Not in Kansas anymore...

This blog title is dedicated to my sister-in-law Erin who now has sent off overseas both her husband and his sister, all while maintaining an excellent sense of humor. We love you Erin!

Tonight is our last night in the Hotel Villa Mamika. The people here are warm, caring, and they make all of their food from scratch. My children got very attached to a white chicken this morning. After a long day out in Croix des Bouquet they went looking for the chicken and couldn't find it. Our chicken and rice dinner, however, was excellent!

There is so much to tell, so much to think about. Carl was wise to have us stay here for two nights, it's like  dipping your toes into a pool, not wanting to jump all the way in because the water is cold. Tomorrow, we dive in headfirst, but the water will not be cold: it will be extremely hot. Actually, we won't even have any water, we are totally dependent upon a plumber who we just met and we more than suspect is scamming us. 

I am perversely happy to be back in the third world. Suburban America left me feeling like I never knew the right things to do. I was always buying the wrong color accent pillows, forgetting CJ's school dress up days, and missing important sports sign up deadlines. This life may be harder: basic necessities are lacking, I am terrified of malaria, dengue fever, cholera, scabies, and there is no privacy, people are everywhere! However, I am so happy. I feel like this is the place we are supposed to be. This is what we are supposed to be doing.

I didn't take any video and very few pictures at the orphanage today. I want to get to know the kids. I brought some candy and handed it out, trying to say hello and meet each person who lives there. Shirley is basically in charge and she is kind and funny, even though she is young. I wondered, as I ate my chicken dinner here at the hotel, did they have enough to eat today? They are all so thin. One of the first things that we need to do is get more food for the kids from NGOs and from local sources. 

CJ learning to play marbles

I was really proud of my kids, they started playing with their new friends right away, kid-talk wiping away most of the language barrier. They played soccer with a deflated soccer ball. Why didn't I bring soccer balls? I meant to. Dang it! They also played American football and CJ learned how to shoot marbles. They can't wait to go back tomorrow!

I will be creating a file for each resident of the orphanage and getting things organized as soon as possible. It is going to be difficult to find a balance between working alongside the kids and pushing them to do chores and work on some of the projects that need to be done. In their defense, it is just so hot right now it is really hard to get much done. We drank SO much water and still felt dehydrated today.

Next, we went to check on the progress of the house we are renting. It is still being rebuilt after the earthquake, but it is mostly finished. We will stay dry in the rain, but we need to get water pumped from the well and into the house. We have no way to cook, no furniture, only the few things we fit into our bags. I am seized with the conviction that I have brought all of the wrong things! I do think the house is cute and I can't wait to make it a home with a garden, a small chicken coop, and princess stickers on Amelia's wall.

We are not sure how to get internet hooked up yet, and so please forgive me if this is the last post for a little bit. I added some pictures from our day on our Facebook page, please just follow the link on our blog homepage if you want to to see those. Below I uploaded a short video taken from the window of our car as we drove in from the airport. It is of the first tent city that I have ever seen in person.

Have a lovely weekend and think of us when you turn on your air conditioning tomorrow! :)

We made it!

Our flights were a little delayed but went very smoothly! Here we are arriving at the Port-au-Prince airport. Amelia insisted on walking down the stairs herself with no help!

 Getting through customs was not difficult. Getting all of our bags without being trampled was the real challenge!

 We were surprised to find a Volvo station wagon waiting for us. We had expected a few of the boys Carl is friends with as well as a couple vehicles to fit all of our things. We later found out that they were there waiting for us for 3 hours. Yesterday. Oh well! 9 bags, 8 carry-ons, and 6 people, no problem! Somehow we all made it in (and on) the car!

 This hotel is very nice and also close to where we will be. The kids cooled off in the pool and we ate dinner under the overhang. They made us Haitian lasagna, which is a tan color and has peppers and a mild sauce layered between the noodles! Yum! Trenton got attacked by a flying ant and his arms are covered in bites, poor guy. The power finally came on and we are able to get on the internet while a thunder storm rolls by above us.

On the agenda for tomorrow: head to Good Rest to meet everyone. In order to do this we will be getting a local transportation lesson! How exactly does a family of five successfully hail and ride in a Tap-Tap? We shall see! We also want to move into our rental on the 1st, but heard that they have now dug up the well. We will stop by there tomorrow, hopefully it will be close to move in ready *fingers crossed*. We also need to find a water pump and tank, find a way to attach propane to the camping stove we brought, and I would really like to find out the secret of making fresh passion fruit juice because the sample I had today was AMAZING!

Hugs and blessings to everyone from Haiti!

Here we GO!

We leave for the airport in less than 2 hours! So many things are not coming together, so many things are working out perfectly. Our next post will be from Haiti, we can't wait to get there!

Bon Voyage!

What am I forgetting?

Today I am trying to get organized, we leave one week from tomorrow and we have so much to do!

This last week we have been feeling nervous about our trip. Carl loves his job and is sad to leave it. I am nervous for our children's safety, and I have been trying to fit a whole year's worth of Southern California fun into these two weeks of summer. Oh, and last week Amelia decided she finally wants to start sitting on the potty after months of not going near it! Hallelujah! Except, she is not really getting the hang of it: puddles and more puddles in our tiny converted garage living space. Every time I get focused on packing, ordering, or even thinking a cohesive sentence, "Mommmmy! Potttty!" Adorable, yes. Exhausting, double yes. I have already sat her on the potty twice since I started typing this!

I am really feeling the time crunch now! We still need to order necessities from Amazon, like a water pump, generator, mosquito netting, and a kitchen stove top. We still need to get more basic medication for the kids and a supply of my asthma medications. The boys insist we bring as many Legos as possible. We have to pack everything in way that makes sense and distributes our things in case a suitcase gets lost or stolen. What am I forgetting????? Probably lots of things! The good news is that we got accepted into Missionary Flights International and will have a Florida address that we can ship things to. They will then fly our mail and other items to us at the cost of $1.50/pound. We are excited to have a way to get mail and basic items shipped, Haiti has no organized mail service!

Our Florida address:

Carl Fielstra
3170 Airmans Dr.#2176-CHILD
Ft. Pierce, FL 34946


OK, time to get back to packing. Next stop, cleaning out my car. Those of you who have ridden with me know that this will not be an easy task: my mommy vehicle is coated in a hearty layer of snacks, broken toys, and unmatched flip-flops. I am trying to wrap my head around not having a car at all! Where will I store my candy wrappers?

Amelia helping us move our couch!

 The last week and a half has been a whirlwind! We moved out of our house and into five different houses since May 31st! I packed up and left my classroom that I have taught in for the last five years, and watched students that I love walk across the stage at their graduation. We couldn't have done all this without help: thank yous are in order!

 Thank you to Mary Price and the awesome Price family for allowing us to housesit for them so that we wouldn't have to commute for CJ's last week of school! I hope we didn't make too big of a mess in your gorgeous house! 

My view at work for the last 5 years!

 Thank you to the lovely Lozas, who not only threw us a touching farewell party but also let us stay with them last night! 

 And thank you to Carl and Mary Fielstra for letting our clan move in with you for the rest of the time until we leave for Haiti! The kids are so happy to have grandma and poppa close by for a few days!

Driving away from our beautiful Harveston neighborhood

 Thank you to everyone who has offered us support and prayers for our trip. I regret that I didn't spend more time getting to know so many of the amazing people surrounding me until I had to start saying goodbye. I cried so much this week! Love you all! Now it is time to take care of our last details and get packed for Haiti!