I've been in DC for exactly three weeks now, and all I have to say for it is that Philly is way cooler....just kidding! However...Philly is much easier to navigate, BUT in DC there are tons of things to do for free. I do have to stay loyal to Philly, though. I miss everyone a TON. I constantly think of everyone at Broad Street Ministry and wish I could be there with you all. Whenever I try to tell people here about BSM I never know what to say, I usually end up saying something like "there really is just no other place like it!" Which just sounds lame, and doesn't really say anything, so...I'll keep working on a promo speech. Anyway...
I'm staying with a wonderful family here. Dixcy, Nolan, Colby, and Colin, and of course their two dogs Oakley and Sable. It took about a week and a half for Sable who is still a puppy to accept me and not bark every time I moved...but we're in the bonding process now, so everything's good on that front. The family is pretty busy, but we always eat dinner together which is probably one of my favorite parts of the day. They're a lot of fun.
The weekends are the toughest for me, I'm alone most of the time, which I guess isn't necessarily a bad thing in theory, but for someone like me...too much alone time makes you go crazy. I usually go to a museum or two, and spend a lot of time in coffee shops, but Courtney arrived last week from CA, so now I have someone to hang out with.
I go to the BB office every day and help out with various things. The days usually go by pretty quickly. Everyone in the office is great...its a lot of fun, and there is always an abundant amount of laughter. I've had the opportunity to meet a lot of really great people that are in some way connected to Haiti/Beyond Borders which has been awesome. I have been taking Creole classes every Thursday and Friday afternoon in the office...I'm really enjoying that!
To update you all on the ASL program situation...Well, we probably won't be getting to Haiti until April now. Coleen and Carla have made visits to the community where we will most likely be living (Dabon, not too far from Port au Prince), and talked with a group, Rasin Lespwa (Roots of Hope) who will aid in preparing the community and families for our arrival. They are still preparing and finding families for us to live with, and all this preparation has been prolonged due to cholera, elections, and the occasional return of a dictator or two, so you know...nothing major. The second round of elections is scheduled for March 20th, between Manigat and Martelly. Hopefully nothing too outrageous happens surrounding that...but one never can tell when it comes to Haiti. So, with all that said, I really hope Courtney and I are able to get to Haiti in early April. This really is a tough spot to be in. When all of my friends and family are in one place, and everything I want to be doing and have been waiting to do for months is in Haiti, but I am here in DC...things start to feel pretty strange.
Cholera seems to have stabilized a bit, but there is still the ever-present fear, which I'm sure will stick around for quite some time. There are not as many deaths being reported, which is obviously a good sign. I am continually amazed at how the people of Haiti continue to live their lives day to day amidst so much turmoil.
Well, I don't have much more to say at this point, rather, I don't feel like typing much more :-)
Please continue to hold Haiti and her people in your prayers.
More later,
Sarah
