Friday, November 9, 2012

Last-Minute Fun: "I Cook 2 Snakes Every Day"

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Ah, the day before the Haiti Trip! The "Baggage Weight is Right" Game! The bags are never weighed once...they are re-organized and weighed about 7 times, to get the perfect 49.5 pounds in them, and not one bit over. I've only had to re-distribute my baggage at the ticket counter once in my life, and that was enough. This time, the 300lbs + of bags are mostly full of Greg's tools and hardware that he's bringing for many household improvements at the Midwives for Haiti compound...or as I call it, the Lakay Nou Honey-Do List.

Then there is the Last Minute Requests and Favors/"Can you get this to Haiti for me?" Category. This time the last (well, we'll see if it's really the last) after-thought items included dishcloths for the house, pregnancy tests, a box of lancets urgently needed by the mobile clinic, a bar of Olay Soap, peanut M&M's, and white-out. There is a plea for "real mustard" but I think we can get that in Port au Prince and bring it to Hinche.

Greg has come a long way in his Creole. A few weeks ago he spoke it so badly that even when he read words off a page it would never be understood by a Haitian. It sounded like German, which he learned in high school. Now, he very clearly and slowly says many Creole phrases, including "I am happy to meet you!", "Can you please say it slowly?" and his favorite: "I cook 2 snakes every day". This should be fun.

So, we're off. The laboring women have given me a break tonight, at least so far, and I'm SOooo thankful for the final-prep time. We leave before the sun is up on a 06:00 flight to Miami, and land in Port au Prince at noon. I look forward to seeing many friends, my Haitian god-daughter Woodmica, delivering gifts, and introducing my dear husband to a place and people that I've grown to love.

On this trip, Greg will be part handyman and part bagger-of-medicine on a rural pediatric clinic, and he may also give blood and help teach kids English. We want to visit Naran, where we help support a school, and my Quaker Meeting supports a monthly prenatal Jeep-clinic. I will be teaching our graduate midwives some advanced skills, checking in with our birth center in Trianon, and doing some administrative tasks to help the program. At least, that's the rough draft. It's Haiti- so who knows what we'll really do? We hope to make homemade banana ice cream and share it with our Haitian friends-- but we'll see-- could end up cooking 2 snakes every day!


Thanks and love to all my friends who care about this work with me.{{}}



1 comment:

  1. Safe travels, and thanks for all you do! I am with you in Spirit in Hinche - Janett

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