--Actually, first, let me just tell you that last night was my first time to sleep in this house all by myself.
Random things that frightened me:
- My phone ringing once and then stopping, not showing a missed call.
- The freezer door creaking open at an obscure hour. (Still don't know who that was.)
- A lightning bug. (Yeah yeah, I know. But they're different here! They stay lit for like 30 seconds at a time and fly around at approximately 45 mph. I had just turned the light off to try and go to sleep when I see a small speck of light darting around the room! I might have thought it was an orb... and then I might have slept with the closet light on until 3:30 AM when I woke up again and assumed the lightning bug was gone...)
NOW, on to today's adventures.
Woke up to the sun shining in through my window and not my alarm clock. (That was nice.)
Read some Job & did some journal writing on the living room couch. (Also nice.)
Decided to break down some medicine boxes for the clinic. (Consists of opening a box and taking medicine out of their individual boxes and condensing it to save room.)
Break for lunch. Beans and rice with hot dogs on top.
Back to breaking up boxes. Two girls I don't know come sit down on the couch with me and start helping without saying a word. I ask them their names (Ericia & Jenika) and about all the other questions I know how to ask in Creole, which isn't really very many.
We continue working on the boxes. Before long, there are no longer 3 of us working on the boxes, but TWELVE people in this small living room opening boxes and sorting medicine. Eleven of those said people are Haitians, between the ages of infant baby from the ICU (She wasn't actually helping sort) and 16 years old, and they are all speaking Creole to each other very loudly. Guess who was the awkward, silent, but appreciative white girl of the group...:)
We work like this for a couple of hours in a chaotic, loud, messy, yet functional assembly line of sorts and I try to ignore the dozens of times that I hear the word "Blan" in their conversation.
***Blan means white, and if you are a white person in Haiti, you will probably be called this about 5 times more often than your actual name.
(They don't always mean it in a negative way, but nonetheless, if your skin were purple, would you want to be called "Purple" in place of your name? ...Okay, maybe, but this is different!)
After this, I go downstairs and visit with the ICU kids and nannies for a few minutes. The nannies want to do my hair. (Do you remember my recent blog post when I mentioned my hair doesn't look good in braids?) So of course I say yes, but they can do it tomorrow. No, I won't post a picture.
Next, I walk home with Allison to their new house to see it for the first time. Very pretty. (Almost as impressive as the spaghetti with Italian sausage that we had for dinner.) Helped wash some dishes, which was actually really enjoyable because it reminded me of home.
Watched Ironman (my first time seeing it) with the family, and then got a ride home on their family motorcycle. Thanks again, Garrett family! :)
Came in and sat downstairs with the ICU kids again for a while. My little buddy Malange can't get rid of this fever and it worries me. Please pray for her and the other sick kids.
You know it's been a long day when you're sitting in the ICU holding a sleeping kid and smell something strange, but can't decide if it's buttered popcorn or another dirty diaper...(Still not sure what it was, but I never laid eyes or hands on any popcorn. Can't say the same about the latter...)
And on that note...
Time for bed.
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