A Typical Day for the Sloans

Happy Thanksgiving!!! We hope you have a great holiday. We are missing home today but also having fun trying to get in the holiday spirit in spite of the 90 degree weather. We will take pictures to share later!
Today I'm going to write about what a typical day here looks like for us. While not every day is exactly the same, this is a pretty accurate picture of what we can expect!

-Wake up about 6 or 6:30 (this has definitely changed since living in Haiti)
-Get some water boiling for coffee (first things first... :) and eat breakfast
-Devotions (We were given a great devotional for our wedding, it's led to many a good discussion!)
-Around 8:30, Chris heads down to clinic (We will have to take some pictures of the clinic sometime), and Kath heads up to the Thede's to be around to help with school.
-Chris and Dr. Kris see their patients, while Kath reads or works on a paper with Eli, or checks email and tries to help Eli and Anna focus!
-By noon, Chris and Kris are back and we eat lunch which the cooks have prepared (sometimes Haitian food, sometimes American, if we are lucky, we have bon-bons, or cookies, for dessert!)
-After lunch=SPELLING TIME! Kath and Eli and Anna work through a spelling list or sometimes play a spelling game. (My stellar students got 15 words in a row right the other day! They are so awesome!)
-Chris and Kris head back down to clinic to do labs.
-After labs, Chris and I prepare for English class, going through the curriculum and coming up with a plan. (Sometimes we enjoy one of these huge Sprites bought from a friendly older man named Maurice a few seconds down the road. No, we don't get to keep the sweet bottle!)
-Other afternoon activities include: studying Creole, talking to kids (Walfie in particular, who still comes by everyday), reading, cleaning, grading papers, sometimes a little nap!
-At quarter til 4 we go to class. Our first class has about 35 students, who know little or no English. Our second class, which is back to back with the first, has about 22 students. A typical class consists of (All in English, by the way! We don't use any Creole): A welcome and prayer to begin, vocabulary words that we write on the board and do our best to explain, some kind of grammar..usually practice with pronouns, adverbs, or something, A few exercises in their workbook which they do with a partner or by themselves, A dialogue which a few come up front to try, and sometimes a Bible passage which we read and work through the meaning. Sometimes we will listen to an English song too and write the words on the board so they can follow along. They usually always start singing along by the end! It's only a little over 2 hours, but we both leave so tired by the end!
-On Wed. and Thurs. we have Creole class with our teacher, David.
-After class we come home and begin cooking dinner. The bean picture shows the first step of making beans and rice...separating out the dirt and rocks from the beans!
-Eat dinner, clean up, finish up any work that needs to be done, hang out (sometimes watch a movie, play Scrabble or Rook)
-Usually we are asleep by 10, or sometimes earlier! They call 9:00 "missionary midnight" here...which we used to laugh at, but now
understand! It gets dark so early, and we get up earlier, so by 9 we are ready to sleep!
We're so thankful for this time. We totally realize that while there are challenges we face here and things that are hard, we are so blessed to be here. Thank you for reading! I hope this gave you a little better idea of our life here. This last picture is from the retreat, but I think it is so cute I thought I'd throw it in. Happy Turkey Day!

Weekends!

A typical Saturday for us is usually a day of relaxing, doing some cleaning, sometimes spending time with Eli and Anna playing a game or just hanging out at the Thede's house, doing random jobs (mowing, laundry, etc.) reading, making dinner, and watching a movie on Chris's computer. Some Saturdays, however, we find ourselves doing something out of the ordinary! We have gone to the market to buy veggies and fruit, ventured up the mountains on a hike, and Chris has been known to have a group of Haitian boys gathered around the computer on our front steps showing them videos and pictures of our friends and families, while listening to music. (That is one of my personal favorites, and the kids love it!) This last Saturday we also had the opportunity to do something different. One of the doctors from the clinic was doing an HIV/AIDS talk at a youth meeting called OJEPP. This is a Christian youth organization that educates youth and hopes to help them make good decisions. He invited us to attend so we ventured out of the compound and down the road about 5 minutes to sit in on a meeting of about 60 youth as they learned about the history, prevention, and specifics of AIDS and about abstinence. The talk was in Creole, of course, so we practiced our listening skills for about 2 hours, and both received a certificate saying we had been there! It was interesting. The speakers kept looking at us and saying little phrases in English, and we were the only two offered chairs to sit in rather than the school benches. (We declined the special treatment) We were glad to be there, sitting outside on a beautiful warm day surrounded by Haitians and participating in something in the community. It is always a little disconcerting, since we can't really follow what is being said, but we were both encouraged by how much we did pick up! Most of the jokes or things the rest of the group laughed at were lost on us though! Afterwards, we decided to take a mini hike up the mountainside, and were joined by a young man Kendall along the way. He is eager to learn English and so we chatted with him about the US and Haiti as we walked. He, like many Haitians, is under the impression that America is the greatest place and the problems he faces in Haiti do not exist there. Money is in abundance, so problems disappear, right? We tried to explain that there are problems and struggles in the US too, and money doesn't fix all of them. People still need God there, and they need him here. He nodded and agreed at all the right moments, and with his limited English it is hard to know if he understood or agreed with what was said, but he seemed to know the Lord, hopefully not just all the right answers. Walking back to the compound we briefly talked with a family who had been yelling "Katleen! Katleen!" as we walked past. We didn't know them, but they were friendly and so that was nice!
We have been indulging in the amazing sugar cookies we made this weekend too. My sister had sent us a mix with frosting and pumpkin sprinkles and we finally made them...YUM! The other picture is of two gourdes Chris found and we tried to carve as substitutes for pumpkins. Unfortunately, they are rock hard and we bent a knife trying to cut into one! Guess that will have to wait till next year...
It is Thanksgiving week! I hope it is a restful and fun one for everybody. Thanks for your prayer and support!

Into the City

Over the course of our blogging the last few months, we have tried to be careful in the way we have portrayed Haiti and how we describe it. The Thede's have said that it's hard when people come in and immediately begin criticizing things that to us may appear very substandard to what we are used to. Even if it is innocent and we are just reacting to the differences and difficulties we see, we are learning to think before we blurt out what we think about this and that. It is hard trying to be culturally sensitive like this! We see so much that we want to react to and describe, and tell about because of the "wow" factor. The first day we arrived, seeing the homes and living conditions of the Haitians was very hard. Life here is more rugged and people live in conditions that we would probably not be able to handle. The more time we've spent here, the more we have learned that they are just people too, living with much less and often without comfort, but they have a way of life and norms just as we do. It's interesting how we have gotten more used to seeing their way of life, even the poverty. It is hard to know what to do, when there is often nothing we can do.That being said, I am going to try to describe our trip through Cap Haitain to the Dominican Republic on Tuesday as best I can! Chris has been to O'Cap (as the Haitians call it) a few more times than I have; it is the city we flew into when we first arrived. We had to take this little journey to get our visitor's visas renewed...by leaving the country and returning, we are good to be here another 3 months. We began the bumpy journey at 6:30 am, and drove about 3 hours (I think) to get to the border. There we took care of our business and headed back toward Cap Haitian. We never actually crossed into the DR...I was a bit disappointed! Anyway, I am a city girl so there is a certain element about the busyness of the city that I love! Cap Haitian is different than the Chicago suburbs, however. The streets are so crowded, I am always amazed we have never hit anything with the truck. People are everywhere...making their living by selling produce, fish, shoes, clothes which often come second-hand from the US, soap, hot food, you name it! Most buildings are made from concrete, and there is concrete rubble all around. The streets are paved in some spots, but mostly rocky and bumpy. It is not frowned upon to throw trash on the street, in fact, there are large piles of trash which accumulate and then eventually get picked up by large trucks and men with shovels. These pictures show a cool church we saw, and the outside of the marketplace. We ate a lunch of beans, rice, plantains, yams, and sauce bought from a street vendor in an ally (the picture of me with sunglasses shows it in the background) and we were glad for the experience of eating Haitian food from a place a Haitian would really go! They give you a TON of food...it was pretty good, but we felt 10 pounds heavier afterward. We then went into a grocery store, in which Cory bought some ham for Thanksgiving!, and Chris and I encountered a usual bunch of snickering school kids...you kind of have to get used to being laughed at, or you will just feel bummed a lot! So we tried to buy a slushy, but it wasn't quite ready, and while trying to talk to the clerk in Creole, we somehow caused a hearty round of laughs from the little group, and some mocking from the clerk. Chris did a great job of joining in the laughter and making it no big deal, but his wife had a little harder time this particular day! But I was able to laugh by the time we left. We then walked through the streets for a little while, buying a few packs of cookies and various items, and feeling much more comfortable than the first time we were there three months ago. It is a challenge to buy things always. Not only do we not have the Creole numbers downpat, some vendors you bargain with, and some you don't. Some are friendly, and some are just not in the mood for what it takes to sell something to a Blan- or white person! The smells and sounds of the market are hard to describe, but I know we will remember what it's like for a long time! By the time we left, I was so tired! And we hadn't done much more than sit in the car and do a little shopping.
This has turned into a long one I know...but there is much to tell! Tomorrow we will have officially been here for three months. WOW! This picture is one of Chris chilling with our second English class listening to some music before class began. We were very excited to find out last week that we will have visitors over Christmas! My parents were able to make reservations to come on the 22nd of December, which is awesome because when they tried to book tickets earlier last month, everything was full! But God opened doors and they are able to come now. It is so good to know we will get to see family soon. We hope you had a great week!

Middle of November, already??

Here are a few more pictures from our trip. We fell in love with this beautiful hillside while we were staying at the Baptist mission. It was full of character! As is most of the landscape in Haiti. There was so much to see and take in...both in the country and the city. In some ways it was really nice to be around an urban environment again, although Port-au-Prince is very crowded and overwhelming. But it is also good to be tucked away in this lovely northern part of Haiti where no tall buildings or light pollution is to be found! The next picture if of our full load on the way home! We had 26 date palm trees, as well as all our luggage and groceries. Chris and Cory's expert packing allowed it all to get back in one piece! The third picture is of a little boy named Moise who was on the retreat with us. (one of the families is taking care of him while awaiting the finalization of his adoption, by their daughter!) He was such a joy to be around! The last pic is just one of the meetings we participated in...talking about our vision and mission as missionaries.
This week back has been a tough one. I was sick at the start, as Chris mentioned, and we just had a harder time than we expected getting back into everything! I suppose this is normal after being away, but it would be nice if we naturally had endless energy and inspiration!
Chris has been able to shadow the Haitian docs more the last week and is hoping to keep doing that as much as he can. It is encouraging to see how he is able to follow their Creole well enough to keep up and even hold a short conversation! We are trying to be more diligent in our Creole studying, and are praying about what else we can do in the coming weeks.
This past weekend we enjoyed spending some time with Anna and Eli, building legos and having a tea party! (boys built the fighter planes while the girls chatted over some Kool-Aid "tea") A prayer request we have is for our relationships with them. We want to be able to impact them somehow and invest in them while we are here. Thanks for your prayers and for your encouragement! We can't say thanks enough. We'll see what God has in store for this week.

Back Again!

We are back! I hope nobody was worried ;) But Kathleen and I arrived back in Fauche Friday night after a bumpy seven hour drive. Let’s just say that I was very excited to get out of the back seat of the truck. I tried not to complain too much. I am telling you, us Americans have soft butts compared to the Haitians, they all sit on the back of a motor bike or the edge of a truck bed for hours without a second thought. It amazes me! Haha
The two weeks away were a blessing and a break. To start our trip we went to church in Gonaives, this church is three hours from home. It was a good way to break up the trip. Unfortunately, the streets in Gonaives have been changed around a few times so we were a little late in getting to the service. But on Haitian time that is not a big deal! When we arrived we walked right through the singing congregation, up onto the stage, and sat facing everyone singing while we didn’t have our song books. We did the best we could by clapping our hands and smiling, but I am sure I just looked like a blanc up on stage looking a little clueless. Granted there were some entertaining kids in the front row my kreole is not good enough to pick up a sermon. Since we were late sat for about 40 mins, visited the cement latrines, and headed to the pastor’s house. We (okay mostly me) feasted on fried goat (kabrit), deep fried smashed banana (banann pese), boiled plantains (banann), French fries (tiny homemade ones!), lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and this delicious sauce. I dumped it all together and enjoyed every bite. They were very generous. It is an interesting balance eating at a pastor’s house like that. You eat every bite with the knowledge that what is going in your mouth is not going into a Haitians mouth. Yet, you also eat with the knowledge that they want you to eat and feel that they are blessing you when you do. So I ate until I was full saying many a thanks along the way.
(We took this pic of the boat we road on from La Gonave back to the Wesleyan Warf outside of Port)
We finished up the drive and arrived in Fairmount at the Baptist mission. Kathleen and I were put in an apartment duplexed with the Thede’s. It was AMAZING! Our apartment was at least three times the size of our house! So we enjoyed the space as well as the weather that was cool enough to wear a light sweatshirt and jeans! It made Kath and I remember that it is fall back in IN and IL. After two nights we went to La Gonave to see the hospital there and the Wesleyan mission. This is where the Thede’s used to live so it was neat to be able to put a place with all the stories. We also got to connect to some young adults in their twenties. Kathleen knew one gal, Justine, from college. It was great to hang out with some youngsters our own age and enjoy some time of hanging out. After a day and a half we were back in Fairmont. We spent the rest of the week and weekend there relaxing during the day and playing cards and games at the Baptist missionary’s home. It was really nice.
(This picture is us going from the Wesleyan Warf out to La Gonave to visit the Wesleyan Compound and friends... I know the pics are out of chronological order!)
Monday morning we headed to coast for our missionary retreat. Global Partners treated us really well! We had great accommodations, great food, and were ministered to very well. We spent a lot of time in the pool, eating, enjoying the a/c, in meetings talking about what we as missionaries are doing in Haiti and respective countries, and enjoying hanging out with old and new friends.
Unfortunately it is during the “retreat” that Kathleen began to feel a little “off”. She just wasn’t interested in food and left one of the meetings to go lay down. During the day she usually did alright though and we made it back home before she really started to not feel well. We got home on Friday and by Saturdary night she was sick. She felt really hot and had some rashes on her elbows and knees. Sunday we took her temp and it was 103.9! My wife is tough! Everytime I would ask her how she was doing she would say, “I could be worse.” Well, it is now Tuesday and her fever has subsided, but she still has a very itchy rash on her soles and palms that we are treating. She is tough though and she wasn’t even a grouch to me! I know I would have been short with her at least once, but that just goes to show you the quality of woman that I married.
We are back and starting our routines again. We don’t know what is in store for us in the next six months, but we trust there is a lot left for us to learn. The thought of six more months seems like a little much to me, but I know that if we take each day as it comes we will do just fine. Thanks for reading and your interest in what is happening in Haiti.