The Last Two Weeks (In a Nutshell)

The last two weeks-ish have been really great! They have been packed full of adventures and Katie and I have gotten lazy on the blogging. Sorry friends. I'll start with two Saturdays ago, the 3rd. The place where the kids go to horses was celebrating its 25th Anniversary. Of course all of the horse riders were invited to attend and naturally, Katie, Kerin, and I asked if we could tag along. The answer was "yes" so at 11am on Saturday, we headed down. The kids were greeted with their helmets and brand new T-shirts for the celebration. Little did we know, the kids were actually going to perform at the celebration! They had their own slot during the day where they got to show off all of their skills to the rest of the horse riding community of Haiti. I felt like a proud parent/ groupie. They were stars, and we knew them! They all did such a great job showing off what they know! While we were at the celebration, we met a man named Patrick who is a long time friend of Paco (the owner of the Equestrian Club). Patrick was talking to all of us and asked us if we would be interested in riding the horses. We all said yes, but we don't ride them here because that is the time for the kids to ride and we do not want to take away from their time on the horses. Before we could refuse, Patrick had made an aggreement with Paco to let us ride the following Thursday when we came with the kids. We would get our own lesson on Thursday! Needlees to say we were all pretty excited about this. After a long day at the Equestrian Club, we headed back home with ribbons and certificates for all the kids. Everyone was tired and the long drive home was made even longer due to a flat tire. We finally made it home after dark and went straight to bed; we had another big day on Sunday. We woke in the morning and headed to town for church, except this time, we did not head to St. Joseph's like we do every other Sunday. Pastor Jean Ristil (a teacher here at Wings and one of the original members of the St. Joseph Family) had invited us to attend his church. We accepted and made plans to meet him in Petionville at the Texaco and he would take us from there to his church. After a fifteen minute tap tap ride and a long, brisk walk up a hill, we reached a doorway that looked nothing like a church on the outside. We headed up a steep, narrow staircase to the roof of the building where there was a little covered area packed full of chairs with flowers adorning the walls and cieling and curtains of lace as walls. Pastor led us to our front row reserved seats. We were informed beforehand that the service would be about 2 hours long, so Katie, Kerin and I decided to ask for the restroom. "Okay, just one minute," was the answer we recieved from Pastor. After about five minutes he said "Okay, let's go." He led us down the narrow staircase, which seemed more treacherous on the way down, across the street, down an alley and into someone's home. We didn't realize that we would have to intrude on someone's home just to use the bathroom, but were glad that we did because the service was actually 2 hours long. When we got back from the bathroom break, service began. The church is Baptist, so there was a lot of singing and Halleluahs. Somewhere in the middle of service, we were informed that we needed to introduce ourselves, on the spot. I thought that God had come and struck me down right then! I despise public speaking, especially on the spot and in a language unfamiliar to me. I am even getting clammy and nervous right now just thinking about it. Luckily, I was the last to go and Pastor was our translator. I made a brief speech with a nervous grin smeared across my face the entire time. When I finished, I was given a reassuring "AMEN" from the congregation that made me feel like I wasn't quite the fool I thought I was. We clapped and sang our way through the rest of service and at the end gave nearly everyone a hug and thanked them for letting us join them in worship. Pastor then took us to a tap tap so we could make our journey home. Everyday of the following week, the students and teachers all gathered to practice their Christmas Pageant, so Katie, Kerin and I got to entertain the day students and some of the other kids who don't have a huge role in the Pageant.  We have been working on Christmas decorations with them which all turned out beautifully! We had been anticipating Thursday all week knowing that we would get to ride horses, so Thursday morning, we all woke eager to get to horses. We got to horses and a few kids jumped on for their usual session and then Paco called me over. I thought I would just be leading the horse like I had done before, but I was wrong. It was my turn to ride! Yes! I felt a little guilty since not all of the kids had gotten to ride yet, but I wasn't about to argue in Kreyol with a World Class horse rider, so I hopped on. I went for a couple laps around the ring and then Paco called me over to him. Before I knew it, Lazar was sitting on my lap! I got to ride the horse around with Lazar! Such an awesome experience! Not only was I getting to ride a horse, but I was also getting to help Lazar ride a horse too! I thought I was going to cry, but then reality hit me that I was on top of a 1,100 pound-ish animal with a kid who does not have much control over his muscle movement. No time to be sentimental. Time to put those Insanity workouts to use! Tighten that core and hold on tight to Lazar and the reigns. We started walking around the ring and it became easier as Lazar and I got more comfortable with each other on the horse. By the time we were done, I was sweating and ready to relax for a minute. We got off the horse and Paco said that I wasn't finished yet. After all the kids rode, Katie, Kerin, and I would have our lesson. Ok, eat your salami and butter sandwich and chug that carbonated lemonade quick because you're up next! Katie, Kerin and I took to our horses and started walking around the ring. "This is easy," I thought to myself. I had been on horses before up and down a mountain, so this was cake. Katie was the first to tackle trotting. Paco took her horse by lead and started leading him around in a circle, trotting. The whole time he was trying to get Katie to sit, stand, sit, stand, with the movement of the horse. Now you have to understand that we were getting free horse riding lessons from a World Champion horse competitor, so to say that he had high expectations for us would be a major understatement! We could not do anything right for this man. He must have thought we were the dumbest blancs to ever walk the face of the planet! After Katie recieved a sufficient yelling session, she was released to trot on her own and then Kerin was led to her trotting lesson. I was still just sauntering around at a pace that was more that ok with me. My horse and I were bonding and getting comfortable with each other before the trotting lesson, or so I thought. Katie came up behind me trotting on her horse, and I guess that our horses exchanged some glares or something because before I knew it, Katie's horse was kicking at mine! My horse was sent into a frenzie and I could feel myself getting closer and closer to falling off with each movement of the horse. A brief thought of "Am I really about to fall off this horse?!?!" crossed through my mind and the next thing I knew, I was on my bum in the dirt, my horse towering over me. I jumped up real quick, half embarrased, half terrified. The first thing I remember was Josephine's sweet little voice asking me if I was alright. I was, and I jumped back on the horse just like you are supposed to do after you fall off. P.S. Katie was fine. She and her horse trotted off gracefully without a problem. Katie always comes out triumphant over me in any sport we happen to partake in. Needless, to say, this little incident did not improve Paco's perception of us. Oh well, I guess I was ready now more than ever for my trotting lesson. Paco led my horse to the open area and my horse started trotting. "UP, DOWN, UP, DOWN," Paco instructed. "Relax your hands." Relax was the last thing I wanted to do after the near death experiecne I just had, but I did my best. After Paco got tired of shouting at me, he released me to trot on my own. Katie, Kerin and I were all lined up trotting (kind of) around the ring together. We made it through the rest of our lesson with no more mishaps. We were even more sweaty than before and tired. That up and down business while riding a horse is not nearly as easy as those professionals make it look! This past Sunday was a day worth talking about! We headed to St. Joseph's for church in the morning. Service was wonderful, as usual, and it was good to see all our friends since we missed the previous Sunday. We hung around for a little after service since we didn't have to be back at Wings until around 3. We were invited to play darts with the boys and we stayed for lunch. One of the boys made lunch for everyone and it was wonderful! Hatian spaghetti is delicious, especially when you add chopped up hot dogs! We then headed home to meet up with Alcindor. We had been planning to go to a cock fight for the past few days, so when we got home, Alcindor was there waiting for us. We changed clothes really quick then headed down into town for the fight. Now when I think of a cock fight, I think of the stereotypical ring in the center with two cocks fighting and people packed around all sides shouting, yelling and making bets. Well, the stereotypes are extremely accurate. That is exactly what it was, only this time, three blanc women happened to show up. We were getting stares like usual and couldn't decide if it was because we were women at a cock fight or if it was because we were white. Probably both. The fighting was not nearly as bloody as I expected and of the 4 cocks that fought, only one of them perished. After the first fight, I went to Alcindor so he could explain the rules to us. The time limit in the fighting is determined beforehand between the two owners of the cocks fighting. If one dies before the time is up, the other wins. The winner gets money for his victory along with the defeated cock, and bragging rights, of course. The loser gets nothing. The people who place bets and win recieve double what they bet; losers again, get nothing. If it is a draw, meaning time runs out and both cocks are still standing, everyone who bet breaks even, receiving the money back that they bet. In general, those are the rules, at least the important ones. We watched two fights total, the second one being less dramatic since we knew what to expect and we had a little moonshine in us! Plus, both cocks lived in the second fight. After the fight we headed home to eat some chicken (yes, seriously. We get chicken for lunch every Sunday). This week has been filled with Christmas preparations. Yesterday we helped decorate the house and we put up the tree. Today we made pinatas for the Christmas party. Tomorrow we have Christmas Boutique where all the staff and kids get to purchase presents for eachother for Christmas. Thursday, we get to make and help decorate Christmas cookies for everyone and Friday we get to pass them out to the neighborhood children. It is a fun filled week! Katie, Kerin and I are anticipating our bittersweet return to the States. We are excited to see our family and friends, but sad to leave our new family and friends. We plan to cherish these last few days with the children and staff. I hope all is well for eveyone as you are in the midst of your holiday season! Love to all!

Recieving awards at the horse ceremony

Vilner showing off his decorating skills

Lazar and I taking the horse by the reigns =)

Cock fight

Cock fight hutch

Decorating the tree

Making pinatas

Thanksgiving!

I certainly ate my fair share of thanksgiving meal favorites! It all starts on Wednesday, when we: Kerin, Ashleigh, and myself, rode tap taps to Saint Joeseph's Home for Boys. We rode public, by ourselves, without getting lost, and without getting jipped, and of course getting hit on. I am so proud of us! We took to the streets like native Haitians. We weaved in and out of motos, motorcycles, and dipping under the people carrying baskets. We dodged the other tap taps. We wound up, on time, at the large, red, front gate. Almost like the gate to enter the Wizard's door in the emerald city, but instead of emerald, this gate was fire engine red. Anyway, we were welcomed with hugs and told that dinner will be ready in ten minutes. We were ushered into our room, that was totally prepared for us , sheets on beds, towels, and wash clothes, and the cherry on top, personal handsanitzers. Michael, the founder of Saint Joesph's , is such a doll. We settled down and went got into the buffet line for rice, beef tips, special Haitian sauce, tomatoes with garlic, and fruit. I went back 3 other times for the fruit, it was delightful. We had the opportunity to speak with some visitors who came from Illinios and one lady who ventures from Australia. After our conversation of the differences between Scottish, Irish, Australian, and British accents came to a conclusion, we made way upstairs where there is internet! We obviously changed our facebook statuses and then hit the hay, we had a big day ahead of us and it started at 5 a.m. for morning prayers. Petionville is a much lower town then Fermathe, where Wings of Hope is, and I felt the weight of heat on my shoulders the moment I lied down to get some shut eye. I tossed and turned and threw sheets off of me and shedded layers of clothing. To sum it up, I was hot and 5 a.m. was coming faster and faster. I was just getting more and more disgruntled knowing I am not getting a good night's rest. I finally closed my eyes for a bit and woke up in a hurry poking at Ashleigh, waking her up. I honestly do not know if I was sleep walking or if indeed the 4:45 a.m. bell woke me up but I can say we made it to morning prayers before most of the boys. After singing some Hymns, praising, and worshipping, I went straight back to the sheets. The problem is I was so excited and nervous about preparing this huge Thanksgiving feast that all I could do was go over the steps of how to make Mirlton over and over in my head. Dang OCD, kept making my think that the mashed potatoes didn't have enough milk and the green bean casserole won't ready in time. I succumbed to the excitement and brought all of the preparations into the kitchen. Michael greeted me with music to my ears, "cheese omelet or scrambled egg?" Yes, please! We ate a filling breakfast and then went to survey our working space. We needed to find our instruments and ffigure out timing. Michael informed me that Dody, the cook for Saint Joe's would be there to help but he doesn't speak much English. I was also told that he made turkey and stuffing already and is in charge of the Mirlton. Oh thank heavens, that was a load off of my mind. The time was 7:42 and we had to have food ready for 1 pm. We can do this, plenty of time. Well, we decided to make like Haitian and watch Dody as he prepared the mirlton, and green salad, and rice and beans. That Dody had a lot on his plate. So Ashleigh designated herself as the DJ and turned on some Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On.: A Thanksgiving classic, in my book. In mid chop, Dody started interpretive dancing and smoozing with all of us ladies. He spun us around and danced around each one of us. Did I mention, before any of this happened he rubbed one visitor's tensed neck and fixed it? Well, he did. One talented man this Dody is, and we named him Cook Daddy because he likes Puff Daddy. After his rendition of Celine, he went back to scooping out the insides of vegetables. We then decided it was abut time to start our prep work, pealing potatoes, Of course we were doing it incorrectly and Cook Daddy showed us what is up. He was pealing 3 potatoes to every 1 of Ashleigh's potato. Ashleigh threw in the knife and went back to coffee and music. Next step was tossing the 28 or so potatoes into the boiling kettle and wait. And wait. And wait. Potato masherless we used the next best thing, spatulas. After using our resources and spatulas, we threw together the green bean casserole as Kerin mixed up the corn bread. We dumped it all in the oven and waited again. Michael briskly walked into the occupied kitchen and put his sweet potato/apple dish onto of the mirlton or green bean casserole or corn bread. I don't know which one. We made do with the small oven and stacked dishes on top of one another. It was quite precarious. Amazingly all the sides were ready and it was ten minutes until one! As my Dad would say, we were "Time on Target." We put everything out and then realized how much food was out there: rice and beans, green bean casserole, turkey and rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, sweet potatoes/ apple carreroll, mirlton, cornbread, green salad with every vegetable imaginable, apple pie, peach cake, pecan pie, and cheese cake. It felt like it never ended and I ate like it was closing in 3 minutes. I stuffed myself silly, literally. After overindulging, I partook in the second Thanksgiving tradition, napping. I could not get comfortable with such a full belly but because of that full belly, I also couldn't move. Typical Thanksgiving. Renee thought ahead of time and hired someone to pick us up from the house and how grateful we all were. Kerin was sprawled out in the front bench, I was in the middle and Ashleigh in the back. We did make a noise, besides some rumbling tummies. We got home and I immediately went straight to my bed. I had the gift of being able to talk to my family while they were at their Thanksgiving table and was passed around. It felt like I was on a ship and I was getting sea sick. Too much food, consumed too quickly. I forgot that my body has been used to processing only rice and beans or rice and corn meal for quite some time now. Because of my peculating tummy, I stayed up well past my bedtime but that gave me a great opportunity to finish my book. I woke up after the feast-ival and still had a rumbling tummy after 12 hours of digesting. I started of slow with bread. 

This was definitely a Thanksgiving to remember and one for the record books. I hope your Holiday was even more fun!



Ashleigh "cooking"



Kerin cooking



Cook Dody



Look at this spread

Dancing with DeLome

Cuddling with Junior

Tigga

Erique

Darts!



Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree



No inconsistent dangles!

Awkward Christmas family photo!

Machine

This Thursday, thanksgiving, we are preparing, cooking, and consuming a thanksgiving feast! On the menu: green bean casserole (a staple), mashed potatoes (obviously), a green salad (we are dying for some fresh vegetables), cornbread (why not), gravy (what is mashed potatoes without gravy), sweet potatoes with apples (Michael's speciality), mirliton (something haitian) and Rotisserie chicken (we don't want our first attempt at a turkey to be in Haiti with a temperamental gas oven). We are going on Wednesday night and waking up at dawn to start our feast-ival!
Now that is am salivating I will catch you up on what has been the happenings here. We have had many of visitors, day and nighters (my terminology for people who stay for longer than day trips). It has been a blast! We have gone on a couple of treks to Kenscoff and up our favorite hill! One of my favorite visits was just a stop by and it was a man with a bunch of "machines." These "machines" are glorified hand cranked tricycles! They are the coolest mode of transportation ever! Peterson puts his backpack in the trunk and cranks away with his laundry loading arms!(he does the laundry everyday) he made sure to be courteous and voice "BEEP BEEP!!!!" Such a gentleman! Steve on the other hand made sure to drive into anyone and every one possible while cackling! Ashleigh's knees were a little bruised and my toes were crunched. Kerin had the marvelous idea of hopping in Steve's trunk and we all followed. I was in David's (this David is different then tour guide David. This David looks like chris rock's long lost Haitian son) trunk and Ashleigh of course got the lean mean peterson machine! We had ourselves a good ol' fashion chariot race around and around on the porch! The day we hiked to Kenscoff, we had to leave late. We were a little hesitant just going with David (tour guide) so we waited for Alcindor. We also had a guest named Lara who was more than willing to venture out and see what trouble we could get into. We started walking and the walking slowly turned into panting and the panting slowly turned into crawling. It was totally vertical. Alcindor told us that in his "prime," he would run up this 3 to 4 mile hill. My hip flexor was throbbing and my back was sweating. We went through a couple of markets and took a few pictures. We got to a bend in the road and Alcindor said, "Okay, what do you want to do now?" We quizzically looked at him and said this is Kenscoff? And his response was, "No, we passed that about 30 minutes ago." "Huh. Okay well on the way back will you point it out please?" So we turned around and started back. We walked and rolled as the sun was setting. He then announced that we were in Kenscoff. Hooray! We kept going. The trek was a good workout at least. We got back into town after dark and that is where the party is at! There were dance parties to my left, to my right, straight ahead, and the best one was our dance party. We hung out for a little bit in town to absorb the environment and celebrate that we made it home safely. We stopping in at the bakery and picked up some bread and finally made it home to Wings to eat some soup! Great reward!
Sunday, we had the privilege of playing darts after church! These boys are a lot more competitive then our Friday dart game. They heckle each other and us too! The pressure was on! I won a protein shake and a soda. Ashleigh one a soda (her team came in first), and Kerin came in last however she won two protein shakes and bomb cookies! Don't know how that happened but she shared. We newly discovered that Renee has a blockbuster in her room! So we rented Bridgette Jone's Diary and enjoyed some chocolate wafers. I can't wait for the next movie night and to have popcorn!!
Wish us luck on our thanksgiving feast-ival! And Happy Turkey Day everyone!!

Peterson and Pierre!!

on our neat hike

David took our picture

Avocado the size of my head.

Sorting through donations

One Big Week

We had a big week here at Wings. Our visitors arrived safely on Sunday evening, so we had late dinner and then crashed. On Monday, Katie and I and a few of the visitors helped sort out donations. Once the clothes were arranged by size and gender, Jacky and Renee came in to pick out the items that they needed for the three St. Joseph's houses. When they were finished, they allowed the staff to come and pick through the rest to take items home for themselves and for their families. It was great to watch them carefully select items for their children, wives, and themselves. Tuesday was a day of cleaning. We were going to have our 17th Anniversary party on Thursday, so we needed to get the place looking shiny! Gary recruited some of the visitors and Katie and I to help scrub down walls and clean the patio. It was hard work, but it looked great when we were finished. Wednesday was another day of cleaning, but this time it was on the inside. I was given to Titoto to help him hand scrub the floors. For some reason, I decided I should tackle the Ramps of Death. I thought they were treacherous before, but add soapy water that turns into mud from all the dirt, and they literally are deadly. I was able to wedge my feet into the railings just right so that my toes could cling onto the sides so I wouldn't slip-slide my way down the ramps. After about and hour and a half, the Ramps of Death were almost sparkling, and I still had my life, so I feel I was very successful! Thursday was a day of celebration! It was the 17th Anniversary of Wings of Hope! Everyone was dressed to impress in their nicest clothes. I have to say that Junior won my vote for best outfit with his skin tight jeans and yellow flannel shirt! Adorable! We started the day out with church service led by John Risitil, Gephte, and KC. After service, the games began! We started with a spaghetti eating contest. Steve, Clemene, Jean Denny, and Greg, a visitor, joined. Jean Denny was the champion, but Clemene put up a great fight! Then we went on to sack races. We had a race for the children first: Pierre, Raul, and Frank Ely. Peirre won hands down with Frank Ely in second and Raul brought up the rear, shuffling to the finish. Then we went on to the adult sack race which consisted of Kerin, John Rodain, Peterson, and a kid that was visiting for the day. John Rodain lept off the starting line and was at the finish in less than two jumps! Kerin was the kind soul that stopped and turned around to help Peterson to the finish. After sack races, we had wheelchair races. Lazar, Josephine, and David lined up to race each other. Josephine got off to a great start and it seemed she was the sure winner until David came out of nowhere, swooping in from behind for the close win! After wheelchair races, we played musical chairs. In both games, someone we didn't know won. Katie and I played in the second game and Katie showed me up like she does in most sports. Papa Lazar (Lazar's dad) was the one who knocked me out of the competition. Katie lasted for a few more rounds, then was eliminated. Then it was time for darts! We had a lot of extra people this week. My team got second place and Katie's got first (of course) and they received a cash prize! Then it was time for the wonderful feast that Alcindor had been preparing for almost 2 days. It was great! We had such a fabulous day filled with joy and celebration! Friday, the kids went to horses and the visitors went to Jacmel. About mid morning, another group came up for the day that have been staying at St. Joseph's. They brought their musical instruments and led the dance party. After dance party, we had typical Friday worship and then lunch. After lunch, Katie and I decided to play a pick up game of basketball with some staff, and Team America was successful again! Today has been a very relaxed day. We packaged some of necklaces made by Walnes. They will be sent out with Christmas cards to our major donors. We just got home from the Baptist Mission and the market. We took Peterson with us and we ran into his mother at the market. They were very happy to see each other! We ate some ice cream at the Baptist Mission and decided to try different pates on the way home. They were very delicious but didn't contain any eggs this time. We are now waiting for Walnes to come with some jewelry. The visitors are heading home tomorrow, so its back to rice and beans for Katie, Kerin and I. I guess we'll survive. Love to all! We miss you!

Gary and I scrubbing the walls

Eating contest

Frank Ely's Grandmother came to visit

Love that outfit Junior!

50 yard line

We have officially hit the 1/2 way mark and I can't believe it! I have mixed feelings about only having 6 more weeks but I don't like to think about it. So, I will think about what I have done for the passed few days. It has been a fun few days filled with shopping, shopping, tap taps, and art. Our friends Geoffrey and Stephen got to make a guest appearance for a couple of nights and they brought a friend, Shelley with them this time... and the fixings for a great chips and guacamole party. You can't have a Mexican themed evening without Tequila! Ash and Stephen were the mixologists and did their best with the tools they were given. Bravo to our tequila beverages with a drop of mango juice. Halloween hadn't ended for us. Shelley brought pumpkin candies to the rescue and we finished off a bag within the hour. It was a great way to relax and enjoy an evening with friends and family. Another friend arrived on Friday, Rob. To celebrate the arrival of Rob, we indulged in California Pizza Kitchen frozen pizzas. Next time, I hope they also bring the CPK Cobb salad. A girl can dream, right? Friday came and our adventurous side came out to play, along with the need for some dresses for a cocktail party. After we fed the kiddos lunch we strapped on out mud boots, followed our fearless leader KC to the tap taps, and we were off. We were on a mission, purchase cocktail dresses at a reasonable price and ones that we would wear again. Oh yeah, don't forget about shoes. We got off in Petionville and walked to New York. Who knew you had to go to New York, in Haiti, to buy dresses. New York held up to its name. We turned to our left and stepped down some mud stairs to be led into New York. This place was a perfect metaphor for New York City. There were different alleyways, people calling for you, and plenty of clothes. The clothes were hanging on racks and extension cords. This place was like a Goodwill gone wild. It felt like it never ended. It was chaos, hustle, and bussle. I am not a good shopper, number one. Number two, I get overwhelmed and need to process my potential items before I purchase them. I am that girl who walks around the store with two different watches on to decide which one is more practical. When clothes shopping, I hold onto the clothes for the duration of my time in the store questioning if I really need it or do I really like that color. This was not my cup of tea. All I can say is thank God for Ashleigh. She went right to a rack of clothes and flipped through. Went to the next rack, flipped through, pulled out a few and saying, "This looks like you, Katie." Her lively spirit gave me energy and excitement to dig in, literally. I found this great dress that was American Eagle (what what!!). I was sold. Look no further, where do I try this on? Oh, right in the middle of the dirt floor with people bumping into me, of course. So I ripped off my shirt, my top shirt that is and slid it on over my undershirt and shorts. I started to zip. Oh no, it wouldn't finish zipping, actually it barely started zipping. I had about 4 inches to go until latching at the top. Heartbroken and crestfallen I was moving to take off the dress and the sale's woman wouldn't let me give up that easily. She was bound and determined to make this sale. She called over her friend and they yanked and tugged and unzipped and rezipped. I tried to contort my body and held my breathe. We lost the battle. I told the ladies it's okay and thank you. They unzipped me with the look of despair on their faces and I got color back to my face and air in my lungs. The sun was going down and so were the ladies and their clothes. They were packing up shop. Crunch time folks. We made it to the back of the maze of racks and got to the last chance rack. I quickly grabbed a brown, green, black printed dress threw it on over my clothes in a hurray saw it fit and purchased it. We got out of the obstacle course called New York and made it back to the streets. As we were walking to a tap tap meeting area, Ashleigh's eyes was caught by a typical Ashleigh dress, multicolored, long, strapless dress. She was sold. Kerin bought some shoes from a street vendor that displayed his shoes by hanging them on barbed wire. Crafty. It was dark now and we caught one of the last tap taps to Fermerthe. We were 4 of the last people in the tap tap so we were in the back. KC took one for the team and was our spotter. She blocked the exit so we wouldn't tumble out. This tap tap was a standing and sitting tap tap. I started out standing but as people slowly shuffled out I was lucky enough to sit. I was grateful. When standing I had 5 points of contact, two feet that were so close together that I had a hard time balancing, one hand gripping the bar in the middle of the tap tap, another hand on the ladder on the outside of the tap tap, and finally my head and neck pushing against the bar in the middle of the tap tap. I tried to see this as warming up my muscles for skiing and kept my legs bent and went with the motion of the bus sized tap tap. We finally got back home and I hit the hay right away! I was pooped, all the adrenaline pulsing through my veins! I woke up on Saturday knowing that it was my niece, Brooklee Jane Fariss's 1st birthday! I was going to celebrate big by going to the cocktail party! Ashleigh, Kerin, and I went to a shop close by and luckily found some shoes. I then got to sing happy birthday to my favorite niece a couple of times. Skype isn't very consistent here, and plus she hung up on my a few times. It was such a treat to see Baby B and be able to celebrate in my own way. We went back to Pentionville and had to find an open copy shop but didn't have much luck. KC flagged down a couple of motos (motorcycles), and we hopped on. I was sandwiched between the driver and Ashleigh at my rear. It was my second time riding a motorcycle and still was as scary as the first time. It brought us to a coffee shop, Rebo, and we relaxed with jazzy music and I had a chocolate banana coffee drink caressing my lips. It was a nice decompresser after riding a motor and swerving in and out of trucks and cars. We got back to Saint Joe's and got dolled up! When I saw my dress, it was like seeing it for the first time again and all I could think was, "Man it looks different in the light, and I am lucky." We then went to the art gallery and we were social with some people from Hearts with Haiti and others. There is a first time for everything and this was my first art show. I was more interested in the cheese, crackers, and meat spread. However, moseying around acting like I was an art critic was fun too. We got back to Saint Joe's and were invited to eat some more great food and Kerin's favorite, cupcakes. Today, we went to church and had a delightful pizza party with the kids and some board members of HWH. Before the pizza party, we played games: bowling, ball toss, and grab the lollipop off the string. We painted faces, I tattooed Peterson with a lizard. Finishing off the activities with musical chairs. Everyone won! The most special part today was while we were consuming our pizza Lazar had a special surprise. His father and 2 brothers showed up unannounced. Lazar about fell out of his chair with excitement. He made sure that they met all of his best friends:Teddy and Fritz, and Ashleigh, myself, and his girlfriend: Kerin! They were so sweet to him and held his hands, laughed, smiled, and fed him pizza. Renee took some family photos and Lazar had an even grander smile than usual. Such a beautiful way to end the activity filled afternoon. We now wait in anticipation for the new visitors and to consume some more specially made food.