ANIMAL RESCUER!!

This morning we decided once again to visit the Salem Orphanage in Bonrebos. The night before we had planned a lesson to teach them, and we needed to go to the market to purchase some notebook and pens for them. My mom and our translator, Gilbert, went into the market together to find some vendors to buy them from, while Rebekah and I waited in the car. They brought back about 30 notebooks and pens, as well as some pencils, erasers, and chalk for the teacher. 

As we stepped into the courtyard of the orphanage, the air was filled with the sweet voices of the children singing one of the songs we had taught them. One of the women who lives and works at the orphanage came up to us and embraced us each with a kiss on the cheek. Little arms were grabbing our waists and small hands were grabbing our hands. We arranged some benches onto the class room floor and the teacher handed out the notebooks to little eager hands. We stood before the class and my mom opened her Bible and began reading from the beginning, teaching them the creation story. As she explained what God created on each day, I would write it down on the board in English and Gilbert would write it in Creole. Thirty little hands copied it down on the crisp new pages of their books in concentrated silence. After they had copied down everything into their books, we acted out a skit about Adam and Eve. Placing a hat on my head and tying my braids across my face as a mustache, I strutted into the classroom as Adam, serenaded by the giggles of the children. 

When we had finished our Bible story, they brought out the frisbees and toys we had brought them before and we all began playing together. Two little puppies ran around to the front yard from the back, each no bigger than a foot long. My dad had cautioned us to not play with the dogs before we left, but they were so playful and sweet I couldn’t resist. Tumbling and rolling on the ground and through the plants, the little puppies yipped happily as I stroked their little stomachs, ears, and backs. Rebekah and my mom weren’t thrilled with the idea that I might possibly contract rabies so they urged me to stop playing with the dogs and focus on the children. I gathered some of the chalk we had brought, and the girls and I began to draw on the chalkboard. Soon a large crowd gathered around and I felt the weight of ten little hands and arms around my body. The children would call out different objects or animals for me to draw in Creole, making the animal sounds so I could understand them. As I drew, the children would be completely silent, until I finished and then they would errupt into a fit of giggles. Their favorite was an extremely flattering portrait I drew of Rebekah ;). 

The little girl Nelly we had visited at the hospital had returned to the orphanage and is recovering well. As I drew Rebekah and my mother sat with her and some other children, talking to them and learning some new Creole phrases. After we had finished drawing one girl brought out the jump rope we had brought them, and they taught me some tricks on the jump rope. The wind had been blowing stronger and soon raindrops began to fall. We said a sad goodbye to the children there, not knowing if we will return before we must leave. The little girl I was holding began crying when I put her on the ground and clung to my skirt. She began screaming as one of the older girls gently took her hands and brought her away. Hugging the children goodbye, they’d whisper “I love you” in my ear and squeeze my hands. As we stepped outside the gate I turned my head to look one last time at the crumbling concrete building where the precious children all stood, waving and calling out their farewells. 

When we arrived back at the compound, we went down to the construction area where they build shelters and make different parts for buildings. Rebekah and I are helping build a community center for one of the IDP camps over the next few days, and we decided to do some manual labor to help out. Also down at the construction site, was our friend with his monsterous “pet” tarantula he had caught. We hadn’t seen it yet, and the big sign he placed over the bucket lid where he kept it that read “Don’t Open!! You Will Die!!” did not bring me much comfort. I screamed and ran away as soon as I saw the terrifying thing. Literally as big as my face, the tarantula sat on the bottom of the bucket, hairy and muscular with enormous, menacing pinchers. The Haitian workers nearby were laughing at me as I bounced nervously around shrieking everytime it moved. Placing the lid back on I sprinted away from the site and headed to work. When we arrived at the tent where we would be helping the Haitians make trussets, (spelling? I honestly have no idea what these things are) they laughed at the thought of us two girls helping them. But they handed us two drill guns and some nails and we attempted to drill the wood beams together. At first, we were having some issues but by the end the Haitians were telling us “Good, good!” and we could drill the nails in like pros. 

By the time we finished it was almost dinner time, so we back up to the main area of the compound. On our way we met our friend who has the tarantula, John, and he told us that he had caught a little snake to feed it. I demanded to see it and he brought out a waterbottle with a teeny tiny little snake inside. At first I thought it was an earthworm but as I looked closely I saw its miniature scales and beady black eyes. Grabbing the bottle away I demanded that it be set loose. John wasn’t too thrilled about the idea, so I ran away and hid the snake in my bed during dinner. After dinner I got my little snakey poo (as I named him) and brought him outside. A large group had gathered and John brought out the tarantula. With the help of my dad and some others we convinced him that the tarantula would not in fact eat the snake, and to replace it we would find some bugs for food. I quickly had a releasing of the snake ceremony then Rebekah and I went to find some cockroaches in the ladies bathroom. We hit the jackpot in the first stall we looked in with two giant cockroaches and one miniature one. Bringing them back to John, he placed them in Dexter’s (the tarantula has a name...) bucket along with a moth which he attacked. We’ll see in the morning if they cockroaches are still there. 

With love from Haiti...