bruises

wow i find my self bruised and TANNED! that is what you get when you work up at Fort Jaque for a few days! i will tell more about that later.  but i have a smile on my face this evening once again, like the end of most days. I am really enjoying myself!

I sure miss my babies though, today i was gone all day and when i got back i was doing some work around the main house. One of girls on staff had my baby Sony, and was doing an assessment on his development. so i sat down with there with her and him. First he reached over and took my hand while i told the staff member what i had noticed about him since being his volunteer.  only a couple minutes later he reached over and wanted me to take him. I did and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and clung on. I had some more work to do, and so placed him near me to watch, and he did just that. It was a sweet moment every time i would look at him and see he was watching me. CUTIE!!!

RAIN!

We have gotten some rain some evening since i have been here, we have also had some SMOKIN hot days! last night it POURED! unlike i have seen, we drove up the hill to the house and it was like we where driving up a river! and from the house to the truck we where SOAKED. SO Micaela, Melissa(from france) and I decided to dance in the rain for awhile. we figured we where soaked anyways, so why not. i should have grabbed some soap.

 Yesterday a group of us went to "the waterfall" really just a walk/ hike/ rock jumping! which some of you know that i LOVE! and it was great. i have been to the water fall 2 times before, and this time there was next to no water.  but i am thinking that after the rain we had last night there might now be some more.  we scaled the small first waterfall and headed up for a long ways, i wanted to hike to the top of the mountain, but it did not happen. maybe another time. I saw my first tarantula! yuck! wow! he was in his little hole in the path, and my friend Wilmond pointed it out to me. i did not stick around long enough for him to crawl out... did not want to mess with that.  the mountains here are beautiful! and i am surrounded by them!

I have 3 awesome room mates! we have some good laughs! Melissa is from France, and we laugh pretty hard....she has some phrases that much sound better in French... cuz i dont like them very much in English. Like "if you keep singing, it is going to rain"  turns out it is true... but probably has nothing to do with my singing.

today 3 of us took some little ones out for a walk! my little sweety, Sony, walked while holding on to my fingers for a long time, i was so proud of him.  it is fun to walk and see the area, the kids really enjoy it too. I put Sony down in the 'grass' today and he was full of smiles.

just a quick hello

Not too much to report. but things are good! i am going to go enjoy another amazing sun set so i will write later. here are some pics, to make you feel more like you are sharing in this trip with me.

What a handsome man! I was his first volunteer when i was here over a year ago, and i am so thrilled to hang out with him again, and see how he has grown!

Friends, when things quite down for the evening we play some basket ball at the toddler house. thank you to my wonderful remote for my camera!

Much love to you all

First few days

Here, settled, and all is good in the hood! ok i am not in the 'hood' by any means, and i have yet to even wear a hoodie.
BUT i arrived safe and the airport went very smoothly. Our pick-up man, and driver was there and waiting. oh... you might wonder "our?" well i met a girl from the seattle area in the vancouver airport. we had all the same flights, and actually i believe we are on the same flights home. how strange, i know. But it will be nice to catch up with her when we are both heading out of here. I will have been down in PAP for a  month at that time, and she still up at GLA.  We squished into the front and only seat of the truck and off we went.  i was so happy to be driving streets that i remember here in Haiti.

Arrival was good! with warm welcomes. I was thrilled to see my friends and they where thrilled as well.
Susie(a staff member here) gave us a tour, which for me was optional since i know the place pretty well. So i took some time to talk to friends, and just was excited to be re connecting in person. I was given a list of 5 children to have as my focus for the next 2 weeks, 3 of which are still living in the NICU so they are younger and smaller. I have one named Blanco that has not had a volunteer yet, and he is very small for his 5 month age.  I call him my little peanut.  I have a boy and a girl that live in the Nursery, and the little boy, Sony,  has not had a volunteer either. He is kinda a serious one, but i got some smiles today. he is just happy to crawl away and look back to see i am still there.  some separation anxiety from his drop off here a bit ago.

i have been playing lots of basket ball in the evenings, usually a game here at the Main house, and then another one when i get up to the toddler house where i live.  i think i will be improving soon... but am pretty lacking in skills compared to most of the guys here that i play with. Oh well, they are still happy to have me.
I am sleeping awesome and feeling rather at home!

Sony

Jasmin

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Half way there

I found my self watching an early sun rise today, and had a view from the air. Air Canada took me nicely across the country to Montreal. I left Vancouver Monday night at 1135 and had a happy good bye from mom and a few best buds! And i am happy to report that after taking half a Gravel(because taking a whole one would have knocked me out till sometime next week ;) ) I slept for probably 4 of the 5 hours.  That alone put a smile on my face, BUT even more then that a smile grows on my face thinking that all the packing is over, all the funds are in, and i am on my way to a place i love and has ahold  on my heart.


I am all smiles this morning!

little excited?!!

photo by my dad on the weekend before leaving

first of many

Welcome Here!

Thanks to many of you for attending my ONE BY ONE fundraiser dinner on the 13th it was a huge success and such an enjoyable evening! i hope you all loved it as much as I.

Over the next days, weeks and months, i hope to be a regular blogger. so please visit me here, and check in with what i am doing. 

I leave for Haiti on March 28th, so the count down is on. i am happy to be packing again, and getting excited to return to a place that holds my heart.

I have been following that EDV is doing on their facebook page so if you are a facebook-er then please check them out! soon you could see my face in come of those photos!

I am still trying to get $310 for my trip! SO please if you are wanting to contribute, NOW is the time :) i have pins, magnets, and bracelets for sale so if those things interest me then let me know.