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! :)