UPDATE:
Hey family!
I just wanted to give you an update on life overseas.
So… for the month of October, we’ve been living in a town called Grand Guave in Haiti. It's wierd, because i've been here for almost three weeks and i only have one full week left. We’re staying in a house for short-term missions trips this month with our hosts Gama, Angela, and their son Nathan. I know that I didn’t give you guys a very good idea of my last month either so here are the comparisons to give you a better picture. Enjoy.
Living Conditions:
Dominican Republic: We lived in a small church in the mountains.
Haiti: We live in largish dorms on the beach.
Dominican Republic: We were in the center of town, left the house frequently every day, and had no translator.
Haiti: We are on the outskirts of town, only leave for ministry and then come back home, and a ton of people are available outside to translate.
Dominican Republic: We lived with just our team (7 in total).
Haiti: We’re living with another team (14 of us total, not including 10 staff and a team of 30 that’s with a different group for this week).
Sleeping Conditions:
Dominican Republic: We woke up to 7 children hovering over our tents.
Haiti: I wake up in a bed. AND THEY CHANGE THE SHEETS.
Dominican Republic: We woke up hourly to roosters, pigs, and donkeys making music.
Haiti: I fall asleep to the humming of a fan. Oh yea.
Dominican Republic: We woke up around 8ish, 9ish.
Haiti: I woke up at 5:30 today to cook breakfast, but most days at 6:30. Too early.
Hygiene:
Dominican Republic: You either give yourself a sponge bath or wait for a good rain. We almost always waited for the rain. Some of my best memories were street rain baths, splashing the kids and chasing them with anything that held water.
Haiti: We have a shower!! Cold, but amazing. Side note-I can’t imagine going back to warm showers. It’s too hot for that mess.
Dominican Republic: Don’t ever flush the toilet paper.
Haiti: Still don’t ever flush the toilet paper.
Dominican Republic: I had motivation to brush my teeth.
Haiti: I’m on day 3 and feeling fuzzy.
Dominican Republic: I had ringworm on my knee.
Haiti: I still have ringworm on my knee and now have it on both thighs and possibly my face. I need to bathe more.
Ministry:
Dominican Republic: Teaching English twice a day and building relationships. I also gave my first little sermon.
Haiti: Lots and lots of construction. I also just gave my second little sermon.
Culture:
Dominican Republic: Friendly beyond reason.
Haiti: You get some questionable looks, but overall pretty nice.
Dominican Republic: A zesty mix of Spanish (From Spain) and African decent.
Haiti: Mostly African
Dominican Republic: Extremely laid back (My kind of people)
Haiti: Extremely hard workers (My dad’s kind of people). Love ya, Poops.
Dominican Republic: Main language-Spanish
Haiti: Main language-Creole and some French… I miss Spanish
Dominican Republic: The kids are extremely loud and the adults are immune.
Haiti: The kids take a little longer to warm up.
Dominican Republic: If you are Caucasian, expect to be called an “Americano.”
Haiti: If you are Caucasian, expect to be called a “Blahn.” (Don’t check my spelling on that)
Dominican Republic: Good food-Avocados, Juka, coconut ice cream.
Haiti: Good food-Fruit juice medley, homemade jam, and homemade bread.
Dominican Republic: God is moving in that place. God is good.
Haiti: God is transforming that place. God is good.
Do you feel like you’re here? Because I sure do! Hope that helped, and I love you all!
