24 hours on the mountain
While in the second hospital, our angel named Angela, brought her Ipad so Caroline could enjoy some music. She had all kinds of music including the Indigo Girls. The song Closer to Fine includes these lyrics:
I went to the doctor
I went to the mountains
I looked to the children
I drank from the fountain.
Caroline had been to the doctor before we came to Haiti and she was told that she should go. She had antibiotics and would be feeling better soon. We had a long hard ride from the airport to the mountain. The temperature showing in the car read 111 degrees! It even showed 117 and 118, but I don’t believe it. Caroline was not feeling well and the trip took a very long time, but we finally made it to the mountain. While in PAP we stopped at the Bishop’s office and stopped for lunch in the area known as Canapé Vert.
It was a little outdoor café attached to a gas station. I had a burger and Gail had spaghetti with ketchup. PM (Père Michaud) had a typical Haitian meal with rice and beans and chicken – I didn’t see that on the menu or I would have ordered it too. Caroline didn’t eat – as a matter of fact all she ate the whole trip was part of a banana in Miami! We picked up a student that needed a ride and drove through the most incredible traffic jams I have ever seen. I asked her how she usually got to and from school. She said walk or take a tap tap. She told me it would be about a five minute ride….but it took us an hour. During our drive we had to stop twice to put water in the radiator and PM would holler out the window to random people to check the back tire to see if it was too low. 
Finally we reached the turn off for Trouin and on that corner was a guy to fill up our tire. Thank goodness. The road to Trouin was not paved and full of huge potholes. I would say we averaged 5 mph. We did not see a single car on the road – which followed the edge of the mountain – we saw lots of motorcycles which could maneuver the road more easily because they just needed to keep one wheel out of the holes. It was trickier keeping both front tires out of the holes.
While in the second hospital, our angel named Angela, brought her Ipad so Caroline could enjoy some music. She had all kinds of music including the Indigo Girls. The song Closer to Fine includes these lyrics:
I went to the doctor
I went to the mountains
I looked to the children
I drank from the fountain.
Caroline had been to the doctor before we came to Haiti and she was told that she should go. She had antibiotics and would be feeling better soon. We had a long hard ride from the airport to the mountain. The temperature showing in the car read 111 degrees! It even showed 117 and 118, but I don’t believe it. Caroline was not feeling well and the trip took a very long time, but we finally made it to the mountain. While in PAP we stopped at the Bishop’s office and stopped for lunch in the area known as Canapé Vert.
It was a little outdoor café attached to a gas station. I had a burger and Gail had spaghetti with ketchup. PM (Père Michaud) had a typical Haitian meal with rice and beans and chicken – I didn’t see that on the menu or I would have ordered it too. Caroline didn’t eat – as a matter of fact all she ate the whole trip was part of a banana in Miami! We picked up a student that needed a ride and drove through the most incredible traffic jams I have ever seen. I asked her how she usually got to and from school. She said walk or take a tap tap. She told me it would be about a five minute ride….but it took us an hour. During our drive we had to stop twice to put water in the radiator and PM would holler out the window to random people to check the back tire to see if it was too low. 
Finally we reached the turn off for Trouin and on that corner was a guy to fill up our tire. Thank goodness. The road to Trouin was not paved and full of huge potholes. I would say we averaged 5 mph. We did not see a single car on the road – which followed the edge of the mountain – we saw lots of motorcycles which could maneuver the road more easily because they just needed to keep one wheel out of the holes. It was trickier keeping both front tires out of the holes.We settled in our lovely home. Gail and I had a room upstairs which we rented from PM and his wife Kercia. Caroline was downstairs in Georgette’s part of the house.
Georgette had fixed her bed with a mosquito net because Caroline had gotten eaten alive on her trip in the fall. 
It was a fancy, frilly net so we called her a Princess! Gail and I had a lovely meal prepared by Kercia, Georgette and their helpers. The kitchen is in a room that is separated from the main part of the house. Caroline went straight to bed. There is a bathroom downstairs with a toilet, sink and shower, but no running water. There is a big barrel full of water that you use to flush the toilet or take a shower. There is a huge barrel on top of the house to collect rain water. Georgette showed us a new addition to the house that has a gorgeous yellow tile bathroom, like you might see in the US –but still no running water – or sewage I don’t think.
Georgette had fixed her bed with a mosquito net because Caroline had gotten eaten alive on her trip in the fall. 
It was a fancy, frilly net so we called her a Princess! Gail and I had a lovely meal prepared by Kercia, Georgette and their helpers. The kitchen is in a room that is separated from the main part of the house. Caroline went straight to bed. There is a bathroom downstairs with a toilet, sink and shower, but no running water. There is a big barrel full of water that you use to flush the toilet or take a shower. There is a huge barrel on top of the house to collect rain water. Georgette showed us a new addition to the house that has a gorgeous yellow tile bathroom, like you might see in the US –but still no running water – or sewage I don’t think.
Saturday morning Gail and I got up for morning prayer that was supposed to start at 6:00. PM said it would be late because of the rain. The people have a long way to walk to get to church. The service was lovely and then we looked around at the school. We went to breakfast back at the house….everything is right there together. I only got to see a little bit of the village– I walked up and down the street a couple of times – to the school, church and house – probably less than the length of a soccer field. We were supposed to meet with the Daughters of the King at 9:00 but it got postponed until 4:00 because of the rain – many people wanted to do some planting while the soil was ready. How did the message get to the people? I will never know. We went back up to the house and had breakfast –bananas, mangoes, spaghetti (with ketchup), bread and very sweet coffee!
We did get to look at the children, but did not get to work with them in school. I attended the children’s choir practice and tried to learn a song. We watched the youth choir later in the day. I am sorry that I didn’t take pictures but I was waiting for Palm Sunday when everyone would be dressed up.
There is a water treatment system built by the Presbyterian Church, USA. Living Waters of the World and Solar Under the Sun are part of their global missions. Carlos who runs it also allows us to charge our cameras and cell phones and fill our water bottles. He charged my camera battery and then brought it up to the house.
Caroline rallied and came down to the school. She and Gail had bought and organized lots of things to create a library for the teachers. We had three 50 pound suitcases with stuff for the school and we got most of it organized.
Gail and I met with the Daughters of the King and I gave them the 50 pound suitcase full of soap that my school had collected before the earthquake. Gail explained (and I translated) that they could sell the soap and use the money to fund a project that the group might choose. We also talked to them about a goat project and training of a leader for that project. We had planned on meeting with some people later to help get that project going.
We rested a little that afternoon on the porch. Georgette came to get me and told me that there was a guy out front with something to show me. In front of the house, the man had set up a display of paintings, bracelets and metal painted geckos. I looked and asked him the price then politely went inside. Georgette came to get me later saying that he was still waiting, so I took $5 and bought a bracelet. By the time I got upstairs I could see that he had packed up and gone. Silly me, of course he set up just for us! The foreigners are here! Georgette’s house is a guest house for all the groups that help support Saint Marc’s.
We walked in the Canadian clinic next door. There were a few people there, but no doctor on the weekend. Later in the day when Caroline was getting worse, I went back over looking for help. Georgette got Nicole, the nurse, to come over to the house. We had already called Caroline’s doctor in Macon who said to quit the antibiotics. Nicole gave her some Tylenol and something for nausea.
We had another lovely dinner and Gail and I went to sleep….well we tried. 
There was a band marching through the village. I dozed a little until I heard Caroline screaming and choking. I threw on some clothes and we rushed downstairs – with our flashlight. I saw that her vomit was very dark, hard to tell the color in the dark. I panicked, we got PM and Georgette and Nicole. I really thought she was in danger, maybe throwing up blood, so we threw some things in a couple of Kroger/Publix reusable bags and headed down that dirt road. (see Find us a Hospital)
There was a band marching through the village. I dozed a little until I heard Caroline screaming and choking. I threw on some clothes and we rushed downstairs – with our flashlight. I saw that her vomit was very dark, hard to tell the color in the dark. I panicked, we got PM and Georgette and Nicole. I really thought she was in danger, maybe throwing up blood, so we threw some things in a couple of Kroger/Publix reusable bags and headed down that dirt road. (see Find us a Hospital)
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