We spent the day painting. One of the homes we painted was for a man, his wife, and daughter. He was an importer before the earthquake. He lost his home and his workplace in the earthquake. He showed us pictures of his daughter (who was at school) that were taken in his old home pre-earthquake. They were nice pictures and he lived in a nice home. He lived a middle class Haitian life. Then the earthquake...No home...no job to go to. It was all gone!
I worked hard in the morning but started feeling horrible again before lunch. I took a nap at lunch and spent the afternoon on the bus. It was really, really hot. I only got up when I needed to figure out where to go the bathroom. It was just bad. I even ran out of toilet paper and turned to Clorox wipes. BAD NEWS! As soon as we got back to campus I went to bed. I just felt horrible.
I was also feeling sorry for myself. It was not one of my finest moments.
One of the adults on the trip had an international calling plan. I used her phone to call home and wish big sister a happy birthday. From the second my husband answered the phone I was a mess. I felt horrible....I missed my kids, husband, and bed. Talking to the kids was so hard.
Being sick and away from home stinks.
I'm sporting the same clothes as the first paint day.
I didn't want to get paint on two outfits.
I was leaving most of my clothes in Haiti and I didn't want them all to be messed up.
The very funny interrupter, Michelot!
This next photo is one of my favorites!!!
This little guy in purple had a toy.
He showed it off to all of us.
It was a broken top to a baseball trophy.
You can tell in this picture how proud of it he was.
Oh....how spoiled my children are!!
How spoiled I am!
In my house this would be trash.
This was his treasure!
How spoiled I am!
In my house this would be trash.
This was his treasure!
My goal on day 5 was to fake it so I could make it. I faked it well until lunch....but then it was over. I was not the only one that had fallen ill. Out of the 10 females in our room, 6 of us fell ill. I'm not going to lie....IT SUCKED! I was so hot, nauseous, crampy, and physically exhausted. I wanted to go home. I hated that I wanted to go home. I cried several times that day because I didn't want "to want" to go home. The biggest boo fest was after I got off the phone with my kids. I was an ugly case that day.
After I got off the phone with my family I got out my iPhone and flipped through my pictures. I looked at my kids....but also looked beyond my kids. I looked at my home. I thought to myself, I would never be able to show my pictures to my new Haitian friends. I would be embarrassed. I live such a privileged life. My home would be like a royal castle to them. I live this way not because I worked myself out of the slums.....simply because I was born in the US. The land of opportunity and the American Dream. I have hardwoods....they have tents.
My heart was broken on Day 5! Broken is exactly what I needed!
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