Morning comes early!!
Because we are at a latitude of 18* the sun is up and at it by 5am. This really confused me because I set my alarm for 5:30 but when it went off I remember that my phone is still on DST so it is only 4:30 Haiti time and it is still pitch dark. I also notice that the A/C, which had only knocked the temp down to 85 by the time I fell asleep has now gotten it down to almost 75! It felt so good that I reset my alarm and laid back down.
What I will tell you about the equatorial sunrise is that it is not gradual. It went from pitch to "oh my frick, it's HOT!" in seconds flat. Withing minutes the A/C said "FAGGEDDABOUTIT" and the temp started to rise again. Now I understand why the staff is up at 5 am. No sense laying around in "au jous".
So, this is Sunday. Church day. Everyone is buzzing with anticipation. One Sunday a month the families are allowed to come visit so there are a few sets of parents waiting in the courtyard for church to begin so they can sit with their darlings and enjoy the word.
After showers, the children dress in their Sunday finery. There are 2 buckets of "dress shoes" through which the kids pick to put together a pair of "nice" shoes to wear with their fancy clothes. The pairs of pink sparkly Sketchers go fast, a prized find. The baby is dressed in a cute little pink dress with plenty of frills. She squeals and spins in her organza.
By the time everyone is dressed and assembled in the dining hall the oatmeal went from blah to bleck. It wasn't that far a trip to begin with. Several of the children look a little under the weather. One of them falls asleep at the table. After eating (overly large portions for such tiny tummies) the kids go out for a little playtime before church. Then they assemble in the old school room and the service begins. I attempted to stick it out, but after what seemed an eternity, (and most of the little ones are now laying in comas across the front few rows) some hellfire and brimstone Creole pastor comes out to "say" prayers. When I say "say" I mean scream. This is the norm. Haitian preachers are very passionate. They make the Rev. Jeremiah Wright seem all demure and Lutheran-like. I am stunned that this is the service set up for children, mostly under the age of 10! I bow out to get some water. I don't need to get angrier about their circumstances than I already am.
All for now...stay tuned for more adventures
Because we are at a latitude of 18* the sun is up and at it by 5am. This really confused me because I set my alarm for 5:30 but when it went off I remember that my phone is still on DST so it is only 4:30 Haiti time and it is still pitch dark. I also notice that the A/C, which had only knocked the temp down to 85 by the time I fell asleep has now gotten it down to almost 75! It felt so good that I reset my alarm and laid back down.
What I will tell you about the equatorial sunrise is that it is not gradual. It went from pitch to "oh my frick, it's HOT!" in seconds flat. Withing minutes the A/C said "FAGGEDDABOUTIT" and the temp started to rise again. Now I understand why the staff is up at 5 am. No sense laying around in "au jous".
So, this is Sunday. Church day. Everyone is buzzing with anticipation. One Sunday a month the families are allowed to come visit so there are a few sets of parents waiting in the courtyard for church to begin so they can sit with their darlings and enjoy the word.
After showers, the children dress in their Sunday finery. There are 2 buckets of "dress shoes" through which the kids pick to put together a pair of "nice" shoes to wear with their fancy clothes. The pairs of pink sparkly Sketchers go fast, a prized find. The baby is dressed in a cute little pink dress with plenty of frills. She squeals and spins in her organza.
By the time everyone is dressed and assembled in the dining hall the oatmeal went from blah to bleck. It wasn't that far a trip to begin with. Several of the children look a little under the weather. One of them falls asleep at the table. After eating (overly large portions for such tiny tummies) the kids go out for a little playtime before church. Then they assemble in the old school room and the service begins. I attempted to stick it out, but after what seemed an eternity, (and most of the little ones are now laying in comas across the front few rows) some hellfire and brimstone Creole pastor comes out to "say" prayers. When I say "say" I mean scream. This is the norm. Haitian preachers are very passionate. They make the Rev. Jeremiah Wright seem all demure and Lutheran-like. I am stunned that this is the service set up for children, mostly under the age of 10! I bow out to get some water. I don't need to get angrier about their circumstances than I already am.
All for now...stay tuned for more adventures
I really hope you get the opportunity to bring "Meesha" to worship for those kids!!
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