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
Ellie, your post made me cry this morning. Tears of happiness for you being in YOUR new home. Tears of regret for my selfish and greedy attitude (just last night, I told my husband that our boys were "so crammed" into their bedroom...which fits bunk beds, a dresser, a bookshelf, two beanbag chairs, and all of their "junk"). Tears of sadness over your continued frustrations. You are in our prayers, Ellie. I think about you every day, and am so thankful to call you friend. Thank you for challenging me.
ReplyDeleteyour adventures, simple living make me envious of what you are doing! I want to move to Haiti...
ReplyDeletebe blessed my dear