Fun Day

Today was a fun day! Karen promised the kids that if they get 100% in school she will take them to "Pizza Pam"(a local restaurant) and buy them a gift. Both Manu and Jacob got 100% this week so we took them out. We ate hamburgers and fries and went shopping for a while. Then we went for icecream. When you're away from home it's amazing how the little things like icecream and french fries become comforting and exciting at the same time:)
Going shopping is a very frustrating experience for me. I don't know where to goto buy things and I always have to wait around for people to go with me. This week I decided I wanted curtains for my room because kids I don't even know are always staring inside at me and it makes me uncomfortable. It took two trips to the market and went to three different stores and I still don't have all the things I need. Also, everytime I go I have to wait around for Ysmaille and then we need to make stops along the way. I guess I'll have to work on being patient and realizing that it's not the end of the world if it takes 2 weeks to hang my curtains. There's a different pace of life here and I need to get used to it.
Tomorrow I plan on going to the mountains for a hike. I'm looking forward to it. It's always nice to get away even if it's only for one day.
These week we didn't have electricity for 3 days which was frustrating and unusual around here. Usually we get electricity from about 7:00am until between 2-4:00p.m. It was frustrating to not be able to work on the computer or e-mail anyone but we survived.
Other than that, not too much is happening around here. I'm starting to have some good conversations with Haitians as my Creole is advancing and I'm learning a lot more about the culture and the "Haitian" way of thinking. I'm finding it very interesting.
I would just like to take a minute to brag. I finished my Creole course on Friday and I had to write an exam. I asked my instructor what would happen if I fail:) He said I'd have to pay an additional fee:) So anyway, he gave me the exam he usually gives his students if they have a 1 month course (mine was only 2 weeks) and I got 80%!! I was quite proud of myself. The trick is, now I have to keep studying on my own. My instructor explained everything to me but we moved at a very rapid pace and now I have to go back and review and memorize everything. It's hard to motivate myself but at the same time I get immediate gratification because I can talk with people more and more everyday.