11/22/11 Tuesday:
Arrived in Fondwa after a front seat drive that nearly made me barf 3 different times.
Things have been rearranged & we are bunking in what used to be the girls' quarters.
The children are down a steep hill (pretty much sums up Haiti / Fondwa) in new buildings with blue roofs.
We found Jimmy ... Only since they found his birth certificate, he's "Dimitry."
He calls us his mama and his papa. He already knows & we didn't say a word. The sisters must've told him, which is going to make leaving even harder.
He's possessive of Eric. He sits in his lap, strokes the hair on Eric's arms, touches his beard & glasses. He doesn't want the other children to sit on his daddy.
I, on the other hand, am covered in children! Reassuring them I can hold more than one - don't fight. I took out my ponytail for a photo op & Jimmy, I mean Dimitry, reached over and stroked my hair several times, pausing to touch my earring.
The little girls try to give me braids or dreadlocks or something. I let them.
I understand that Eric is what this little boy has never had - a male figure in his little orphaned life. I'm not jealous at all, but so touched seeing them together.
He lets me rub his back and kiss his forehead & give high fives.
My old buddy Michelle and the little twin are as much mine as the last time we visited. Samuel has gotten ornery!
These children are starving for affection and they are beautiful.
I get choked up repeatedly watching our little boy smile like I've never seen him do, the pride in his eyes that he has a mommy and daddy.
Amid the crowd of small children (many more than in February), our boy wanders off. We find him doing his homework in his barracks!
I should've made the friendship bracelets like I had planned to originally. How do you explain how much you want someone and already love them, but must leave them behind? And worse yet, not just this trip.
An improvement to our quarters is a key to a private "guest bath." No flying roaches in the toilets!! But wait - found a couple in the cabin, along with something that looked like a wolf spider ... That jumped as Eric tried to kill it, and got away. Lovely! Taking anti-malarial medication, loving on orphans with open wounds, snotty noses and bad coughs, trying not to think about the Giardiasis, scabies, lice and bedbugs, and I'll probably get a freakin' spider bite!!
Due to the short nature of our visit, tomorrow is all we have with Dimitry, then we will head to Port-au-Prince to visit with Alby before leaving for home on Friday morning. Darn holiday airfares.
Nov 23, 2011, Wednesday:
I love Haitian coffee.
And porridge! It definitely had ginger and star of anise this time.
We tried to catch Jimmy to walk him to school, but a few hundred kilometers from the orphanage barracks a group of girls informed us he had already left ...
But here come the twins, heading to preschool and taking us with them!
We took the dirt path, of course, one baby girl pulling me along as I tried not to slip or slide and keep the other twin from falling behind me.
With everyone delivered and a million "bon jou" later, we turned back. Oh mama! If I walked children to school and back each day in Haiti, I'd be a size 6 in 2 months!!
But wait ...
We just made it back, red faced and sweaty, took some sips of water & settled in front of our little portable fan when someone knocks on the door : it Jasna, a novice. She brought a nice gentleman administrator from the school to escort us for a visit to the school. Oh my goodness - well, might as well, my heart rate is still up!
This time we found our Dimitry. Right by the door in 1st grade, close enough for a quick high five to dad and for mom to blow him kisses.
I am embarrassed that we know no French as we are graciously introduced to teachers, classes and other staff. The teacher instructing in English seems genuinely pleased to have us say "Good morning." To everyone else, we are distractions interrupting their lessons in this less than ideal classroom setting.
The blue paint remains on the doors and trim from February, but the white has not held up as well.
Later...
We were going to take the toys and snacks to the orphanage, but Sister Carmelle called for us to go to the clinic. There are no patients today, but that is good for the people.
We listen to the neighbors visit and Eric figures out how to let Sister view the images on the camera we bought for her. She has a man climb a tree and bring us coconuts to drink. It is so delicious and light. Eric doesn't care for the meat, but I eat it all and love it.
When it is time to leave, word comes that a sick baby is on the way. Apparently the infant cannot urinate ... Or is too dehydrated to. It takes them awhile to arrive, so Sister sends us on our way with our novice friend. It makes me feel anxious to leave without assessing the child and anxious because we are in Haiti and Sister Carmelle is all these people have today.
We feast for lunch. Beans & rice, goat (tough but tasty), salad of carrot, onion and something else - leek? And plantains.
Off to the orphanage - finally! Sister Simone gives us her blessing to share the McDonalds toys. We put them on a table in the building where they cook and she calls the children in after some time. Bringing this variety of small toys may have been one of my best ideas ever. Each toy is a hit! Note to self: more doll babies, more vehicles, more action figures.
Dimitry is quite the soccer player. He's got moves! If he can play like this in Crocs on a hillside, he'll be fantastic in tennis shoes. He and Eric play for a long time.
A few small boys are impressed with the size of Eric's arms. I giggle when they ask him to make a muscle. He seems a bit embarrassed. Dimitry sits on his lap, quite content.
Sister Simone brings us Dimitry's birth certificate. My heart is so full.
Once again, we hold babies and love on orphans until it is time for their dinner. We are so happy to see them being given large plates of beans and rice. Yesterday, we were concerned that the bread they had was their meal.
Before leaving, we gave our Dimitry hugs and kisses and I told him "Dimitry is our petite gasson," (son). He replied "wi," and smiled.
We scrub up after returning to our cabin and today I have to change my shirt because it smells of urine from the children.
Tomorrow, we head to Port-a-Prince to see Alby.
I yearn for my Dimitry and find myself struggling with Alby's situation.
I have a son who knows no little luxury. He sleeps in a room very full of other children, but they are fortunate to now have beds (do they share the tiny single bunk bed mattresses?) He has a uniform and shoes for school . . . his other clothing is too small, dirty, and torn. He wears mismatched Crocs that are small for him, when he has shoes on. Sometimes he has bread for dinner. Sometimes he is lucky and has beans with rice. They have electricity between two and three hours most nights . . . of course, that invites the mosquitoes who carry malaria and Dengue fever into the barracks where he sleeps. No one holds him. No one tells him he is smart, funny, talented, loved, wanted. Does he know how to pray? Does he think anyone is listening?
