random sidenotes from my first month

saturday completed week four here for me in haiti. it is hard to believe i've been here that long, yet at the same time, it feels so like home and like i've been here forever. so i just wanted to make a few random, trust me, random, reflections on my past 4 weeks as the novelty has worn and life in haiti has just become life.

my feet will never be clean. even directly after a shower.

i've eaten more rice and hot dogs than ever before in my life. that is not a hyperbole.

i've had to learn to rock the pony tail. daily. leaving my hair down is too hot, and not to mention the intermittent electric isn't really conducive to blow drying.

back home, if i saw a spider i would freak out and kill it immediately. usually by throwing a shoe at it. now, i just go about life as if it wasn't there. there are too many to kill, and another one would just take its place tomorrow.

i've learned to sleep without a top sheet or blankets. and flat on my back, never fetal with limbs touching. its just too hot.

i've gotten into the habit of spraying myself with deet first thing in the morning, before dinner, and right before i climb into my mosquito net for bed.

mashed potatoes, carrots, creamed corn, and green beans are delicacies- worthy of Easter supper. and even if the majority are carbs, they are still considered veggies in my book.

oreos are hard to come by. but Lordy, when we do, we can sit and eat an entire package in one sitting.

i've learned to eat things i wouldn't have even tried at home: like hot dogs. tuna salad. beef. cheese even. you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.

even epi-d'or gets old.

it is possible to get up at 6:30. every morning. and consider 8:30 sleeping in.

there is such a thing as "too hot."

i'm completely competent enough to go to the market and buy fresh veggies on my own with my french.

when God says wait, He means wait.

Haiti is one of the most beautiful places i've ever seen.

the heart of God is Love, not condemnation. but you better not reject the Love.

there is such a thing as Haitian time. the internet and electric run on this also.

i've come to the reality that i likely have worms. but that's okay; i'll be getting dewormed before i head back to the states.

Gods plan is greater and more intricate than my own. Praise God for that. I don't have time to plan my life.

it's not about finding the destination, or where God is calling me. its about choosing to seek and serve Him daily, and His will will be revealed to me as He leads me down that path.

i will always choose to put people time over personal time. i'm addicted. i fasted people yesterday morning. that was hard.

children of haiti, even as ridiculous as they can be, are beautiful. you can not look at a child and not smile.

God is doing magnificent work here in Haiti. i am blessed and humbled to be a part of it, in whatever affect possible.

i've learned i drink coke just because its cold.

i've only had one bout of vomming/diarrhea in a month. thats a victory.

i've kept in better contact with some of my close friends here than i did in the states. i'm both encouraged and saddened by that.

taking french over spanish in school has finally paid off.

the greatest comforts from home aren't material things: they are ice and hot showers.

if you can drive in haiti, you can drive anywhere.

you don't need anything material to be happy. you need God and relationships.

even though my apartment is likely less than 300 square feet, it still takes almost 2 hours to clean it.

coming without a return ticket is like asking to be recruited.

being on an island with no tv and limited internet access means facebook becomes CNN. all my news is secondhand, and usually a day or two late.

you eat when you're fed. even when you're not hungry.

this will cause you to gain weight.

iphones stay charged for three days when you're not constantly using them.

be flexible.

do everything with a jooyful heart. it makes it so much more bearable.

you should get to know everyone you have the chance to. chances are, their story is something fabulous, and you have a chance to really learn from them.

take advantage of electric. never get lazy while the power is on.

hugs can fix just about anything. but for everything, there's prayer and praising our Father.

God doesn't make you wait for ketchup.

just because you have on bug spray does not make you invincible.

cats on tin roofs sound like people on tin roofs.

all the dogs in haiti look identical. and pathetic.

the grass may be greener on the other side; but that's because its irrigated with poo-water.

live with a heart of love and forgiveness and you will learn the heart of christ.