Weak Joke

Amy dearest, sorry I made a weak joke and I'm sure you're not the only one who didn't get it. I said I almost became an American resident because they wouldn't let me leave the country. I didn't have a visa or a return ticket. They did let me buy a return ticket but I wasn't too eager to suggest this because it cost $450 American just for a one way ticket back to Miami. Thankfully I can get it refunded but at first I didn't know you could do that. Hope that clears things up.
Everything is okay here. Apparently the police found a bunch of human skulls the other day in Port-au-Prince. Not sure what that is all about. People have lots of different theories. I try not to think about it. Creepy...
The dog is staying nicely contained and I'm not having any problems with him. Things are going smoothly with the house but I am quickly realizing how much work it is to have a house (vs. an apartment) and it's especially hard in Haiti where all the things we take forgranted are much more difficult.
Unfortunately that's all the time I have for today.

American Resident?

I almost became an American resident on the weekend. When I went to check in at the Maimi airport, they informed me that I could not leave the USA. I don't know how they found out about my secret... just kidding. They said I could not go to Haiti without a return ticket. I've done this twice already this year and my friend just did it several weeks before. I told them that I didn't have a return ticket. They asked for my Visa. I said I didn't have one (you don't need one) They looked at me like I was crazy and I looked at them with desperation. Finally they said that I could buy a return ticket right now and they'd let me go. So I bought a one way ticket to Maimi for $450 American. Thankfully it's fully refundable I only have a pay a small fee for the transaction. I guess they weren't too crazy about me becoming an American.
So, I know that I write about hydro way too often but it is a big thing in Haiti. We spend a lot of time complaining about it, we rejoice when we get it and run around trying to use it as much as possible before it's gone. A "good" day these days would be about 1-2 hours of hydro. Of course we never get it at work when I'm actually there... but we get it at my house for long enough to charge the invertor for the night. We've been using the generator at work to filter water, use the computers and photocopier and that's about it.
Here's an interesting story that I forgot to mention earlier. The weekend before I went to Maimi, Jenny and myself and 2 other friends drove up the mountains to eat dinner at the house of a family at our church. The whole way to their house we heard a funny noise. When we stopped to pick up our friends I got down on my hands and knees and looked under the car as Jenny drove by several times. I didn't see anything, and we all know what an expert I am on cars. We drove around on Sunday and heard the noise again but told ourselves it was nothing major and we'd be fine. On Monday morning Jenny asked a guy from her work to take a look at it. He came back in the office and said "Jenny, God really loves you." Apparently when Jenny bought new tires on the Friday the guys who put them on failed to remember to use any nuts or bolts. The tire was put on but not attached in any way!!!! Crazy hey?? And people are worried about me getting kidnapped. I think a car accident is much more likely. Better change your prayer requests for me:)

Miami

So I just had a HOT shower, I think it was worth the flight to Miami for that alone!!! I arrived safely in Miami this afternoon, spent about 45 minutes waiting for a very nice man to say "enjoy your stay in the USA". Whenever I go through passport control or customs, they barely glance at me or my passport. Every single person in front of me had to have their fingerprints taken as well as a digital photo (which is why it took so long) but when it was my turn, he asked me what I was doing in Haiti and that was it. I think I could get away with a lot, if I ever wanted to....
So about our new dog Chello. Gwen, I think that I might try to take him home in my suitcase. I'm not usually much of a dog person but he is sooooo cute. Amy, in response to my past bad experiences with dogs... Well, Chello is half rotweiller, and everyone knows those dogs have a bad reputation. So my theory is that dogs are only mean if they are beaten when they are puppies. So I'm always lecturing the kids about being nice to him because when he's a big dog he might bite them, then I show them my arm (you can still see the bite marks). I also tell them that a dog never forgets, although I doubt that is true. We'll see if it works. To answer Matt's question, I gave that math homework to one of the kids and I would not be surprised if he tried to feed it to the dog. I'll have to ask him when I get back:)

New Addition

I forgot to tell you about the newest addition to Coram Deo. His name is Chello and he's a ton of fun as well as very cute.

Unbelievable. It is almost 3:00pm and we just received HYDRO!!!! It's been a rare thing these days. We've been using the generator when necessary but gasoline is expensive here (as I'm sure it is in Canada too) so we try to limit our use.
I just had a GREAT weekend. Ysmaille, Jenny and I went on a shopping trip and I managed to buy all the things I've wanted to buy for quite some time now. I went to gift shop and bought some neat things, then we went out for lunch at a fairly nice restaurant (it was nicer at one point but very run down now), then I bought Haitian sandals, paint and plants. The house we are staying in has a lot of metal pots that are very rusted, so I bought some yellow and blue paint for the pots and some plants to put in them.
Sunday was supposed to be a quiet day and we had no plans, but at church we discovered it was one of our friend's b-day and she didn't have any plans. So we threw together a quick birthday dinner for her.
I've been going with Jenny to two different Bible Studies which has been wonderful. Everyone takes turns hosting the Bible Study at their house on Monday night and tonight is our night. Should be fun, good thing Max is contained. The barriers are working very well and we often make jokes that anyone who doesn't want to help with the dishes will be thrown in the "pen" with Max:)
Thursday I fly to Miami to spend some time with Sarah. I'm really looking forward to it. Should be nice to buy some things that are hard to find here and/or expensive. Also nice to just relax and get away from everything for a few days. I was just telling Jenny the other night that things are finally starting to feel comfortable for me these days. Crazy that it took this long hey?? I guess it is a lot to adjust to in a short time.

Next Year

On my contract it states that I must notify the Coram Deo board by March 1st whether or not I will be renewing my contract for another year. Of course this day has already come and gone but for some reason I forgot to mention this on my blog. After much prayer and contemplation I have decided not to renew my contract for another year. I am thrilled with the progress we have made as a staff and a team this year. I think I have used my talents and gifts to the best of my best ability to benefit the school. However, I also believe that someone else with different skills and abilities will be able to bring new and fresh ideas to the school and change it in different ways. I truly believe that God is already preparing the heart of the person who will replace me here. Coram Deo has already started to advertise for someone to fill this role and they are also advertising for another position. It's very exciting that Coram Deo will have more staff and therefore be able to accomplish so much more. I hope that I will still be here in Haiti when they come so that I will have the opportunity to meet them as well as introuce them to the people that I have come to love. It is definately with mixed emotions that I will say goodbye to this place and these people.

I'm back

To all my faithful readers. Sorry I've written so little these days. Hydro has been scarce!!! We almost never get it and I've been going to the internet cafe's almost everyday but time goes so quickly and the keyboards always have problems so it takes forever to write anything. I've learned to type faster than ever before with the constant fear that they will take hydro or my time will run out at any minute and I will lose all that I have typed.
So the weather continues to be nice here. It's always sunny and it has yet to get really hot. It's funny that it's almost spring in Canada and it feels more like fall here. The leaves are falling off the trees and there is a constant breeze. I know the heat will hit any day now so I am enjoying this weather as long as it lasts.
Max has yet to figure out a way around the barriers. He growls and makes a lot of noise when he sees me and loves to stare me down. I mostly ignore him and try to pretend that he is not here.
We had a quiet weekend. I started a gardening project. The house we are staying at has lots of pots but they need some work. So Sat. was spent playing around in the soil. One of my favourite things to do. Sunday was also relaxing. We went to to church, made a delicious meal, went for a swim and then read our books.
I have the opportunity to go to Miami next weekend to hook up with my friend Sarah who is on March break and visiting her sister. I am really looking forward to it. A nice little break and some good chats with Sarah.
That's really all there is to say. Things are quiet and peaceful on the streets. There were only 18 reported kidnappings for Feb. which is down quite a bit from December and January. We continue to take precautions but things are less tense.

Things are looking up...

I'm trying to be a bit more positive this entry:) Seriously, things are starting to look up. I spent a sort of relaxing weekend with Ysmaille's family. They were very gracious and I spent a lot of time reading a book and hiking the mountains. I stayed at Coram Deo for a few nights and it was nice to catch up with everyone. I didn't do too much for carnival because I was nervous about going downtown. It turns out that 3 people died, which is quite tame for Haiti:)
I am now back living with Jenny. Ysmaille finally put up the barriers last night and they worked. Max has so far not figured out a way to escape but he spent a lot of time staring at them in confusion and then whining. Our invertor works some of the time. The water pumps work and we even got enough hydro last night that some things froze in the freezer!!!
I had a workshop/staff meeting on Wedneday this week for the teachers. It went over fairly well. They are never super enthusiastic but they did listen somewhat attentively and were interested in the various math manipulatives I introduced. Of course their favourite part were the math games and they inevitably became quite competitive.
I am experiencing the regular Feb/March blues that I think everyone experience the world over regardless of it they have winter. I just feel tired a lot and when a new challenge arises instead of tackling it head on I want to crawl back in bed and wait until it solves itself:) I'm sure I'll snap out of it and renew my enthusiasm for my work. I think after a while you get used to the challenges of Haiti and they don't tire you out so much.
We continue to have very limited hydro so I apologize again to all those people who have e-mailed me and have not yet received a reply.