Kindra's Blog

-That was Saturday.  A group of us young people here at the mission decided to hike to see "The Waterfall". :o)  Actually, it was all the blan staff minus Steve's- except for Whit, who had to stay because it was her turn to be on call at the clinic.  So a group of five girls, three boys, three horses, and various other small people that came and went with the group headed out Saturday morning. 


 The waterfall was gorgeous.  The picture below really cannot begin to do its beauty justice.  It felt like a small tropical oasis, hidden from the outside world by the rocks surrounding it.  The blue-green pool at the bottom, and the lush greenery surrounding it, evoked a feeling of being hidden away in some undiscovered jungle wonderland.


I could have happily stayed there all day, playing beneath the waterfall, jumping off of rocks into the pool, and floating contentedly in the water.  But we girls had plans to go to Rhonda's that evening, so after one final exhilarating leap from the rock, we headed out to locate the guys, who were down by the side of the river.  We snapped a few group photos, then headed home.

Me, Rhoda, Sharon, Dominique, and Katie

Glenden, Nate, and David

My creole is slowly coming along...one of the young guys that works as a gate guard at the clinic told me today that I may start to sound like a Haitian in "two or three years." :o) I thought that sounded pretty inspiring, so I simply thanked him for his vote of confidence in my ability to learn the language.  But some days it feels like it may take that long to just be able to hold a casual conversation with someone.  I have actually got my creole lesson done the last two days, which is better than sometimes.  It seems like something tends to come up right when I am heading out to do it, then I get sidetracked, then the day is done, and it has somehow slipped through the cracks.

Yesterday was exactly one month since I arrived here.  I can hardly believe that much time has already sped by.  It seems like yesterday that I was crying on an airplane, heading south; yet at the same time, it feels as though I have been living here for forever.  And I am falling more in love with life here every day- well, most days, that is. :o) There are a few days here and there where it isn't much fun, but then again, I didn't come here to have fun, so...I think I'll stay. *wink*

I was up much later than I should have been last night, and I think I should probably try to catch up a bit on my sleep tonight, so I should go. 

Good night, and God bless!

-Kindra

My first time really-truly leaving home, my first time being away from my family for more than two weeks, my first blog, my first post on said blog....this is all a bit new, so please, have patience with me. :o)

I'm going to assume that, if you are bothering to read this, you know me.  Which means that you probably already know the big story about where I currently am, and what I'm doing here.  So this blog is to fill you in on the little stories, the daily little things that make up the big picture.

For instance, the fact that my bunny has a name now.  Bianca.  If you don't like it, don't worry- you're not alone.  I've heard a lot of different opinions about her name.  Bianca also has an real, honest-to-goodness rabbit-waterer now.  She has no clue how to use it, but it's there, hanging on her hutch. :o)

Or that that I'm really tempted to sneak out tonight and release the poor little mouse that is trapped under the tub.  He was spotted in the kitchen yesterday evening, and a rather wild mouse hunt ensued when he disappeared into the cabinets.  He was found, and quite vigorously pursued, but escaped into the cutout to the plumbing for the shower.  His escape route was promptly barricaded to prevent him re-entering the house, leaving him trapped in the space underneath the tub.  Now all I can think when I'm showering is of the poor little mouse that is starving, quite literally right below my feet.  But I'm not sure that my saving the mouse would be appreciated by anyone other than the mouse, so I've not ventured beyond being tempted.  At least, not yet. :o)

I've also learned a new appreciation for the power of a smile, and the ability of laughter to disband tension and frustration.  Trying to work with people with whom I don't share a language can be a bit frustrating at times, but I've learned that as long as I am willing to laugh at myself first, that frustration isn't given a chance to build up and cause grief.  And I often find myself surrounded by laughing Haitians, as I try out some new word or another, and, to their great amusement, butcher the pronunciation quite painfully sometimes.  They love to teach me new words and phrases, and I love to learn from them.

Please remember us in your prayers...we are given such an opportunity to shine the light of Christ into the people that come through the clinic; pray that we would take that opportunity and be a beacon of light in the community here.

-Kindra