Journal Entry – Sunday January 29, 2012
Ok, once again today was totally mind blowing. So many favorite moments I’m not sure I can recount them all, but I’ll take shot at it:
Favorite moment #1: Hearing my first rooster crow.
Favorite moment #2: Seeing how much progress has been made on the reconstruction of the Delmas 28 Church building.
Favorite moment #3: The sound of 500+ Haitian voices singing “There’s Not a Friend,” “Jesus, Lamb of God,” and “Because He Lives” in Creole.
Favorite moment #4: Seeing many of the teens I recognize from last summer’s youth conference, and hearing them say, “Look, it’s Misteh Gweg!”.
Favorite moment #5: Unexpectedly getting to meet Yol-Dericka Derrison, one of the children my family is sponsoring through HFHC, at church this morning (I hope at least one of the pictures I took turns out – I’ve discovered I can’t take a picture in focus to save my life – another really bad thing about not having Bethany here!).
Favorite moment #6: Cazeau. There are no words to describe how this feels. All the children who I feel like I know, having looked at their pictures a hundred times since being here last summer. Many of them now recognizing me as someone who’s been here before. Tons of tiny, gentle hugs and kisses, everyone wanting their photo taken, everyone wanting to play with my straight hair. Being able to call some of them by name now. So many of them who I want to bring back home with me.
Favorite moment #7: Asking Sonya if she remembers my daughter – she immediately starts giggling and dancing around, saying “Yes, she was the one who was dancing with the girls!”
Favorite moment #8: Medical clinic. I am one of four interviewers. I have my interpreter teach me how to ask the questions in Creole, so that I can talk directly to the kids. My pronunciation is good enough so that the kids understand my questions with no help from the interpreter. The interpreter tells me my pronunciation sounds as good as someone who’s lived here for awhile. It is SO much more meaningful being able to put together enough basic Creole to interact with people (only problem is when people hear me speak in Creole, then they start asking all kinds of questions – and I have absolutely no idea what they’re saying!).
Favorite moment #9: Seeing all my favorite Cite Soleil kids – them recognizing me from last summer, and getting to interview some of them.
And now – most sobering moment of the day: On the way to church this morning, we pass by a small well in Central Port-au-Prince. I watch as lines of hundreds of people – most of them girls and women – are walking downhill with empty buckets to be filled. And then there are the lines with hundreds of people trodding back UP the hill – a STEEP hill, mind you – most of them carrying THREE 5-gallon buckets filled with water – one in each hand, and one on their head. This goes on for MILES, all up hill.
Welcome to Haiti.
