl with extra pounds noticed hypervigilantly! I met the other 3 long-term britsionary girls and worked a bit with them today. Ashley does the soccer program, Keely the theater and pragmatics, and Melissa the memory books as mentioned before. Lunch and dinner happened...chicken soup with dumplings and bread, then dinner was fried chicken with a sauced beans and rice. Yummy:) Tonite was a movie nite for BLB kids as well as 6 other orphans from Project Hero who were visiting from a PAP facility. The children and staff watched Shrek and snuggled up on blankets in front of the projected image on the BLB wall. I was climbed upon, snuggled with, and called "mama" by a few of the munchkins tonite. They're incredibly loving, and I soaked up every moment of it. After children time, we were able to relax with a wine sipping while posing pictures and writing blogs. I already can communicate several words with the kids and felt like I will be able to communicate much more with them and staff as the days progress. I know much more French than I've every given myself credit for. That creates a perfect scenario for learning Creole as it's parallel to French. My mind is filled with translating, 1st day memories, and munchkin experiences already. I had a beautiful day spent with Jonathan and getting a teen glimpse into his life for the past 7 months. Today was fabulous and can only get better from here!