Day Two in Haiti

March 28, 2012:

I woke up a few times in the night.  The electricity was off again (no A/C) so we had to turn the fan on, which meant my sheet kept fluttering over my legs, waking me up.  But it gave me a chance to check on Christina.  She is a pretty restless sleeper, tossing and turning and hitting the wall with her legs, but she never woke up until morning, when she woke up quietly, bright and early. I was already awake (well, sort of) so I motioned for her to crawl into bed next to me. She snuggled up next to me under the sheet and fell right back to sleep for another half hour.

When she woke up for the second time we got her dressed, (she had wet the pull up, so it is a good thing we brought them) and went down to breakfast. Breakfast was chocolate filled croissants, lunch meat turkey rolled up (very weird), slices of cheese (White American, I think, which I did not eat, because that is just nasty on too many levels) yogurt, and raisin bread with butter. There was also thick strong coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice. Sophie ate two croissants and Christina loved the yogurt. Weston fed it to her and she kept smacking her lips and grunting for more. I am not sure she had ever tasted it before. She also loved the cheese and ate two slices (I know, gross, but someone had to eat it and she actually liked it). We only gave her a small sip of juice but she would have had more if we had let her. In the middle of breakfast she got a strange look of her face, said "poopy", so off we went to the bathroom. I am so very glad she is potty trained.  (And this is probably WAY more information than anyone really wants, but it doesn't look like she has worms.  Everything looked very normal.)  After she was finished I guess she had more room in her belly, because she came back to the table and cleaned her plate.

After breakfast I took a very cold shower -- and I mean COLD!  Take my breath away cold! And since the water pressure was a trickle, it took a very long time to get clean so thank goodness I had thought to bring a stack of washcloths from home so at least I could cover my face to keep the water off and really get under the water to rinse -- and we all got ready. We played in the courtyard for a while, we threw the ball, and tried to get Christina to ride in the play car again, but she wanted to stay close to Sophie. She is Soph's little shadow.  She laughed and smiled and ran around. She seemed very happy to be with us. We also played with some toys Sonia had in the living room for visiting kids. Christina only gets out one toy at a time and puts away whatever she is playing with before getting out another. She was intrigued by a riding truck that made noise when you pushed the horn. She liked that the noises changed each time she pushed the button.

Sonia picked us up mid morning to take us out to lunch. (It felt like we had just finished breakfast!)  We piled into her car, Christina sitting on Sophie's lap. She got very quiet and withdrawn in the car. Maybe she thought she was going back to the orphanage, or maybe it was just the not knowing what was next, I am not sure.  We drove through a busy street with crazy traffic. No one, I mean NO ONE, actually follows any sort of traffic rules. If you can pass, you pass, and a red light does not mean stop to most of the drivers. We drove by markets, tent cities, a graveyard (we were told it was the public graveyard), until we drove by the UN complex and the American Embassy.

We turned into a historical museum- like place for lunch, directly across from the American Embassy. Obviously this was a popular place for wealthy visitors and those working at the Embassy. We figured the food had to be safe. The dining area was outdoors under big tents, and open air buildings amidst old kettles and tools used when Haitian slaves made cane juice out of sugar cane. We sat down and Sonia ordered us each a cane sugar drink. Christina was reserved and quiet, which she tends to become when in a new environment. The buffet was not quite open, so we sat and chatted about the orphanage. Sonia has kids being adopted into many countries.  Christina's best buddy, Christana, is joining a family in Germany, which makes me sad because they will never see each other again.  The cane sugar drinks were sweet and thick, and very different from anything I have ever had before. Christina loved it (I had to take it away from her to keep her from drinking all of it, and she did a great job of not fussing) and Sophie didn't so we ordered Sophie a Coke instead.

Drinking cane sugar soda at the restaurant

  

When the buffet opened Weston held Christina and I filled her plate. The food was amazing-- tabbouleh, poulet et pois, fried plantains and some sort of root veggie, rice, and spicy pork with picklese. Again Christina ate and ate and ate-- she can pack away the food. Sophie tried almost everything but her favorite was the rice. Haitians really can cook rice, it is so good.

Christina's table manners are decent, she can use utensils, tries to keep the food on her plate and manages to stay fairly clean.

There were chickens, guinea hens and doves wandering around the grounds and Christina was enthralled. She had warmed up a bit by now and was taking everything in. She squealed whenever one came by our table.

Dessert was honeyed creeps and rum raisin cake. They were both a bit sweet for me. We finished our meal and then walked around the grounds where there were cages full of peacocks, pea hens and others birds. The peacock gave us a show which was fun to watch. We also saw huge mango and banana trees.

We walked next door to a huge two story warehouse full of furniture. Called "Voila", it is basically a giant furniture store, like you would find in the US.  The prices were listed in US dollars and were a bit cheaper than the comparable furniture we would find in the US.  There was a small Radio Shack store was inside as well. The warehouse was mildly air conditioned (I don't think the electricity was on here either -- the escalators and many of the overhead lights were off) and we walked around for a few minutes while Sonia went to get the car, because by this time Christina was getting sleepy and needed to be carried.

Sonia asked if we wanted a tour of a few Haitian sites before we headed back home. We piled into the car, Christina snuggled on my lap, eyes getting droopy.

We drove back the way we came and not too far after we passed the Embassy and UN complex Sonia turned down a bumpy, poorly maintained dirt road. We drove past banana trees for a mile or so until we came to a piece of land with a high metal fence and bright blue gate. Sonia said this was land she owned and dreamed of building an orphanage here. We found out that the house the orphanage is in currently is just rented. Sonia says the gate and wall cost $40,000 to build, but it withstood the earthquake well. The area is safer than where the current orphanage is because it is so close to the UN and embassy, and closer to her home. Somedays it takes her 2 hours to get to the orphanage from her home, if traffic is bad.  She estimates to build the buildings and furnish it will cost $500,000 which she does not have, but she says she "has to have a dream, right?"

What amazes me is that really is not that much money, if you think about it. The price of a really nice house in the US and you can provide orphans a safe, nice facility.  And I truly believe the orphanage is crucial in helping the kids transition better to their new families.  When the kids feel safe and warm and well cared for, it makes a huge difference.

We then drove through a private cemetery, which was beautiful; Sonia told us you can rent a plot for 99 years. Never did figure out what happens after the 99 years are up. What do they do, throw your bones and dust into the street!?!  We then drove through a newer neighborhood with very nice houses that Sonia had never been in before.

Finally we returned to her home. Chrisitna woke up when we tried to get her out of the car so we headed to our room to play. We had A/C for a change, so we sat in the room to soak up the cool air. It doesn't last long, the electricity is out more than it is on. When we have Christina alone in a place she feels comfortable, she is a hoot! She chats up a storm; I so wish I could understand what she is saying! It doesn't seem to bother her that we can't understand her, she just keeps talking. She sings to herself as well. She loves to copy whatever Sophie does and loves to tell Sophie she has to go peepee so that Sophie will take her to the bathroom. They played ball for a while, rolled around on the bed and Christina climbed all over Sophie. Then we got out the iPad and played a matching game. She was touching the screen a bit hard for my liking so made her hold my hand and use my finger to touch the matching cards. After 2-3 games she had it all figured out and knew exactly how to play the game. She is super smart. She got so tickled every time she won the game and would throw herself onto the bed with a squeal. She could have played the game for hours. 

  

I taught her patty-cake, which made her laugh and jump around with delight. She then had to play it with Weston and Sophie over and over and over. Nothing like repetition to make a toddler happy.

We got her to stand still long enough to measure her, she is 39 1/2 inches tall, which according to the growth chart puts her at the 25th percentile for her age. And although we couldn't weigh her, I don't think she is more than 30-35 lbs. She has a big ol' belly but the rest of her is skinny.

We were called down to dinner, which was rice (again), some sort of shrimp dish that Sophie and I did not get to eat since we are allergic -- I can not imagine having to be rushed to a Haitian hospital with an allergic reaction, that would be AWFUL, but Weston said it was great-- fried plantains, and avocado and green bean salad. And they served Weston a Haitian beer, which tasted SO good. Christina once again ate well and was quite silly at the table. She laughed and made faces and wiggled. She is a bundle of energy when she feels comfortable and safe.

After dinner we tried to get her to settle down a bit so we read a book for a while and then put on a kid's movie, which she became enthralled with even though she couldn't understand it. We bathed her, got her ready for bed and she snuggled into our sheets and tried her best to keep her eyes open so she could finish watching the movie.  Finally I had to turn it off so she would fall asleep.

After she was snuggled into her little bed, stuffie in hand, Weston washed Sophie's hair (which she said felt great, even with the cold water) I snuggled Sophie for a while and we called it a night.

It was a great day.  Each day we get to know the real Christina a little more.  She was meant to be in our family and we love her so much.  We took tons of video (instead of photos), which I am trying to figure out how to upload.  Once I figure it out I will add video to this blog!  

Day one in Haiti.

We did not have internet at our guest house so I was unable to post anything on Facebook or my blog while in Haiti. Since we returned to Florida to visit family and friends it has been a whirlwind of activities -- dinners, coffees, two book signings for my book, Running By THE BOOK. So excuse the lateness of these posts, but better late than never, right?

Tuesday March 27, 2012

I am sitting in the guest house relaxing and watching our two girls color pictures together. Today has been a long but good day...

We were awoken this morning by the phone ringing in our Miami hotel room. A wake up call that we never asked for. Fortunately the wake up call was only 5 minutes earlier than we had our own alarms set for; Unfortunately, the person who requested that wake up call for another room probably overslept. (Either that or the person who requested it has a sick sense of humor: “isn't it fun to wake up random people we don't know!")

In the airport -- excited to begin our journey!

After our last warm shower for a few days, we arrived at the Miami Airport. The ticket counter was a bit chaotic -- it was very apparent we were flying on a foreign airline-- but security was no big deal. I think Americans are the only people who understand what the term “waiting in line” means.

We got a cup of coffee (thank goodness, I was getting cranky! You know you are desperate when you are willing to drink hotel coffee, but when I had added the creamer, it curdled in the cup, so I hadn’t even gotten to drink it!) and headed to the gate. The waiting area was pretty full already, and we were the only white people. We got a few strange stares as we sat on the floor next to our suitcases, but no one bothered to move over and offer us a seat.

Our flight boarded without incident. It is amazing how as Americans we know the whole airplane drill: put your bags under the seat in front of you, fasten your seatbelt, keep the tray tables and seat backs up. No one else on the plane paid any attention to the rules and the flight attendants had to repeatedly ask people to put on their seatbelts, stow their bags and put the tray tables back. No one spoke English, a requirement to sit in the exit rows, so everyone in the exit rows had to be reseated. 

We were flying Insel Air, out of Curacao. I think this may have been one of their original planes. The overhead compartments were so small my bag wouldn't fit (and it wasn't a very big bag) so I had to check it at the door. The tray tables were broken, the seat back pockets falling apart. There was old, used chewing gum in the bottom of Weston’s back pocket. Not the cleanest plane we have ever been on. I prayed the engine was not as old and beat up as the rest of the plane!

Sophie fell asleep and I read. I think we flew over Cuba on our way to Haiti (non American flights are allowed in their airspace). The flight attendants were very nice. Less than 2 hours later we landed on the one landing strip in Port Au Prince, Haiti.

Thick, humid air blasted us as we exited the plane down some steep rickety metal stairs, and crammed onto a bus that had way too many people on it for my comfort. A bumpy five minute drive where my balancing exercises came into practice (I had nothing to hold onto and prayed I wouldn’t topple into the people beside me) and we arrived at customs.

The good news about being crammed against the bus door was we were some of the first off the bus. We were second in line for customs, only to be told since we didn't have the address where we were staying in Haiti we would have to get out of line and speak to a customs agent. A very nice security office with a cell phone called Sonia (our Orphanage director- thank goodness we had her number!) and was able to the address for us. By the time we finished that we were the very last people in line. But honestly it wasn't a big deal or a long wait.

We located my bag, fought off the men asking to carry our luggage for us (no, Meci, NO MECI, N.O. M.E.C.I) and walked the 1/4 or so mile to the parking lot where we hoped someone was waiting to pick us up. Being the only white people (seriously, we were the only ones on our flight) we were easy to spot and our driver grabbed our bags and took us to the car. A huge difference from last time when we waited in the heat for close to two hours, accosted by men every two seconds offering to take us to who knows where.

We were not sure where the driver was supposed to take us, the guest house or the orphanage, but he seemed to know what to do. Like I said before, the one thing we have learned from our previous trip is to have no expectations. Just go with the flow. I actually was able to figure out some of the landmarks from our last trip and could tell we were probably headed to the orphanage. Sophie was taking in all of the sights - the crowded streets, venders selling their wares on the roadside. The street scenes looked the same as when we were here before. Sophie was very upset when a little boy about her age in dirty clothes and covered in dust, came up to our car as we were stopped in traffic. He tried to get money from our driver and then knocked on the window where she was sitting. She was so sad to see a kid her own age begging. She talked about him for the rest for the car ride.

When we opened the gate to the orphanage we were greeted by the sounds of children singing and playing. All of the older children had their school uniforms on (green polo shirts and blue jeans) except Christina, who was wearing a fancy red satin dress and brand new sandals with tags still attached. (I later found out she had picked her outfit out herself in honor of our visit.)


All of the kids gathered around us-- some faces we knew from last time, but many faces were new. The little girl who had burst into tears every time she saw us last visit actually smiled at us today. And the little boy who had thrown himself at Weston during our last visit once again seemed thrilled to see him.

A nanny led Christina by the arm over to me and I knelt down in front of her. She had her typical sad face, the one we see in the pictures sent to us by the orphanage. After a few seconds she leaned on me, then she grabbed my hand. She warmed up to me within a few minutes and wanted me to pick her up. But she did not smile. I sat her on my lap and Sophie sat next to us. Christina was interested in Sophie's hair and face, she touched her hair, her cheeks and even her teeth. Then she grabbed Sophie's hand too, still staring blankly into space. 

Not too sure about us.

Sisters!

  

We sat together while Weston fended off the little boys who were vying for his lap. After a few minutes she grabbed Weston's hand too.

The kids thought Sophie was a boy -- her short hair was throwing everyone off. Even the nannies thought she was a “garcon”. I am not sure we convinced them that she wasn’t. I am sure a little white girl is strange enough to see, much less one with really short hair.

The nannies had prepared lunch for us in another room; so we played with the kids for a few more minutes and then went into the other room to eat. The nannies were playing music for the kids-- music from Flashdance and Boy George filled the room. Christina had a place at the table as well, so she sat between Sophie and me. We had chicken, zucchini and tomato salad, cold buttered potatoes and (very, very strong) coffee. I cut up the food on Christina's plate and she dug in. After a few minutes she climbed onto my lap and handed me her spoon so I could feed her. I gave her a bite of tomato and by the look on her face (crinkled up nose and typical "yuck" face kids give) she did not like it, but she swallowed it anyway. It was too funny! But she loved the chicken and potatoes. Sophie loved the chicken as well.

Suddenly Christina got a funny look on her face, said "peepee" and ran upstairs. A nanny followed her up the stairs to help. She came back down and her hands were wet, so I really hoped she had washed them with soap. She climbed back into my lap and decided she needed to feed me. So for every bite I fed to her, she gave me a bite off of my plate.

Both girls ate very well. We went back to the courtyard area of the orphanage while the other kids ate their own lunch.

Christana, who seemed to be Christina's best buddy, wanted snuggles and crawled into Sophie's lap, with Christina's permission. Christana snuggled Sophie and slowly her eyes dropped and she fell fast asleep. Sophie was so sweet to her and was thrilled that she had been able to put her to sleep.

One little guy, about 2 maybe, was a piece of work. All smiles, throwing a ball to us, running away from us and then back to us, sticking his tongue out at us. He was so full of energy and fun to watch. Whoever adopts him is going to have one high energy little boy.

At one point Weston walked to the other side of the courtyard to talk to Sonia and Christina was extremely unhappy that he was not next to us. She pulled me over to him so we could sit together again.

The little guy who had been showing off and running around somehow wormed his way onto Weston's lap and when Sonia told us it was time to go to the guest house he got so upset when Weston put him down. Huge tears fell from his eyes. What a cutie.

Christina seemed fine leaving with us, she climbed into the car and onto my lap without any hesitation. I have no idea what she had been told about our visit, but she seemed as though she wanted to leave with us. We stopped off at a local bazaar that Sonia thought we might like and Christina stayed in my arms the entire time we walked around. She seems to withdraw and become very shy when in unfamiliar surroundings.

We bought some art, decorative boxes, handmade stationary and other Haitian things. Everything was beautiful. The prices were in Gordes, and we had no idea how to translate that to dollars-- turns out a dollar was about 38 Gordes. So we filled up a basket and paid only $49.00 for all of it. I want to go back there again!

We loaded back up in the car and headed on to the guest house, which we found out is actually Sonia's personal residence. It is a fairly long drive from the orphanage, through parts of Port Au Prince we had never seen. Lots of hilly, curvy poorly maintained roads. We would drive past a tent city, and then go by a really nice looking neighborhood, all within the same block. It was an interesting drive and nice to see more of the city.

Christina fell asleep on my lap for a good portion of the drive. I prayed she didn't pee on me. We drove into a gated community and it was like we were back in south Florida. Big, pretty houses and landscaped yards. The only difference between this neighborhood and one in Miami are the gates and walls topped with barbed wire around each home. Crazy that only a mile away people are living in tents and tin houses surrounded by trash.

Sonia said she has lived in this house since 1993. It is a safe neighborhood and many doctors, attorneys and business people live there. The US embassy has two houses there as well, that they rented ($7000 a month!) after the 2010 earthquake. 

The neighborhood

Sonia's house

It is a very nice home, with a terrific patio and backyard, a huge eat-in kitchen, a formal dining room and three living areas. Our room is upstairs and is clean and set up with three beds-- a double for Weston and me, twin for Sophie and toddler bed for Christina. The bathroom is in the hall and is typical Haiti. Sub-American standards, but luxury for Haiti. Of course there is no hot water and not much water pressure. The decor tickled me. Pictures are hung on the walls in the strangest places. One framed picture of flowers was located uncentered above the bathroom door. The guest house we stayed in last time was similar, perhaps it is a cultural thing to put pictures in random, weird places.

Although our room has AC, it isn't working because the electricity hasn't been on since we've been here. Haiti has rolling blackouts, apparently it is this area's turn to not have power. The lights and appliances are run on a generator in the front yard, so we do have lights and a small fan. But it is HOT.

We unpacked, changed Christina out of her hot dress and into a cute short set I bought her (and thank goodness it fit! She is a solid 4T, size 9 foot). That's what I am watching right now, the two of them color together on the bed, Christina jabbering away in her cute Kreyol. I so wish I could understand her, she is certainly a chatterbox once she feels comfortable.

Before I forget I want to write down the rest of our first day. So much has happened I am afraid I will forget it all if I don't get it all down. Some of the things we did after we arrived at the guest house:

• Sat in the backyard and watched Christina ride a little riding car around. She was quiet and intense at first (I think she really liked not having to share it -- there is a similar one at the orphanage and I have seen the kids fight over riding in it) and after a while got all smiley and talkative. Sonia sat with us for a while and commented that Christina is content to play alone, can occupy herself well and doesn't seem to like a lot of chaos and activity. In fact, the last time Sonia took the older kids out to dinner for a special occasion Christina did not like it and asked to go home- the noise and crowd was too much for her. I wonder if that is her personality or if she has bad memories of crowds and noise from somewhere in past. Regardless of the reason, we will need to be very careful about taking her into crowded places when we finally get her home.

Playing in the backyard

• We ate a yummy dinner of fried plantains, beef meatballs, rice and peas, potato casserole,and broccoli carrots and cauliflower.   Sophie loves the food and both girls ate very well.  Christina loves fried plantains, I am going to have to figure out how to make them myself.

• We gave Christina a small ball to play with and she wouldn't let it go for anything.  She toted it around all evening, along with a balloon she brought from the orphanage and a little stuffed rabbit Sophie gave her.  She carried these items around all afternoon and got very upset if one of them dropped out of her arms.  At dinner they had to sit in front of her plate where she could see them.

• Sonia said her neighborhood was safe if we wanted to take a walk, so we took Sophie and Christina for a short walk after dinner. The houses are big and well cared for, brightly painted in oranges and greens and even purples. The flowers are all blooming the fragrances were incredible as we walked by. We taught Christina how to smell the flowers. There is new construction on a couple of lots. The construction is all concrete, even the roof. We saw a couple of houses with for rent signs so we asked Sonia when we returned what houses in her neighborhood rent for, she said anywhere from $2000-7000. 

Taking a walk through the neighborhood.

• Sophie and I bathed Christina. Christina did a great job of standing still as we bathed her, even though the water was really cold. She willingly put on a pull up (to Sophie's delight, since I was going to make her put one on to show Christina how to wear one) rubbed her skin with lotion, and put on her PJ’s. Then we piled into our bed and snuggled until she could no longer keep her little eyes open. She fell asleep clutching her balloon and ball. 

Clutching her ball and balloon.  Sweet girl.

Sophie was a great sport all day. She was so patient with Christina, so helpful and kind. She is a terrific big sister. She tried everything on her plate and didn't even complain about the cold shower she took before bed. I am so proud of how well she handled things today -- it was a long, hot day with a lot of excitement and she did great. It will be interesting to see what tomorrow holds. Will she sleep through the night? How will she react to us in the morning? I am exhausted and ready for bed myself -- I will write more later.

Trip number two to Haiti

I am sitting in a hotel across from the Miami airport. Bright and early tomorrow morning Weston, Sophie (our almost 11 year old) and I will board a plane bound for Haiti. Sophie is so excited she can hardly sit still. This trip we are staying at a different guest house; the guest house affiliated with Christina's orphanage. I am hoping the accommodations and food are comparable to our last stay. And this time Christina will be staying with us at the guest house. I am excited and nervous -- what if she freaks out? Or is completely unresponsive? How will we communicate with her? And how in the world will I fix her hair each day? We hope to take the girls on an outing to a hotel with a pool so they can play together. And maybe visit a marketplace. But as Weston says, we really have no expectations for the trip. We are going to take it one minute at a time. I will post as often as I am able -- hopefully the Internet will work at the guesthouse. You will have to excuse my spelling and punctuation, and lack of paragraphs. The iPad is not working correctly with blogger and I can't format anything right now. I will have to reformat when I have access to my computer again. So here we go with trip number two to visit Christina!