School vs. Jail

Being December, 2nd tri has just started at high school and first semester is coming to an end at Grand Valley. I'm slowly getting used to my new schedule, which is totally and 100% different than 1st tri. Chemistry is the only one I really don't like - completely expected since I have always detested science. Creative writing, Spanish, and French I like/love/love, respectively. ACT Prep I feel is beneficial, yet very, very, very boring. Italian 101 is almost done at Grand Valley, and I'm scared for my exam on the 13th. At the moment, I'm signed up to take Writing 150 next semester, but I'm considering changing it out for Italian 102 - if that's allowed anymore. Not to bore you with details about my school life, I actually am writing on here for one important purpose: to document the comparison I made between school and jail.

Here it is:
School and jail are, for the most part, when you really think about it, the same thing. The main difference is that in one you are graded on your participation and the other one you can kind of just chill.

School is awful. Whoever invented it should be kicked in the ankle a couple times. Maybe not too hard; I learn a lot there after all. I guess it's beneficial, but it's still terrible. Thank goodness I only have 1 2/3 years left of high school. I'm praying college will be better, which I assume it will be because there won't be as much high school drama. If there is high school drama, the school is obviously bigger, so it should be easier to avoid. Those are my hopes anyways.

Alright, this is a completely boring and pointless post, and I'm sorry if you lost brain cells. Oh, speaking of brain cells - you know the phrase, "I lost my marbles." Well, we did a measurement lab today in chemistry. One of the measurements was the volume of a marble, and my friend measured the approximate volume of my head just for fun. I did the math, only to discover that in order to lose all my marbles, there would have to be approximately 418.95 of them. :) Yeah. That's what I do in school.

Tent City.

August 11

Today we woke up REAL early and got ready for VBS in Tapion. We ate breakfast and left in a taptap with the best driver EVER. He stopped for every little bump; it was amazing. When we got there, there was about 40 kids in the church. We had them sing some songs (led by the worship leader of the church) and started off with the puppet show. The kids were all amazed with the puppets. Nevil led the kids in helping remember the verses. I know them now too :) After that we did the laughing song. Then they were split into two groups and we went to go do some games outside. The Human Knot game did not work. They were so confused. Then we did the balloon-ankle game which went well. The kids switched with the craft kids and we tried red-light/green-light instead of the Human Knot. Still didn't work so we did the balloon game. A few kids cried because their balloons popped. A man came up to Jenny and I and asked us to come back on the 23rd. I said we were leaving in a week and he asked us to come back later this week. Then all the kids went inside for closing. Some kids in the back saw Marg playing with the puppet and tried to figure out where the sound was coming from. So cute. They all sang again and we blew up more balloons so they could all keep one. They sang a thank you song and left. We picked up all our stuff and headed down a little hill to the taptap. It was pretty steep but they made a train so no one fell :) Nevil taught Katie and I to count to 30 on the way home.

We ate some bread and fruit (I had a banana. Now I remember why I hate them.) and walked to Ti Guinnen. It was SO weird to see the church from last year down. The shoreline raised too so a bunch of palm trees died and houses were buried. A motorcycle slipped into the canal and both mirrors fell off and another motorcycle almost hit Marg.

(Coca Truck ^^^ with Nevil and Caleb)

(Pastor George and his wife)

We walked home and talked for a while and ate dinner. I talked to Katie for a while and then we had devotions and prayed. I loaded my cot with bug spray (and me) since I have 49 already. :/ Shower and sleep after some interesting talks with Mari and Marg. Mari and I are having a nastiest leg hair competition. :) Yummy.

Oh, also we had dish duty today and couldn't get some stuff off so we used rocks to scrub it. Awesome. Degaje.

August 10

We woke up today at about 4:30 to get through security again and get to our gate. Small delay because they had to change a tire on the plane but then we were on the way to PAP! We all fell asleep on the plane because of the lack of sleep the night before. Nate and everyone picked us up at the airport, which was weird that they were already here. Not a big fan. So then we drove to Petit Goave. We FINALLY got here and talked to the people for a while. We had dinner at about 5 - soo good. Then Kid's Club started, led by Nevil. Oh, another team is here also. They're doing a world mission called the World Race. It's an 11 month thing and Haiti is the second month. They're pretty cool. A lightening storm went on over the cove so we walked out (after Nevil made Mari pray for Kid's Club) and watched it come in. It was so pretty! A few kids were out there that we talked to. Then we walked back and waited for some guys to get back from Leogane. Then I came upstairs and we all fell asleep SO fast. I even got cold in the breeze.

Back Again

I actually kept a journal during this trip to Haiti. Well, I started to. Then I got sick and didn't feel up to it so I did kind of a recap of a few days on the plane home. I decided to put my journal on here to help me process and go over everything a little bit. I'll probably do a day per day to space it out. Feel free to read it :)

August 9, 2010
We left today! 3 hour drive to Detroit and then a 3 hour flight to Ft. Lauderdale. When we got there we had to spend the night in the airport... yay. Couple hours of sleep before Haiti. Awesome. (P.S. Two random people also going to Haiti sat next to me on the flight.)

More Than Me

So as I sit here
In the AC
I have this fear
My favorite country will be
Never the same
As it was before
Forever changed
The past out the door
But I want it back
In my selfish being
Of which there's no lack
Change can be freeing
And this could be too
If I just let it go
Make the whole place anew
With new places to grow
And still here I am
Trying to fight
Aimlessly what can,
What should be, what might
Be best for the place
I say that I love
Explained solely by the grace
Of my God above
Because as I make that claim
I can't help but think
If I'll ever be the same
Little girl dressed in pink
I don't want to be her
I want to be me
To keep the allure
Of a girl with a dream
But if I let the change come
To myself alone
And keep the thought numb
That nothing's set in stone
The country did change
And I have to accept
God made a new stage
He doesn't regret
So now I can sit
In the freezing cold air
Knowing God won't quit
That He's always there
If I get to be new
Never the same as before
Then Haiti does too
To be loved even more

-July 2010

The Haiti I Used to Know.

Port-au-Prince. With buildings standing and clear roads.

A field without a tent city.

Petit Goave.

Petit Goave again.