Well Peeps!
Thought I should write you again :D What's been happening?
Well a lot and yet not so much. I'm continuing in my language and God is keeping me humble - just about the time I think that I've got it - He gives me an experience to show me I'm still an infant learner.
Like today when I went to a church service with over 1,500 people with a Canadian couple who are here with Power to Change (used to be called Campus Crusade for Christ) and felt good that I was able to translate (if only a little) for them the 15 minute sermon before Phil got up to speak.
...And then...
...went to the house of a friend's Uncle and struggled just to understand conversational Creole....
...devastating! :'(
But I am advancing - I just have to think where I was 2 months ago! HaitiHub helped a lot in getting me jump-started but on the whole? Nowhere near where I am now! Which IS a good thing - like Stella says on White Christmas: "Advance, advance, never retreat!"
Let's see: this week we had a group from Germany here - who provided some head whirling, entertainment, and theological conversation!
Head-whirling: Hearing German spoken in Haiti!
Entertainment came from conversations like:
Dave: Bon Apetite. What do they say in German?
Helmut: Vee don't say anyting - vee jus eat!
Theological conversation: Why do we pray 'in Jesus name'? is that just something we say because we've been taught to say it? or do we realize what Jesus meant when He said to 'ask the Father in My name'?
Then we have a mobile clinic team here with one ER nurse, a midwife and her hubby and their four ADORABLE kids, and a Chiropracter - got my back sorted the other week - yay! and a little message therapy! One story I am sure they will take back with them to Kansas City? The SEVEN hour return trip from their clinic that was just 15 miles away! Due to rain and 'blockis' (traffic jam) - they said it took them longer to do that 15 miles than to travel from Kansas City to Haiti!
I have one more week here at the Villa before I will, Lord willing, be moving in with my Creole teacher - Charlotte! Eeeeek! a little nervous - I've grown accostumed to living here at the Villa and how things are here, my room/routine - as my dear Mother said: "..another chapter in the life and times..."
Well, I think "that's all for now folks!" ;)
Don't forget to check out pics on www.renewhaitipics.shutterfly.com!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
The Silence is broken
Internet is a funny thing. Kind of like one's health. When you have it you take it for granted but when you don't have it you realize how much you enjoy it.
No, praise the Lord, I'm not sick :D But the last few weeks have been a bit tough with dodgy internet :(
I posted on facebook that I've learned that a 25 y.o. in the 21st Century can live without internet! Not saying it's easy though!
Even being able to send and receive e-mails is currently a luxury :D But onto my adventures :D
Yesterday was busy! I had a Creole lesson in the morning from 8-11 - but I ended up staying closer to noon. My teacher has a 3 year old niece - she's the one in the video on Shutterfly saying "You're well" when asked how she was :D She is as cute as a button! She hasn't quite gotten my name yet, insistst that it is "Delida" - no matter how many times we repeat: "Elida" to her! I also got a video of her arguing with her aunt about the fact that my name was 'Delida Delida Delida' and not 'Elida Stephanie Walton'!
After Creole lesson throughout the day I was called upon in the nature of my profession - everything from a migraine to a scraped toe!
It was fantastic!
The migraine was easy to take care of - couple of Excedrin-like pills :D
The scraped toe was a little more dramatic! Not sure as to how hard all of your stomachs are so I'll try not to be too detailed - and you'll be happy to know I didn't get any pictures so you're safe :D
The girl (15) had somehow tripped or skidded by the side of the pool and her whole big toe looked quite the mess - I ran to my room and got a few first aid supplies - sent someone to get me the key to the Office so I would have gloves, and then got one of the little girls to fetch water so I could give the patient some ibuprofen to help with the pain and any subsequent inflammation. Got a hold of a large tub and had the patient bathe her foot with soap and water. Didn't look to bad after this. Cut away the torn skin - she was a little aprehensive at first but once I started cutting and she didn't feel anything - because it was completely detached she relaxed considerably. A wash with Saline Wound Cleaner, some antibiotic/antiseptic spray, and it was looking a lot better. The bleeding had stopped and it really was just a surface tear - painful but not too bad. Put some antibiotic ointment on gauze wrapped it with roll bandage and secured it with a piece of tape and Bob's your uncle! Gave her some antibiotic cream to take home along with another piece of gauze and some tape and bandage roll. Lord willing it doesn't get infected!
Also had a little girl with open blisters on the sides of her feet due to sandals :( gave her some TLC antibiotic cream and bandaids and she was happy as a lark :D
As I said - busy day!
No, praise the Lord, I'm not sick :D But the last few weeks have been a bit tough with dodgy internet :(
I posted on facebook that I've learned that a 25 y.o. in the 21st Century can live without internet! Not saying it's easy though!
Even being able to send and receive e-mails is currently a luxury :D But onto my adventures :D
Yesterday was busy! I had a Creole lesson in the morning from 8-11 - but I ended up staying closer to noon. My teacher has a 3 year old niece - she's the one in the video on Shutterfly saying "You're well" when asked how she was :D She is as cute as a button! She hasn't quite gotten my name yet, insistst that it is "Delida" - no matter how many times we repeat: "Elida" to her! I also got a video of her arguing with her aunt about the fact that my name was 'Delida Delida Delida' and not 'Elida Stephanie Walton'!
After Creole lesson throughout the day I was called upon in the nature of my profession - everything from a migraine to a scraped toe!
It was fantastic!
The migraine was easy to take care of - couple of Excedrin-like pills :D
The scraped toe was a little more dramatic! Not sure as to how hard all of your stomachs are so I'll try not to be too detailed - and you'll be happy to know I didn't get any pictures so you're safe :D
The girl (15) had somehow tripped or skidded by the side of the pool and her whole big toe looked quite the mess - I ran to my room and got a few first aid supplies - sent someone to get me the key to the Office so I would have gloves, and then got one of the little girls to fetch water so I could give the patient some ibuprofen to help with the pain and any subsequent inflammation. Got a hold of a large tub and had the patient bathe her foot with soap and water. Didn't look to bad after this. Cut away the torn skin - she was a little aprehensive at first but once I started cutting and she didn't feel anything - because it was completely detached she relaxed considerably. A wash with Saline Wound Cleaner, some antibiotic/antiseptic spray, and it was looking a lot better. The bleeding had stopped and it really was just a surface tear - painful but not too bad. Put some antibiotic ointment on gauze wrapped it with roll bandage and secured it with a piece of tape and Bob's your uncle! Gave her some antibiotic cream to take home along with another piece of gauze and some tape and bandage roll. Lord willing it doesn't get infected!
Also had a little girl with open blisters on the sides of her feet due to sandals :( gave her some TLC antibiotic cream and bandaids and she was happy as a lark :D
As I said - busy day!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Avantur nan kreyòl - Adventures in Creole
Well, language study is going well and just like those who've gone before me, I've found that sometimes what you think you are saying and what you are actually saying are two very different things!
For example this past week I was cleaning the whiteboard and said that it was 'salty'! I thought that I was saying that it was 'very dirty'! Let me explain, the word for
Dirty is 'sal' and
Salt is 'sèl'
Salty is 'sale'
Very dirty is simply 'tre sal' or 'sal anpil'
I thought that as 'sal' was dirty 'sale' surely must be 'very dirty'? But I was proven otherwise!
Then there was the time I mispronounced the word I was reading and asked for an explanation, which took about 5 minutes only to discover I'd mispronounced it and so therefore needed a new explanation - which thankfully only took a few seconds!
Chofe - To heat
Chofè - Driver
And then the one I actually took notes on because it was late at night and I had been studying all day and was tired and just started laughing because it struck me as hilarious!
Here is the background to the conversation: the book said that the little boy ate bread and drank 'akasan' before going to school. Frantzdy (my Creole helper) tried to explain this 'akasan' to me - it is a hot drink made from corn, with sugar, milk and kanèl (oh! what was that again? something like seasoning/spices...explanation involved kanèl being sweet and it was the bark that was used - ahhhhh! CINNAMON!). To describe it he then branched off into telling me about a drink that was good for when you were working out. It had to do with putting spaghetti in a blender and getting a liquid.
The conversation:
Me: If you put spaghetti in a blender you get liquid!?! What? LOL! No way...
Frantzdy: (Very patient with his little white friend who is tired and obviously doesn't know any better) You have a blender...
Me: Yes, ok, I understand - I just don't believe that if you stick spaghetti in a blender you'll get liquid!
Frantzdy: There is a lot you don't know!
Uncontrollable laughter! I do wonder what Dave and Marilyn sitting outside their room reading quietly must've thought?
Frantzdy: Ok...how do you make spaghetti?
Me: Um, I put it in water, and boil it, and then use a seive (word I'd just learned :D) and drain it, and then put it on a plate and eat it with sauce.
It's only then that he tells me that one boils the spaghetti first (now maybe you had realized that but it was late and I'd had a loooong day!)
Me: Boil it first....right, ok, NOW you tell me!
Frantzdy: With water and cinnamon and salt. Then you put it in the blender, with just a little bit of the water, some milk, and sugar, after that if you want - put in a little bit of ice; and you blend it (this still didn't sound very plausible to me and I was repeating everything after him in English to make sure I was getting it and was almost rolling on the floor laughing). If you want to get strong while you're working out - you can also add the 'ze' of a chicken. (He was speaking completely in Creole but I'm translating it :D Aren't I nice?)
Me: What? What part of the chicken are you sticking in this thing? 'Zye'?!?
Frantzdy: No, no, no, not 'zye' - 'ze'!
Me: LOL! Ok, ok, an EGG of a chicken not it's EYES! (whew! was about to be grossed out.)
Frantzdy: and a banana or breadfruit is good too. After that you blend it and after that you drink it.
Me: Bwe li? (Drink it?) Vremont? (Truly?/Seriously?) *not too enthralled facial expression* Men si ou pa kuit ze ou ka gen salmonella. (But if you don't cook eggs you can get salmonella)l.
Frantzdy: ?
Me: Salmonella? Sa se malad ou ka gen si ou pa kuit e ou manje zye...ZE! (It's a disease you get if you don't cook and you eat eyes...eggs!!!
We about died laughing!
Hoping these anecdotes are not a 'guess you had to be there' and you can laugh with me!
For example this past week I was cleaning the whiteboard and said that it was 'salty'! I thought that I was saying that it was 'very dirty'! Let me explain, the word for
Dirty is 'sal' and
Salt is 'sèl'
Salty is 'sale'
Very dirty is simply 'tre sal' or 'sal anpil'
I thought that as 'sal' was dirty 'sale' surely must be 'very dirty'? But I was proven otherwise!
Then there was the time I mispronounced the word I was reading and asked for an explanation, which took about 5 minutes only to discover I'd mispronounced it and so therefore needed a new explanation - which thankfully only took a few seconds!
Chofe - To heat
Chofè - Driver
And then the one I actually took notes on because it was late at night and I had been studying all day and was tired and just started laughing because it struck me as hilarious!
Here is the background to the conversation: the book said that the little boy ate bread and drank 'akasan' before going to school. Frantzdy (my Creole helper) tried to explain this 'akasan' to me - it is a hot drink made from corn, with sugar, milk and kanèl (oh! what was that again? something like seasoning/spices...explanation involved kanèl being sweet and it was the bark that was used - ahhhhh! CINNAMON!). To describe it he then branched off into telling me about a drink that was good for when you were working out. It had to do with putting spaghetti in a blender and getting a liquid.
The conversation:
Me: If you put spaghetti in a blender you get liquid!?! What? LOL! No way...
Frantzdy: (Very patient with his little white friend who is tired and obviously doesn't know any better) You have a blender...
Me: Yes, ok, I understand - I just don't believe that if you stick spaghetti in a blender you'll get liquid!
Frantzdy: There is a lot you don't know!
Uncontrollable laughter! I do wonder what Dave and Marilyn sitting outside their room reading quietly must've thought?
Frantzdy: Ok...how do you make spaghetti?
Me: Um, I put it in water, and boil it, and then use a seive (word I'd just learned :D) and drain it, and then put it on a plate and eat it with sauce.
It's only then that he tells me that one boils the spaghetti first (now maybe you had realized that but it was late and I'd had a loooong day!)
Me: Boil it first....right, ok, NOW you tell me!
Frantzdy: With water and cinnamon and salt. Then you put it in the blender, with just a little bit of the water, some milk, and sugar, after that if you want - put in a little bit of ice; and you blend it (this still didn't sound very plausible to me and I was repeating everything after him in English to make sure I was getting it and was almost rolling on the floor laughing). If you want to get strong while you're working out - you can also add the 'ze' of a chicken. (He was speaking completely in Creole but I'm translating it :D Aren't I nice?)
Me: What? What part of the chicken are you sticking in this thing? 'Zye'?!?
Frantzdy: No, no, no, not 'zye' - 'ze'!
Me: LOL! Ok, ok, an EGG of a chicken not it's EYES! (whew! was about to be grossed out.)
Frantzdy: and a banana or breadfruit is good too. After that you blend it and after that you drink it.
Me: Bwe li? (Drink it?) Vremont? (Truly?/Seriously?) *not too enthralled facial expression* Men si ou pa kuit ze ou ka gen salmonella. (But if you don't cook eggs you can get salmonella)l.
Frantzdy: ?
Me: Salmonella? Sa se malad ou ka gen si ou pa kuit e ou manje zye...ZE! (It's a disease you get if you don't cook and you eat eyes...eggs!!!
We about died laughing!
Hoping these anecdotes are not a 'guess you had to be there' and you can laugh with me!
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