So How Was It?

 

 

As we've been home now a while (David only the past week), we've gotten the question a lot..."How was it?"  There's a lot in that answer, and so I thought I'd give a (brief) overview of our last 6 months in Haiti. 

First of all, I think we felt so strongly that we were supposed to be there, that this is where God had called us to be.  So everything else aside, THAT'S what we wanted and that's what mattered.

I remember the first weekend we were there, looking in my cupboards and fridge and wondering what I was going to fix for supper.  Why had I bought only one pound of hamburger and a half dozen condiments when I went shopping last week??  I suddenly got a claustrophobic feeling...I didn't have a car of my own, let alone know how to drive stick shift or be able to speak the language....I was suddenly not an independent adult anymore, able to just cart off wherever and whenever I chose.  But thankfully that passed quickly, and we settled into a routine.

David was really busy the first couple weeks, but then it tapered off into more of a normal "8-5" job.  He really enjoyed the work and felt like he had been prepared through previous job experiences, and also that God was giving him the gift of ability to learn the complex systems throughout the hospital.

I enjoyed having more free time to spend with Orrin.  It seemed like at home I was always putting him in this bouncy seat or that walker to keep him occupied so I could get my work done.  So I felt for the first time that I was able to just be a mom!  How great!

You know some of our highlights as we were down in Haiti, and time passed quickly and went really well.  That came to a screeching halt about 4 weeks into this pregnancy.  Life became tough.  Days became long, and weeks looked too big to make it through.  And by the time I left, my attitude had really gone down.  To be really honest, I didn't want to be there anymore.  I hated the smells, the food, the people coming to my door, even the loudness of church.  But I also knew that as the sickness would pass, so would these feelings.  And I had told David a long time ago, that no matter what happens, we aren't going to blame Haiti.  Whatever happens could happen in the States.  No matter what, we were still supposed to be here.  So we've come full circle.


A few random thoughts.......

Best part:  We loved the work teams that came down, getting to build new relationships with lots of different people.

Worst part:  Being sick...both of us.  David came down with a bug several times, and me with the morning all day sickness of pregnancy.

Things we enjoyed the most:  Awesome weather year-round, being 45 minutes from the beach.

Things we missed about the states:  PEOPLE - friends and family!  And straight flat roads, real milk, AC Church, windows that close, and carpet.

Biggest surprise:  We had no idea how much we would feel like we were living in a fishbowl.  There was essentially nowhere to go to completely get away.  Everywhere we went...everything we did....felt like we were being watched.  And it made me question my actions....what does this look like to those living around me?  When I smiled and laughed or when I didn't, when I walked or rode in the vehicle, when I carried food up the hill to a potluck, when I hung out my laundry, or when Madam Ino came to cook...it didn't matter what I did, I wondered what others thought....how was I being perceived??  We missed just being able to blend in, be anonymous, but there was one thing that prevented that...us being white Americans living in Haiti.