Oregon Medical Team, Preschool Crafts, Goats on the Trail, and Hammock Days!

The weather in Haiti is amazing! I don't miss the dreary Oregon days. We miss our friends, but not the overcast skies. We have another medical team this week from Oregon. It's nice to see old friends from "home" and meet new friends from the Portland area. It is incredibly busy at the clinic this week, but we have a strong team with many helpers.  We were able to enter in all of the inventory on the first day of clinic. Yeah!!

Amazing lab team members organizing their station

Today, Naomi, Roseminique, and Julia came up to the clinic to help. Naomi was actually sitting at the window in the pharmacy "helping" Micka put the medications in the bag and hand to the patients. It's so funny because she would give Naomi instructions in creole and Naomi would actually follow her instructions.  I am such a slacker with the language. Someone was asking me today about my Creole and it's sad to say, but I know very little Creole. I am in a role with the ministry where I am working almost exclusively with US teams and then doing administrative elements, which is all in English. The kids are picking up the language quite easily, but now it has become far too easy to simply ask one of the kids, "What are they saying?" and they translate for me. Ugh..ugh....We need to simply dedicate more time to learn the language. Easier said then done!

Naomi in the pharmacy "helping"

We were able to do crafts again with the preschoolers. It was a ton of fun. I think we've figured what kinds of crafts work better with the kids and the length of time we can expect to do a craft.

Roseminique helping preschool students

On the way to the clinic, we of course saw more goats. Naomi walked up this morning (or we packed her part of the way), but she walk down later this afternoon. She stops to talk to people, pick flowers, and talk to every goat that we see. It takes forever, but it makes the walk much more enjoyable. Sometimes we are in far too big of a hurry to really stop and look around us. Naomi does not have that trouble! Plus, she was stalling because she knew when we got home, she would need to talk a nap.

I'm still plugging away (slowly) on my dissertation. I'm continually trying to find a quiet place to really focus on getting work done. This seems to be next to impossible. Last week I put the little coffee table (that Ron made) out on the balcony and sat in the mini chair that we bought the other day. I spent a good hour working, but next thing you know I had company sitting in the hammock next to me.

I decided to take a break and sit in the hammock myself. It is much more enjoyable then reading research articles! Our family would appreciate your prayers that I actually finish my dissertation. I think everyone is good and tired of mom being a 12 year student.