Sunday 2/22

It's official, my internal clock automatically resets to Haitian time when I get here, and I wake up between 4:30 and 5am every morning. I'm sure it has something to do with the local critters being very chatty. The wind pushed most of the clouds away, so the morning sky was full of stars, a beautiful site to see first thing in the morning. Sunday is big breakfast and church day, so we had pancakes, porridge, sausage, bananas, and fresh papaya laid out on our buffet, and most of us ate on the rooftop. There is no specific start time for church, so we all eat, dress, and chill, until we get the word to head over to the church. While we were waiting for church to begin, we had a rare treat, a Ra Ra band came through town. Ra Ra bands are voodoo followers, who parade around playing loud music to "distract" the Christians. In Port au Prince, these bands are sometimes accompanied by scantily (or not at all) dressed women ... Now, that's distracting! Janan, who has been coming to Terre Blanche for over 10 years, has never seen a Ra Ra band come through town. I can't wait to post the photographs, my musician friends are going love the instruments. The drums were painted red and blue, appropriate voodoo colors, some of the men were playing large, PVC pipes, and the horns were long metal tubes with funnels welded to the ends. There were also metal, welded "maracas" and a boy carrying a large symbol over his shoulder while another boy banged on it with a drumstick. The band marched and played through town, stopping in front of the compound gate, circling a few times, and carried on up the hill. 

We headed over to the church around 9am, and the service started shortly after. Three different choirs sang for us, which is my favorite part of the service here. Most of the children were sitting in the back of church, dressed in their best clothes, which is often their school uniforms. We all commented during lunch about how none of us could imagine American children sitting still for 3 hours anywhere, let alone church. We have become a nation, adults and children, who seem to require constant entertainment and stimulation. When the kids here get squirrelly, one of the adults gives them the universal "look" and they simmer down. It's quite entertaining to watch! Once church was over, we all filed out and were instantly mobbed by the kids. They are like puppies wanting to play. They grab our hands, ask for us to take their "Photo! Photo!", follow us around, and giggle constantly. It's hard not to fall in love with them immediately. 

After church service we had lunch and "kabicha" (ka bee sha), which is rest/siesta time, 

then spent the next 5 hours unpacking medical supplies and setting up the clinic. We have had to see a couple of emergency patients in the last two days, and it's really been driving people mad that our supplies have not been sorted. Keep in mind that most medical people are OCD/Type A/Alpha, in varying degrees, and we are all stuck in a compound together. Luckily, most of us have a well developed sense of humor, as well. :) The clinic set up was a lot more detailed than my last visit, because there are so many more medical specialists on this team, as well as the Haitian Dr's that will be joining us for the week. After dinner we had the clinic orientation and debriefing, and then we stood in line for much needed showers! Once again, my Caribbean side takes over, as I seem to be the only one who appreciates the cold shower after a long, sweaty work day. I took some time to sit on the roof tonight, to watch shooting stars and stare at the Milky Way. I love being back, I have such a sense of purpose here, which makes me feel incredibly lucky. I am so grateful for all of the emotional and financial support that allows me to go on these trips. A huge part of why I am writing and sharing these moments, is that I want my supporters to know how important they are, not just to me, but to the community that I serve when I am here. You truly are helping me make the world a better place and it is greatly appreciated. All but one other person has gone to bed, and I've got some work to do before tomorrow morning, so I'm signing off. Bon nwit!