epicenter

it was about 5 a.m. and the ground starts shaking. you can usually hear it coming like a train. i was sleeping pretty hard and we've had aftershocks before, but this was unlike anything i've ever felt. i could feel my bed rock back and forth. my heart started racing- especially going from 0-about 200 in a split second. i couldn't find my glasses and it was quite the rush. with all of the other aftershocks- i could never manage to move. this was completely different for sure. i could hear the sound of the bricks pulling apart, and ran out of the door. by the time i made it out the door, it stopped shaking as hard. i ran into a co-worker and all I could do was just hug her and then climb back into bed right after it stopped. a couple of hours later at breakfast, someone found out that it was a 4.8 or something like that. we couldn't believe it because we've felt 4.8s before. turns out that we were the epicenter of the earthquake. that's never happened before. we found some new cracks in the walls that morning.

that happened a couple of days ago.

today, at lunch we had another small one. it was my first time experiencing an earthquake with haitians. all of them ran for the door as quickly as possible. my co-worker and i stayed sitting and some staff who have quickly become friends made fun of us- saying that we were crazy for staying seated. we, don't move as fast as the haitans.

we have also resorted to teaching some of our haitian staff american slang and lingo- like "read my lips", "ttyl" and i think my personal favourite, "talk to the hand".

oh, yes, and another first is that i have experienced my first real true sunburn. before, i've had moments where i felt somewhat warm, thinking maybe- it is a possibility that i am sun-warm. not this time. we went as a team for a couple of hours- and i put on one layer of sunscreen. everwhere except for my legs. i mean- do your legs really get sun? i didn't think so either. so we get back and one of the other girls in the other stalls says, "oh, i hate scrubbing when you have a sunburn". i recall saying, "oh, that sucks for you". right after i say that, i make the mistake of taking the loofah to my legs. and i start screaming, "what is this!?!?" it felt like i just got done dry shaving my legs and then i rubbed sandpaper on them. oh, it hurt so bad. my legs were a little pink. i didn't LOOK burnt, but yes, all, i think i burned myself. actually, i know so- because it still hurts today. getting better- but i do not enjoy this experience. so, i have learned my lesson on the sunscreen.

and to end on a really funny story for me that reminds me of where i am and what i do: we are learning kreole right now and we were going through this phrase book that has a bunch of different phrases in english, french and kreole. i'm getting pretty good if i say so myself. my national staff think so too. it's funny to hear them squeal with delight as i learn more and more words and phrases. so, we get to one phrase in this phrase book that says, "i have diarrhea". one guy i work with, caleb, says, "oh! i need to know that one, because i have it every day of my life". i haven't laughed that hard in a long time. yet another thing you learn after you've been on the field for about a week. :)

patty