Christmas Party

Sorry I haven't written in a long time, things have been a little crazy around here. One of the workers went on vacation to visit her sister in the U.S. Anther worker's uncle died so she's been gone for a while. And the laundry lady's brother died so she hasn't come for a few days and won't be back for a few more. That means there's only one worker here to help us cook, clean, watch the kids, and do laundry. Plus, all the kids are still on break from school so there's no relief. Yikes! But we've been hanging in there and no one has died yet. Although, one of the BIG three year olds STEPPED on Jackson today while he was sleeping on the floor... I almost had a heart attack. Jackson wasn't hurt in the mishap thank God.

Anyway, today was the Christmas party for the kids at the orphanage that Sue works with. We go to the church there every Sunday. The orphanage has about 30 kids. The party was for all the parents of the kids from that orphanage. The party was festive and had cute decorations. There were even Christmas lights which I was excited about.

All the kids did little performances including singing, dancing, skits, and reciting poems. Some of our kids got to sing song in front of everyone which was cute to watch. Jenifer, Claudeson, Michaelle and Samantha said poems too. Let me just tell you, THAT was the best part. I think that the poems from our kids were spontaneous. I say that because Michaelle (age 8) said a poem which made everyone laugh. Her poem was about a chicken who took a big sh*t on the floor and made a mess. Sue was not happy. However, the workers and I couldn't stop laughing.

The pastor wanted Sue and I to get up to say a little something to all the people. They love introducing white people during gatherings like church or parties.. I hate talking in front of people but I did it anyway. And I did it in Creole too! Woop.

We got home late from the party and all the kids just climbed right into bed. It was almost 2 hours past their bedtime! I should have climbed into bed but instead I wrote a blog.

The next big event I'm looking forward to is that AMY MIRAMONTES IS COMING TO HAITI!!! I'm beyond excited to see her. I'm planning on going to Leogane with her so I'll get to see her AND the girls. Yay!

That's all for now folks, hope you had a wonderful Christmas like me!

fete pou lekol paske nou preske genyen Nwel

The kids who go to school were having a Christmas party to celebrate the end of their mid term exams. The kids have been talking about it forever! There was good food, dancing, fancy outfits, and they even got a gift. I could tell that the kids who are home schooled were definitely jealous when the other kids talked about it. A few days ago, Jennifer suggested we have our own party at home. What a wonderful idea! So Sue and I put together a little party for them. On Tuesday morning, all the home schooled kids put on fancy outfits to "go" to the party here. It was sweet. Peter and SonSon changed their clothes about three times each before they were satisfied with their choice. Our party consisted of Christmas themed color-by-number, peanut butter cookie baking, dancing to Christmas music, watching the movie "Elf,"  and of course eating candy canes (thanks Amy!). I also let them open Christmas presents that my mom had sent. She sent three educational computer programs for us to use during school. We tried them out today and the kids LOVE THEM! It's going to be such a great tool to help the kids get acquainted with using computers as well as giving them a new way to be excited about learning. They're surprisingly quick learners so far for not being exposed to a computer ever before.

Christmas is right around the corner but sometimes it doesn't feel like it. The normal indicators of Christmas to me are not here. It's not cold, there's no extra traffic, I haven't been Christmas shopping, I haven't drank a cinnamon dolce latte out of a red starbucks cup, and I haven't driven down candy cane lane or gone to the drive through nativity (don't laugh fan). It's the strangest Christmas I've ever had. I am very thankful to be able to experience Christmas in a different way though. The biggest way that we will celebrate is by going to a party at a different orphanage. I'm very excited! The kids are too. Sometimes I miss the things from home that make Christmas feel like Christmas. But the more I think about it, the more I realize how unnecessary a lot of it is. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas. But a lot of the things that make Christmas fun for me cost money money money.

Here is the contrast that I've been thinking about:

I could buy a Christmas tree for my house --or-- A kid could have one cup of milk a day for a month

I could buy three lattes from Starbucks --or-- I could send a kid to school for a month

I could buy a fancy bike for a kid --or-- I could enroll a Haitian child in school for a year

I could buy $100 worth of Christmas decorations --or-- I could buy a kid a uniform, books, and shoes for one school year

I really love Christmas, and I probably will buy Christmas presents for people next year. I probably will buy a Christmas tree and I probably will buy lattes from Starbucks. I'm not suggesting that anyone give up all their Christmas traditions. But I think it's important to remember at what costs those things come. According to one survey, people estimated that they would spend $646 on gifts this year for Christmas (http://americanresearchgroup.com/holiday/). That's a lot of money! I know people get the "let's not be selfish" lecture every year around this time and I know that it's not a crime to buy your niece a nice Christmas gift. It's just something that's been on my heart more than ever this Christmas.

It's good to be in Haiti for Christmas. It's good to know that I can be happy without all those hallmark Christmas "necessities." It's good to see money being spent wisely and out of real necessity. It's good to be in a place where society isn't pressuring me to spend money on Christmas. I am hoping that by being here in Haiti, I can really make a change next year and be more wise about where my money goes. Not only for Christmas, but throughout the year. We are all aware of what real necessity is, I'm just blessed to see it first hand and let it affect me to the point of change.

picz

Jackson and Noah in their shirts that I bought them. These shirts are a necessity for every Haitian  boy.

Bein' crazy

Living in Haiti with 18 children means…

Sometimes waking up every three hours to feed my infant twins

Killing spiders the size of my palm

Eating ants with every meal

Doing laundry by hand and missing the scent of tide

Falling asleep to the sound of singing and preaching at the church nearby

Waking up to the sound of dogs fighting over dirty diapers and garbage in the pile right outside my window

Sharing a bathroom with little boys (who pee on the seat regularly)

Showering in cold water

Learning Creole because I want to understand what my students are saying when they’re being sassy

Going to sleep at 8p.m. and waking up at 5a.m.

Getting weird ailments that 

Eating chicken bones

Being cold when it’s 70 degrees outside

Waking up to step in a puddle of pee from one of the many kids who pee the bed at night then cleaning them so they can go back to sleep in dry jammies

Being walked in on by a child while I’m showering 40% of the time

Finding pee in the bucket in my room that I use to give the babies a bath (a three year old ratted out her 2 year old friend as the culprit. Thanks for the tip Dianna!)

Sleeping in a twin bed with a three year old after I have taken her back to bed after the 3^rd time

Fitting 24 people into a 8 passenger van

Learning to be less judgmental about a new culture

Playing every day and never running out of playmates (I often forget to play when I’m in the states)

Appreciating a cup of ice water like never before

Teaching and learning more in one day than I did in one week when I was home

Loving and being loved

Needing to rely on something bigger than myself to sort out many of the things I see here

Learning how unnecessary “stuff” is in life

Learning how to be appreciative of what I have and putting things into perspective

Being stressed and exhausted more then I have in my life but realizing that with God, all things are possible

And loving (almost!) every second of it!!

Look how much they've grown!

Day one

Now!

It's a chico kind of day

Left to right: Francesca, Dianna, Scheelanda, Bebej, Betchina, Mislanda, Juliette, and in the front is Samantha)

I LOVE these big smiles I get every day!

They love each other

Baby got his hair done. But he was mad and said he doesn't want to look like a girl.

Chico/styrofoam with cheese. Yum.

Life's been good here. The boys are getting HUGE and doing really well. School has been going surprisingly well. It's been a challenge to give attention to each of the five kids in different grades and at completely different ability levels but I'm getting it done. Usually I have a baby in my arms as well. It's a challenge but it's good for me and testing my patience. I've been trying to make an effort to get out and play and dance with the kids more too. One of the girls told me the other day that she likes it when other American's come to visit because they play more than I do. That made me really sad. I have to be in the house watching the babies most of the time though. I think the kids see me as wanting to be inside rather than playing with them and that is not the case. Therefore, I'm making an effort to go play whenever I can. I hope it will improve my relationship with all the kids. It's hard to balance the teacher/playmate/big sister aspect of being here. It's an interesting combo!

My friend Tom from Extollo arrived in Haiti the other day for some work and he came to visit me. He also came bearing gifts! Amy and my family sent some Christmas treats and presents with him. Tom took me out to lunch which was a nice break. Yay for Haiti hamburgers (or "yambagas" as they like to say) and french fries! After Tom left  I had the kids color some Christmas coloring pages and we ate the candy canes that Amy sent. They loved the candy canes almost as much as I did!

That's all I got for now!

Bon Fete!

It's the boys birthday today! They're three months old now. Big kids almost.

I don't remember if I mentioned that all the kids were coughing and not feeling well but now everyone is pretty much better.

We made little booklets with the Christmas story for today's craft. That was fun.

Tomorrow a friend from the U.S. is coming to visit (if he can follow my directions to find the place... "turn right at the big pot hole, and left at the place with lots of tents")

I wish I had more to say but that's all that's all the updates I got.

Pictures

Sheelanda, Bebej, Diana, and Francesca

We were decorating for Christmas...

Mislanda

Babysitter

Chicken, rice, bean sauce. My favorite meal!! Before...

After.

jackson

noah

our classroom

Sheelanda's birthday!

Noah (headband courtesy of Michaelle), Michaelle, and me

It's hard raising kids for someone else

I am starting to realize more and more how hard it's going to be to leave these baby boys. I'm with them 24/7 and take care of their every need. I love them so much and they love me. We're attached. Whenever I see their big smiles I think how hard it would be for me to even leave them for a week. How much harder will it be in 7 months when I know them that much more?

Busy busy!

Sue just left this morning to visit family in the State's for two weeks so I've been busy today. It was a good day though. I got through school with all five kids while watching Noah and Jackson. The kids are getting SO good at their lessons. I love teaching them.

Noah and Jackson are still sick but getting better. The other kids in the house are all sick too with a nasty cough. Nighttime is the worst for them. Poor things. Be praying for them!

I don't really have any other updates or exciting things to say. Oh, except that I got to watch Home Alone today and it was nice. And i learned two new songs in Creole.

my life

Surprise

On Monday, Sue had a wonderful surprise for me! I was having a rough morning and the kids were getting on my nerves. Sue went to the bank with her driver and when she got back she said, "go get your shoes on, we're going somewhere." My kids were in the middle of school and she said, "go hand that baby to someone else and tell your kids school's over." She didn't tell me where we were going the whole ride. We drove past the airport and she promised that she wasn't making me fly home. She ended up taking me to a fancy hotel where we ate a delicious buffet! Guess what was in the buffet? TURKEY! Usually I don't even like turkey but I was so sad when I missed it on Thanksgiving. It was such a nice surprise! The food was delicious and it was a refreshing break.

Yesterday was a productive day. I got a lot of chores done after school including laundry, mopping my room, organizing my room a little better, and redecorating our school room for Christmas with our snowflakes. This Saturday we'll make new Christmas crafts to add to our decorations.

Last night the boys were up ALL night. The poor things were coughing up a storm. They have had this cough for weeks now. All the kids in the house are coughing at night. Allergy medicine helps the older kids but I can't do anything for my boys. Yesterday afternoon they started wheezing which worries me. I heard of a good doctors office within walking distance to us so one of the workers and I walked with the boys there after lunch. They couldn't take us but we're going to go tomorrow morning. Hopefully they can help us! These sleepless nights are making me crazy!

Two of the girls here (Mislanda and Beshlanda) may be going home with their mother. Their mother comes to visit frequently. Today she came and informed us that she is planning on taking Beshlanda, the younger sister, home with her this summer but that she does not want Mislanda and still wants her to be adopted. Sue's place is a home for kids who are up for adoption. She is not an orphanage. The mother of the girls had agreed to put her girls up for adoption when she brought them to Sue. In Haiti, a mother can always change her mind up until the child leaves Haiti.

It hit me hard when I saw the mother tell her younger daughter that she was taking her home. The older sister was sitting off away from her mother and sister but was fully aware of what was happening. She showed no emotions when her mother was telling Sue that she wanted to keep the younger girl but adopt out the older girl. I am so surprised at the strength of these kids. I can't imagine being 7 years old and having my mother tell me that she is taking my brother but giving me away. I wonder what was going on in her mind. When Sue told the mother that she was not going to take just one girl the mother thought about it for a while. I think she finally decided that she wants to take both girls home. I'm happy for them. Beshlanda asked her mom, "are you taking us home with you?" When the mother said yes, Beshlanda jumped up and down with excitement. Mislanda came over and found out and they both were bouncing off the walls. Strangely enough, they started talking about all the food that they were going to eat when they went home. I am happy for them both that they will get to be with their mother. But I'm worried for the girls. I worry about their connection with their mom. How can they bond with their mother when every day they wondered if their mom would want them. How these Haitian kids can handle rejection then acceptance then rejection again is beyond me. But a mother is always a mother and I hope that they will trust her and that she loves them with everything she has.

Every day I'm surprised and impressed by how strong these kids are. I know that it's in their blood because even Noah and Jackson have it. They are physically the strongest babies I have ever seen. Haitians have been through so much oppression throughout their history and it is continuing on. They have to be strong to survive. I admire their strength. The more I see and read about Haiti leads me to believe that Haitian's give most of the credit for this strength to God. They are such spiritual people and their strength overflows from the physical and emotional to the spiritual. There's so much I need to learn from them!

Snow

Today the kids and I made coffee filter snow flakes to decorate for the holidays. We looked in some of the story books they have here for pictures of snow. The kids know what snow is and know the name in Creole. Then we watched Frosty the Snow man and the Grinch on their tv which was fun.

As you can see from the pictures I just posted, the boys are ADORABLE. I'm in trouble because I'm madly in love and I don't know what will happen when I have to leave them. Sue had found two couples who wanted to adopt them but they both didn't work out. If you are reading this and you live in California you should probably think about adopting them... I want to live near them when they go to the states.

Today it was Sue's turn to stay home and my turn to go to church. On our way home the big truck got a flat tire so the driver went back to get a new car to take us the rest of the way home. He came back with a 7 passenger SUV. There were 19 of us. Haiti is a magical place because of many things but the way that many Haitians can fit into small vehicles is one of them. We could have fit at least 5 more humans in that car.

In our school at home we are learning about the verse in the Bible that goes "love is patient, love is kind" etc. Each day we have been discussing what each word means. Outside today I heard ALL the kids reciting the verse in English. All the home school kids had taught the other kids the words. That made me smile.

The boys have still been sleeping well at night only waking up once in the night and then again at 5:30. That means longer stretches where I get to sleep. Yay! I hope that tonight they keep it up!

Bon nwit!

Photos

Jenifer and I made the same face on accident

And again..

And a third time. I thought it was blog worthy. 

All of us ready for church (sans Peter. He was tying his shoes.) 

Goofball and Jackson. Just look at that face! I love them.

Noah and Jackson

This is our ride to church. The back of a truck all caged in. It's a bouncy ride and pretty dusty.

Thanksgiving and more

Thanksgiving was a sad day for me. I really missed my family. But today I feel a lot better and don't feel as sad. I cried a few tears yesterday and one of the kids asked me if I was sad because I didn't get turkey on thanksgiving. Sue and I went to a little restaurant in town and I ate french fries and she had chicken nuggets for our Thanksgiving treat. That was nice. It was also Betchina's birthday today. She turned 5 and we got to eat cake for dinner. That was delicious. Even though the weather doesn't agree, it is starting to feel holidayish around here. In the stores people are decorating for Christmas and playing Christmas songs. Soon the kids will make some paper chains and other decorations for the house. It's not the same as being home but at least I'm not missing the holidays all together!

The babies have been sleeping really well at night. It makes my days a lot happier when I get more than 5 hours of sleep! School has been going really great with the kids too. I feel like these kids are learning so fast. Peter is talking in English so well now it's amazing. He's saying so many new words and chooses to speak in English rather than Creole to me a lot more often now. I really have been enjoying teaching and seeing the kids learn. Today, I showed peter a new way to do his math problems because previously he had been using crayons as place holders to add and subtract. Now his books are getting into the higher numbers and it's taking longer and longer to do the problems and count out 15 crayons or whatever. I showed him how to start at 9 and count up to add instead of starting at one. It's very nice. We also practiced our "doubles" (1+1, 2+2, etc) and both Michaelle and Peter have them memorized. I'm still working on trying to get Michaelle to try the new way of doing math. She'll get it soon enough I'm sure. 

The kids are super good at reading as well. We play games with their flash cards that they make which they really enjoy. I am trying to think of a way to get them to better be able to sound out words. They are so quick at memorizing their sight words from their reading but when I show them a new word, they have difficulty sounding it out. They need more practice knowing what sounds the letters make since the Creole and French alphabet is so different from the English alphabet. I'm trying to figure out a way to make this easier for them. 

I have been in a better mood too because the kids have been a lot less sassy recently. I decided that I wanted to spend more time with the kids who aren't home schooled so I sent all the home schoolers outside and kept some of the other kids inside to do puzzles and play games with. We all had a lot of fun. The home schoolers were mad at me for sending them outside but they got over it quickly (which is unusual) and we ended the night on a good note. That felt nice. 

Claudson (10 year old brother to Peter) is so darling with the babies. He has been watching them so much recently. The other day he watched them for almost 2 hours while I did laundry. I didn't hear them cry once. It's adorable to see him beam when I tell him what a good papa he is to them. He's a wonderful little guy. 

A few days ago, Sue was showing me pictures of Claudson and Peter's house and family in the U.S. There were pictures of their mom, dad, siblings and house. She gave the photos to the boys to have. Claudsons' face just lit up so fast when she handed him the pictures. He kept saying "for me? for me??" He held the picture of his mom and dad and just smiled and showed it to me proudly and said "that's my mama and papa!" Tears started welling up in my eyes because I felt happy for him. I also felt so sad that so many kids don't have a family to cherish. I realized the good that will come of these kids going to the US and was happy that these boys will have families who will love them and stick with them. But I also feel torn because I want these kids to be Haitian and love Haiti and grow up here. Most of the kids at Sue's have families who gave them up. I know most of their parents live in situations that are not ideal in raising up a child. They are poor and many live in tent cities where sexual abuse and crime are not uncommon. I'm sure the kid's parents were struggling with paying for food and other necessities as are most parents in Haiti. However, I've been thinking a lot recently about the affect that foreign aid has on parents who give their children up for adoption or to orphanages. I wonder if by all the American's coming to help and offer children a safe environment, it encourages families to give their children away. 

I guess I need to have faith that God will give these children what is best for them. I'm just curious to know if U.S. interference in Haiti has increased the amount of kids who are abandoned by their parents and families. I hope to God not. It's heartbreaking to walk down the street and have a father walking his daughter home from school yell out to me "ou bezwen?" In other words, "do you want my child?" while shoving his 4 year old daughter towards me. I don't want that reputation. I want to help kids who have no one. And I want to help families who have little resources stay together. That is my hope for Haiti. That families are not split apart. I don't think the answer to "curing" hurting children in Haiti is by sending kids to the U.S. I think life in Haiti is hard, but that breaking families apart only makes it harder. 

I am happy that the kids here have the chance to have families in the U.S. I know that they'll have wonderful opportunities to do things like play sports and go to gymnastics and go to college and have a warm bed and maybe a pet dog. But not every child in Haiti is going to have that opportunity. I know that in a perfect world all children would have these things but I think it's important to think about answers that will help Haitians on a wider scale. I think the kids here are going to have a better life in the U.S. But I think that the good could stop there with that one child. My hope is that these kids will not forget about their native country. I hope that they will grow up to love Haiti and be proud of where they come from. Haitians are proud of their country and I don't want these kids to lose that. My hope is that they will grow into people who will come back to Haiti to improve the lives of people who didn't get the opportunity to escape the poverty.