One weekend, I joined Helena (previous teacher at the Liberty Academy) for a short day trip into Port-au-Prince to pick up Miss Susie. She was a teacher at the Liberty Academy last year, and was the reason for my meeting with Illioney last March, which led to me coming to teach this year! It was fun to connect base with her again and to share some stories about her old students (Scheydline and Christelle were both in her class). Here we are enjoying some more than melted raspberry popsicles at the Eagle Market in town. Yum, yum, yum!
And THIS was what I found at the missionary guest house in Port where we picked Susie up! I was in heaven ... I played for a few minutes, as everyone else toured the dining area, and it didn't take long before a small crowd had gathered to listen ;) It has only been by God's grace that I have survived this entire year without having a piano to play. I hardly even think about it most days, but I am VERY excited to play again when I get home!
Lindsay has been putting her hairdressing skills to use here in Haiti. Nothing like free trims =)
Soft pretzels! Not quite Auntie Anne's, but they came close. =)
Mango season is here again! But sadly, Mike is allergic to the oils in the mango skin. So even though he LOVES eating them, and always does, it is never a very pleasant experience =)
Lindsay, swinging away the cares of the day. It was on this swing that God confirmed my call to come and teach here in Haiti. I still prefer the wooden swings (because they don't squeeze your hips so much), but any swing is better than none!
The climbing tree! This is a hot spot for the missionary kids on the base, as well as the location for my Friday afternoon reading with Lilly and April. It sheds its leaves about twice a year, and the last time that happened, I was sitting nearby at the pool ... there was a strong breeze blowing as well, and with the sound of the dry leaves rustling in the background, it almost felt like fall! Minus the 80 degree temperatures ;) And then, within days, the seasons change and it looks like spring as the branches push forth small leaves and then, less than a week later, full-sized ones take their place.
Esther's friend, Tamar, cooked an amazing Haitian dinner for us one Saturday evening. Dodo, her boyfriend, joined us for the meal of fried plantains, boulette (herb-filled meat balls), cooked carrots, red beets, peas, and mac and cheese (our addition) ;) What a treat!
Clayton (our friend from Pella, Illinois) - covered with dust and cement after a long day of work out in the 5th section. This was supposed to be his birthday dinner, and it still was ... but they vehicles had trouble getting them home on time (a usual occurence here in Haiti), so he ate his meal like this =) I guess the food tasted just as good. WE certainly enjoyed it!
Esther and Mark, our resident chefs, preparing Clayton's dinner of egg noodles and beef stroganoff. Mmm mmm ... good =)
Another night of Mark's cooking - this time for HIS birthday! Nothing beats good ol' Italian cooking...
And a fun-filled trip to our favorite beach - Amani. I have yet to experience a more beautiful beach here in Haiti, and it costs less than $3 US for the day. This is one part of life in a 3rd world country that I will definitely miss when I go home!
Mike kept us entertained with his sea shore antics ... playing with hermit crabs, catching and 'eating' lizards, building sandcastles, and the like. It's fun having him around. He's like a little brother to all of us, and we're definitely gonna miss him when he goes back home to Ontario at the end of May =(
Another haircut - this time, for Wes. He was in sore need of one before the DTS left for their outreach in the 5th section.
4 cockroaches and a spider. Our nightly kill. (This is a record, I believe...)
This was what my Valentine's Day package looked like by the time it arrived in St. Marc. The rats enjoyed some of the goodies that my church sent down for me, but at least 2/3 of them were still edible. And they were delicious!
And this is what happens to our bread and rolls when they sit for a few days without refrigeration. When our power goes out for hours on end, it is hard to keep ANYthing from going moldy. At one point, even our margarine was growing mold!
Enjoying a last guitar lesson with Samuel Snow. Now we've moved on to keyboard, and he is doing an amazing job! I'll expect to see him up front leading worship when I visit the base again.
Ah... backrubs =) This was pre-birthday night entertainment. A good ending to a long week.
The masseuses, from left to right: Levi, April, Merlin - DTS student - me, Rachel, and Lilly
And with spring came some new life on the base - rabbits! Ethan, Lilly and April proudly showing off their pets.
And more new life. Stu sent some sunflower seeds down to Haiti with my parents so that I could plant them with my students, as part of our science curriculum. They sprouted within days, which was quite exciting for my students to see (especially as we didn't know how good the soil was...). After a week, they were ready to transplant outside! Sadly, the chickens got to them and we had to plant new seeds. Several times ... but these are now growing happily, and with the help of some tomato wiring that Freeman lent to us, they are on their way to bearing some beautiful, golden sunflowers =)
April and Lilly have birthdays a week apart, in the month of April. And they both turned 9 this year! So they invited the teachers and several other staff over for a little party. And we were supposed to dress up ... so we did!
Lindsay, the Mary Kay lady, is doing make-up for Rhodes, the soccer mom ;)
And here are the birthday girls, Lilly (the cheerleader) and April (the bookworm ;)
It is now rainy season again. I welcome the cloud-cover over our school roof, especially on these hot, sultry afternoons. And even though I don't enjoy sloshing through the mud everywhere I go on the base, I LOVE the rain. The pounding on the tin roofs. The newly-washed leaves and wet soil... and the free sandal-cleaning service on our front stoop ;)
And the fun of carrying umbrellas with us everywhere we go =) This was a Sunday evening just before our community church service.
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