It's a Bunderful Life

Happy New Year!

2009-12-30T21:34:00.001-06:00

...just ONE DECADE ago, new years marked the day we thought our computers would crash and we'd go into electronic meltdown. I got picked up at 11:30pm from my New Years party so that I could get home to VHS record the news that night. Now I've got Time Machine backing up my computer every 15 minutes, DVR recording 4 different New Years programs at once, and a blog where I can tell everyone about it. :)

This new years I will be back with my friends to celebrate the end of the decade but also missing my team down in Haiti. While I won't be bringing in the new year with the sound of the alarm on my watch, I will miss being in a country that sees so much promise and hope in the future. Just four months from my first official college graduation, 2010 is going to be a big year of change. Now that I've finally decided on this years "resolution"...I think this is a good time to get back on the blog.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I hope EVERYONE has a wonderful start to 2010!

In case you were anxious to see...

2009-01-15T20:36:00.000-06:00

I added an album of pictures to facebook. Using (<--) that link SHOULD let you look at them. I'll be adding pictures on here, too. But, with how quickly time has been flying by me in the past week...it may take longer than I hope.

Sorry if you're bored by the scenery shots. Its just so intensely beautiful there! (Hey, at least I cut it down to just 60 pictures...unlike the 600 I took over the summer)

Until later! Happy Thursday
(And Happy Birthday Melanie, if I don't post before then)

Back in action!

2009-01-15T08:56:00.000-06:00

...3 days later!

Life has been super chaotic since I got home. I got back on the first day of classes so I really had no time to adjust. I got home around midnight on the 12th and had to be up for class at 9. So much for easing back into the culture.

I did start my beginning nursing classes. Well, they are more prerequisites but...nonetheless.

Anyways, I'm late for class...again.

Great pictures coming!!!

(ps- Have I told you today how much I LOVE Haiti?)

2009-01-08T16:43:00.002-06:00

We are in Christianville, our last and final stop! I'm going to keep this short but I can't believe we will already be back in the states in 4 days! So...hmm... I DREW BLOOD TODAY! (on Tim, its fine...still no real patients.) But, I did well. Other than that, Haiti is still beautiful. Oh and our drive here was 58km (30 some miles for us americans?) and it took 4 hours. Yeah, 4 HOURS....but we made it! Missing everyone lots! Haitian love!

"He just didn't like my face"

2009-01-05T11:36:00.000-06:00

Did I tell you we were refused gas on our drive down to Limbe? They just didn't want to sell it to Dr. Manno (who is Haitian). Gas is a hot commodity here and is sold in barrels on the side of the road...that is the 'black market' of Haiti. When taking us to the beach on New Years day (yes, I got to spend the day on the beach, it was SO beautiful and so nice.), Dr. Manno had to pay $10 per gallon just to get some gas. (And we thought maxing out at $4 was rough...)

My time in Limbe was amazing. I was really moved by the community. I've learned a bit more Kreyol (the Haitian way of spelling it) but I'll have to save that for a longer stay. 3 weeks is not enough time.

Mwen vle pale Kreyol (I want to speak Kreyol). Its the extent of my conversations at this point. So they are still at liberty to make fun of me in their own language, and I'm sure they do. (White girl with the crazy hair)

I think one of the biggest misconceptions about Haiti is that its dangerous. But I have never felt so safe and well taken care of before. I mean the living conditions are less than what we are used to but who's to say we really need all the things we have? I admit...life would be tough without my automatic can opener. (hehe). The people here are just like people everywhere. Teenage boys wear too much cologne and teenage girls are off in little packs giggling about who knows what (probably the boys). Little kids follow you around wanting to impress you with whatever toy they have (one little boy happened to have a machette...to each his own. He actually made a really impressive walking stick). Anywhere you go in the world, you can find danger. Anywhere you go in the world, you can find a media who will exploit that danger. So while Haiti has a long way to go, this country is full of love...and faith.

I love it here. Can you tell?

One week until home. One week until the mosquitos stop pestering me in my sleep (I swear they think its funny).

Love from Haiti.

"Those were the first breasts I've seen..."

2008-12-30T09:54:00.003-06:00

...chicken breasts. COME ON. It is rare to see CHICKEN breasts in Haiti, its usually all legs and thighs. We got a good laugh from that one this morning... ANYWAYS... I'm alive and doing well in Haiti. Well, minus the bug bite on my face and covering 65% of my body, I am fairing pretty well. How is home?! I trecked over to the university near where we are to find internet. Let me describe my location. It is a large room with cement (dusty) floors, mold on the ceiling tiles, and a pile of broken computers in the corner. The laptop I am using is dating to 1995. Oh, did I mention this is their computer lab? Hey, they HAVE the internet! So, its awesome. The trip started off a little rough. I was super emotional leaving my family (and friends), and packing in St. Louis was a little weepy but by 3am, I still hadn't accepted that I was really leaving. Tim and Christine picked me up at 4am to go to the airport and I finally got hit with the reality. I was excited again. Until...Tim missed our flight to Miami. Tim is our leader of the trip, knows all our plans, our connections, etc. Oh, and he's the only one with a cell phone. So Christine and I were stranded for a bit in Miami (since we didn't have his number) but eventually I heard my glorious name paged over the Miami airport speakers! We got a hold of Tim and we decided to continue on to Haiti (rather than waiting for him in the airport and traveling to Haiti the next day). We were bombarded at the airport and not knowing how to speak Creole did nothing to help us. But finally we made it to the guest house to wait for Tim. I forgot how incredibly beautiful it is here. The mountains are everywhere you look and it really is breath taking. The city of Port Au Prince is in stark contrast to the cities in the North. It is really crowded and dirty, but it does seem like their are some efforts to keep the trash (literal garbage) off the street. They put in some street lights, still no truly defined lanes or other traffic laws, and there are more city garbage bins. It looks like the government is putting in some minimal effort, but not enough to effect any serious changes here (which is the saddest and most frustrating part). We traveled for 9 hours from Port up to Limbe on Saturday. Imagine the road with the most potholes you have ever seen...now multiply that by 20 and that was our 9 hour drive. I (of course) decided to rest my eyes just as we reached Gonaive. Well, their road was destoryed and we drove through dirt, gravel, and boulders for almost 2 hours. (No, that 'nap' did not happen) We stopped there and could really see the devastation. All the mud houses were wiped out from the hurricanes and the entire community was living in a 'tent community' built in a field. We were there just as the sun went down and a barely working generator was able to light up the one light bulb for all 75+ tents. We will be going back to stay there for 4 days on Saturday. We just stopped through on our way here. The clinic in Limbe is amazing for this community. It has helped in so many ways and the people that work there are such a great team. They are invested in the well being of this community because it is their community (okay, i'll stop saying community.) Dr. Manno (whose house we are staying at) is such an inspiring doctor. He works at all hours and goes above and beyond the healthcare we have at home (for obviously, far less pay). He grew up in Limbe (this area) and came back here to make it better, to give back to the people that raised him, to bring change to these people. Now I am working in the clinic, helping to train the lab, and shadowing some of the visiting doctors. There are two other American groups in the house with us (a total of 8 of us) but the couple that was here from Chicago just left this morning. I have to get back to the clinic because I think Christine was having some trouble with the translator. They are my age and are trying to teach me Creole (and laughing at me when I fail horribly). So, Happy New Year to everyone. We will be enjoying cabbage soup here in Haiti (their independence day is the first as well). I'll be celebrating Haitian-style! Whoever is back at home reading, I MISS YOU and look foward to hearing from you. (Oh and to my dad, Bon Fete--Happy Birthday! Love you! --sorry I am a day late. I am on Haitian time, you know...)

LOVE from Haiti!

2008-12-18T21:39:00.000-06:00

In research for my agricultural project, here is what I have discovered...

"A single sack {of seeds}, enough to cover half an acre for a three-month growing cycle, costs $62.50, he said — more than twice what most Haitians make in a month. And the price has tripled over the past three years. "

This is a long awaited discovery; a specific price on seeds! The information came from an article on MSNBC about the devastation malnutrion poses in the country. 26 children died from starvation but DOZENS were airlifted for treatment (yay!) out of a remote area near Port (capital). (The whole article is pretty eye opening, "Emaciated girl helped by Haiti food aid" about their situation) How is that fair? Children dying from starvation is unimaginable to me and this one area watched 26 children die that way and there was nothing they could do about it. Each bit of help gets them one step forward... and each step they so desperately need and deserve.

(To make a 180 from the suffering) Here in my blessed world; I went with my sisters and step-mom to Disney on Ice tonight. Would you believe that I was singing the loudest during this one? (You should.) The Little Mermaid was 1 of the 4 parts and it pulled at my 6 year old heart-strings. My sisters don't really relate too closely with the 1989 (whoa) classic. I still think my age group experienced the best in disney cinema, anyone agree?

2 days home, only 6 left!

To the kids of Haiti...

You have to smile at that one!!

The Give Line

2008-12-17T16:17:00.001-06:00

While I am getting ready to go, I'm so sad these people won't be by my side during this trip...

Get this! (Or "Give this") if you so choose. One of the unique ways that donations are made to RWM, Inc (the ministry team I have been apart of) is through the GiveLine!

"One way of giving is by making online purchases through an organization called "Giveline" at www.giveline.com/charityhowto.asp. Giveline is an online store that is very similar to Amazon.com. It offers products in the areas of books, movies, music, video games, electronics, home & garden and gifts and will ship them directly to your door. However, the best part is that 10% of all your purchases will be donated to a charity you have selected from their list. Randolph World Ministries is a preferred charity."

Two birds with one stone! Consider the site when you're doing the last minute Christmas shopping. Or, your very very very last minute Christmas shopping (like me). No one said Christmas gifts HAD to be given on Christmas day, did they? Oh, right. Well, I'll tell you know that Haiti has the most fantastic vanilla for cooking and outstanding coffee (now can you wait till 2009 for your gift? Ha). And HEY, I am FINALLY home (after the snow delayed my flight a day) for a lovely 8 days in Cleveland. It is the happiest time of year and I am so grateful to be home (even Hannah made up the bunk beds for me!) So many people to see, I hope it doesn't fly by too fast.

In my homecoming, I was just so excited to see our 'puppy' (always a puppy, right?)...

...except she stepped all over my computer. My excitement ended there.

And I know I just sent out a big email about my blog. If this is the first post you're reading, be sure to scroll down and there is more about the current trip, like the itinerary, the map, etc. That's right...scroll down...

Let the Holidays begin!!

love from the midwest.

Study Distractions...

2008-12-15T08:31:00.001-06:00

...because they are so easily created. Heres what I made in the library yesterday...

Happy Monday!

Haiti Rewind

2008-12-14T10:59:00.000-06:00

I've been in the creating mood. (This mood could easily be mistaken as the 'I don't want to study for finals' mood, oops!) But I started packing last night (since I come back to Saint Louis for less than 12 hours and have to do all my packing here--since the airlines have that *lovely* new bag fee.) I've got all my skirts laid out and I've pulled out the Haiti shoes. (Or as my dad calls them, my 'amish girl' shoes...whichever you prefer) And its lead me to look at all my pictures. Yes, somehow I've gone through all 600.

I realize I will get to see my little buddy again on the first day of our trip! (Top left corner). She was big on teaching me my basic Haitian words (banana, plantain, house, chair, machette...you know, the everyday words.)

Here's a look at how different this trip will be...
(From Tim)

Here is what I'll be doing on the trip...

Haute-Limbe (6 days with 4 in clinic)

1. Interview prospective farmers for the reinvestment project (that's my baby!)

2. Inventory lab materials on pre-printed forms (This is where they use me as a test subject to draw blood)

3. Assist Christine with Directed Donation training

Gonaives (4 days - 2 working)

1. Interview prospective farmers for the reinvestment project

2. Work on Hurricane clean up team

Christianville (6 days with 3 in clinic)

1. Inventory lab materials on pre-printed forms

2. Assist Christine with QBC validation

(The travel time between locations is intense. Since there are no paved roads, its up to double (or more) the normal amount of time to get between places).

Heres a map of where we will be (Christianville is in Port, the capital).

12 days! (Since I can't seem to make that countdown ---> work) Happy Sunday!

2 Finals, 2 weeks, 2 blogs.

2008-12-11T09:52:00.003-06:00

I'm back! Yes, that's right, I tried to make a second blog. A blog that (possibly) worked better for me. I was wrong...horribly wrong. I'm sticking to this one and I'll make sure to let Jessi take over when the times get rough...(or tough to read as we've experienced before)

2 finals left. AND 2 weeks until my second trip to HAITI.

So, you know when you sign up for something way in advance and you just feel like it's SO far away it'll never come. Surprisingly enough, it eventually comes around and I can't believe this trip is only two weeks away (two weeks exactly!)

This trip will be almost a full week longer than the last one and a completely different format. We will not be in the same compound as before (hard sigh, no fans running all night long!). We will travel from the North Coast down through to the capital, Port Au Prince. {As seen in the new 007 movie. No, I didn't actually see the movie myself}. Our first stop is Limbe, where I spent a week in the clinic over the summer. This is where I'll start my 'research'/interviews for the agriculture project.

Did I mention I have to leave on Christmas Day? We fly out at 6am on the 26th, so my Cleveland departure lands right after Christmas Day (early) dinner. Alexa has already asked me to take a later flight to Haiti...assuming this is just a vacation I have planned right through the holidays. You wonder what kind of people you'll meet on a Christmas day flight at 5pm? At least I'll have my Christmas tree in my apartment to come back to (good thing we've had it up since Christmas last year. We've commenced the season by actually turning it's lights on and adorning it with new (not stale) candy canes).

My next post will include our trip itinerary. Don't worry, it's not without manual labor! Until then!

Flickr

2008-12-11T09:31:00.001-06:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

So, I took a little leave of absence...

2008-09-20T18:12:00.001-05:00

Wipe those brows, I've returned to blog-dom. In my attempts to cure "Senioritis", the blog got thrown to the wayside, but my attempts were unsuccessful and I have returned. Most importantly I am here to tell you about my Haiti project, it is FINALLY under way! I am about to send out my first support letter (I want to and will be sending it to everyone, because I want everyone to know about it not because I expect everyone to donate...is that necessary to say, I hope its implied...)

Heres a blurb about my project from the letter...

"The Agricultural Reinvestment Initiative is a program with two main goals; to boost the economy and provide food to the hungry. First, the project will boost the Haitian economy by investing money in local farmers in the areas of Gonaives, located in the center of Haiti, and in areas around Cap-Haitien on the northern shore. Our goals are to eventually make the farmers self-sustainable by providing start up support and a buyer for their product (us). Over time we will decrease our investment as we establish buyers for their product. These “buyers” will eventually be new businesses. By putting an increasing number of people back to work, we will aid in bettering their lifestyle and it will increase their purchasing power to further stimulate the local economies. Second, the food grown by these farmers and purchased by us will be distributed free through churches and clinics to the malnourished population of Haiti within these communities."

Do I sound formal, adult-like, and clear? I'm so excited. I am also in the first steps to applying for a grant from SLU, its called the "Big Ideas Grant"... I have to attend various 'idea-developing' workshops throughout the year and then at the end I apply against other students for one of the two $2000 grants...wouldn't that be amazing to get this off the ground!

The name is still in the works; the working title is more descriptive of the project rather than being catchy or creative. The letter explains it so much better, maybe I should just put that up here? Isn't it more fun getting snail mail though? (Its always refreshing to open something that is NOT a bill, growing up you never expected those things to come so often! My dad is currently laughing at me and incredibly thankful I am not saying that about credit card bills)

So, that is where a lot of my time has been invested (I suppose school work could be in there, too). Oh...AND, our friend, Tommy, is on a bowling league and asked Rachel and I to go with him one night. Somehow I offered to score that night (its a bowling alley from 1929 that hasn't changed...so theres NO automatic scoring). And since I could reference my handy-dandy Magnificat education where we learned to score bowling in gym, I leaped for the job ( because my ACTUAL bowling skills are definitely sub-par). So, I am now on the team as an official scorer...

We got shirts.

From New Album 9/20/08 6:11 PM

The girls of the team (Me, Rach, Mary, and Cat)

And (obviously) the scorer would win the raffel that night.

[I look almost frightened (or frightening) by my excitement...]

From New Album 9/20/08 6:11 PM

Have a great day!!!

So wait, summer is over?!

2008-08-27T18:52:00.000-05:00

Even after my first three days of classes, I'm in denial that school has started already. But, it is finally the year I have no friday classes. Yes, THREE DAY WEEKENDS. I'm the only one out of all my friends who has never had that luxury before, I intend to enjoy it (and be productive...sometimes.) So, so long to what my dad calls the "summer of a lifetime...no really Jen, you only get a summer like this once..."

I had a fabulous weekend at Put-In-Bay with my favorite people. (When people say "you don't meet your husband in college, you meet your bridesmaids", I think its a lie. I found mine in high school [I can't speak about the husband line])

Right, that miscellaneous man is NOT a part of our group. He thought he enhanced the photo, we thought otherwise...

But, I do have an amazing group of friends at school, too. But since a lot of them are guys, I don't think they would make the best bridesmaids (ha, okay I thought I was funny there...)

That was at a Cardinals game for Pat's birthday at the beginning of the summer. Obviously we waited until way after the game so we look like we are the only people there...

And of course to Alli, Mel's sister, my sister, our sister. not one part of me really believes she is off to college. Well, she is and she loves it. Mel and I of course feel old. This was at her prom pictures. (Yes, we realize she looks older than both of us)

Adios to a great summer, Bonjour to a new school year. (Multi-lingual, I know)

love from StL

Sign me up!

2008-08-24T15:54:00.000-05:00

I have officially confirmed my second trip to Haiti. I will be going for two weeks right after Christmas this year. Ever since I left I have had such a strong desire to stay connected to Haiti, to do more; I want to give to them what they gave to me. So, I am in the initial steps towards starting a food program for Haiti. There are a lot of details to it that are being figured out in the coming months, but the idea was originally Tim's (of RWM who I traveled to Haiti with and will again travel with in December). He told me about his idea one day when we traveled to the clinic in Limbe, and ever since then it has stuck with me. This is something I know I can do, this can be my project. I guess I haven't really told you the logistics of it, so this may not make much sense, but I will explain more soon.

School starts tomorrow, I feel like we just got out yesterday! Just thought I'd drop a little update note in here, its been a while since I wrote.

love!

Bueller? Bueller? ....Bueller?

2008-08-14T15:19:00.000-05:00

For any of you still out there reading the blog and have told me "but I don't know how to comment!" I realized I could open up the commenting abilities, so try that out! Okay, almost the weekend! Hope everyone is having a good week!

Super delayed post...

2008-08-13T12:15:00.000-05:00

As I am planning my next trip to Haiti (yes, I am hooked.), I realize that I didn't put up a post to the WHOLE group that made my time so memorable there (other than the Haitian population itself). To the people that taught me what the game Dutch Blitz and Hilarity-Picto-Pass was, the people I played hours upon hours of 'Speed Uno' with, and the people that became my instant family. 2 months ago I was just getting ready to head to country I knew so little about and now I find myself missing those people and that experience daily....

I can never thank you enough!

Our 'old-school' family portrait...taken in Laura's bedroom.

Using the multi-photo shoot mode on my camera, we didn't realize how fast it went. In the end, we broke Laura's bed while taking these pictures. Oops!

We tried again with just the 5 of us on the day we left, we ran out of poses on this one.

And our welcome home to the group from the last mobile clinic, we thought we were pretty funny.

Okay, that is all...

love.

2008-08-06T23:44:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I wish time would just slow down a little bit. I could use a few more hours in the day, a few more days in the week, a few more...well you get my point. With just two weeks home its hard to get everything in, not to mention getting everything figured out before a new school year begins. Its hard to believe that I'm now closer to 22 than I am to 21 anymore and that it is truly our senior year of college (minus my 'victory lab'...aka, fifth year). Quarter-life crisis anyone? I mean, the idea of committing to a specific career for the rest of my life freaks me out. Keeping this in mind, it is why I refuse to do so. There is no point for drawing out a plan because life doesn't really seem to ever follow it. I'm really big on the living day-to-day motto. At some point it will all get figured out, right? (Let me believe what I'd like at this point, it lets me sleep at night).

My time in NYC/Rhode Island was awesome. Max was, per usual, a fantastic host. His birthday was so much fun, sans the limo driver that did not fancy me too much. Little did he know that I wasn't about to shell over $150 for being 10 minutes late (well that story may be up for interpretation).

I am blessed with such amazing people in my life, sometimes I forget how thankful I should be... especially after a summer like this one.
And I've also decided, in this 'life without a plan' mode I have fallen into, that I'd like to become an Olympic athlete. I'm pretty sure track or any sport involving running (basketball, soccer, etc) would not work for with my stubs, formally called legs. Swimming...again my body lacks the necessary proportions. Hm, volleyball possibly could have been feasible if I had a new set of knees and could add a solid 6-8 inches to my height. Yeah, my options are dwindling...I'll try this argument again when the next winter set rolls around. I could always work on my table tennis skills? I really just want one of those nifty USA jumpsuits. I'll just add all this to the to-do list.

This past weekend, me and my beloved group of girlfriends from high school headed out to put-in-bay for the weekend. Apparently I am all too enthusiastic about good live music (my friends enjoy making fun of my incessant 'fist-pumping') and I now have 34 bug bites on my legs, but other than that, I have some of the greatest friends anyone could ask for. Pictures of the insanity will be up soon, those are definitely worth sharing.

Monday morning we are heading back to SLU to 'get adjusted', which basically means enjoy some responsibility-free time before school begins. Until another day...

lots of love.

The flight count is in...

2008-08-04T15:46:00.000-05:00

I am finally home! I'll be here until August 18th (maybe another trip or two tossed in). Since July25th, I went to NYC, again, Providence, RI, and Chicago. I got home yesterday and I am ready to truly relax (and not have to go through airport security anymore!) We are driving back to St. Louis 2 weeks from today and I plan to define lazy college student in the meantime. Pictures to come soon.

Oh, and to finish the title of this post....22, I've been on 22 flights this summer.

A few days of calm...

2008-07-23T22:17:00.002-05:00

But those days won't last long. As of Friday, I am off to NYC for the second time this summer. (The first trip was a blur lasting a mere 10 hours...Sherri and I flew out in the AM, spent the day walking the city--who knew it was THAT big--and got back to the airport within minutes of our flight back to the CLE.) This trip is in honor of Max, my 'cousin' per se, who is FINALLY turning 21! This weekend will show me a much more real view of the city life, and probably tug at my desire to leave the midwest even more (but not enough to want to deal with NYC traffic and chaos.)

So, maybe only for my own viewing pleasure, here is a little trip through my crazy summer (and its not even August!)

First, there was my day trip to NYC, obviously I had to fulfill the childhood dream of FAO Shwartz. Add this dog to my birthday list, please.

Okay, I can't really say that was the highlite of the trip. The city is just incredible. Obviously, I wanted to dress to blend into the city, but my midwest roots really threw off my cover. My purse was clenched at my side (due to some irrational fear of being mugged. I think I read too much bogus news on NYC that week) and the 'I love NYC' shirt vendors preyed on us relentlessly. (Okay, I get it, I'm NOT from the city...)

(Ground zero of the WTC where they are working on building the memorial. It says it will be completed by 2012. 7 years later and there was still just such an overwhelming feeling by standing there...)

Times square! (Where I stood out the most!)

We should never complain about traffic again...our bus almost plowed into pedestrians and at one point I hear our cab bump into another one on the street. Real life bumber cars, not as fun as you'd think.

Then there was home...I love spending time with my siblings, and my whole family (not to mention home cooked meals, laundry, and sleeping in a bunk bed with my five year old sister. Okay, maybe I could do without that part). It was awesome that I got to see both of my sisters recitals (They are growing up so fast! I teared up at both performances, yes, I am a sap).

Alexa's performance! I only saw it maybe 8 times (after rehersals) and had learned the finale dance by the end of it, but she did awesome regardless!

I got to see Hannah's dress rehearsal and she is made to be a performer.

Hmm, what next? Oh, Haiti, right? I'll take a break from those pictures.
Then there was DC to visit Lauren and Susie. Some days I just don't feel we are old enough to be living alone in big cities like this, {some authority in the area may not think we are qualified to be doing so either, ha...]but HEY, we're doing it . We had quite the tourist-experience at our day of monument visiting. Complete with attempting to break into the White House...

Here is where Martin Luther King, Jr. stood to give his "I Have a Dream" speech. What an amazing view.

Here's our 'tourist' photos...

World War II Memorial, it was just built in 2004 and it was truly beautiful. (Well, and extremely refreshing to be able to put our feet in the water! DC is so hot and so humid!)

Discussing our tactics to get in...

This past weekend was Myrtle Beach with my family. I may or may not have made some major life decisions this weekend, it may or may not have caused me to miss my Physics exam and need to drop the course, but all in all, it was fantastic time with my family.

Can you tell I'm at least 9 years older than all of them? Yeah, I can't either.

At "Dr. Root Beers' Hall of Foam"...Hannah loves root beer so much that the commercial for this place brought tears to her eyes. No, I'm not kidding. And who knew, he was also a Buckeye's fan!

Yes, my family finally embraced my shopping addiction and we decided it would be 'funny' to all put on a different hat for a photo-op. The girl who we asked to take our picture was not nearly as amused...

Ha.

So, this weekend, its back to NYC and then a week in Providence, RI to visit with Max's family. Anyone notice that I always say "I want to move west" and all i've done this summer is visit East? There is something wrong with this picture. Oh well, I've got time...that's what I keep telling myself.

Favorites: Family, Traveling, Sunny weather, the beach, reading...

2008-07-20T22:02:00.003-05:00

Please note that physics and airports are not on the above list. And I think their revelance to this situation is in the opposite order. I am blessed to be able to fly at a very cheap rate because my Step-Mom works for the airlines, BUT, flying STAND-BY can be more a curse than a blessing at times. In needing to leave family vacation early to get home for my second Physics exam, I got kicked off the last flight out of Myrtle Beach airport. So, I am sitting here writing this, back in our condo, preparing to accept at 0% as my second test grade. At least I have the beach?

I'm not going to let this whole situation run me down, it's not worth it. I mean, I am stuck in 90 degree whether with a pool at my door, right? How much can I really complain?

On the front page of MSNBC.com today was an article about Haiti; Haiti food aid lags, hunger deepens

Can you imagine starvation being a top killer in our world? It blows my mind.

*Women carrying baskets on their head, a skill I know I could NEVER master. Seriously, get out a basket, put all your groceries in it, and try to walk even 10 feet. Then imagine doing it everyday! Quite the feat, huh?

In dedication to this blog's lifesaver

2008-07-19T09:49:00.001-05:00

Maybe it's because she loves me that much, or because her plain old OCD was not letting her sleep over it, but I have to dedicate this post to Jessi, my one and only blog lifesaver.

If you have checked my blog in the last week or so, you may have realized it was all aligned in a 2 inch space going about a mile down the page...that 'visual malfunction' is no longer. Thanks to Jessi. Oh, and I cannot take credit for the banner either, I mean, she just 'tossed' that together in her free time. And to think my parents used to call me a computer wiz. I credit their skewed belief to the fact that I could open their email on AOL before they knew how, thus "computer wiz" was born.

Anyways, thank you, Jessi, for saving the future of my blog and restoring it from its visual disarray.

(Let's only hope I can maintain this in future posts! Cross your fingers.--Jessi, please be on standby in the next week or so. ;-) )

Testing Picture

2008-07-19T00:01:00.001-05:00

The continental United States has so much to offer!

2008-07-14T13:35:00.002-05:00

Phew! Traveling takes a lot out of you... money, energy, patience with crying children. I'm sure you're all familiar. I came home yesterday from a weekend in DC visiting Lauren and Susan, (Steph and Mel were there, too). That city is really spectacular, so much history. It's overwhelming really. And its even more overwhelming to come home and have to study for your first PhysicsII test, ugh. It is very nice to be finally sitting still. One of my favorite parts of Haiti was the day we got to climb a mountain. I challenge you now to go to the tredmill and put it on the maximum incline...then, imagine that doubled. I felt like I was scaling the mountain, not walking up it. And don't think for a second that coming down was easier, your legs were exhausted and you had to use every amount of control you could to muster to keep yourself from not falling forward down the path. It was called the Citadel, at the bottom was the Fort of Christof, the self-proclaimed "King of the North" in the early 1800's. The one thing we learned was that he killed himself with a silver bullet, before the French had the chance. Above, that is the castle where he lived and we hiked up to the Fort he was attempting to build--he's buried somewhere in there, no one knows where. Kind of creepy, right? There were just mountains everywhere, they never ended. The view was breathtaking. The little make shift hut there jutted out of the mountain--imag ine being the guard who stood watch there. Comfy accomidations! The unbelievable part is that all the bricks had to be carried up there, individually, and I'm pretty positive they didn't have the paved path back then. Hiking in a skirt was not my finest moment, either, but it felt so good to get to the top. The fort was massive, equipped with canons everywhere you looked! (We really freaked out our tour guide when we all opted to pick up canonballs. When was the last time you had a chance to pick up a canon ball from the 1800's...I thought so.) The details in everything were so intricate. Too bad they never got to use the fort, it wasn't even officially completed! Beth was our daredevil, walking to all the edges and looking down. Even our tour guide felt uneasy with how close she got, on the other hand, Anna and I stayed at least 15 feet away from any major edges. Please note in the picture below, that is as close as we could get to the edge of the fort. Check out the view behind us, and imagine the cliff down! I'm not a baby, I'm cautious. (yes, I am highly encouraging you to look at the view...not me, or my outfit in these pictures.) As you can tell, I am having a lot of trouble getting these pictures well organized on here. They pick where they want to go and I am apparently forced to type around them. There were so many pictures from up there, even though my camera died about 3/4ths of the way through. I felt like I was on top of the world, a world with an infinite amount of lessons to teach me. To think I've been home for two weeks already and its still so fresh on my mind! Maybe its the Malaria pills, but I hope the touch of Haiti doesn't wear off any time soon... Love from wherever in the US I happen to be this week...

Developing my sense of Haitian Hope...

2008-07-08T21:16:00.003-05:00

Back to my buddy! She was pretty comical when it came to the picture taking. You wonder where kids get these ideas... [he..he]

They were learning blood banking and transfusions, I was playing guinea pig (I actually jumped up to volunteer, I didn't know my blood type!)

Regardless of facial expression, this was the least painful stick to draw blood I have ever had. She was a pro!

Manual labor in Haiti...

I watched them work on cutting this log for 2 days and they still weren't done. At one point during my 'awe', I believe they asked me if I wanted to 'try it out'. I'd like you all to consider me in either of those positions... I'm glad I gave you a good laugh for the day.

Being home has been really great and my holiday weekend FLEW by! I started Physics 2 this week, my FINAL pre-medical class, my final requirement to take the MCAT (... skin prickling feeling caused just by the word...). To truly believe that I am starting my senior year of college (well, my FIRST senior year of college...), I am still in shock. This weekend I am off to see Lauren in DC, experience our nation's capital (probably in no more of an adult fashion than I did when I was 8--imagine lots of 'ooooh's and 'aaaahh's... and pictures with me and statues. Obviously.), and ultimately spend too much money in the Georgetown bookstore (my dad's alma mater, come on, its justified!)

Regardless of everything happening around me, I don't think I have gone more than an hour since being home where I haven't thought of, talked about, or looked at pictures of Haiti (I've made Mel's ears bleed over dinner my first night back--she's been such a great listener; we all know my thoughts can go astray...at times). My plans to go there again in the future, my hopes for the country of Haiti in the future, and my desire to always be touched by my experience there weave in and out of my mind all day. Haiti has blessed me with one thing overall, new motivation and new clarity. In my hopes to share this experience, I never mean to speak negatively of our lifestyle and all of the blessings we have... they are truly a gift (and something I was glad to come home to!). Now, I have realized how important it is to be thankful, to give back when we have the chance, and to always have hope and dreams for the future.

For the future of Haiti and that we may have an ounce of the hope and strength that those people possess. I raise my glass of Sleepy-time Tea to you.

Love from the StL.

PS- my little moment above should not let you believe that the Haiti pictures and posts are complete. We are just touching the surface!!!

The people that keep you going...

2008-07-04T11:20:00.000-05:00

My Team!

Randolph World Ministries, Inc

June 2008 Team (from 6/17-7/01)

(There were others on the team that left before I arrived)

Above is our serious picture, but it doesn't really capture our personalities well. From left to right...well, that's me, of course. Tim, Anna, Emily, Christine, Beth, Carly, Mary, and Christina. (Christina is Tim's daughter and will be a freshmen at SLU in the fall and Beth is my only other current SLU peer on the team.)

This picture is MUCH more descriptive of us. I made a poor 'funny face' decision upon the camera taking the picture, but you get the idea.

My girls of Haiti. Emily, Carly, Anna, me, Christina, Laura, and Beth. [Counter clockwise starting with Emily in the blue skirt]

We all became really close and it was definitely difficult for us all to separate.

Oh, and we CAN'T forget about SunMin.

We maximized our free time.

If you are looking for more at the bottom of this post, I've posted few times today so be sure to read the rest below! I realized I took 600 pictures so its going to be difficult to put the good ones up in a coherent fashion...and blogspot creates difficulty in arranging my photos. Hopefully this little complication is figured out soon!! Oh, and feel free to comment now that there's more to comment on!)

Leaving everything I knew behind...

2008-07-04T10:43:00.003-05:00

Okay, so that title sounds a little 'melodramatic' but in all reality. It was the complete truth. Tuesday morning, June 17th, I arrived at MFI (Missionary Flights Int'l) to get on a DC3 airplane from {i think} the 1950's with a room full of strangers, to fly to a country that I was not fully prepared for. In the first picture, that was my view from my seat. We sat in the very front of the plane and it was basically like we were sitting with the pilots, the cabin was not pressurized and we took off with the windows open. Let's just say, it makes you really sleepy.

We flew down with a team sponsored by their church in Pennsylvania. They came down for a week to do construction at the new seminary school, one of their leaders, Julie, had been a missionary at the OMS compound for a three year term 6 years prior to this trip.

This second picture was my first view of Haiti; small houses scattered in to communities surrounded by green, surrounded by mountains. I was overwhelmed and excited, and really starting to realize that I was finally there.

As soon as we got to the compound that day, I met my team. And, as you can tell from previous posts...I could not have asked for any better people to share this experience with. Tim gave us our run down of the lab, we learned the mass screening tests we would be doing, and we were thrown right into the midst of it. Bethesda Clinic, located on the OMS compound, is where we were primarily working [along with the other clinics Tim/Mary were intermittently servicing in-between]. Bethesda is a very well known clinic in the northern portion of Haiti, specifically Cap-Haiten, but definitely not limited to. They had reached a point where they were seeing 150-200 patients a day, but with the fickle economy and rising food prices, the first things the Haitian people have to sacrifice is health care. By the time we were down at Bethesda, they were at an all time low of 50-60 patients a day. It was sad to realize that it was not symbolic of a healthier nation but a more desperate one. On a happier note, the staff of this clinic, the people that filled it each day, were filled with such faith and offered such amazing support to all the people they encountered in the day. No matter the situation, they always held on to hope, to faith that ther

e is something better in this world, and to progress towards creating a better future. I was touched by the Bethesda Clinic and the service it provided.

"Look Mom, no headband!"

2008-07-04T07:04:00.000-05:00

I am back in St. Louis, still re-adjusting to hearing my cell phone ring, rather than roosters cooing. But, nonetheless, my body is still managing to wake up by 6am...no matter how tired I truly am.[Reason why I am writing this at 6:30am, note tired eyes in the picture.] Once class starts next week, that habit may come in handy. But...post #1 with pictures is coming up next!

(This sounds like the commercial post between what you really came to see!)

Culture shock...

2008-07-02T17:12:00.000-05:00

I may be a little overwhelmed by the site of paved roads, buildings with 4 sides, and people speaking English. But, I am safe and sound back in the US. I am actually at home for the night to spend time with my family and will get back to Saint Louis tomorrow. Be prepared for more exciting posts...well, more 'visually' exciting! But I can give you a couple teasers, credit to SunMin, his blog, and his photo-snapping. (Missing us yet, SunMin?) That is SunMin and I below, he's sporting the headband, which was my fashion symbol for the trip (even though it failed to hide my crazy hair and sweaty forehead :) --it's real purpose) and the picture to the left is from Labadee beach, where we went last Saturday. Just two little pictures to make my posts a little more enticing.

"I'll wait until Mt. Everest has a ski lift..."

2008-07-01T08:01:00.000-05:00

The group I traveled to Haiti with has truly touched me, they have taught me so much, made me laugh till it hurts, and made me feel completely welcome, even as the late comer. We have decided that since we have such an international group that we have a lot of traveling ahead. So, while I do enjoy an adventure, some of them are a bit more 'dare-devil' then I think I will ever be. Thus, explaining the title of this post. The past few days have been a blur...heres the highlites...

Climbed a mountain...breathtaking. (Look forward to those pictures)
Carried my own chair through the woods to a church with tin walls and a tin roof (hello heat wave)
Helped with manual labor building the new seminary (I'm a wimp)

As I am packing to leave in just a matter of hours, I can't believe that two weeks as flown by. I have so much to share and so much to tell, I just hope I can find a way to do that coherently. Time for some sad goodbyes, they are so hard (and I'm a huge baby!) Talk to you all when I am back in the states... crazy.

"All berries exist"

2008-06-27T20:13:00.000-05:00

The title of this post is dedicated to Anna, at breakfast one morning I ended by saying "all berries exist"...let your mind wander on that one. There is so much to tell you about this week but I just wanted to put up a short post to say all is well. This week I got a little sick but Limbe was amazing nonetheless. I got to shadow a really incredible doctor, Dr. James, and was moved by his compassion and dedication to the Haitian people. My heart has been changed by the country of Haiti and I can't wait to tell you more about it...in 5 days when I return home. (Can't believe it's been 11 days!) Tomorrow we are climbing a mountain (so so so excited!) and this week I opted to ride in the back of the pick-up truck home from Limbe in the pouring rain (for the first ten minutes it was refreshing to actually feel COLD in Haiti, after that it was just plain cold...) Most of our clinic work is done but Tim and Mary are heading out to do a mobile clinic about 4 hours away, the girls and I are left here to climb mountains and fend for ourselves. Finish our trip in Haiti, sad. Oh, and I have taken 400+ pictures so FAR and I haven't even been to the top of a mountain, aren't you glad I started a blog now so I am forced to show you only the best ones...I thought so. much love from the most beautiful place on earth.

Open those social studies books...

2008-06-23T19:21:00.001-05:00

So, this weekend I saw the most beautiful landscapes of Haiti. But before I get to that, I want to tell you that today on my drive home from Limbe (location of my clinic for the week) we drove by the bay that greeted the Pinta, the Nina, and the Santa Maria (insert accents where necessary) when Colombus thought he had landed in America (seems pretty off in realizing how far from home I feel). But I have discovered as much as I MISS my family and friends, I am not homesick. And those of you familiar with true jen-ness, I would typically have had at least one to two fits of tears in the name of being homesick but I really do feel right here, working here, experiencing Haiti. I don't think I can ever clearly depict my time here, I wish I could just show you with my eyes everything I have managed to see in just one week. Half of the people staying on the compound with us leave tomorrow but a few new people have come, including a doctor (Evan) from Northern Ireland (they FLOCK here! well, theres 4 northern ireland people just on the compound) and Evan has already taken to making fun of me quite a bit because I can never understand what he's saying. Anyways, so I am in Limbe this week. We are the on the 'follow-up' assessment of the Eben-ezer clinic there, its beautiful. Its nested up a dirt road in the middle of tons of mango trees. Our translator is attempting to teach me Creole (note: attempt being key). I'll give you a view of the clinic waiting area. There is an open-yet-covered seating area where people convene in the early hours of the morning, sicker people bring blankets and sleep while waiting. There are four exam rooms divided by hanging sheets, and you walk into a crowd of eyes just staring at you. I saw my first positive HIV test in the lab today, and experiencing my first bit of tears on the drive as the wave of this country overwhelmed me. We are gone from 8am until 6pm everyday and I am looking forward to the rest of the week, this clinic is amazing and its really nice to see a different part of the area. Okay, remember...limited time so I apologize for a jumble of thoughts. Missing you all tons... and tons. love and hugs. (ps- we went to haitian church service yesterday, and they entire congregation came through and gave us individual hugs...i loved it).

Beyond mountains there are mountains

2008-06-20T19:23:00.000-05:00

The title of my post is a Haitian proverb that I read in the book Mountains Beyond Mountains that I read in a previous post, and it could not be more true about Haiti. A country I once knew little about has opened to be a completely new world, I world filled with the most extreme of poverty but a land abundent in the richest of faith. And those words could not be more true. I got off the plane and was thrown into a culture vastly different than our own. Customs is dependent on their mood and they tore through the boxes of the group that traveled with us that day. We rode in the back of a rickey truck, no top, sitting on wooden planks that lined the sides. As we traveled down highway one, you quickly realize that the pavement is mostly gone and potholes threw our heads into the poles behind us. Mountains surround you in every direction and you can see the small communities lined with the mountainside, it was beautiful but as we drove through Cap-Haiten, I was truly overwhelmed. I am blessed to be staying on the OMS Compound and in my first 4 days here, I almost feel TOO blessed in this country. I am looking forward to Limbe this upcoming week and see the real Haiti, with my own eyes. The people that are here are absolutely wonderful, there are 7 girls my age that I am with daily. Emily, Carly, Anna (carly and anna are sisters), Christina, Beth (who I just met today, she was out on a travel clinic with Mary, another clinical lab technician with us), and Laura (wait that's 6) but there is also SunMin (he is a 2nd year med student at UC San Diego who wants to be a missionary doctor in the future and Laura is a medical student from Ireland--they are both here for 2 months). So I told you about the waking up early, good thing they have amazing coffee here, and when I say GOOD coffee, I mean AMAZING coffee. (come on, imagine all my love for coffee above and beyond fulfilled). At night, you almost think you have been woken up by monkeys, but no, that is the sound of crazy crows fighting in the tree or a gun shot, but that is the sound of a mango falling on the roof (takes some getting used to)--and I ate my first real mango this morning (did you know there are 12 kinds..?) and it was so good. I worked in the lab screening for Hepatitus B, C, and H.Pylori (the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers) for tuesday through this morning and this afternoon I spent a few hours working in the pharmacy counting and sorting medicines for the travel clinic next weekend. The need here is overwhelming and the simplicity of these medical conditions, the ease at which we can solve them at home, is startling at how damaging they are here. We just finished dinner and now I am ready for my nightly walk with the girls. I am still so happy to be here, this weekend will be nice to see more of Haiti and to relax after the first part of the trip. I will post again next week after my first day in Limbe, which is sure to be overwhelming. thank you always for listening, how is home? any big news in the US that I am missing? sending love and hugs your way!

missing my brother!

2008-06-19T20:35:00.000-05:00

i realize that in my initial post, that the picture of my brother and i did not come up. so i thought i would dedicate this post to him. Christopher, i miss you so much! i could not ask for a better brother in the world. i have been telling all the people down here about you, how insanely smart you are and how you love golfing. i also love to show them the picture i have of you and i and the first thing they say is, "he's 12?? hes so much taller than you!" ...i'll add the picture of you and i to this post as soon as i get home. so in case you didn't know already, it would hard not to know, but i have the greatest brother!! so besides the fact we have great food, we are lucky enough to have fans through most of the night, and i am with a great group of people...i am experincing some intense sweating (really pretty) and there are more bugs than you can ever imagine. there has been roaches, tonight i thought i had a tick in my ear, (i didn't) and the mosquitoes are everywhere! today i woke up at 5:30 am to run/walk with the girls (only hour of the day we are aloud to wear shorts)and you here the roosters making their 'cock-a-doodle-do's' (and just to let you know, its not only at sunrise, its all hours of the night and day...it gets old fast), the cow moo-ed at me each time i passed (a creole 'moo' i believe) and goats sound like little kids yelling...oh and you have the share the road with a good deal of chickens. the kids here yell "blan, blan" when you see them, blan = 'white person'...they either think we are ghosts, are completely scared of us, or just stare intensely. (him, what are little facts can i add? i will add more detail once i get home but i just want to give you a little snippet of everything!) each night there is a different missonary that has dinner with us and tells us about there reasons for staying here, its truly touching. okay, i am off to bed...yes its 9:30pm but remember what hour i get up (so motivating because they make us such a WONDERFUL breakfast...i've written down what we've had for every meal. look forward for that!) much love, from beautiful haiti.

Haiti + Internet

2008-06-18T15:14:00.000-05:00

so internet in haiti is scarce but it is here in our compound (sporadically). so i wanted to put up a short post, i will have so much more to share when i am home but i am here, i am alive, and haiti is incredible. truly, its unlike anything i could have ever imagined. its amazing, and sad. its poverty unlike any poverty we know, imagine the inner city and replace buildings with run down huts/clay makeshift houses/ lean-to's, the streets are lined with trash, its just so different. its so unbelieveable to think that we live in a world, just north of here, with such priviledge and opportunity and they have barely nothing. but they are blessed with incredible faith, inspiring faith really. in the face of diseases we would find easily curable, they are deathly and devastating here. i could go on forever and its only my second day. our compound is so nice, the missionaries here are amazing and the clinic is really doing great work for the population around here. i am going to get off the internet now, i am going to try and learn creole, i want to learn it so bad!! love from haiti.

Plethora of Preparations...

2008-06-14T15:22:00.000-05:00

First off, I truly want to thank everyone for the support as I leave for Haiti. I am blessed with such amazing people in my life. As I am finally sitting down and thinking about the trip to come, it is the most reassuring feeling in the world to hear the words of encouragement and concern from so many of you. I promise you, sincerely, I will be careful. And as my handbook rec commends, every time I walk somewhere, I will walk like I know EXACTLY where I am going (I've been practicing) and I'll never go out alone. We have a (need I say) lengthy list of safety guidelines that I do plan to take seriously. So, I've done a few little things beyond my research to get ready... This week I took Bikram Yoga. It is a yoga class that takes place for 90 minutes in a ~105degree Fahrenheit room. Beyond being a class I have wanted to take for a long time, I felt it could give my body a taste of the heat it must endure for my two weeks without the luxury of our near-artic air conditioning temperatures. The experience was...well, insane. Yoga-goers take their practice very seriously, so beyond the million yoga-ettique rules (none of which I knew), there are also rules for the heat! Once the class starts, you can't leave (unless you are physically showing medical issues) and you are NOT aloud to wipe off any sweat. Let's just say after ten minutes you looked like you stepped out of pool and my body was asked to stretch in ways bodies definitely are not made to go. As death dangled before my eyes towards the end, but now, I am hooked. But I do hope for heat less than 105 in Haiti, and I HOPE they let me wipe the sweat (more their misfortune if they don't). (The picture on the left was my favorite pose...not only do I not know what I'm doing in the class but they explain it so fast!! Arms are swinging everywhere and all the sudden people are wrapped up like a pretzel. One, my short legs do NOT wrap like that and the arm thing made me realize that all my limbs are pretty lacking in Stretch-Arm-Strong capabilities. Ugh.) I assumed packing would pose my biggest dilema of all. If anyone has ever taken a trip with me (whether a week, weekend, or just a night), you have most likely realized that I struggle to fit everything into one bag; a syndrome deemed as 'chronic over-packing'. I am dumb-founded to discover that my 2 WEEKS worth of clothing fits nicely into two compact piles on one side of my duffel bag. But, the packing is not done by a long shot. I will tell you now that I have never (willingly) touched a bug in my entire life, (you think I am exaggerating) but the one time I dared to catch firefly's, I put socks on my hands. (Currently wondering why I would actually tell people that). Keeping that fact in mind, I have now had multiple warnings about the size of bugs I am on the brink of encountering... (insert face of terror here). So my excess space is filled with a multitude of bug repellent products, I'm even considering a mouse trap hearing about the size of these things. So, whether I'm ready or not, looks like I'll be facing my fear head-on. While I will not be able to blog, email, etc, during the trip, Mel got me my (as she named it) "Haiti Journal" to write down anything and everything through my stay, along with the book Mountains Beyond Mountains; The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder--the book was reccommended to me (and to all) by not only Mel but a few teachers from my high school. A blurb (to strike your interest) from the back states:

"In medical school, Paul Farmer found his life's calling: to cure infectious diseases and to bring the lifesaving tools of modern medicine to those who need them most...Profound and powerful, Mountains Beyond Mountains takes us from Harvard to Haiti, Peru, Cuba, and Russia as Farmer changes people's minds through his dedication to the philosophy that "the only real nation is humanity"."

So, when I get back I'll add some of the parts of my journal along with the pictures to the blog. Thank you all again for all the kind words and thoughts. I am so looking forward to taking part in this and I look forward to sharing it with you when I get back. Have a wonderful two weeks, enjoy the end of June, and I'll see you in July. Much much love. (oh, and I encourage you all to comment (look under this line) but I'll add that again when the posts are more 'worth-while'.)

Second Post Jitters?

2008-06-12T08:36:00.000-05:00

As expected, I failed on a second post but now is a better time than ever to give it a second shot...(yes, note my frustration)

I'm pretty dissatisfied with my firs

t post; somewhere between trying too hard and not wanting anyone to know that, I think I sound pretty dull. Thus, I have spent last the past few days contemplating giving up on this all together, but I'll push through (a sigh of relief, right?). AT LEAST I will continue until after Haiti because my main purpose is to share my trip and I couldn't think of a better way to do it.

Monday morning I am off at 6:30am to West Palm Beach Int'l Airport where I will meet one other member of our mission team (she has been there before, which has been a MAJOR help to me...) Tuesday morning we fly out of Ft. Pierce (in a little non-commercial airplane) and head to Haiti (not without a little 'pitstop' in the Bahamas first--maybe I'll just have them get me there on the return leg of the trip?!?)

So in my anxiety/excitement/pure nervousness, I really have been doing my Haiti-homework. To briefly catch you up to speed (if you aren't a Haitian-expert), in 1804 they gained their independence from France, and were the first country to abolish slavery (fun fact). The main languages of the country are French and Creole (neither of which do I speak--Mags did not offer Creole and my foreign language skills ended the moment my Spanish requirements were filled... something I am now regretting). Haiti is the most underdeveloped/poverty stricken country in the western hemisphere (ranking 3rd in the world). 80% of the population lives under the poverty line, living on less than $1 a day [In my time home, I found myself trying to discuss these conditions with my siblings, apparently 9 year olds don't have a long attention span for my comparisons. Who knew.]

Anyways, what will I be doing in Haiti? Honestly, I won't really have a full grasp on the specifics until I get down there--*Flexibility* is key to a smooth mission trip--but in a blanket statement from RWM (my mission group), the majority of our efforts are "to provide medical and laboratory supplies, laboratory training, on-site and email consultation, and free mass screening of patients associated with Bethesda Medical Center, a Christian operated clinic located in Vaudreuil, Haiti just outside Cap-Haiten" (north coast on the map). I will spend my first week at the Bethesda Medical Center and my second week I am going to the travel clinic in Limbe (a little south of Cap Haiten). Travel to this clinic involves a 2-3 hour drive until the road ends where we then walk 2-3miles over a mountain with the supplies to reach our destination (travel assistance provided by donkeys <--cool!)

The conditions in Haiti are a slightly different than anything we could ever be used to. Anytime I leave where we are staying, I must be in a knee length skirt and short sleeve blouse. Shorts are not acceptable at all, and 'slacks' are not acceptable for women. There is no electricity at night so I will be left to the power of my flashlight and battery operated fan (my overactive sweat glands are going to LOVE Haiti), I bet you are excited for the pictures now! Regardless, this is going to be the experience of a lifetime, something I have wanted to do for a while now and I hope it is the first of many trips along these lines. We truly are so privileged and its our responsibility to not take that for granted when we have the chance. Okay, I'll get off my soap-box now.

See you on July 3rd. ;)

2008-06-06T11:49:00.000-05:00

I must be upfront and honest, I have a strong aversion to talking on the phone. With that said, you can guess I am terrible at keeping up with communication, even with the most important people in my life. Face-to-face communication is more my thing and as many of you have come to learn, emails and texts seem to be my forte... or my demise depending on your stand point. I attribute my phone-talking phobia to my generation of AIM and digital correspondence, but rather than pointing blame, I would rather just say I am joining the blogosphere. Moving on...

2 weeks ago I finished what *should* be my most difficult year of undergrad, you could literally hear the mush that once was my brain sloshing around in my head. I did really well (phew!) because this year is truly the deal-breaker for pursuing medical school.

Now I am home in Cleveland for another week before I leave for my mission trip in Haiti. I am going with Randolph World Ministries, Inc (a group founded by a teacher in my college) for two weeks to Cap-Haitian (on the northern coast) to work in a mobile clinic. The experience should be eye-opening, to say the least. The work that this group does there is astounding, I cannot do this organization justice in my own words, so I'll just give you the link and please take a look when you have a chance. (click on the name above!)

I feel like this post could really lose your attention quickly, so I'll cut myself short for now. (As many of you know, my writing can be rather 'long-winded'...I'll warn you now!) But, there will be more on Haiti to come...

(I'm off to entertain those two little ones I call my sisters. 92 degree day and no pool open in site...its going to be interesting! Hannah turned 5 this week, impossible to believe, right?)