NYC Never Sleeps . . .

     If you've heard the saying New York City never sleeps, you've obviously never visited Carrefour, Haiti. Compared to Carrefour, I'd dare say NYC sleeps like a well-feed baby. I'm thankful I packed earplugs! Also, the streets here remind me of ant hills. The ‘hills’ are the homes/streets and the swarming masses of Haitians the ants. Except, I’m not sure which has it better: the ants or the Haitians. But world, let me say that I’m sorry: I feel as if I’m complaining a lot and haven’t committed on how much good there is here. My heart will swell when I see a child so willing to trust a stranger (me) and love on me with all they have.  
Photo below: me and baby Joanne (she was severely malnourished but is healthy now!)

      

                 Photo above: local  river

                      

On a side note: I’ve started working at my second location and they call me their ‘intern’- -it sounds so official but I promise I’m bumbling along attempting to understand each hour as it comes. At this second location, I live with Mickey and Liz (the mother/daughter dynamic duo). I sleep on an air mattress, water pressure doesn’t exist in regards to showers, and only cold water is available (but in all honestly, why would you want anything besides cold water here?!), I’m still fighting a GI bug, and I’m tired, but overall? I cannot wait to wake up tomorrow. The pain you feel when you realize the medical issues these children suffer in addition to malnutrition: cholera, TB, HIV, blood pressure issues, diabetes, malaria, chicken guenna and so much more, all these things push you to do your best. 

    But on a vitally important change of topic: this new location has a cat. I. Am. Happy. It’s a tortoise shell and honestly if you know anything about animals in Haiti, you know that most are starved half to death (literally) but this one is healthy. Because Mimi (that’s the cat’s name) is healthy and normal sized, when Haitians visit and see the cat, they jump back semi-scared because they don’t know what Mimi is since they’ve probably never seen a normal looking cat. Weird. But then again, so sad.
P.S: I only eat 2 times a day and it's become normal . . . weird!

xxLeah

Last day in Taj-Ma-Haiti

     Today has been . . . well, honestly? It's been draining. I'm a bit sick and so waking up at 7 am to get on the road until 17:30 is a bit tiring. But, the cook here is one to die for and dinner was fabulous.

     Tomorrow I wake up even earliler (and will continue to do so for the rest of my sojourn) to leave for my second destination--Mickey and Liz (a mother/daughter duo who work a clinic). And, if we're going to be "for real"? I am so scared. My living in Taj-Ma-Haiti (a joke here because this guest house has AC occasionally and only loses power sometimes) has spoiled me and now I'm to go live in a much more Haitian third-world part of town in a small "house" (a hut-like thing) in the city of Carrefou. But, if we're being "for real" again? I'm kinda excited. Although I have loved visiting/working at the children's home and will miss the kids, this is what I came here for. I came for a third-world experience. And the work Mickey and Liz are doing is literally saving the lives of malnourished children so  how cool is it that I get to be a part of that? Answer: amazing.
     Alright, this is the end of this post--not sure when I'll get to post next but I'll do my best to stay on top of it. I've posted a random photo of the streets and if you can believe it or not, this street seems pretty clean to me at this point.
     Hope all is well with you dear reader,
xx Leah 

"Do not worry about tomorrow"

     First off, random side notes: when I shave my legs here, it's not to shave hair but rather to get the caked dirt off of me. Also, the boys at the orphanage decided to go around and give each other wedgies so that silliness is officially international and inherent in boys. Lastly, I rode my first moto today! Basically, if you can imagine the traffic in Italy? The traffic/drivers here are honestly at least 4x worse and these little motos just drive with/through/around/swerving like crazy with the traffic--it was awesomely fun! The photos you'll see in this blog are of Orwich (the little boy) playing with my sunglasses, me on a moto!, and a boy whose live at the child's home but is deaf, can you imagine his life?

     "Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."- Mathew 6:34

How true is that?  Yesterday, I learned that my third volunteer place was unable to have me as well having my laptop broken-- but when you are around 20+ kids who love technology and carry water, something is bound to happen. But here's the thing, even though my laptop is broken, my last 4 weeks are up in the air, I'm not freaking out. God has better plans for me than I have for myself.
     "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" -Mathew 6:21
Again, how true is that? My treasure is not technology (my laptop--but so far, this post has taken  20 min. to write because of the water damage . . . sorry parents for breaking it!! But the joy in the kids face while playing with it was almost worth it, almost). My treasure is being found more and more with each passing day in helping these people. They are beautifully made.
     So, since writing the above section, (my parents will be thrilled to read this) my laptop has just fixed itself. I had shot off a little prayer and then resigned myself to not having a functional laptop but then today, I pushed a few buttons and magically the laptop restored itself to its' previous settings. I understand that many people will say that this is just because I hit the right key strokes but honestly if you know me you know that this wasn't just luck because I know jack squat about technology. So, I'm happy for that!   
    
xx Leah

Day 3--post op

     I called this blog title "post-op" because that' what I feel like. I'm started to get adjusted to the weather, the being constantly stared since I'm white, and the food--and to me, it's like my life has gone through a surgery and I'm in recovery right now trying to adjust to this new life. What's new in this life is my new found favor of plantains. Although they look like bananas they taste like potatoes and I can't get enough . No literally, I can't get enough because I'm still hungry.

     So let's see...my day today: 1) went to visit an organization called Respire that educates, feeds, (starting a medical clinic) a ton of kids and a lot which are restevaks. 2) After that, I went to a medical clinic for a visit and it was heart-wrenching. I can't really describe what I felt so I'll describe what I saw--a dirty white fabric tent sitting next to a tree. That is their entire medical clinic. There were two mothers outside with malnourished children. The one child that caught my attention was wearing a pretty yellow chiffon dress but was so weak she could barely open her eyes and her head lolled back unsupported. This little girl had flies on her face and bugs in her teeth but she was too weak to care and her mentally challenged mother couldn't properly take care of her. That's Haiti. That's what the people here live like. And it's crazy to think that this isn't just Haiti. This is most of the world that most 1st worlders will never see . . . out of sight and out of mind. 3) The third thing I did today was again visit the child's home.It was pretty uneventful but nice to see the children and they were sweet as always:)
     I just got some bad news: the third organization I was going to stay at had a medical family emergency and had to leave for the States which means I can't volunteer there anymore. I'm praying that something will provide itself but who knows? I'll figure it out and update you all when I know but you can be praying for that.
     Anyway, here is a photo of Haiti--gorgeous right? It's crazy to think you find such poverty amidst such beauty but that's the way it is.


Okay America, I'll talk to you later,

xx Leah

Day 2--first day at the orphanage

Day 2:

     The internet here is so slow that I can start to open my email, eat my entire breakfast and get dressed for the day, and still have to wait for the page to load. This isn’t a complaint because I’m grateful for internet in the first place, it’s just a commentary and I find the fact sometimes amusing. 

    So, today was my first day at the orphanage. It was crazy--the photos you see are from the orphanage. The children are absolutely the sweetest even though they live in absolute poverty. Which begs the question, why are so many people unhappy in America since we practically invented consumerism? But don't get me wrong. I'm not saying the cliche "they have nothing but are happy" because sometimes they aren't. It's just that they know what to value and they do. Another thing that kinda surprised me was how eager they were to give me hugs/kisses. They didn't know me but they wanted to - - how often can we say the same thing in America? By the end of the visit, the kids knew my name and they didn't want to be put down. Well, they knew my name but one of the little boys insisted upon calling me "blanc" which means white. It was interesting to be called that simply because I've never thought about me being 'white' and how that's 'special'. 

     The photos you see are: the view of the mountains behind the 'house, and me with four of the kids (dodos, jessica, moncho, and the other girls name I forget...), their "kitchen", and two boys carrying water for their "running water".

     I go back again tomorrow and I can't wait. Because Creol is amazingly similar to French, I was actually able to just barely communicate with the kids and I'm starting to pick up some Creol, too.


 xx Leah

Day 1

     As I flew into Port Au Prince, I was shocked by how beautiful the ocean was. Seriously. Crystal blue waves crashing upon a sandy white shore? Nope. Beautiful waves crashing into one-room shanties that seem to have almost grown up out of the ground there are so many so packed in. I can honestly say as I flew into it and drove through the streets, the poverty struck me as hard and relentlessly as the waves wrecking against the huts. These people have practically nothing. The streets I wound my way through created a sharp contrast with the beautiful landscape of mountains in the backdrop. I’m exhausted but for the first few days I’m staying with a friend at a guest house and I must admit, this place is going to spoil me - - I have running water, clean drinking water (once it’s been purified), and meals here. But compared to American standards, it’s still rough. No AC, no easy drinking water, bugs, and so many people. It's like you can walk on top of the people because there are that many. It’s crazy. I’ll leave on Sunday to go live with two women named Mickey and Liz, who are doing some pretty incredible medical work, and with them I’ll begin my true Haitian living experience—hopefully it goes well. 

     I'm about to sit in on a Creol class so I should go and also I need to unpack. Hope all is well State side!

xx Leah

Pre-Departure

     So, I have 0 days before I leave for Haiti left. And I wanted to write a post while I was still in the USA for a few reasons.
     Firstly, I wanted to thank everyone who has supported me, financially or emotionally. At first, when I realized I was going to be traveling to Haiti I did some quick calculations and discovered that I didn't have enough money. So, obviously, I got a job and tried to raise money that way. Still, I kept coming up short. Then I came to terms with one of my fears: fundraising. I started writing my support letters, the fear of being a burden on others always present in the forefront of my mind. But then the unexpected happened: money started to trickle in. As I found a flow of money coming in, either from work or support, I found more and more joy in tithing. And as I tithed, I found my heart lifted and God pouring more resources into life. Here's an example of how God was meeting my needs: I hadn't even thought of it but I realized I would need to get a shot for Haiti that would cost me less than one hundred. So, that night at work I was bartending and I had an incredible night--I made $200 and that's literally all the cash I had in my name. The next morning I go to the Knox County Health Dept. and I get my shot--except it turned out I had to get more than one. As I walk up the counter to pay, I prayed that I had enough cash. And I did. The shots cost me about $200. I don't think that was a coincidence. I had a need and God met it through His provision and graciousness.
     Now, let us move onto my second thought because you are all here to listen to my thoughts anyway, right? People have said to me "oh, you're doing such a good thing/you're brave". Alright, let's be real here. I'm not really doing such a 'good thing'. I honestly think it would be more difficult to work a desk job in the US and be a witness to my co-workers. Sometimes, I think I'm taking the easy way out by going to an impoverished country. Okay, onto the second thing of me being 'brave'. Ha. That's a funny thought because I cry in my shower quite often when I think of leaving. I mean really. I'm leaving my friends and family, my comfortable bed and delicious food for what? For strangers, food that I'm not accustomed to (rice/beans for everything), poverty like I can't even imagine right now (ex: Haiti's cities are built to house 40,000 people but on average 10 million live in them--and that's a good case). So, as I'm crying in the shower or laying in bed scared to my bones, I start to worry. But then something happens. I feel a calm rush over me. The calm doesn't take away my fears but rather it whispers that I will be miserable a lot but that it doesn't matter. The physical doesn't matter because I'm not going there for fun but to serve and work. The calming presence tells me to rely on Christ when I feel lonely, inadequate, sad, etc.
     Alright, thirdly: I'm excited to go. I don't know what I'm getting into. I don't know who I will meet or what I will be doing. But I'm ready (as ready as possible). So, thank you to everyone who is supporting me in some way, shape, or form. I won't be gone for long--only two months but I hope that I will be an able vessel. I'll update my blog as much as possible but I've been told I won't have internet  too often.
Well, I leave in less than 12 hours so I guess until next time!
xx Leah