February 28, 2009

Bon maten tout moun! yes, I know I have not been writing much. I haven't really felt like I had anything to write about. It seems the longer I am here, the things I would marvel and be amazed at previously now seem everyday. I guess it's like the frog placed in the pot of water. You slowly raise the heat and the frog stays there, gradually accustomed to it, and will stay in water till....well, till you have frog soup. It seems life here, like anywhere else, grows on you. I no longer look at Haiti as a grand, exotic experiment in my life. It seems much more like, well, home. It certainly has it's share of inconveniences, but then again, so did living in Madison, Il. Here there are really some advantages. Life is run, just differently. There is not much hustle and bustle if you don't want it. Gary and Caroline have a more busy life because they are involved in the things like Saturday Bible school. They have to prepare for it every week. Then there are the teams that come in, scheduling, arranging, itinerating (?!?), all that stuff.

For me, life is slower. I am gradually getting more comfortable with the Creole. This morning Rose came in to get money to go buy food for the school for the next two weeks. She looked at me and started going on in Creole until she saw the look on my face. At the same time she smiled and laughed I was saying "DOUSMAN, TANPRI, DOUSMAN!" that means slower, please, slower! so she slowed it down and I got about half of it. I knew most of the words but those I don't know as well take the time to run around in my brain for a second going thru tradwi (translation) and I miss the next 3 words. It is improving, though.

A funny thing about life being slower, it gives me time to think more and actually life here seems to go so fast. Maybe it is because I don't spend as much time thinking about the garbage of life as much. I spend much more of my time thinking about people and God and pouki sa sa, why this or that. I can't believe February is over, it JUST STARTED YESTERDAY! I will be home in a few months and my plans are to work at the VA in a summer job that is coming available. Darcy is having a baby (anko=again!) and is taking the summer off. Funny thing how she has her babies in the summer all the time... :) I will get to work as contract labor for the VA and it will be a great blessing to me financially. I am hoping the business thing will still work out for me to do audiology work here, assuming I return full time.

I am thinking I will, but I do not assume circumstances and how things will happen. I think I am growing into something here, but maybe that is for God to use thru me back home, who knows? I know my view of the world and it's people has changed forever. Third world country has a meaning now it did not have before, and part of that is "home". The people here have their problems and issues but, who knew, so does everyone! I look at America and see the disintergration of a once great country brought on by greed, deceit, cultural collapse, selfishness, lying politicians AND a people who have learned to lie to themselves so well they believe it. Then I see the people here, who do the same just in different proportions. The advantage is they do it here with far fewer rules and regulations! :) Wayne, I am working on the video thing, really. But as you can tell, not quickly!

Drive careful everyone, I see there is snow again in the forecast.

Djebenis tout moun.