Haiti - Day 4

January 14, 2010

Today has been busy!

We woke up this morning to sunshine. Yipee! The first these people have seen in over 2 weeks. The ground dries quickly here, so there is not so much mud in the roads.

We ate breakfast... yummy fried eggs. Others had pancakes, and we all enjoyed fresh pineapple, watermelon, oranges and bananas. There was Haitian honey to go on the pancakes.

We left and went to the clinic. Finally, people are showing up! It was bustling with activity. We had children with runny noses and coughs. They aren't used to cold weather, and it has affected them. One little girl had an ear infection. A brother and sister came in and both were sick from the rain. I got to hold the little girl while the doctor was seeing the boy. She was tired and slept the whole time, because she had a fever and didn't feel well.

The 2 doctors from the US who are visiting to help in the clinic don't know how everything runs, so they spent a lot of time asking questions.

I've picked up some Creole words that help. Hello. How are you? Please sit here. Wait. Doctor. I'm hungry. What's your name. etc. It helps, and people are pretty understanding, realizing that we can't talk in the same language but try our best.

I miss my family, but all is well here. We are safe. Now we are focusing on healing people who are sick.

The kids still have not returned to school. First, because of the rain, now, because of the earthquake. I may not get to see the school in full session. I know it must be awesome to see 600 kids all in uniforms standing on the porch reciting their pledge or singing a song before school.

We took a break from the clinic for lunch -- stew with turkey, yams, carrots, doughboys (dumplings). Yummy. The rest go back to the clinic, I stay here and work on email and some stuff for mom. Mom is mad because the translator has left, taken the car into town (Cap Haitien) without the list of medicine to get. We need the car, the translator, and the medicine. I don't want to be there when he returns and gets yelled at by the clinic Director!

Her car is a mess. One guy visiting here is familiar with cars and looks it over. He tries to fix the broken window that won't roll down. But he can't without the right tools or the right parts. He says the car needs new tires, new brakes, new shock absorbers. We tell the handyman, Richard (pronounced with a French accent). He will fix the car. There are brakes and shock absorbers in town, and he knows how to install them.