Yesterday I experienced the first total bomb of a dinner since arriving in Haiti. It is with a degree of humility, believe it or not, that I tell you creating yummy dinners is a specialty of mine. Perhaps my brain was fried from the constant battle for usable water and occasional power. The size of my pocketbook usually does not dictate the quality of dinner in the Barlow home. But for some reason, my usual three ingredient challenge overcame my Super powers, and dinner....well it was really quite horrid. I am anxious for pay day so I can restock our cupboards and try again.
Abe has been working every single day of the week, leaving while the neighbor's roosters prophesy the coming of the sun and arriving home long after she resigns in beautiful, exotic hues and leaves us to the gentle solace of warm tropical rain. The school they are trying to finish opens on Monday and they will resort to working from two in the afternoon to two am. We have played at that shift before and I feel I can successfully slide our schedule a little to ease his. I used to think the older the kids were the easier it would be to keep them quiet while Daddy slept-but I have learned that bigger kids make bigger noises. ;-) I am anxious for this job to be over. The dark circles are starting to move in and Abe can hardly form a coherent sentence that does not include "Stud placement" "Plah Bon" or "Magboard"...
This week Abe was able to witness the graduation of several of "his guys" from the work program. You see, when Abe left us in the states earlier this year and came here for three months alone, his main work was teaching general construction to a group of unemployed Haitian men in a classroom, then continuing their education "hands-on" at various job sites. Since coming back in July Abe has been supervising and working with the very men he trained. They have now finished their training and were awarded not only with pieces of paper stating such, but with a sense of pride in their accomplishment and hard work. Such a blessing to see a successful training system at work. My husband puts in tireless hours with these men, repeating lessons over and over until they are learned, rising above frustrations, overcoming language and class barriers-earning their trust and confidence. Some of the stories Abe shares with me about the lives of the men he mentors are heart breaking and sensitive by nature. I try to remember to pray faithfully for them. For their families. For their salvation. For their dreams and aspirations. So much is possible when opportunity is given.
A lot has come into perspective for me in the last 80 days and I have no doubt my heart and mind will continue to sway and bend as God shows me the path HE wants for my life. My time spent has changed from holding two jobs for the public service, being active in my church and community and playing super soccer mom, to being a stay at home mommy. And while "stay at home Mom" in the states is considered an ironic oxy-moron, a "stay at home Mom" in Haiti is exactly that. I stay at home.
Twice a week, three if we are able to go to church, I venture from the security of my little house and take in the world around me. Both afternoons are filled with market shopping. One afternoon inevitably ends up filled with make shift clinic meetings with the family members of the men Abe works with that have maladies varying from traumatic injuries obtained from daring falls to infections to feminine concerns... For a few moments while writing notes and getting a history from so and so's sister's friend's brother, I am nostalgic for my EMS work in Moab, then I rush off to purchase various remedies and restock my bandage supply. It still makes me smile when I think of how those in need come into contact with me. I don't set out looking for them. Usually they come on days when I have resigned my lot to be content with stay at home mothering. ;-) Being able to apply a bandage, give a medicine, hand a few gdes to an empty hand is like dessert after a satisfying meal. It would have been enough to have the tasty dinner, but the occasional dessert just sets everything perfect.
All of my food similes must be transferred through brain waves as my babes are asking for lunch. Let's see if we can manage some simple, tasty bread.
Be well, my friends... and go thank whomever is responsible for your tap actually pouring water into the sink. ;-)
Friday, September 28, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Proverbs a la Ellie 1-30
I was reading Proverbs this morning after Abe left and before the babes woke up. As I drank up such tidbits of wisdom as "When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise" and "Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in your power to do it" and "Do not devise harm against your neighbor, while he lives in security beside you"...
I started to think of a few of the wise things I have learned while living with the Haitians so far...
1~Sometimes the water you draw from the well will have bugs in it. And tad poles.
2~Always be kind to your children when they make mistakes or get hurt while playing too roughly. It will set a stark contrast and set an example of kindness to mothers around you.
3~Even the old gramma lady begging in the street needs to eat.
4~"One week" in Haiti really means one month. Or two. Or three.
5~Let go of your schedule and plans. They will never come to fruition if you are counting on them.
6~ALWAYS carry a little medical kit around...with a lot disinfectant.
7~The man who smiles happily at you at the job site's gate behind his shotgun every day is a person. He has problems. Possibly big ones. Pray for him. His daughter may be dying because there is not enough of her type of blood in the bank. His girlfriend might be pregnant again with no way to supplement their meager income. Just smiling back is not enough. Pray.
8~A bundle of six carrots can be bought for less than 500 gdes. sigh. Just remember to talk down the skin tax!
9~If you are driving a vehicle, it WILL break down at some point during your day.
10~If you have a driver, he will be late. Very late. But he will smile and say "Bonjour" like nothing was wrong...
11~A paper towel makes an acceptable coffee filter, but clean it out after use or you will find pretty pink fluffy mold in it the next morning.
12~The little boy that is ALWAYS standing at the same street corner in the same clothes might not get any other gourdes except the few you hand his way.
13~Just assume that everyone you meet is hungry and would like to eat. Act accordingly.
14~Not everyone has water flowing from their kitchen spout. If you do, be very very grateful.
15~The yummy looking little packets of juice powder at the market have aspartame in them and are NASTY!
16~ Mosquito bites will, eventually, stop itching.
17~ALWAYS have at least two extra servings of dinner prepared each night, because chances are Abe will bring four extra men with him for dinner after finding out they have no food at home for the night.
18~Adding some water and extra seasoning to supper stretches it quite nicely when four extra empty tummies turns out to be five. Or six.
19~Trash can be turned into the most interesting toys. And household items.
20~The flour and pancake mix you buy at the market will probably have four generations of bugs at various stages of growing and decomposing in it.
21~A piece of mail is reason for much jumping, squealing, yelling and dancing.
22~Never be surprised at a stranger telling you exactly what they think about your parenting skills. It will happen. And it won't be pretty.
23~Hand stitching is tedious and boring, but the smiles after you complete the project make it so worth it!
24~If there is only one liter of drinking water left for the evening, it will be spilled.
25~You will be so lonely sometimes you will start talking about your day and troubles and happy moments to the maid across the way- and she will smile and say "yes,yes" even though she has no blessed idea what you are saying.
26~A husband who works seven days a week, for 12+ hours a day will be tired. His wife having a hot meal ready and a sweet tempered mouth is essential to his well being. If you have a particular trying day, be sure to unload to the maid before he comes home. Always smile while unloading so she doesn't think you are possessed.
27~If you buy something that needs to be refrigerated you will be without power for the next three to seven days in a row.
28~One can get over the gag reflex that follows the inevitable whiff of a nearby sewer. Sometimes it will catch you by surprise so always have an empty cup or trash bag close by just in case.
29~Aprons are just as useful now as a century ago. Have many.
30~Whining about a circumstance without making an effort to change it is like leaving chicken raw in the pot because you do not want to light the fire. Sure, the matches here sometimes explode when struck, the fire building can be messy and painful, and the chicken may take FOREVER to fully cook. The pot might overturn and spoil, or the wind might blow out the fire forcing you start at the beginning again, but you must start. Strike the match. Keep at it. Make a difference.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Existing is not enough. You. Must. Pray. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I started to think of a few of the wise things I have learned while living with the Haitians so far...
1~Sometimes the water you draw from the well will have bugs in it. And tad poles.
2~Always be kind to your children when they make mistakes or get hurt while playing too roughly. It will set a stark contrast and set an example of kindness to mothers around you.
3~Even the old gramma lady begging in the street needs to eat.
4~"One week" in Haiti really means one month. Or two. Or three.
5~Let go of your schedule and plans. They will never come to fruition if you are counting on them.
6~ALWAYS carry a little medical kit around...with a lot disinfectant.
7~The man who smiles happily at you at the job site's gate behind his shotgun every day is a person. He has problems. Possibly big ones. Pray for him. His daughter may be dying because there is not enough of her type of blood in the bank. His girlfriend might be pregnant again with no way to supplement their meager income. Just smiling back is not enough. Pray.
8~A bundle of six carrots can be bought for less than 500 gdes. sigh. Just remember to talk down the skin tax!
9~If you are driving a vehicle, it WILL break down at some point during your day.
10~If you have a driver, he will be late. Very late. But he will smile and say "Bonjour" like nothing was wrong...
11~A paper towel makes an acceptable coffee filter, but clean it out after use or you will find pretty pink fluffy mold in it the next morning.
12~The little boy that is ALWAYS standing at the same street corner in the same clothes might not get any other gourdes except the few you hand his way.
13~Just assume that everyone you meet is hungry and would like to eat. Act accordingly.
14~Not everyone has water flowing from their kitchen spout. If you do, be very very grateful.
15~The yummy looking little packets of juice powder at the market have aspartame in them and are NASTY!
16~ Mosquito bites will, eventually, stop itching.
17~ALWAYS have at least two extra servings of dinner prepared each night, because chances are Abe will bring four extra men with him for dinner after finding out they have no food at home for the night.
18~Adding some water and extra seasoning to supper stretches it quite nicely when four extra empty tummies turns out to be five. Or six.
19~Trash can be turned into the most interesting toys. And household items.
20~The flour and pancake mix you buy at the market will probably have four generations of bugs at various stages of growing and decomposing in it.
21~A piece of mail is reason for much jumping, squealing, yelling and dancing.
22~Never be surprised at a stranger telling you exactly what they think about your parenting skills. It will happen. And it won't be pretty.
23~Hand stitching is tedious and boring, but the smiles after you complete the project make it so worth it!
24~If there is only one liter of drinking water left for the evening, it will be spilled.
25~You will be so lonely sometimes you will start talking about your day and troubles and happy moments to the maid across the way- and she will smile and say "yes,yes" even though she has no blessed idea what you are saying.
26~A husband who works seven days a week, for 12+ hours a day will be tired. His wife having a hot meal ready and a sweet tempered mouth is essential to his well being. If you have a particular trying day, be sure to unload to the maid before he comes home. Always smile while unloading so she doesn't think you are possessed.
27~If you buy something that needs to be refrigerated you will be without power for the next three to seven days in a row.
28~One can get over the gag reflex that follows the inevitable whiff of a nearby sewer. Sometimes it will catch you by surprise so always have an empty cup or trash bag close by just in case.
29~Aprons are just as useful now as a century ago. Have many.
30~Whining about a circumstance without making an effort to change it is like leaving chicken raw in the pot because you do not want to light the fire. Sure, the matches here sometimes explode when struck, the fire building can be messy and painful, and the chicken may take FOREVER to fully cook. The pot might overturn and spoil, or the wind might blow out the fire forcing you start at the beginning again, but you must start. Strike the match. Keep at it. Make a difference.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Existing is not enough. You. Must. Pray. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday, September 15, 2012
A serving of fun, with just a pinch of my heart...
I am very tired tonight after experiencing the joy of running around Port Au Prince ALL day. Grandma sent some $ for a gift and the babes and I set out early to see what treasures we could find. We ended up with a soccer ball, a dart gun, a musical drum/shaker/tambourine set, and pop beads. :-) Mommy got a little set of 4 coffee/tea cups with saucers (if you know me, you know my PASSION with tea cups and having coffee ready for visitors) and the icing on the cake?!
!!!!!!!!PILLOWS!!!!!!
We have managed to live two months without them and I had finally pinched enough to get us each a plumpy pillow. The kids were excited to sleep "American style" as Adam put it, and I am anxious to lay my weary head on my own new pillow. A spiderman top sheet that we brought with us from the states will soon be cut and hand stitched into four pillowcases. We are very happy Barlows.
I was able to drive around all morning while with the babes under the instruction of a Haitian driver. After our shopping I came home and met our wonderful Tender, Asaline, and the babes settled down to play the rainy afternoon away. It is so good to see how treasured and joyfully used new toys can be when they are the only ones in the house. We brought several cars and legos for the boys, but they were stolen while we were living at the Guest house waiting for our own safe place to lock up. CarolAnne made it with one baby doll, but lost her barbies there as well. I am not altogether sorry for our loss there. Some little child is playing with our lost toys, I am sure. And now we have the fun of starting over again. :-)
After I left the kids I headed back to Abe's work on the other side all by myself. I am somewhat proud of that accomplishment. I only made 2 wrong turns which is a blessing considering EVERY street corner looks alike! Abe and I were able to get some frusia le creme on the way home and even managed to have a real conversation while driving through the rain and flooded streets. (It has been raining a lot lately)
After returning home I drew the short straw and drove Asaline home. It gave me some time to use the radio and who should I find floating through the waves than Tenth Avenue North and Matt Redmond. Such a blessing to my weary heart! You see, I have had terrible trouble lately dealing with anger and resentment towards a few people in my life, both here in Haiti AND back at home. Oh, I keep it quiet and try to show grace and love but deep inside, I know the bitter gall that wells up in my soul when ever I think about certain circumstances and things that have occurred and been said. I have been struggling and praying about this so much. And do you know...the song that played as soon as I turned on the radio (I honestly did not even know we had a Christian English station here!) Was Tenth Ave North's Losing. A few of the lyrics are as follows:
We think pain is owed apologies and then it'll stop
But truth be told it doesn't matter if they're sorry or not
Freedom comes when we surrender to the sound
Of mercy and Your grace, Father, send Your angels down!
Oh, Father, give me grace to forgive them
'Cause I feel like the one losing
I feel like I've been losing
!!!!!!!!PILLOWS!!!!!!
We have managed to live two months without them and I had finally pinched enough to get us each a plumpy pillow. The kids were excited to sleep "American style" as Adam put it, and I am anxious to lay my weary head on my own new pillow. A spiderman top sheet that we brought with us from the states will soon be cut and hand stitched into four pillowcases. We are very happy Barlows.
I was able to drive around all morning while with the babes under the instruction of a Haitian driver. After our shopping I came home and met our wonderful Tender, Asaline, and the babes settled down to play the rainy afternoon away. It is so good to see how treasured and joyfully used new toys can be when they are the only ones in the house. We brought several cars and legos for the boys, but they were stolen while we were living at the Guest house waiting for our own safe place to lock up. CarolAnne made it with one baby doll, but lost her barbies there as well. I am not altogether sorry for our loss there. Some little child is playing with our lost toys, I am sure. And now we have the fun of starting over again. :-)
After I left the kids I headed back to Abe's work on the other side all by myself. I am somewhat proud of that accomplishment. I only made 2 wrong turns which is a blessing considering EVERY street corner looks alike! Abe and I were able to get some frusia le creme on the way home and even managed to have a real conversation while driving through the rain and flooded streets. (It has been raining a lot lately)
After returning home I drew the short straw and drove Asaline home. It gave me some time to use the radio and who should I find floating through the waves than Tenth Avenue North and Matt Redmond. Such a blessing to my weary heart! You see, I have had terrible trouble lately dealing with anger and resentment towards a few people in my life, both here in Haiti AND back at home. Oh, I keep it quiet and try to show grace and love but deep inside, I know the bitter gall that wells up in my soul when ever I think about certain circumstances and things that have occurred and been said. I have been struggling and praying about this so much. And do you know...the song that played as soon as I turned on the radio (I honestly did not even know we had a Christian English station here!) Was Tenth Ave North's Losing. A few of the lyrics are as follows:
I can't believe what she said
I can't believe what he did
Oh, don't they know it's wrong?
Don't they know it's wrong?
Maybe there's something I missed
But how could they treat me like this?
It's wearing out my heart
The way they disregard
This is love, this is hate...
We all have a choice to make
Oh, Father won't You forgive them?
They don't know what they've been doing
Oh, Father, give me grace to forgive them
'Cause I feel like the one losing
Well it's only the dead that can live
But still I wrestle with this
To lose the pain that's mine
Seventy times seven times
'Cause Lord it doesn't feel right
For me to turn a blind eye
Though I guess it's not that much
When I think of what You've done.
But truth be told it doesn't matter if they're sorry or not
Freedom comes when we surrender to the sound
Of mercy and Your grace, Father, send Your angels down!
Oh, Father, give me grace to forgive them
'Cause I feel like the one losing
I feel like I've been losing
There. It spoke to my heart, and if any of you saw the crazy white woman wiping her eyes while driving down the bumpy mess of a road that is Frerre with music on so loud you could feel it, thank you for not staring too much. :-)
Have a blessed night.
<3 Ellie
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Two Months In Haiti! (With Pics ;-) )
(Due to the loading and reloading made necessary by the power system here, the blog loaded oddly. My apologies!)
Two months in Haiti...Our old life drifts farther into memory with each day. How diffferent each challenge here is from those I faced back home. At the end of some days now I feel stronger and more confident. Accomplished. When my babes are all tuckered out from a productive day filled with school, laughter and outside play and are sweetly snuggled onto their beds in their little room while wearing only undies...When the kitchen is gleaming, the floors mopped and the toilet flushed successfully with ONE bucket of water...When supper is warm and waiting for my husband to enjoy in soft, but necessary candle light when he arrives home... When laundry is washed and waiting for the morning sun to whisk away the last drops of water...
These endings are starting to out number the bad ones.
You know, the ones with giant spiders ready to haul off your first born, neighbors who REALLY want you to go back to America-and stay there, buckets of water sloshed on the tile resulting in a domino effect of little bodies slip sliding away-then cry crying all day, food spoiling as you go through yet another day with no power, MILLIONS of flies deciding to join in on your living space...
Those days. :-)
The past week and a half we have been living at our new home in Pernier... (Chalk drawing are such fun and wash right off in the rain at night)
 |
| Adam made several robot suits out of boxes |
Melinda came and helped assemble furniture, which meant Dawee got to come too! It was a squishy ride in the four seater truck, but we managed happily Haitian style.
Carol was too excited to be of much help ;-)
After a full day of assembling furniture and cleaning we headed back to the Guest House for our last night there. Sunday after church we got the last of our things and and then spent the first night in Pernier. (Just so you know, it it still in Port Au Prince.)
Monday Morning smiles!
We adopted a little female kitty who was unfortunately VERY wild. It has taken two weeks for her to warm up to me and much to the dismay of the Babes, she still runs at fast movements and loud little mouths. We really never see her during the day, but at night she comes inside to eat and get some loving. The kids named her Panda, but secretly I call her Louisa. Just seems like it fits better.
Here there is no running water in the houses. We are hooked up to the tanks,but the plumber has not finished the final touches yet. In the mean time we haul our single bucket to the corner of our community and dip water from a small well type structure. The water stays cool within the concrete walls, but after a while it does start to smell a little musty. I am eternally grateful that water is so accessable. The nearest well that the locals here haul water from is a block away, and I have seen many travel nearly a mile to fill their buckets.
Laundry, when done the proper Haitian way, is executed with at least two smallish size tubs and a vast array of different soaps. I Just couldn't envision squatting over the tubs for hours and instead used a modified method that my mom used when she had to wash our clothes in a bath tub. With hauled water. Sometimes I wonder if Mom was a Haitin in another life. Seriously, I am doing nothing different in keeping house than SHE did while we waited for power and water while living in Arizona. She is my ideal, and while I am not entirely sure she did not whine and whimper whilst off in a quiet corner like I sometimes do, I never heard her complain...
Ellie Method- Haul several buckets of water and dump them into "tub" (It took a bit of figuring to stop it up) Add soap and dirty laundry- stir with a thick discarded piece of PVC pipe and let soak until you have caught your breath. If the clothes are especially stained or dirty OR are sock and underwear scrub Haitian style with a bar of laundry soap. Yes. They make bars of laundry soap. Next, stand in the tub and put the old Aerobics instructor to shame with the best version of the "washing machine" ever seen. Continue until the clothes on your back are wetter with sweat than those under your feet. Drain the water, refill with fresh water and add the Downy. Stir the cloths again with the pipe. Soak until you can breath again. Drain the water. Wring the water out of each article of clothing. Practicing war yells can aid in this step. 
Remember to NEVER hang your underwear where they can be seen! Old Rebar from the fench can be bent down to make lovely underwear drying racks behind the house. Be sure to wash the rust off!
the water tanks that
still do us absolutely
no good. Notice the
Adam smiling at you??
We have settle into our 342 sq feet very nicely. My babes agreed to model the house for you...
Carol got stage fright and decided to leave it to the boys...
Our little fridge and FOUR drawers!
My dishes
My adorable little stove. I used the oven today for the first time to make bread. The tempreture stops at 240 degrees, but it was still greatly successful! I have a feeling our Thanksgiving turkey will be roasted outside over a fire.OH! And by the way....
A great thanks to my sweet sister, Anita Jean, who's letter made our first week even brighter! Second piece of mail so far! Love you Annie!And, Ladies and Gentlemen, as promised-
MY COOKING POT!!!!!!!!
Thank you all for being so patient with my sporadic blogging. I will be soooo happy when we can have power EVERY night (As will my fridge!) Goodness, could you imagine having power during the day?!?!?!?!
All our love and prayers to you!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
A quick update!
The sounds of drills, saws, and men speaking loudly are all around me. I have come to use a little bit of internet time at the job before Abe is ready to head home with me!
Melinda had a friend who needed a little employment... So Assanine is our new nanny two days a week. The kids already knew her through Melinda and she has such a sweet temperament. I am very blessed. Each Tuesday and Saturday she comes over to Pernier (the ACTUAL way to spell Penye) and cleans the house, baths the kids and washes what laundry has accumulated since Sunday. I am able to take one babe to the market with me each week and have Darlin time also. ;-D
The little girl from across the street, named Alyssa, had found her way into our house and woke me up this morning with bright Creole chatter and big brown eyes. She stayed for breakfast. And Lunch. And Snack. ;-) She was enthusiastic about helping us do school, and to the credit of my easily distracted babes-they ALL did very well. Today Alyssa learned how to use scissors. Sort of. She is IN LOVE with the glue stick.
After breakfast every day we move our little table to the couch (so Mom can have a seat) and the school day begins. Adam usually goes outside to sit on the porch as it is quieter. We try to get everything finished before lunch as right at noon it gets nearly unbearably hot in the house and we find ourselves lying out flat on our tile porch begging for breezes. The maids that keep house right across from us do the same and the early afternoon is spent with lazy looks and friendly smiles.
We received our second piece of mail here in Haiti-a letter from my little sister Annie. For those of you who do not know, I have an amazingly supportive, loving family back in Arizona. I am the eldest of 8 and my four youngest siblings still live at home where Mom continues to homeschool. It was recently my Daddy's birthday so today's outing included searching for envelopes so we could send the many drawings and cards my babes made up. I still have to figure out where the post office is...
Alright Abe is here. We need to hurry home! More later
Melinda had a friend who needed a little employment... So Assanine is our new nanny two days a week. The kids already knew her through Melinda and she has such a sweet temperament. I am very blessed. Each Tuesday and Saturday she comes over to Pernier (the ACTUAL way to spell Penye) and cleans the house, baths the kids and washes what laundry has accumulated since Sunday. I am able to take one babe to the market with me each week and have Darlin time also. ;-D
The little girl from across the street, named Alyssa, had found her way into our house and woke me up this morning with bright Creole chatter and big brown eyes. She stayed for breakfast. And Lunch. And Snack. ;-) She was enthusiastic about helping us do school, and to the credit of my easily distracted babes-they ALL did very well. Today Alyssa learned how to use scissors. Sort of. She is IN LOVE with the glue stick.
After breakfast every day we move our little table to the couch (so Mom can have a seat) and the school day begins. Adam usually goes outside to sit on the porch as it is quieter. We try to get everything finished before lunch as right at noon it gets nearly unbearably hot in the house and we find ourselves lying out flat on our tile porch begging for breezes. The maids that keep house right across from us do the same and the early afternoon is spent with lazy looks and friendly smiles.
We received our second piece of mail here in Haiti-a letter from my little sister Annie. For those of you who do not know, I have an amazingly supportive, loving family back in Arizona. I am the eldest of 8 and my four youngest siblings still live at home where Mom continues to homeschool. It was recently my Daddy's birthday so today's outing included searching for envelopes so we could send the many drawings and cards my babes made up. I still have to figure out where the post office is...
Alright Abe is here. We need to hurry home! More later
Saturday, September 8, 2012
NEW HOUSE!
Well, my dears. We did it. After 60 days we finally made it into our new house. I chuckled this evening when I realized it is the first house we have lived in that is brand new- and just by judging the quality of the construction it appears to have been lived in quite a while already. ;-)
There is no power hooked up yet, which is the reason for my loooong absence! Tonight we have a generator and are able to play a little bit.
School has gone very well and served to distract the babes from the little things they are doing without- power, running water, a vehicle at our disposal... I am grateful for the four hours I am able to get out of them each day. It makes waiting for Daddy to come home so much easier!
I was resting on the couch wishing for a breeze Wednesday when I started counting tiles. I checked with Abe to be sure our math was correct and we have somehow managed to fit six people into a 342 sq ft home. Give or take a couple of inches. The babes have a bedroom just for sleeping, Abe and I have a bedroom just for sleeping, and a little table and four chairs sits opposite a rather comfy wooden couch with pillow like cushions in the living area. The room we would definitely miss if we were living in the middle of down town is made up in the yard of the small gated community we are now in. The babes find all sorts of adventures within the guarded gate and they all have very impressive tans.
The kitchen consists of a small camping type fridge and freezer, a single sink set in three feet of pretty countertop, one full cupboard and the CUTEST little stove/oven I have ever seen. It doesn't have a spot to fit so it resides in the back door with an equally adorable propane take attached out the back. I have not used the oven part yet as I do not have anything to bake in, but am hoping to get a pan and try to squeeze two or three cookies into it! I was able to score six plates, four forks and a frying pan at the street market, Oh, and an old pot. :-) I love my pot!
Without electricity most of the time I have been forced to buy only what we can eat in a couple of days which has done wonders with money management. The lack of running water has been a bit of a frustration as we have to walk to the corner and fill up our only bucket there. I am SUPER grateful for a toilet that can flush, however, and the guard has been most obliging in fetching me a random bucket of water here and there. The babes did not even blink twice at being bathed from a bucket, although I found it rather painful to try to wash my hair unassisted! The laundry situation... I will comment on THAT one later. sigh. (I miss Maytag...)
We have a car lined up for us and soon Abe and I will become truly acclimated to Port Au Prince as we will be forced to navigate the streets unaided. I am anxious and excited! I will still have a guard to ride with me and the kids when we venture out. Don't worry. I just will no longer take up the company's driver's valuable time.
I am leary of taking too long with this as the fuel in the generator is due to run out very soon. Know that we are alive, well, and yes- happy. It never ceases to amaze me how much appreciation and joy you can get from such simple things. Like a pot. Did I mention I LOVE my old pot?? I will have to post a picture. <3
There is no power hooked up yet, which is the reason for my loooong absence! Tonight we have a generator and are able to play a little bit.
School has gone very well and served to distract the babes from the little things they are doing without- power, running water, a vehicle at our disposal... I am grateful for the four hours I am able to get out of them each day. It makes waiting for Daddy to come home so much easier!
I was resting on the couch wishing for a breeze Wednesday when I started counting tiles. I checked with Abe to be sure our math was correct and we have somehow managed to fit six people into a 342 sq ft home. Give or take a couple of inches. The babes have a bedroom just for sleeping, Abe and I have a bedroom just for sleeping, and a little table and four chairs sits opposite a rather comfy wooden couch with pillow like cushions in the living area. The room we would definitely miss if we were living in the middle of down town is made up in the yard of the small gated community we are now in. The babes find all sorts of adventures within the guarded gate and they all have very impressive tans.
The kitchen consists of a small camping type fridge and freezer, a single sink set in three feet of pretty countertop, one full cupboard and the CUTEST little stove/oven I have ever seen. It doesn't have a spot to fit so it resides in the back door with an equally adorable propane take attached out the back. I have not used the oven part yet as I do not have anything to bake in, but am hoping to get a pan and try to squeeze two or three cookies into it! I was able to score six plates, four forks and a frying pan at the street market, Oh, and an old pot. :-) I love my pot!
Without electricity most of the time I have been forced to buy only what we can eat in a couple of days which has done wonders with money management. The lack of running water has been a bit of a frustration as we have to walk to the corner and fill up our only bucket there. I am SUPER grateful for a toilet that can flush, however, and the guard has been most obliging in fetching me a random bucket of water here and there. The babes did not even blink twice at being bathed from a bucket, although I found it rather painful to try to wash my hair unassisted! The laundry situation... I will comment on THAT one later. sigh. (I miss Maytag...)
We have a car lined up for us and soon Abe and I will become truly acclimated to Port Au Prince as we will be forced to navigate the streets unaided. I am anxious and excited! I will still have a guard to ride with me and the kids when we venture out. Don't worry. I just will no longer take up the company's driver's valuable time.
I am leary of taking too long with this as the fuel in the generator is due to run out very soon. Know that we are alive, well, and yes- happy. It never ceases to amaze me how much appreciation and joy you can get from such simple things. Like a pot. Did I mention I LOVE my old pot?? I will have to post a picture. <3
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