I saw what I saw

One of the volunteers I met put together this video of some of the kids around GLA and posted it a few days before I got there. She did a great job, and I thought I'd share it. The song is a great description of how life changing the experience was for me, and for her. Enjoy.

A few more pictures

My 8 Angels

Home sweet home.

I am home safe!! I have mixed reactions about being harshly thrown back into real world America. First of all… apparently there was a daylight savings time?? I was completely exhausted arriving home and then thoroughly confusing comparing clocks; When I left, Haiti was the same time, but, I returned and there’s an hour difference? Haiti is too cool to honor daylight savings, so the mystery was solved. I also was all caught up on the news, I was correct, the economy is still struggling.

I took about a 2 hour shower and slept sooo good in my what seemed to be extra large comfy bed. It was eerily quiet and I felt so alone … where were the neighborhood animals and 5 amazing people in the surrounding bunkbeds? I woke up this morning, put on a suit, got on metro and got my coffee as if nothing had changed. I felt out of place on the metro escalator, thinking that just hours ago I had such a different life, and how different my life from now on will be because of it.

For breakfast I had my bagel (extra cream cheese) but I missed my Marshmellow Dreams...even if I killed the occasional roach while eating them. My office was sooo great and supportive of my trip that they threw me a welcome back party! I am so fortunate! Co-workers have asked about the trip, and I thought I’d be speechless, at a loss for words how to explain what I saw, heard, smelled and felt; turns out, I’m full of stories and can’t get my Haitian experience out of my head. I want to tell everyone to go and volunteer, to send money for the new orphanage, to pray for the safety of everyone there (especially this Saturday when they take a trip to Bai D’Orange)…I want to tell CNN to stop airing the bad stuff and show what a beautiful country Haiti is and how amazing the people/culture are.

As far as my health…so far so good! I am going to consult with a doctor in the morning just to be safe, especially after it was recommended I take anti-parasite/worm medicine as a precaution. I will take anything as a precaution, but as of now, no scabies, bug bites/malaria, chicken pox, or infections to report.

It was an amazing trip and life changing experience. Thanks again to everyone who made it possible. Below is a video I took of what it was like walking into the big nursery ... 1/2 this kids were outside so it was actually pretty quiet :-) Its where I left pieces of my heart...

Saying Goodbye

Today is my final day with my kids! It is so hard saying goodbye. All of the other volunteers went to Fort Jacques this morning to paint, while I stayed behind to spend my last day with the most fabulous 8 babies that stole my heart. It has been great to spend a quiet one on one day with each of them. When I get back...I'll post all 8 and some more pictures.

This will be my last post in Haiti. My driver comes early tomorrow, we pick up security and head into Port Au Prince. Apparently the airport leaving is better then what you see of the airport arriving. While is good because, well...it was intense. I should be in late Wednesday night then back to work Thursday morning.

I am going to miss everything about this place. Watching the progress of the kids...seeing them smile, being attacked by toddlers after a long day at work.. all the people who work here and their amazingly large hearts...the scenery... the WEATHER! :-)

I am however looking forward to showering ... not that I wasn't appreciative of my 4 showers (including one rain and one bucket...) but, hot water sounds AMAZING! The trip has made me 1,000,000x more thankful for everything that is often taken for granted.

I'll post more when I'm back home. Bonswa!

Sunday Sunday Sunday

Today we went to the local Haitian church...and, well... WOW! What an experience!!!! We certainly stood out amongst the locals, and got tons of smiles and some strange looks and whispers from some of the kids. They were so welcoming when we first arrived! They took our names and sat us together in an empty row. The pastor introduced us by name as a visitors and we stood up. It was embarrassing and who knows what they were actually saying about us :-)

The service lasted 3 hours and there was never a dull moment (the locals can come and go, but as whites we are always walking on eggshells and didnt want to be disrespectful). We sat shoulder to shoulder...everyone was singing as loud as they could and danced around!. I was completely mesmorized by the old lady in front of me; She was old even by our standards (the average age for a Haitian to live to is about 55). She was so small and gray but so full of life - Her hands were up the whole time and she danced with friends around her yelling 'Merci Savior' -Thank you God.

Two men came over explaining that they were not interpreters but they wanted to help us. They sat in between us and kept us in the loop as to what was going on.

Our translator asked lots of questions about America. He explained his dream was to come to the states and do research. He had learned about Michigan once - so was very interested in that state. At one point he wanted me to name all the state capitals, give populations for the states and how the US compared to other countries. He turned serious when he asked questions related to service... whether or not I had been baptized and if I was ready to follow Jesus anywhere.

It was an amazing experience!

Fort Jacques

Today we spent the day painting at Fort Jacques, GLA's new property. The place is amazing! The whole thing won't be finished for another 10 years, hopefully less depending on finances. It includes the guest houses, volunteer houses, Huge main house, storage area, chapel, and school. I can also now go ahead and add "Painter" to my resume. The view from the property was gorgeous...a great view of the ocean and all of Port-au-Prince. It is about 20 minutes or so from here, but I love the crazy bumpy car rides, taking in as much of the country as I can. I am always amazed to see how much the women can balance on their heads, and see the sharp difference in the wealthy and those in extreme 3rd world poverty.

This morning I had the pleasure of the pig slaughter alarm clock for the last time. After painting, we stopped next door to well... eat some of the pig. I'm ashamed to say it was delicious.

I'm still covered in paint. We have been without water, so I fished my own water (ok, I watched someone show me how to...) and bucket showered. and of course, guess what JUST arrived .. a water truck.

It was a great weekend and I'm sad its my last. Last the night, the volunteers baked snickerdoodles, selected a snuggly baby and curled up on the couch for a movie night.

God's LITTTLEST Angels

TGIF!!!!

My last weekend in Haiti!!!! Everyone have a safe Shamrock Fest/Caps game festivities ... all around weekend - watch out for those storm drains at Shamrock Fest (I hear they break ankles...).

Another Happy Ending

I am so glad everyone has been 'keeping up'! I am trying to upload some more pics soon but I've learned patience with the Internet. I have some news to share! I'm quitting my job, renting out my apartment and moving to Haiti to live at GLA!! (ok ok, I'm kidding....) I'll be home Wednesday night :-)

The news is... the oldest girl here had a birthday today....15! (I thought she was around 12 or 13...) but no, 15, and as you can imagine that is pretty old to be living in the "Toddler House", but then again, 15 is too young to be on the streets. Uh oh.. another sad story Kristen...?? noooope... Her adoptive mom arrived last night!! Now, if that doesn't make you smile I don't know what will. :-)

Volunteers eh?

Everyone's sick! Not me (someone please write this one down...) :-) We just got a new volunteer yesterday who is a nurse and a mom, and both have come through in her and she has been taking care of us sicklings. In one of the first convos we had together, rocking on the rocking chair, she said, "Isn't it amazing what love can do" , I like her already.
The other day we took a walk to the store with some babies (picture). At the store, we bought a delicious treat - MUD COOKIES! I thought... when in Haiti... and took a bite. I would not recommend them. It was the smallllest bite and that was enough. Definitely an experience, and I know I am that much more grateful to never have another bite.

This week has just flown by!! Saturday we are taking 1/2 day to go paint at the new orphanage. I can't wait to see it. :-)

Today, I broke down and checked the news headlines. just skimmed them. It's been so great being so disconnected. I think... I THINK, I have finally gotten over hearing phantom cell phone ringing. The big news today was the neighbors have a cock fight every Thursday, and as far as other news...well, I am assuming the economy is bad in the states... JUST an assumption. So for now, I'm focusing on who will win next door.

Counting in Creole

Math Problems:

- Where is Radford going?

Answer: #1 spot - NCAA!!!! I wore my RU shirt yesterday but...no one cares in Haiti.

- How many people can fit into a Haitian SUV *a normal SUV that can handle the roads and is located in Haiti*

Answer: 9 adults, 2 toddlers, 3 large suitcases, 4 backpacks, and 2 bags of breads

- How many hours of sleep do I get at night?

Answer: trick question, a full hour would be aweeeesome.

-How many black market DVDs arrived in Haiti around the same time I did?

(yeaaaa I know right? awesome haha) Answer: 3: Australia, Boy in the Striped Pajamas, and SLumdog Millionaire. Love movie nights with the volunteers and babies!

- In a single day, how many times do the Canadian volunteers say 'eh' ?

Answer: 452,876,234,863.

-How many children have birthdays in March?

Answer: 19! We had a birthday party for all of them! (one big one for the 19)

-What size does a spider have to be to make Kristen scream?

Answer: apppppparently 5 inches around. yeaaaaaaa. I was later told in Haiti that spiders can be the size of dinner plates, should I see one of these, expect the next blog to be entitled: Home Early.

Happy Endings

I can't stand it when all the movies, all the books, always have a happy ending. Life doesn't work that way. I know I know, it might sound cynical, but let's face it, in real life, those prince charmings don't really exist, people aren't waiting to sweep you off you feet, or save you from terrible or unfortunate circumstances, and in the end, chances are, you won't end up a princess or living in your fairytale castle. But maybe, just maybe, the world isn't such an awful place, and sometimes, happy endings do exist.

Today at lunch, GLA got two more kids. Yay right? Not so fast. Behind the new children was a family giving them to us. A family who made the decision to give up their children for a better life. The family brought a boy, 4, and a girl 2, to us this afternoon. The social worker worked with the family, the staff counted the boys teeth, unsure of how old he was, and gave the family a meal. The little girl had orange hair from malnutrition and screamed and cried when she was not around her birth family. The boy was a little more adventurous, and walked in the house on his own to explore. I sat quietly at the computer in the next room, imaging the emotions that they must be feeling, wondering how far they had walked, or what prompted them to make the decision. It was heartbreaking. I know this kind of thing happened at GLA all the time, but it bothered me all day, I wanted to know more. I was still pretty bummed coming back downstairs for dinner. Only, this time, in the room where the family was giving their children to us just hours earlier was a new family, an adoptive family, holding their new child. They were so happy in a room that just held so much sadness. Just a year earlier that same little happy girl in their lap might have been in the same position as the little girl at lunch, and soon, the little girl and boy at lunch will have the same experience as the little girl at dinner, the happiness of a forever family.

I overhear stories at dinner .... that little girl once weighed 3 pounds... her mother was 12... that little boy was left in the trees outside; Stories that just pull at your heart. Those same babies whispered about around the table, I have spent time with, flipped through their family photo album, and seen them smile..and that sadness is replaced with hope and happiness. Maybe no matter how bad things get, or how hard life is, that everything happens for a reason. I learn something new in Haiti everyday, and today I learned that here, at GLA, happy endings do exist.

Bonjour!

Another Ra Ra last night. This one started around 5am and went for about an hour. I snuck out on the balcony but didn't dare get too close to the rail. I captured some of the sound on my camera, then crawled back into bed - it sounded like a marching band was outside my window. I am certainly looking forward to a good nights sleep. Time has flown by, only 10 more days before I throw my 'do I haaaaaaaave to leave' fit at the airport. I cant wait for another work day to begin in the morning.

It's a comfort to know all these precious babies are in good hands. Almost 95% of the children at GLA have forever families. The facility is great and all the nannies and staff really care for these little ones. My favorite activity to do with my babies is to show them photo albums of their forever family, see their eyes light up, and know that they are going to be so happy one day! The one baby I had in the NICU has moved to a new nursery, and a few others have moved nurseries where babies are walking, so they can progress with those around them. I see little babies getting bigger and stronger everyday, its a great feeling.

Becoming a Vegetarian

Typical Saturday morning pig slaughter. I'll spare you the details (which would include words such as 'gurgling'...).

Today was an outing day, and an overwhelming one! We went to a lookout point, which I can neither pronounce nor spell, before heading to the Baptist Missionary. There, we walked around the zoo and had a delicious lunch with an amazing view. Then, we did a little shopping in the marketplace. It was a swarm of men, "miss, come here, let me show you, I'll give you a deal". I got a few souvenirs and paintings. We are now back at the nursery, watching the Travel Channel (yea.. they have Direct TV, we are completely spoiled), with babies in our laps! Its so weird to think back to last weekend, when I spent the day...me, pizza, PJs and Boozer, lounging on the couch watching the Caps game, and now, here I am, waiting for the dinner bell :-)

A picture says 1,000 words

First steps and toddler two steppin

I met the toddlers!! Yes, I've been sharing a house with them, heard them of course, but just met them! A little overwhelming. There are about 70 (68 maybe?) toddlers and 81 (which is low) babies, under the age of 2 at the nursery where I work. We drove in the driveway last night, rolled down the windows and they started dancing. It was absolutely adorable and I was completely wrapped up in 70 little giggles and non-stop dance requests and 'pick me up' motions. It was one of those moments I knew I'd never forget. After the dance party, we watched a movie and went to sleep... only... didnt sleep for very long.

I awoke to drums..shouting..whistles! It started far away, got louder, then faded, like a parade! In the morning, I was told that was called a 'Rah Rah', described as a 'Voodoo parade', which will be pretty common until Easter. If there another one passing through while I am here I plan on sneaking on the balcony to have a look!

In baby news: First steps! I confirmed that they were indeed first steps. I eagerly grabbed my video camera, snapped tons of pics and told everyone and showed her off. All it took was some time out of the nursery and some encouragement. She was smiling and laughing the whole time, she was so proud of herself! I can't wait to keep working with her and get her running around. It's another beautiful day in Haiti -time to get to work!