First Full Week!

5/25/2012 

Well, today started out great with a good breakfast at one of the missionaries homes. We go there for breakfast every Friday morning and have ‘feelings Fridays.’ We get together after breakfast and have a short devotional and then share with each other how we are doing and what we are feeling in the process of cross-cultural ministry. The team was still there so it was fun to be able to hear their thoughts on their brief stay and we got to say goodbye to them as well. 

We welcomed another volunteer last night so it was her first day with us. Because of Feelings Friday we were there later than normal so we had a shorter day. We took the kids for an afternoon walk...which, sounded like a good idea, but, in retrospect was not the best planned walk. Today it got hot..93 degrees but with humidity it was nearly 100 degrees. We ended up carrying the kids most of the way in the hot of the afternoon. We came back wiped and not ready for another walk anytime soon. 

Fridays are our cleaning days where we clean everything on the deck to make sure it is free from any rodents as well as the kids’ germs. We started cleaning around 3:30 and it was then that I was beginning to feel slightly funny. I drank some more water and tried to push through but I was not feeling well at all. We made it through the cleaning and went down for dinner. I sat down and knew I wanted to throw up but, knowing me and my stubbornness, I tried to ignore it and just sat still for a bit. Friday dinners are always pizza, so I tried to eat some even though I knew it wasn’t a great idea. Another volunteer could tell that I wasn’t feeling super well but I was trying to tough-it-out. 

Because we are going to spend the day at the beach tomorrow, we went to the supermarket after dinner to get some things for tomorrow. We pilled into the back of the pick-up truck (Haitian style) and made our way to the market. We got inside and I picked out what I needed. I started feeling extra hot and the nausea was coming. I squatted down and one of the workers asked if I was all right. It was at this moment I grabbed my mouth and shook my head and motioned what looked like a bucket. Thankfully, this broken sign language is universal for all countries. He quickly grabbed another worker and rushed me outside to the bathroom. Let’s just say that I now can cross ‘puke in a foreign countries supermarket’ off my bucket list. (Trust me, this is NOT an experience I would advise for anyone and I hope I don’t have to experience this again!)

We got our things and we made it back to our house just as another onset of nausea was coming. Thankfully this time it was in our own bathroom and I felt more at home here. 

Heat stroke anywhere is not fun. Heat stroke in Haiti is miserable. I am sitting outside on our deck now trying to cool my body down while drinking even more water. Please pray that this doesn’t happen again and that I can sense when this might be coming on quicker than what I did this time. 

Even though it isn’t even 8:00, I am headed to bed, hoping that I will feel better for the beach tomorrow! Thank you for your prayers for good health while I am away. I am hoping this is the worst of ‘sickness’ I will have to experience during my time here.