Haiti Happenings

Wow!  It’s been 10 days since I posted…busy, busy, busy.  The last post was when TS Faye hit.  Now Hurricane Gustav has made his presence known ~ two days of rain in our neighborhood.  Things are beginning to sound closer to normal on the streets.  We are starting to get reports of damage from the southern peninsula.  The storm came ashore about 10 miles west of Jacmel so our school/church in Bainet got hit pretty hard.  I’m sure when the reports come in from Belle Riviere, there will also be some major damage there.

By the way, another jigsaw puzzle is in the process.  What can I say?  The storm did it!

The temps dropped to ‘cool.’  This has been two days of Fall.  We made soup, bread and gingerbread cookies.  It even smelled like Fall with the spices baking.  I think summer returns tomorrow…but it was a GREAT Fall!

This is the puzzle that was chosen to put together since Tropical Storm Fay caused everyone to stay inside for a while.  Below is the current status of this huge undertaking.  Will all the pieces be there?  Time will tell…

We have yet to receive any detailed reports of damage or loss due to Tropical Storm Fay.  It appears the south coast is continuing to get rain.

This morning at 2:50, the first rains hit us.  For 10 minutes, it was a deluge, followed by steady rain.  It is now 6 a.m. with solid cloud cover and a steady rain and light winds (which really feel good!).  We will wait for reports from the mountains and pray that the damage is minimal.  There were predictions of up to 12 inches of rain in some areas, with the average being 4-8 inches.  The deforested mountains of Haiti cannot handle water like that.

Believe it or not…the city gave electricity this afternoon around 3:30.  We have not seen it that early in the day since….mmmm…forever!  It allowed us to get 3 loads of laundry washed and dried, rather than doing it during the middle of the night as is usually the case.

Bill has been involved in orientation at QCS this week as school is preparing to open next Tuesday.  He will be providing guidance services two days per week.

It is now 9:30 p.m. and we STILL have electricity.  Scarey…

Upon our return to Haiti, we found all the boxes of jigsaw puzzles we had left in 2006.  We put two of them together and found several pieces missing. That was a bit frustrating. However, the photo at the left is the puzzle we just completed…and it is complete. Now we will just mess it all up and throw it back in the box. Putting the puzzle together is relaxing therapy. And then there is something to say for ‘destroying’ the picture again We have no cable tv or satellite so our evenings are filled with reading, puzzles, or watching a video…again!

In talking with my sister today by phone (obviously), I was telling her we had a good church service this morning and that it is a weight-loss church. She actually believed me since I told her that Dorothy had lost 2 pounds this morning. The reality is that the church was so packed and hot, Dorothy did lose 2 pounds. It was just one of the great benefits of being there…another being in the presence of God. The assistant pastor preached on the sin of David with Bathsheba. He pulled no punches and called sin SIN.

If you want to lose some quick weight, join us next Sunday. You can be one of the 7-8 sitting on a bench where only 5-6 can fit comfortably.

At times I set my camera in the car window and just shoot at random.  Many of the photos have a part that is ‘salvageable.’  Here are a couple of those shots.

Sorry for the absence of posts for a few days. We have a guest in and have been playing host. I am posting a photo of a piece of Haitian art that we picked up today. It is very common to see walls literally covered with paintings for sale (the paintings…not the walls). We have lots of wall space that needs attention so we finally found a painting today that caught our eye. It’s a modern style and the colors are really vibrant.

Coming from a long line of gardeners (My mother and grandfather had competition to see who could grow the largest dahlia bloom each year.), I have always loved plants. Haiti is a nation filled with beautiful flowering plants. The bromeliad has been a family of plants that has never intrigued me (except to eat the pineapple) until recently. The photo to the right is the blossom of a bromeliad that I have kept an eye on for a few days. In doing some research, I found there is actually a bromeliad society and a gazillion different kinds of plants. Within a year after blooming, the bromeliad will die, but will have started some ‘pups’ on the sides that can be transplanted. You can sleep better tonight knowing more about the bromeliad!

My Friend

The bottle in the photo has become my close friend…only because I am being forced to drink lots of water. It has never been one of my favorite things to do, but with the high temps and humidity in Haiti, I am losing LOTS of water through various pores so must stay hydrated. Having flopped around with a kidney stone in the past, I really don’t want to have that hideous experience again…though the shot that stopped the pain was nice. Now ‘my friend’ and I are close as I try to drink at least two full bottles (64 oz) daily. Amazingly, I have even made it to three once or twice.