Fall Break

The last week has been a whirlwind of activity! Last Monday a team of 23 people arrived. They hosted a very successful medical clinic on Tuesday through Friday, but they wore me out! Some nights I didn't get home until 6 or even 7 o'clock, so I didn't have much time to wind down before I went to sleep. I traveled with the team to and from Gramothe, so I spent more time at school than I normally do. I was able to help in the clinic some, but mostly I tried to stay out of the way. They were an awesome group of individuals with some incredible skills, so they didn't really need my help. In the afternoons I was able to sit with my friends Arold and Nalouse while we waited to go down the mountain in the truck. It was really nice to get to know them a little better.

Two downsides to having the team here were that I missed my Creole lesson on Wednesday and I didn't get to spend much time with the boys who normally walk me home. The kids came and found me during their breaks, and we still had our after school class. Yet, I missed the conversations we have walking home from school. (And don't tell anyone I said this, but I think I missed the exercise too.)

November 1st and 2nd are national holidays in Haiti, so there is no school today or tomorrow. (Can anybody say Fall Break?) One day is All Saints Day and the other is the Day of the Dead. I'm told Christians do not celebrate these holidays, but that's about all I know. About two weeks ago some people in Gramothe (not anyone who goes to church) pulled all the grass out of the cemetery and did some general cleaning in preparation for the holiday. Tomorrow when I go to the guest house I'll be able see if they are doing anything over there.

My Creole tutor offered to have a lesson with me today since there's no school and neither of us had anything to do. He give me a lot of words I had been wondering about, and then he gave me the French and Creole words to songs we sing in church. I am very, very excited about being able to sing along in with the rest of the congregation. However, he made me sing the songs after he had given me the words, and now he's convinced more than ever that I need to sing a special song for church!

Tonight I'm supposed to have an English class with some ladies from the neighborhood. I really enjoy talking with them. They speak pretty good English already, they just want someone to practice with.