Plain Matin

It was a long road, but we made it to Plain Matin. It's beautiful! And noticeably cooler than P-a-P, as promised.

My bed at Jules' house was crazy comfortable and between the fans and the open windows, there was a reasonable breeze. I did wake up around 3 a.m. when the first rooster crowed, but fell back asleep quickly.

We had coffee first thing this morning. Haitian coffee is amazing! Sweet and robust. Then we exchanged money and had breakfast (avocados, tomatoes, spicy ground meat, pineapple, and corn (the consistency of applesauce) - so good! I want that breakfast every day when I get home.

We hung out at the house until Lenord arrived around 10 a.m. to drive to Plain Matin with us.

Jeff said the drive would take about four hours, but that was in Haitian time. We drove for close to two house, stopped at a gas station for a bathroom break, then drove another hour Lenord's parents' house/general store. There we got Coke and 7Up and stretched our legs. As we were leaving the store, Jeff bought us candy from a roadside vendor. It looked kind of like saltwater taffy in Neapolitan colors, but it was very melt-in-your-mouth sugary.

The next stop was at Pastor Paul's house in Les Cayes for supplies and to get our interpreters, Pastor Paul, Madame Pastor Jan and Milo. Pastor Paul was still in town when we got there, so we held brand new baby goats and tried to talk to the little boy and girl hanging around the house. Once Pastor arrived, we debriefed before our final drive into the mountains. On our way out of Pastor's neighborhood, Jeff stopped again to buy us more street food - meat patties (like fried pierogies) and some kind of fried things, like hush puppies with vegetables in them. Both snacks were spicy and delicious.

What a gorgeous drive through the mountains! When we got to Plain Matin, we unpacked, set up our cots and took a tour of our immediate area (with dozens of children tagging along). We're sleeping in the church. It's a cinderblock and cement building with a tin roof. The windows are holes in the walls with bars over them. Next to the church is a new house being built for Pastor and Madame Pastor that will also serve as a guesthouse for future mission teams. We're scheduled to help some on construction this week.

That house has a toilet! It doesn't have a tank, so it doesn't flush normally, but it is a real toilet. You flush it by dumping in a bucket of water from a rain barrel next to the toilet, then physics does the rest.

In addition to the church and house, there's the cook house or kitchen (a little shelter with a fire pit) an outhouse and two "showers" (three-walled stalls with a hole in the floor for the water to drain).

During our tour, two little girls grabbed one of my hands each and dragged me around, jabbering away the whole time. I couldn't understand a word they were saying, but they kept laughing so I laughed too. However, that encouraged them to start asking questions I, of course, couldn't understand let alone answer. A woman who looked about my age saved me by explaining that the girls wanted me to walk them to their house. So I started walking, hoping they didn't live too far from the church. Fortunately, their uncle met us on the street within shouting distance of the church.

Next came prayer and introductions by our interpreters. Then dinner - rice, chicken and watermelon. Delicious.

Shit. The lights just went out completely. When they say lights out in ten minutes, they really mean it! I guess it's time to call it a night. Bònn nui!