Day 2

Woke up this morning with my lovely net covering me. Crap. It's now dark outside and I am realizing I still didn't figure out a way to hang it. I'll probably be using it as a blanket yet again. 

Anyways. I got up around six and showered. The water was cold and then to my surprise started to get warm. Who knew we'd even have hot running water in Haiti?! Not me! Hardly even a third world country... Kidding. I brushed my teeth with our bagged water, went to the bathroom, started my period. Cooool. Of course that would happen. Had it in Israel and got it in Haiti as well. Glad we taught the female reproductive system yesterday. A nice little review of what's happening in my body. 

We had breakfast prepared for us at 8. The way the organization is set up is so cool. Depending on how long you stay it costs anywhere from $2,400 - $3,600. That money goes directly to our cost of living and flights. We have a house with running water, clean water provided for us all the time, guards (who stay at the house throughout the entire day), translators (who come with us most everywhere we go), drivers (who pick us up from the airport), a lady who prepares, cooks and cleans up all three meals 6 days a week, a lady who does our laundry once a week, and money for transportation. I'm basically living in paradise here. The volunteers that are staying here the entire summer are not paid. Their costs are taken care of but they don't make any money. How incredible is that?! Ashley works all year with this organization, planning meetings, scheduling meetings, figuring out the money and living situations and she isn't paid at all. I am so impressed with each of the volunteers who have out so much time and effort into making curriculums and gave up their entire summer! 

Back to breakfast. We had mangos, cookies, pineapple, pastries, hard boiled eggs, toast and cheese (that was for you dad). That mangos here are incredible. They grow in trees just in our neighbors yard. 

After breakfast the health volunteers got together and taught a couple of the workers at our house. If the goal of sustain Haiti is to help educate those living here so that they can educate themselves what better way to help than to teach those around us?! Plus. Nerlande and Stanley are both so very smart. They could really contribute to their community. Stanley is one of our drivers (he picked me up from the airport, is in the bishopric here, his wife cooks for us and is just starting to learn English) and Nerlande is wayyy good at English! During our lesson with them we talked about the different jobs of arteries, veins and capillaries. We were able to go quite in depth with them. I feel like I'm learning just as much as them.

After our lesson we headed to an orphanage. We walked to where the "tap tap" (A truck with two benches, one on either side of the bed with a tin roof which you "tap" when you want to get off. They hold about 15 people crammed in there.) picked us up. The "tap tap" had been parked for a couple min when we got on so it was insanely sweaty. We only sat there without driving for about 2min but those two min felt like I was in a sauna. While on the taptap a woman told Matt in creole that she, "wanted to bathe with him in her bikini in the ocean.." Matt didn't understand what she said so he responded with "wi wi (yes yes)" and "anfum (awesome)". Nerlande started cracking up at his response and once we got off the taptap she explained what had been said. Quite funny. We walked about 20min to get to the orphanage.

Right when we walked up many of the young kids were not wearing any pants and none had diapers. We each got sent to a class to teach. I had no idea what to teach. My class was about 25 kids and they were all about 8years old. Nerlande came with me and translated and helped come up with what to teach. We ended up going over the alphabet, learning "head, shoulders, knees and toes", learning the names of animals and having  a mini health lesson. I was probably teaching for about an hour and a half. If anyone has teaching ideas/activities for young kids - help me out! It was really fun, but I still want so badly to be able to communicate with them. Nerlande was the best translator! And she recommended that we teach them head shoulders knees and toes! The kids were all excited to learn anything in English. I wish there was a way to help them remember things. We'd go over things a million times but it was still hard, I know that's how it always is when learning new things. But my lack of communication probably gets in the way as well.

After class was over I went and hung out with the young kids. One of the girls looked like she was about two (from her face and hair) but her body was the size of an 8month old and she couldn't stand. At first I thought she should be walking and running around but it was like holding a young baby. The kids were so wanting of love and affection. I let a few if them drink out of my water bottle. The one baby girl downed it. She was sooo thirsty. 

We took the taptap back to out house and had lunch. It was about 3 in the afternoon. We then prepared a lesson to go teach at 4.  We prepared to teach about hypertension and cholera. 

We took the motos for about 25min to get the cement building that we taught in. The lady we had contact with in that area was a voodoo priest, pretty interesting.

Yet again the turnout for out class was larger and more interested than I would have expected. The age ranged from 2-70. 

We ended up teaching a real quick lesson on English. And then taught about the digestive system and the immune system. You can tell when they begin to understand because they have so many questions when things start to click. The 70 year old man had a couple very interesting questions. The first one was if we don't get enough nutrients does our body start to run out of blood? I had never even thought about that. How lucky am I to have been raised somewhere where education was provided to me?? His other question was  why alcohol affected people. He was 70 and didn't understand alcohol. How crazy is that? We grow up thinking things are common sense but it's because of the opportunities provided to us. Being here is quite humbling. 

We rode the moto's home. Nerlande took the time to go over some creole with me. She's the best. And quite patient cause I'm sure my attempts at pronunciations are quite comical. 

We had dinner which consisted of rice with pinto beans, a vegetable beef goulash, carrots, beers and potatoes. Yet again it all tasted incredible! 

The power just went out so I'm on the roof watching the stars. It's pretty amazing here. 

The orphanage class we taught today. 

Riding on the Moto

Matt teaching in the cement building. 

WELCOME TO HAITI

Day 1 

I don't have much internet time. And I only have my phone. Sorry in advance about the terrible grammar. 

Made it to Haiti. 

Took a while to get through customs. 

Everyone tried to "help us with our luggage". They really just wanted money. 

Found Ashley, the only white person waiting for us. 

Two Haitians were with her and they took us to their car. 

We drove to our house, Indiana jones style. No lanes. Pot holes. Swerving. Lots of honking. This place is so poor. Soo sooo poor. People were lining the streets walking around everywhere. In the middle of the day. Who knows that they do. The building are all so colorful. It is poor but so colorful. Bright oranges, reds, greens and yellows. 

It took us about an hour and a half to drive 20 miles. 

We got to the house and everything was larger and cleaner than I thought.  It was behind a locked gate (I'm sure dad will be happy to hear that). We have guards on about 12 hours a day (members of the church). 3 story house. Similar to Hawaii style. Very open. 

Top two floors are our rooms (which consist of an open room and a pad on the floor) and bathrooms.  

We had a couple hours of free time. So we got set up. Made my bed, unpacked... 

I talked with Ashley about the organization and how it all started. It's pretty incredible - I'll have to go into that more later.  (Laundry, meals, water...) 

Eventually all the volunteers got back from teaching somewhere. They ran in and told us to get ready to go. We went downstairs hopped on a "moto" (a ghetto motorcycle we somehow squeezed 3 people on). We rode for probably about 20 min (Indiana jones style yet again). We rode on dirt roads, through dirty streams, passed huts and through what looked like little villages. We pulled up to a school to teach about the Reproductive organs. I felt pathetic. I didn't do any of the teaching I was just listening today - but I don't speak any French or creole. I wasn't able to communicate at all. I had a hard time even getting names. I'm going to try really hard to learn basic conversational phrases. 

Anyways When I say we pulled up to a school I mean we pulled up to a brick building that had a couple doors, a couple windows and each room had a few benches in it with a chalk board at the front of the room. 

There were a lot more people waiting for us than I had expected - probably around 25. Granted I had no idea what to expect. But they came to learn with no one forcing them. What teenagers would come to a class to learn on their own in the states. Not many that I know unless they were getting something out of it. But I'm sure many of the people here don't have the opportunity to attend school. In the class It was mainly young men who seemed to be between the ages of 11-17 and a few girls. 

I listened as the other volunteers taught about sperm, eggs, tubes, testicles, hormones and willingly answered any questions the students had. The volunteers started out as basic as you can get. They drew on the chalkboard the women's reproductive system. And said, "each woman has a cell, an egg..." We had a translator with us who translated everything. The students became very interested once they started to understand. They had so many questions. About everything. Twins, wet dreams, what causes an erection, masterbation, when pregnancy occurs. One questions was what makes you want to have sex... So we talked about hormones.  At first I was like woahhhhh the little kids. But then I thought it was better for them to get correct information than to never be educated in the topic.  

The class lasted about an hour and a half and then we rode back. We have a lady at the house who cooks for us so we all sat on the floor and ate together. Black beans, which I couldn't actually find any beans just a soupyness, white rice, chicken legs, and some potatoes in some sauce. It all tasted incredible! I'm not even joking, it was delicious. While eating the volunteers all shared stories about their day. 

Matt had to treat a 2nd degree burn today. Someone who had been given a first aid kit had tried to take care of it themselves. But had made it worse by pouring baby powder on and locking in the infection. We talked about how people want to be given all the materials (like it's some sort of magic fix) but don't actually have any real understanding. He ended up having to cut off a large portion if their skin which could have been avoided had they taken care of it correctly. (Prevention vs treatment)  

After we had FHE together and talked about gratitude. I am incredibly grateful to be here. 

Once that was finished I said up my mosquito net/canopy. Let me tell you. That was a process. It took so freaking long. I was climbing in the window sill and sweating like crazy trying to get it to stay up. Michael one of the other volunteers helped me and we finally, after a ton of duct tape, thought we had it. 

We then all got internet for a little, played card games and talked for a while. I tried to learn a little creole from Matt. 

A few of us went up on the roof and looked at the stars. 

I am now laying in my bed. Sweating like a pig because my damn mosquito net fell down and it's just laying on me. At this point I'd rather just take the thing off and sleep in the open... But being a public health major my pride keeps me from doing that. I've argued too many times that if people would just sleep with a mosquito net they could solve so many problems. In classes we've talked about whether it was better to give them to communities or have people earn them for themselves... What would have a more lasting effect? Welp. Now I understand. They just suck. If I didn't understand the risks no one could talk me into using this dumb thing that's basically suffocating me as I type. I always used to think it would be so simple to hang. Welp not with cement walls and nothing else. Anyways. First days was a great success. I already wish I could stay longer. Four weeks is gonna fly by. 

2 Things: 

We drink water from bags. 

Mosquito nets SUCK (as the last part attached to the wall fell on my head)

"Kijan ou rele" - means "what you called" essentially ---> what is your name