The world is so diverse! Wherever we go, we find things we love and things that we don't so much :) But here are some of the things we love about where we find ourselves now...
The People. Yes, people are people everywhere. After making headway in cracking the language code, and observing how they live their lives, we find we aren't so much different after all. Their wants, desires, stresses, work, families, and households are much like ours....there are some obvious differences, a lot due to life circumstances, but really much is the same. The people here are just as much made in God's image as anyone else in the world. And after all, the people are what we came here for.
The Weather. Wow. This place is really about the perfect temperature year round. In the "winter" it's a beautiful mid-70's, and in the summer it hits up around mid-high 80's. In the summer we get some really warm ones, and it's sticky, but it's really do-able, even without AC. We're super spoiled here on our mountain too, even more so than lots of other parts of Haiti. If you head down Les Cayes in the valley, it is generally always 10 degrees hotter than here in Bonne Fin. You know the temperature is great when people say they say they can't go out in the rain...to them it's like a blizzard!
The. Beaches. Are. Exquisite. Warm water (so much warmer than Florida), and there's hardly ever anyone else around. It is the perfect place to go relax for an afternoon when your stress meter is hitting the red. The kids love to splash around in the water as much as they love "swimming" in the sand. I think they would live at the beach if they could.
Visuals of the Word. It seems like we step back in time a little when we come here. There are so many things now that I can picture when I read the Bible....the dusty feet after walking on rocky roads, the women carrying water on their heads, the fishermen in their boats.
The Herds of Goats. For some reason, there is something that draws me to those goats and their herders. As we come up the mountain in the evening, you invariably pass several men and their herds, I assume heading home after the day of grazing and watering. It seems like a peaceful sort of life.
The Beauty. This island of mountains and oceans and palm trees and flowers and hidden waterfalls is so much more beautiful than I expected. Sometimes you find that everything fits together to make a magnificent picture that just about makes your heart ache for the beauty of it. One of my favorite things to see are the clouds as they pass over the sun - casting great shadows on the mountains, bringing out the deep green of the trees, making the scene rich and colorful.
The New Experiences. We love making fun discoveries! It may be a new food, a breathtaking view, different restaurant, or a fun experience. Discovering the person who makes and sells delicious coated peanuts, or the stand by the side of the road that sells bonbon siwo (translated: syrup cake, kind of like gingerbread). For David's birthday, we went to Cayes to do some errands, ate at a wonderful Bistro, and then stopped by a "garden" where they grow and sell flowers and plants and trees. It was so much more than expected. It was quiet, peaceful, beautiful, and there was so much work that had gone into it. Every little discovery like that is so exciting!
The other night we went on a "date" out by the reservoir to stargaze. The ridge we sit on overlooks a great valley with another mountain range on the other side. We thought our stargazing was going to be ruined when the clouds started moving in, but it was like God was putting on a show for just us. On top of the far mountain range, a group of cumulus clouds gathered, and lightning lit them up from behind and inside. It lasted an hour, right there in front of us. We were bummed that we were going to be missing fireworks for the 4th of July, but we thought that this was a pretty awesome exchange.
The Fresh Produce. Every Saturday, we get a fridge full of fresh market produce. Cabbage, carrots, potatoes, green and hot peppers, onions, pineapple, grapefruit, bananas, avocados....on and on. It is cool to think of the local farmers that bring their produce to the local market to sell. And if you go into town to the grocery store, sometimes you can find other exciting things like broccoli, cucumbers, apples, lettuce and even grapes!
The Flowers. Growing things here is crazy. You whack off a part of a flower or tree that you want, stick it in the ground, water it a few times, and viola! it grows! We also have fruit vines growing in our yard that we never planted. One fall, they just appeared and started producing loads of beautiful juice-making grenadia fruit. And how many times in the states do you get a flower petal strewn pathway to walk on on your way to church? Here, the beautiful Flamboyant tree drops it's beautiful red leaves and carpets our path.
The Black Skin. Black is beautiful, right? We feel really pasty white and blemish-y in comparison :) But it's kind of funny. Human nature is such that we're never satisfied with what we have. So many times people say to me that they're ugly because they're black. And I tell them that white people want to be darker! I guess we need to tell God thanks for the way He made us and yet appreciate the differences.
Singing and worship. The Haitian culture is such that they put everything into their singing. It's a different style than what we grew up with and are "used to" but we try to embrace it as much as we can. Singing on your own or in groups is a big part of their church service, and no one seems to be afraid of going up and making a joyful noise :). Employees can be found singing when they're working, and I've had patients in the OR who sang hymns when they were scared or in pain.
Si Dye Vle. Translated, it means "If God wants" or in our lingo "Lordwilling". In the States it is rare to hear this, but that is totally not the case here. Everyone tags it onto anything they talk about in the future. "See you tomorrow, si Dye vle." or "I will take the medicine tomorrow, si Dye vle." Unfortunately, I kind of think it's more of a cultural thing than an actual belief for some people, but I know there are those who truly are saying it in the way it is meant.
The Rice and Beans. Ok, I could do a whole blog post on rice and beans. Maybe I will sometime. It's amazing the difference of flavors that you can get from essentially the same dish. We eat them several times a week, and really never get tired of them. Totally going to have to figure out how to cook them before we move back!
The Multilingual-ness. In America, we think everyone speaks English. That everyone should speak English. We think it's really the only language out there. All the other ones are just play languages. Having someone truly bilingual in the States is pretty rare unless they recently immigrated or have good reason to be. Here in Haiti, most everyone is at least bi-lingual. Most schools teach Creole and French. Creole is an off-shoot of French, an "easier" version, so it is the obvious choice for a second language. French is also the medical/business language since most of the textbooks are in French (so textbooks don't have to be written or translated into Creole). So most kids who get out of school speak both languages. Then a lot of these people learn English because they know it's also a "leg up" in life. And then some even go on and learn Spanish (the DR next door speaks Spanish and Cuba speaks their variety of Spanish too). I just think it's pretty impressive that people can be multi-lingual...I have a new appreciation for how hard it is to be even "decent" in a second language, let alone a third or fourth. As much as I think this is cool, it is sometimes a source of frustration for us, when we are still learning language #2 (Creole) and people start talking to us, writing letters to us, or reading the Bible in French.
The Smell of Diesel. Especially in the cities like Port au Prince or Cayes, the air is heavy with the smell of diesel. I know I'm weird, but I love it. Even in the states sometimes I catch a whiff of diesel, and it takes me right back to those hot, crowded streets, full of old trucks spewing emissions into the air.
Even though this post has been focused on the positives, I know that a lot of people are probably wondering about our situation at the hospital right now. So just a brief update. Right now, things are calm. Other than the first week, we have had no roadblocks. That was used as an attention-getter to make a point. Now we are in the talking phase. As I had posted last time, this week has some critical dates. On Wednesday the 13th, there will be a meeting that will include the MEBSH leadership, Hospital Lumiere administration, government officials, and representatives from the community. Please pray for all those involved, and that a positive outcome can come from this for all sides.
