Paige and her good friend V.
Happy Birthday Beth!
John the horrible idea planter on the death-machine and Ted, Troy, and Dan.
Troy and two of his many ladies. (Phoebe and Annie)
We are so blessed to be surrounded by some really cool friends. They make living here feel kind of "normal" -- not that *they* are normal - (I would never say that) or that Haiti is normal -- just having friends and hanging out on a Friday night is SO normal! We missed out on this kind of community when we lived out in the village; being in town has its benefits.I only make one meal when I have company. Tacos, always tacos. We splurged on ice cream and Troy commented that setting the ice cream out was like watching vultures come in for their prey. You see, most of us make choices to cut out a lot of the most expensive groceries. One gallon of "Shur Fine" Ice Cream is $11.15 and is a true treat. We love our friends (the vultures) and we were thinking they were well worth the $11. Ice cream is rare enough that the kids are all arguing and positioning themselves to be sure to get what is left in the next day or two. I expect to find Isaac sitting in the kitchen having it for breakfast tomorrow morning - unless Paige eats it at 2am.
I think because this is "the third world" it is assumed that things are cheaper here. When people write me to ask about what to budget for if they move here -- I tell them to plan to spend twice what they spend in the USA. It is insane what things cost here, but when you factor in all it takes to get the food here it is no wonder the price doubles (and then some) along the way. It is fine though, because $11 run-of-the-mill generic ice cream in Haiti - tastes 40 times better than Haagen-dazs does anywhere else in the entire universe.
Tomorrow we are so excited that we finally have a day to be together at home. No running to do. We plan to play in the baptismal with the kids for hours on end. Because it is wrong for people doing missions work to have a pool or to have any fun leisure time - our pool is not a pool - it is a baptismal. Just so we are all clear on that.
