Have A Nice Day!

Today started off a little groggy. My A/C went out at some point in the night, but I was too groggy to realize and turn it back on. Also, I went to bed around 9:15, so by 11:45 I was back awake and tossed and turned all night in variations of chills, and night sweats. It's funny how in my sleep-deprived grogginess, I always assume I have Malaria! Too bad I didn't wake up enough to make sense of my situation and get up and drink a bottle of water. I was probably just dehydrated. 


So, the alarm went ignored for some time while I abused the snooze button and then eventually turned on my iTunes and slowly greeted the day. This makes 3 weeks in a row of lousy sleep. The stupid part is, I know exactly what I need to do to return to sleep-filled nights, and am just working up the courage to do it. 


Meanwhile, the morning continued down-hill. Some animal made it's way into our yard last night and apparently left "bombs" around the yard. One of these "bombs" was promptly stepped in and dragged through my office. Oh, yay! Like I don't already live in a crap-scented world down here? What a delight that was to clean up. And because it rained most of the night, it was nice and squishy and EVERY WHERE! 


Meanwhile, we continue to have problems with the power. The difficult part is that they are intermittently sending power through the utility company, so by the time you go through the bother of getting the generators up and running, city light has been restored. It's a real pain in the butt!


Woo sah! 


I need to take a moment to remember why I came here 


Woo sah!


I need to take a moment to remember to let these things go. 


Woo sah!


I need to take a moment to discover the lessons that are being revealed to me in these instances.


Woo sah! 


I need a drink! lol (just kidding! or not! lol)

Home Away From Home

I just returned from a 2 week "break" in Michigan. I would say it's nice to be home again, but the lines are becoming blurred. On the one hand, when I go "home" to Michigan, I stay on a futon in the guest room. Now, I bought a new mattress for it before I came down last summer, but let's just say, it bites! Things are not in the places that I expect them to be. The house is a disaster since my dear son took over care and upkeep. I feel like a guest in my own home, which, since he pays all the bills, I basically am!

So I get back here and I am, for a moment at least, looking forward to getting back to a space that is all my own. Except that the plumbing issue I left behind was not fixed so I had no water, and I had quickly forgotten how hard that bed is to sleep in! 

So well. The homecoming was awesome. The kids were very happy to see me, (or at least to see what I had brought them!) It was like Christmas all over again showing them the many things I brought for them, which is just a drop in the bucket since I could only carry 2 of the 6 bags I have full of things for them!

And oy! I had forgotten how hot it is here, and how bad the mosquitoes are! That took a little adjusting. Hopefully my sleeping and eating patterns will adjust as quickly, I am still trying to catch up from how busy I was during my "break". I say "break" because I spent so much time visiting with all of my generous supporters and collecting donations for the Mission that I only had about 2 1/2 days of actual rest and recuperation! 

I think I need a vacation from my vacation!

All for now. Pics later!

Consumerism and the Disparity Between Socio-economic Classes

It always amazes me when I witness someone consuming something for the sake of consuming. Okay, I'm not excluding myself; I'm sure there have been a multitude of moments when I have done this without even realizing I am doing it. Which is probably why I am seeing it happen in my world. Karmicly speaking, I suppose I should be doing something to counter-act this so I can change my perceptions and not see this anymore.


I thought I was living a life of conservation, preservation, re-using, reducing, and recycling, but since moving to Haiti, these things have become rather challenging. 


Anyways, today I realized how convicted I feel when I under appreciate the blessings in my life. For example, a tub of hummus costs $6. Not a big fee for something so yummy and wonderful and healthful. But when you put that figure aside the $5/day minimum wage here, you realize how spectacularly luxurious that is. I try not to live a life of excess and appreciate the things I am able to have in my life. It really annoys me when I see other people just busting through their resources like they are sure they have an unlimited supply. 


But when I look around here I see so many people living that way. Some from privileged, some from a sense of "who knows what tomorrow brings, let me enjoy today" I begin to wonder, do I have it wrong?

Jonathan U

I know I posted about him on my Meet the Children page already, but as I was going thru my pictures to find something to post this weekend, I kept scrolling thru these pix. This kid has such great character and personality. He has such a thirst for knowledge. He is our newest kid, only here since October 30th, but he completely bowls me over! I just love him to pieces!

taken from my balcony

Another make up post...

Here are some pictures of the kids opening presents from Christmas.


Thank you to Rhema Hospital for providing boxes full of goodies, Karine Kraus for providing the stuffties, Caroline Mudge of Send Out Cards for the lipglosses, Pat Hill of Bodhi Seed for the pens, and all of my other contributors who donated the moolah that went in to getting all of the kids watches, candy, toys, clothes etc. We had a fabulous time opening gifts and playing with all of our new stuff!


Flickr slideshow: Christmas 2011

Kony 2012 and Why I Want to Stay in Haiti

(Republished from Rager's Rages, Rants, and Ramblings post)


In the beginning, my dream was to go to Africa. I mean, doesn't everybody at some point or another have a vision of themselves in the Motherland doing something, whether it be missions work, humanitarian aid, or even just a safari? My initial interest was sparked after seeing the animated film, Hugo the Hippo. It turned me on to Zimbabwe and the political strife of the region. Later, as I started seriously thinking of what type of work I would do in Africa, I realized I wanted to work with children. I looked into several options.  For a few years now I've been looking into positions with assorted NGOs and charities in Zimbabwe such as the Zimbabwe Project,  a Canadian orphan care organization. But as I do not have a Master's degree in the areas they require, I had been unable to catch a break. I guess true experience and expertise in a field doesn't mean squat when you have shareholders to answer to. 

The Hardest Things

One of the hardest things about this place, is that when you see something that needs to be done, you can't just do it. This is not a culture where efficiency is accepted and appreciated. On the one hand, you have to follow an unwritten code of pleasantries. There's this way they have of constantly blowing smoke up one another's asses that seems to be the order of the day. Anybody that knows me even just a little knows that this is not a skill I possess. On the other, nobody has respect for you unless you are the boss. It takes one square move by your superior to effectively neuter you in the eyes of the masses. There's no coming back from that. If they have determined that you have no power, or they perceive that you have no power, you are pretty much useless here.