Dry Season

Right now Haiti is dusty. Very dusty.

The last time it rained was a few nights ago, but that was the first time for a few months, and with the intense heat all day long from the sun, Haiti has become quite a desert. The land that was green when I arrived in September is has gradually become a dusty, dirty, brown landscape. Even the trees that still have a little green left on them are so covered with dust that they look as dead as the rest of the plants around them.

Fortunately, my neighbour has a green thumb. Rachel who lives directly above me has turned our 'front yard' into quite a tropical paradise. So while the rest of the mountains suffer with no water, our garden thrives with daily showers and has the color to prove it. 

It's beautiful!

Unfortunately, I still do have to suffer the other 'side effects' of this season in Haiti. 

The dry season has produced a lifeless landscape, which has resulted in a lot of field forests, which has resulted in a lot of.... dare I say it, mice.

Yes, the mice have come. I thought my proactive choices of keeping all food in my airtight fridge and microwave would subdue the mouse population in my apartment, but they still feel a need to visit. Over the past week, there has been at least one mouse sighting per evening!

Fortunately, Hanna has been quite handy thus far. Although she doesn't kill them immediately, she does slow them down quite a bit which gives me time to call over someone brave enough to finish them off. I am trying to convince these brave ones that I am playing a part in the riddance process by screaming... I think it paralyzes them for a split second. Haha. 

Yes, I admit I am quite fearful of the little creatures, but slowly I am building up a tolerance to them... I don't really have much of a choice do I?

Well, I guess it's just another part of the true Haitian experience, and it could be worse. Fortunately the dry season has wiped out two of my previous challenges, mosquitos and a leaky ceiling, So I'll try to focus on those blessings. :) And hopefully the can of Mono bondage foam that Broc brought me will help the situation by closing up some wall holes.

Besides the mouse issue, this week has been absolutely AWESOME! On Thursday we took a trip to the beach and spent the majority of the day soaking up some glorious Haitian sunshine. The team workers truly deserved it, and the kids and I went along for the ride. Working in the Haiti heat is no picnic, but it pays off on beach day that is for sure! I still can't believe it when I hear about all of the snow you are getting back home... It's quite a different story over here!

On Monday there is a trip scheduled for Cabaret. We will walk through the market and visit 2 orphanages. I am looking forward to another outrip with the group. It's so fun to experience everything with Broc too!

Thanks again for all of your prayers surrounding my teaching. With the team here it's been a little challenging to plan - too many distractions, and in the next few months I have a lot of work to cover. I especially ask for prayer with my planning for Teagan. She has a lot tough science and math concepts that need to be mastered, and my concern isn't for her, it's for me! She is a very bright girl, and is progressing wonderfully, but some of the curriculum she is expected to learn in grade 7 is a little daunting for me to teach, especially when I have 2 other grades to cover. My teaching before Christmas got us through the basics, but now I have to face up to teaching things like ecosystems and earth plate tectonics and heat energy... Things that I don't completely understand myself. So I would really appreciate your prayers as Teagan and I navigate through this together. Pray that I will be okay with not knowing everything, and that I can serve as an adequate guide for Teagan. As I gather resources and try to put together projects that are both educational and enjoyable, it's often discouraging because I feel that she could learn so much more if I was more knowledgeable. But it just causes me to lean on the Lord and trust Him to help me plan and provide for what she needs. He is the Great Teacher and I know with Him in me, I can do greater things than I ever thought I was capable of.

With that being said, I guess I better tackle my planning for the next unit.... The Rebellion of 1837! Lord, give me courage!