Saturday June 7, 2012

Today I got up, we went over to the guest house and ate breakfast with the team. One of the girls gave me some magazines to read, so I sat outside and read those. Then I came inside and and slept for awhile. I woke up because I heard Kathy and Natasha trying to get a gecko out of the house. Then he team came back so I sat outside so i could see the guys. Then I went back over to the other house and tried to shower. I cant get my foot wet so I sat on the edge of the tub, pointed the shower head at me and leaned back so i could wash my hair. Then i had to turn around so i could wash my other foot because it was so dirty from everything. It wasn't the same as a normal shower, and the floor had puddles all over but it was better than nothing! Then i slept again. I slept until dinner. We had spaghetti for dinner, and it was really good. Then Tori, Kathy and I played some card games. Then a pastor came to talk with some people staying here, he brought his 2 kids so they came inside to hang out with us. They were so funny. They were very solid well behaved children. The boy at a whole bag of popcorn by himself, it was so hilarious to watch him shovel it in. His sister would say things like "thats enough" "stop doing that" "he opens his mouth so wide to shove in a lot of popcorn!" It was just so funny! Then we made some bracelets and i made her a beaded cross. We asked them if they wanted some chocolate and she said no because of her weight. Then she was telling us that there were some mean girls at her school that make fun of her. She told us when they do that she tells them "God bless you" . That was the coolest thing to hear! She is 12 and she wants to be a doctor, and her brother who is 6 wants to be a pastor like their dad. Then their dad came in and said it was time to go, the little boy started crying saying that it was fun here, and that he didn't want to go! It was so cute! Then Tori and I played some more card games. Then Jean and the team were doing salsa outside so we went out to watch, and to hold the puppies. At about 11:30 I decided it was tome to go to bed, so I went over to the house got ready, took some more medicine, emailed with my family, and went to bed.

July 5, 2012
My 18th birthday and I got to spend it in Haiti! How awesome! It started out as any other day up at Grace Village. Then Jean came and we started going through the containers to find all the stuff we need and organizing it somewhat. Jean had about 10-15 guys working for him that he just picked up off the streets from down in Titanyen. We got the first one done then Jean gave them a break and got us all watermelon. Then about 7 of them serenaded me and sang "Happy Birthday" kind of, because half of it was in creole and half in english. But they had the tune down, and I knew what they were supposed to be saying so it was cool! Then the team came and it got crazy. They basically had a food fight in the cafeteria with chocolate pudding. It was all over the tables, the floors and the walls. The children were covered in it as well. Not good. They they did an activity where they could cut up shirts and decorate them. It was hilarious how they did it and they dressed al up. I took tons of pictures that I will put up once I have my camera!  Anyways then they had their soccer game, there was a guy on the team that wanted to pay so they loved that! The team was getting ready to leave and so we all went to the cafeteria, sang some gospel songs, and then prayed and they left. After that we had a Scabies scare. So Fanfan and Jessica went on a adventure. They were going to get us pizza for dinner, and the ointment, or treatment fot the scabies. The thing was they needed enough for 65 kids, and for all of us adults and the workers who deal with the kids. They got the pizza, then went to get the lotion. They had to go to numerous stores in order to get enough. So they finally got home at like 8, and the pizza was cold, Jean sent ice cream for my birthday and it was totally melted, and the fries were cold and soggy. The pizza was good though. Kathy was doing laundry and she had rubber gloves on, she wanted to try a fry so I fed it to her. She bit down and was like "no, this is so gross. Do not eat them, its so bad!!" She just left it hanging out of her mouth like she didn't know what to do so I took it back and threw it away. It was super funny. While we were waiting for pizza and scabies cream, we were all researching what to do and what it looks like and how to treat it and everything about it. I also got to talk to my family on the phone! It was awesome! I talked to all of them, and even Jake, Kayla and Uncle Mike! (: It was really nice to talk to everyone. Im glad they are having fun but I miss the tons! After church, once all the kids were in bed, and sleeping, Ericka, Kathy, and I ventured off into the side of the land. We found a wall that you can sit on and look down over the village and far out into other places of the country. It is so gorgeous. The hill is all lit up because that is where the wealthier people stay so they have money to pay for electricity, and a house and nice things. We were talking as we sat up there about how it is kind of a sad symbol of the class' in Haiti. The rich are up on the hill with money and power looking down on their country and most of them are doing nothing to help the poor impoverished places and people of their country. But seriously it is so gorgeous from up there. Me and Kathy decided that would be our nightly spot to unwind and think and  chat about whatever! Its so pretty. Its quiet except for dogs barking , but its not like the cities, with all the cars and commotion it is quiet and peaceful and beautiful! 
Erick leaves tomorrow and I'm super sad. She is so nice and she knows a lot about everything! She is so smart! I totally wish she could stay but we will Skype, so she can see the kids too because leaving them is the hardest thing ever. I know how strong of a bond she has with some of the newer kids that are going through so much. She did a fabulous job, and we will all miss her :( Since my family wasn't here to give me birthday hugs and kisses the kids took over. I got so many hugs and kisses. Lots of them sang to me and danced for me. It was so sweet! 

Friday July 6, 2012

This morning we got up, got ready, and  after all the worry and commotion about the scabies that we had last night we finally decided to take the boy to the doctor to see if it actually was scabies, because if it wasn’t, and treated him and all the other kids, and did all that we would have needed to do it would have used up so much of our time for nothing. So we took him in and it turned out that he doesn’t even have it, right now at least. We just need to keep watching it and look for the other signs. So we left at about 10:00 am. We were driving to drop Claudia off at the airport, and bring Ericka to the guest house in Port au Prince. Along the way we got stopped twice by police. It is illegal to ride in the back of a truck, but they don’t enforce it. Unless your white. Well guess what, Ericka and I were in the back with Guillame, and Junior, and we are white, and they stopped us. Twice. They asked for our passports. Since Ericka and Claudia had all their bags with them they had their passport with them, but since Jessica and I were just going to the doctor we didn’t even think to bring them. So the guy is asking us all these questions then he said, “you go out and have no identification you get big trouble.” I was so scared. Especially since we were right in front of the police building. I thought they were going to take me and put me in Hatian Jail.... Ummmm scary! But they let us go both times we were stopped. We dropped off Claudia, then Fanfan dropped us off at the doctor. I sad goodbye to Ericka :( and then we waited, got them their cards, they visited the doctor quickly. We got medicine for Junior, then we waited for Jean to pick us up. He came and got us. On the way home he stopped at that police building and was getting mad at them for causing us, and the teams on the TapTap trouble. Then our little Bondja said “Pee-pee” so we let him out of the truck and he starts peeing in  the middle of the field, basically facing the road... oops! So we got back to Grace and The girls and I decided that we need to start getting situated now that all the extra people are out and we have the room to just us. We were cleaning and organizing and it started to look super good. Then they all were outside talking to the kids about the new laundry baskets they will be getting in their rooms while i started to organize my stuff. They brought back a bottle of pop with them last nigh that nobody drank. I t was sitting on the floor by my bed. Apparently it got bumped over because when i stepped down i got glass in my foot and the blood just started flowing. EVERYWHERE!. I was so scared! I yelled for Kathy, her and Jessica came, then this guy who was here talking to Fanfan (it was his first time ever at Grace Village) picked me up and carried me to the truck. junior was in there laying out a blanket for us to sit on. We had it wrapped in a towel and everyone loaded in the truck and we left. Kathy is amazing. She held me the whole way there, praying for me and singing and wiping my tears as they are coming. We were driving around from one clinic to another trying to find one open, or one with someone that could fix me. it felt like we were in the truck for an hour, when in reality it was only about 15. Junior was propping my leg up, doing anything he could to help, but nothing helped obviously. The roads are so bad, every bump was torture it killed so bad. I cried the whole way there. Then we went to Global Outreach. Luckily there was a dentist there who they thought could sew me up. I was so scared. Needles and shots and stitches totally freaked me out. I was going crazy. They even gave me the medicine that makes you calm. It didn’t seem to help until they were almost done. But the Novicane shots were the worst. They stuck it in what seemed to me like 15 different spots, and then he started sewing it up and some of it wasn’t even numb, so that killed. I was screaming! Then they gave me one more, which i was not happy with at all, but after they did it I was thankful because the rest of the stitches they did dint hurt, I could just feel a little tugging. I am so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful people! If I didn’t have kathy and Junior there holding my hands, and singing to me I would have gone crazy. I wouldn’t have even let them do anything to me. And Fanfan and Mark also, for getting me there, for carrying me around, and for supporting me. Everyone along knew how scared i was and they were all so supportive and loving and they prayed and sang for me. It was so nice of them, I love them all and I cant even begin to tell them what it meant to me and how much I appreciate all they did for me! I love these people beyond words! Once we were done at the doctor they brought us back to Grace Village, and Kathy packed a bag for herself and me and then Fanfan drove us to Port au Prince for a night or two just to make sure nothing happens and to relax and keep it healthy. She is seriously the best! I love her! She is so kind and caring and sweet! And on the up-side I get to see Ericka more before she leaves(: So once we got to the guest house they had dinner ready for us, even though it was like 8:00. But it was tacos, my favorite meal the ladies make! I talked to my family for a couple  minutes, then I got ready for bed. Jean got me some crutches because it was hurting to walk on it how they told me to, and there was blood seeping through the gauze because of how I was walking. So we got over to where we are going to sleep. In the brand new house! Its gorgeous in here. We hung out for awhile then slept! 

July 3, 2012
Soccer game gone bad:
This afternoon the boys invited me to play in their nightly soccer game with them instead of just watching like I have been doing. Fanfan and Allie played also. The game is serious. There is a Referee, equipped with yellow and red cards (yellow and red Connect Four game chips) and a whistle. The "field" we play on is just a open space, but the ground is so uneven and covered in giant rocks. I stubbed my toe, rolled my ankles, and tripped too many times to count. Since the boys play so competitively there is always kids on the ground, which results in blood because of all the rocks. The game was going good, I wasn't so good though. One of the boys even asked if i was playing, when I said yes he responded with "Oh, I didn't know, your not doing anything." Well thank you my kind child, glad my effort for this team is being recognized... anyways so the game went on. Then all of a sudden out of nowhere one boy started chasing this other boy, he was like a cheeta chasing prey. He was so fast and angry. The Ref and Fanfan broke it up and he got a red card, and thrown out of the game. We started to play again, and then like three other fights broke out like all at the same time. It was so crazy, I have never seen any of their games end up like this. It was total chaos. It was like a riot. So we ended the game because the teams got so small because everyone got thrown out of the game!

This evening all of us girls were sitting outside and the kids were in bed. Fanfan was out hanging out with us too. I finally got my phone so my mom called me. I answered it and started walking away from the table and i felt something on my foot. I looked down and there was a tarantula on my foot! I kicked and screamed so loud! Then i ran over to the bench and jumped up on it so fast! Fanfan ran over to it, he wound up and kicked it off the patio area. We were like "STEP ON IT! ITS GONNA COME BACK MAD!!" I was so freaked out. I stood up on the bench for about 15 minutes... then finally the girls convinced me to sit back down. Then Fanfan found a jumprope and snuck up behind me and put it on me like it was a spider.. I didn't like that too much.

Monday June 2, 2012
Today we had Pasta for breakfast, and Cereal for dinner. There was a big argument between two of the boys. One of them was jealous because I was talking to the other one, and when I was playing with one I wasn't playing with the other. I tried talking to both of them but communication is so hard! I took a nice nap. I realized how much I love this schedule. I can wake up early and have enough energy through lunch. After lunch is the kids rest time, so that is a perfect time for me to take a nap also, then i have enough energy to make it till bedtime!
After dinner Fanfan took some kids down to Titanyen to pray for some people. When he cam back he had a little boy with him. The boy had a small bag, the ones they use for food wrapped around his finger. The bag was full of blood. He was pumping water at one of the wells and he got it caught in there. We couldn't do anything to it because we dont have a nurse here. So Fanfan and I, and a couple of the older boys, along with the guard brought the boy to a clinic at another orphanage. Fanfan drove us there in his truck that has a front seat, and half a back seat. There were four boys in the back seat, squished in. I was in the front seat with the boy on my lap. In the bed of the truck was the little boys aunt, another little boy that was his brother or cousin, and the guard. The roads were treacherous. There was not one smooth stretch of road the whole way there. It was terrible. So we finally got there after driving through the middle of nowhere, passing some pretty sketchy things. The guy who was going to give the boy stitches told me he wasn't even a doctor or nurse. he is a psychologist... so he started working on the boys hand. He appeared to not really know what he was doing but he was able to sew up the bottom part. He couldn't sew the side because too much of the skin was gone so he couldn't pull it together enough. On the way home I had a 14 year old, and the boy on my lap. Driving over these crazy roads in a tiny truck with a grown boy on my lap was not the most comfortable thing, but it was a good experience!
When we got home the door outside to the hallway with my room in it was locked. Fafan went up to the  window to Ericka's room and said "Mrs. Ericks, you are the worst mother in the world. Your baby is outside and you locked the door. Im going to call 911!" And he went on, it was so funny. Then she finally woke up, because she was sleeping. She came and then he said I am hungry, I want some crackers. She said "I dont have any, but I will go see what I have." She came back with some beef jerky. She said "I want to try some to see if it's good, but i don't like beef jerky." She tried some and made a disgusted face. Fanfan said "Is it Stanky?! Should I throw it away?" Ericka said "No I just don't like it. You can eat it!" So he ate some then said he was thirsty. but he didnt have a  bottle to get some of the cold water so Ericka brought him one of the pre-bottled ones but it was warm so he went on about how he was going to call 911 on the worst mother in the world. Then we went to go get his bottle from his room and came back and said he needed something else to eat because some of the boys were still p and said "Give me beef!!" and took all his beef jerky. The only thing we had was some asian noodles. So we made them. Watching him eat them was hilarious! We took video!

Sunday July 1, 2012

Today I slept in a little, but not enough! Today was CRAZY! When I woke up it was basically already time for breakfast so I decided to skip breakfast and shower and get ready. Right when I walked out of the hallway I saw a boy at the gate and I heard “Haley, keys. I need shirt.” So I walked over to the boys side to get one of them a shirt and before i knew it there were about 15 kids in this tiny closet saying they needed a shirt also. So we got all that squared away then they were saying they needed pants and socks. Eventually we got the clothes situation squared away and I started to walk back over to the girls side to finish getting ready. I saw FanFan walking up and I was going to say “Good Morning” to him and he started sprinting in the other direction, I turned around and saw Guillame carrying Shatty, and everyone else running behind frantically. Shatty was having a seizure, and had been for the last 5-10 minutes. Her dad Kevin was on the phone with a doctor, trying to figure out what to do, and he decided he would take her to the hospital. We found out later in the day that while she was at the American doctor Kevin knew she had another one, then they brought her to the hospital and she had a third one there. The doctors told them it was something viral, and that there is no rush getting her back to the states. None of us believe that. Seeing Kevin break down, and in tears because there was nothing he could do to fix this was so sad. At church this morning, and tonight i said an extra prayer for them, everyone please keep them in your prayers as well. After they left everyone went back to getting ready for church. The kids from Titanyen came up, and also my friend James from Cite Solei. We had church, which was amazing and awesome with all the little kids sitting through a 2 hour service and  singing and praising like crazy! After, everyone hung out while the kids from the city ate a snack and the team left, then we had lunch at 12:30 which was crazy because lunch isn’t supposed to be until about 2, with a snack at 11 or 11:30. So we ate lunch, then we had rest time. I took a long nap, about 2 hours. Then i got up, and hung out with the kids for the afternoon. Then we gave snack, witch was chaotic because we ran out 3 times because the kids were lying to us saying they didn’t get one when really they did, and we didn’t want to not give them one if they really didn’t get one. After snack Wesly and Woody (Teenage boys who don’t live at Grace Village, but come up every morning and stay through church after dinner) brought John, and I to their where they live to see it, and to meet their families, on the Kuboda. It is so crazy to see. I think to myself that the kids at GV do not have that much stuff, but then I see how these families are living and they have basically nothing, but yet all of them are so so happy and kind and generous. It makes me sad to think that in the states people think that if they don’t have “stuff” they cannot be happy. The people of Haiti are living proof that that is totally not true. Junior, a 17 year old boy who has no parents and was living  alone, on the streets, some days with out food. And also he wasn’t going to school until he came here. Junior doesn’t officially live here but has been staying here for about  2 weeks. When we got back from seeing where they lived Junior wanted to show us where he grew up, which was with his cousin. His cousin used to be a mechanic at the airport but after the earthquake eh lost everything and hasn’t worked since because he cannot find a job. They have basically nothing. The boys with us were going to buy something on the way home. They drove us all around the city on the Kuboda with Emilie and Wesly bouncing around in the back, John, Junior and I all squished in the front on a seat made for 2, and Woody was hanging off the side. They were driving crazy. We almost hit 3 chickens, 1 dog, we scraped up against the wall, since i was on the edge i got smacked with about 3 tree branches, we almost hit 2 girls walking, and motorcycle. On top of all that, on the way back up to Grace Village, there is a pretty steep hill we have to go up. They tried to switch gears half way up but it got stuck so we started rolling back down. They just looked around and me and Emilie are screaming and yelling “HIT THE BREAKS!!!” eventually they did and we made it back, not so safe and sound though... Dinner tonight was bag of puff corn, some got 2 bags but not all of them, and a little can of condensed milk, or coffee creamer we don’t really know. The label said “Good in Coffee, tea, baked good, and more.” They opened them by stabbing a hole in them with a giant knife, and they gave them to the kids like that, and half of them were sour... these poor kids. After dinner we had a service, then everyone went to their rooms and relaxed and went to sleep. 

June 30, 2012
This morning as i was taking a shower, the window was open and all I heard was kids walking by singing praises to God. What a great way to start the day! (: Breakfast today didn't look to appetizing so I decided to sit that one out, especially after dinner last night..

I got my hair done again today. First over on the boys side, Andy gave me some braids, then the girls brushed and braided, and secretly put all the vaseline in it... They dont realize that i don't use that for my hair like them.. at least they had fun, so i dont mind.

Today the boys were asking me if i was married, and i if i only loved one person. I told them no. They said " You need Haitian?" I said "to marry?" They said "Yes are you looking for a Haitian to marry?" I said "No, i am only 17 i am not going to get married now!" They said "He (pointed to one of the other boys) is looking for an American girl to marry, you can marry him!" hahah

One f my favorite things about these kids is how protective they are of me. If one is doing something to me that I dont like or they think it could hurt me or they are doing something to my stuff the kids will say something before I can even say anything, or sometimes before I even notice. The children here have so much love it is unbelievable. They are so sweet!

Favorite here at Grace Village-
Singing- you never go more than a minute without hearing someone singing. I love that!
Headbands (game) - They look through all the cards, the first one to find the parrot and put it on their head wins. They think that is how you play because on te box there is a girl with the parrot card on with her hands in the air like she won.
Connect four- They are always playing it! And they love when i play with them because they beat me a lot.
Justin Bieber - Baby is the new thing. I have probably heard that song more times in the last few days than I have on the radio since it has been out. They love it and even when it isn't playing on the radio they sing it loud and proud like this - "Baby, Baby, Baby, Ohhh. Baby, Baby, Baby, Ohhh, dhfjdhiuewbdjcbiaw" It is so funny to listen to. 
Taking pictures- "Photo! photo!" and "Vid-ay-o"
Soccer- They are constantly kicking a ball around
Cards- They keep a deck (usually not all of the cards because they loose them or another kid took some of them) in their pocket at all times.
Hitting - If they dont like what someone is doing they hit them. Or throw rocks at them...
Hugging - They love hugs! (:
Tickling - all the time!!
God - The children are always praising God!
Nail Polish - It is all over the floors and tables, they always want to paint their nails, but if they dont like it they rub it off, or eat it off..
Hair Braiding - There is always a girl that is doing another's hair, or mine.
Helping - The kids always want to help each other or us.
Caring for each other - The children have such big hearts ad are so caring. They are so mature, if one of the kids needs help there is always one there to do so.
Laughing - They laugh at me trying to speak french to them, they laugh at me trying to speak english to them. They laugh at each other, they laugh at their selves. Their laughs are contagious! (:

June 29, 2012.

This morning was chaotic, but the afternoon and night were maybe the best yet. I've gotten so close with so many of the kids. I feel at home here, and I feel like I am with my second family. The joy these kids spread and share, and the love they give is overflowing and contagious. Today was a HOT day! The kids that were tired, and taking naps slept on their floors, which are hard may I add, but the tile is a little cooler. After lunch we were all playing and having fun. Connect four, and cards are very popular now. The kids have apparently had a lot of practice because I lose almost every time. It rained this afternoon. The girls hung out in the hallway under the overhang and blasted their Justin Bieber, and had a dance party. I was over on the boys side. Most of us stayed out in the rain, we played "keep away" with the ball as we were all slipping and sliding around on the tile ground. Dinner tonight was the funniest thing to watch. It was this smoothie kind of thing, except it was hot. There was fruit and milk and carrots in it... None of the kids liked it. They were all trying to give it away to each other, pour it in each others cups, the brave, or just very hungry ones, tried to choke it down. Looking around the cafeteria was wonderful entertainment. The looks on these kids faces, and the motions they were making to me, and the words they were mouthing to me was hilarious! Everyone was just laughing. Priceless. <3  After dinner, I hung out with the boys while they messed around with photo booth on my computer.

I wish I could post all the pictures i have taken, so many have captured amazing moments. We took in new kids, and because they came from such a bad place and we don't know everything that went on we are doing what we can to protect them, and part of that is not posting pictures of them all over the internet, just in case.

I havent been in very good contact with my family. The internet is definetly not what it is in the U.S. But tonight I finally got a good connection with my mom and Alyssa. I miss my family but i totally love it here!!