Happy New Year!

...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...

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!

...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?)

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"

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..."

...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!

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

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...

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

Happy Monday!

Haiti Rewind

 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!