Long Post

Tomorrow is my last day in Haiti working with children doing a VBS. It feels like I just got here yesterday but once I start to think back on it, all the sweat (ooh goodness) all the laughs, all the annoyances (there are a few), and all the fun I've had it seems like I've been here a long time. In some cases I feel like this is my new life now, I'm just living with 5 other girls in a small space and sometimes the a/c dies in the middle of the night, and I'm eating with a huge family who all happen to love Jesus with a passion that rivals Chloe's love for tennis balls.

I've been thinking about what I'm doing to do when I get home. What's the first thing that I'll do, what's the first thing that I'll enjoy? Honestly, I'm going to appreciate the nice, paved roads. The roads in Haiti are horrible. I have bruises on my arm from my arm hitting the metal sides of the tap-tap (it's the equivalent of a taxi in Haiti. It's a truck and the bed of the truck has a top over it and narrow benches to sit on..it's basically like sitting up on the side of the truck but with a thin cover over us). The trash lines the "roads" and it piles up on the sides and spills into the water runoff and the runoff spills into the rivers and people play in the water and drink from it. I'm going to marvel at the roads and the dotted lines and the respect that people have for organization on the roads. At some intersections it is a complete free for all: People ignore street lights and run reds like they are green lights.

Of course I'm going to love constant air conditioning (we have to ration our a/c because the generator constantly goes out) and the fact that my water will never run out if I'm in the shower (I've always been worried about it running out here- it happened to another girl right when she got soap in her eye!)I have not really missed my telephone or texting-- It does not bother me to not talk on the phone or text.

My typical day schedule:

5:40-- wake up and shower.
6:30-- breakfast.
7:15-- devotions and prayer
7:30 to 9:00/10:00-- drive to site.
10:00 to 12:00-- activities with children.
12:00 to 1:00-- lunch. (it's only 30 minutes, but I have first or second "shift"
1:00 to 2:00-- finish up VBS.
2:00 to 4:30/4:45-- Drive home. Traffic is normally horrible at the point.
4:45 to 5:30-- pass out on bed, shower, change.
5:30 to 6:15-- Dinner.
7:00 to 8:00-- Group meeting with Chris Fuller and group.
8:00 to 9:30-- Write in journal, hang out with the rest of the group, go to bed.

Repeat.

Interesting facts that I have learned:
-People in Haiti make less than 20 dollars a day.
-People live in the MEDIAN of the street. That tiny median, that normally has trees and cute shrubs? Nope, families live there. Lots of them.
-The sea is a stunning blue that you always hope to see but never do see at the beach. Sadly, the beach is completely contaminated.
-Most males in Haiti want to grow up and be the President or a Pastor. Both are highly respected jobs in Haiti.
-I went through the epicenter of the earthquake.
-I was in a tap-tap and saw the gorgeous sea on my left and amazing, gorgeous mountains on the right.
-Some Christians are really bitchy and drive me craaaazy!
-Haitians eat cats.
-One time I introduced myself as "My name is Lisa. I go to college and study psychology. I like cats" and then I learned the fact above and freaked out thinking that the Haitian schoolchildren thought that I ate cats. Chris corrected them the next day and said that "I like cats, but I do not like to eat cats."
-Speedbumps are called "sleeping policemen" by Haitians.
-Most Haitians know all the words to the Backstreet Boys songs. And Celene Dion.
-Most males in Haiti prefer a woman with a "coke bottle shape"

oh, also, look below this post for another post because I was able to get online last night.