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The weekend played out a little differently than I had expected. On Saturday night, around 8:00pm, my stomach started feeling a little funny and I decided I would lay down and maybe go to bed early. Well, I couldn't fall asleep and with every minute that passed by I started feeling worse and worse. You know that feeling where you have to throw-up, and even though you hate it, you wish you would so you could start feeling better? Well it happened around 10:00pm.....and then 20 more times before Sunday morning rolled around....no exaggeration. I lost seven pounds and every ounce of water I had in my body in about twelve hours. Needless to say I didn't get a whole lot of sleep that night.
On Sunday morning I was so thirsty and I hadn't thrown up in around two hours, so I decided to drink a little water. A few minutes later I was back in the bathroom getting rid of everything I just drank. I decided to take some antibiotics with the smallest amount of water possible to swallow it. This seemed to help and after a while I was able to fall asleep for a bit and my fever started to go down. The entire day on Sunday I just laid in bed and would be awake for a half hour, and then would sleep for a couple of hours. This was disappointing because we had our bi-weekly missionary meeting on Sunday, and I didn't get to participate at all. Also, some of the volunteers at Canaan will be leaving this week and it was my last chance to hang out with them before they depart. Today was a slow day and I just sat around reading for a bit and then would have to lie down because I got tired from sitting....that seems pretty pathetic. Anyways, I'm starting to feel better but I don't have a whole lot of energy yet. I just had some Jello tonight and hopefully I'll start getting my appetite back in the near future. Ok, that's all I got for now....I'm off to bed.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Just An Update
Well, I didn't get the input I was hoping for regarding the crab. I've told myself that it's due to the fact that people are shy for some reason and didn't vote; not because only a couple people read this thing every week. I feel like the latter may be true, but that's ok. So for those of you who do read this, the crab's name is Rogue. However, I won't be able to let him know because I haven't seen him in the shower lately. He may have left us behind and is on to his next adventure.
Anyway, I'll get back to what I normally write about so my family doesn't thing I'm going crazy because I've decided to start naming crabs. Early this week we experienced some connectivity issues with the satellite for the internet. There were branches from a couple trees that were obstructing the signal. Some of the limbs were pretty high and long, and didn’t look safe enough to use the typical trimming method, which is to climb the tree and use a machete. We wanted to get a pole with a branch cutter on it, but no one seemed to have one. Instead, Chris borrowed a chainsaw chain and tied a piece of electrical cable on either side of the chain. We then threw the chain over a branch and used it to saw through the limb. Once we had cleared the satellite signal’s path, we moved to the top of the dorm building where the second story will be built. Some of the branches overhead will need to be cleared eventually, and we figured it would be smart to do it while we had the tool in hand.
On Tuesday Chris, Leslie, Olivia and I went to Port-au-Prince. Since the truck cab was full of passengers, I road in the back with the water filters. I made myself a nice little seat out of some bags of sand used for the filters and then sat back and enjoyed the ride. We unloaded about 34 filters at a women’s shelter where some of our friends work. They are helping to distribute these filters in Port to families that have made requests for them. After that Leslie and I went to get groceries, while Chris ran a few errands. Our last stop was at Matthew and Nels' home in Gauthier. Matthew, Nels, and their families have been working with Clean Water for Haiti to get filters installed in all the prisons. I wanted to show were they live on the map, but as I’ve found before, it can be hard to locate places in Haiti online. I know the town is east of Port-au-Prince, but I’m not exactly sure where.
On Wednesday I removed the front wheels on welding machine because the bearings were completely missing and you had to drag the welder instead of roll it to whatever location you wanted. I drilled a few holes and mounted the new wheels. It was probably the most straight forward work I’ve done here and everything seemed to install and work just fine. After that, Chris and I went to Saint-Marc to try and get more paint for the dorms. The store where we usually by the paint was closed. After talking to a guy sitting in a wheelbarrow outside the store, we learned that the owner was on vacation and no one was sure when he’d be back. After searching a lot of other locations, we were unable to find what we needed. Chris called Mike, a friend that lives in Montrouis but makes frequent trips to Port, and found out that he was in Port for the day. Chris asked him to pick up 6 of the 5 gallon buckets. Later that day, Mike stopped by with the buckets, and we were able to continue painting on Thursday.
On Thursday I headed to Port-au-Prince with Israel. The day before, we had started to install the windows for the dorm and a few of the rivets started popping off. Chris called Tebo, the store we purchased them from, and after doing a little research, they found that the day they manufactured our windows was the same day they were having trouble with their riveter. The riveter adjustment had been a little off and they would need to redo all the windows that we had purchased. Chris asked me if I would mind running them back and doing a few errands while I was in Port. I said that I thought I could handle it, and realized it was time to venture to Port without Chris. While Chris was drawing me a map of where to go, he started to tell me a story of what had happened once on the corner where Tebo is. Knowing how Chris' stories usually go, we both decided it would be better to hear it after I got back. Turns out that one of the people Chris and Leslie know had a bullet go through their window while they were pulling into one of the stores there. This was a few years back though, and I'm assured that things have settled down. From all the stories I hear, I'm glad to be in Haiti now and not a few years ago. I guess the UN is actually bringing some kind of stability, however temporary, to Haiti.
Our first stop in Port was at the Kia parts shop to get Jean a part for his truck. After that we headed to Tebo to drop off the windows and then we also bought a sheet of ¼” steel that we need to make filter molds. There weren’t any big surprises on the trip, which was a relief.
This morning Jean noticed a leak on the back left tire of the blue work truck. Chris and I pulled the wheel off and pulled apart the brakes and found one of the pistons was leaking brake fluid. Chris said that he had recently replaced the pistons in all the brakes. We found some dirt on one of the seals and cleaned it off. The only place to get parts for the truck is in Port, so we were hoping to solve the problem by simply cleaning everything and putting it back together. The brake pads had a good layer of oil on them, so we put them on a cookie sheet and threw them in the oven. After the brakes had baked for a while, and the house had filled smoke, we let them cool and then reassembled everything. Not sure if it has solved the problem yet, but we’re trying to be optimistic.
Everything Disassembled
Brakes After a 30 Minute Baking Session
Anyway, I'll get back to what I normally write about so my family doesn't thing I'm going crazy because I've decided to start naming crabs. Early this week we experienced some connectivity issues with the satellite for the internet. There were branches from a couple trees that were obstructing the signal. Some of the limbs were pretty high and long, and didn’t look safe enough to use the typical trimming method, which is to climb the tree and use a machete. We wanted to get a pole with a branch cutter on it, but no one seemed to have one. Instead, Chris borrowed a chainsaw chain and tied a piece of electrical cable on either side of the chain. We then threw the chain over a branch and used it to saw through the limb. Once we had cleared the satellite signal’s path, we moved to the top of the dorm building where the second story will be built. Some of the branches overhead will need to be cleared eventually, and we figured it would be smart to do it while we had the tool in hand.
On Tuesday Chris, Leslie, Olivia and I went to Port-au-Prince. Since the truck cab was full of passengers, I road in the back with the water filters. I made myself a nice little seat out of some bags of sand used for the filters and then sat back and enjoyed the ride. We unloaded about 34 filters at a women’s shelter where some of our friends work. They are helping to distribute these filters in Port to families that have made requests for them. After that Leslie and I went to get groceries, while Chris ran a few errands. Our last stop was at Matthew and Nels' home in Gauthier. Matthew, Nels, and their families have been working with Clean Water for Haiti to get filters installed in all the prisons. I wanted to show were they live on the map, but as I’ve found before, it can be hard to locate places in Haiti online. I know the town is east of Port-au-Prince, but I’m not exactly sure where.
On Wednesday I removed the front wheels on welding machine because the bearings were completely missing and you had to drag the welder instead of roll it to whatever location you wanted. I drilled a few holes and mounted the new wheels. It was probably the most straight forward work I’ve done here and everything seemed to install and work just fine. After that, Chris and I went to Saint-Marc to try and get more paint for the dorms. The store where we usually by the paint was closed. After talking to a guy sitting in a wheelbarrow outside the store, we learned that the owner was on vacation and no one was sure when he’d be back. After searching a lot of other locations, we were unable to find what we needed. Chris called Mike, a friend that lives in Montrouis but makes frequent trips to Port, and found out that he was in Port for the day. Chris asked him to pick up 6 of the 5 gallon buckets. Later that day, Mike stopped by with the buckets, and we were able to continue painting on Thursday.
On Thursday I headed to Port-au-Prince with Israel. The day before, we had started to install the windows for the dorm and a few of the rivets started popping off. Chris called Tebo, the store we purchased them from, and after doing a little research, they found that the day they manufactured our windows was the same day they were having trouble with their riveter. The riveter adjustment had been a little off and they would need to redo all the windows that we had purchased. Chris asked me if I would mind running them back and doing a few errands while I was in Port. I said that I thought I could handle it, and realized it was time to venture to Port without Chris. While Chris was drawing me a map of where to go, he started to tell me a story of what had happened once on the corner where Tebo is. Knowing how Chris' stories usually go, we both decided it would be better to hear it after I got back. Turns out that one of the people Chris and Leslie know had a bullet go through their window while they were pulling into one of the stores there. This was a few years back though, and I'm assured that things have settled down. From all the stories I hear, I'm glad to be in Haiti now and not a few years ago. I guess the UN is actually bringing some kind of stability, however temporary, to Haiti.
Our first stop in Port was at the Kia parts shop to get Jean a part for his truck. After that we headed to Tebo to drop off the windows and then we also bought a sheet of ¼” steel that we need to make filter molds. There weren’t any big surprises on the trip, which was a relief.
This morning Jean noticed a leak on the back left tire of the blue work truck. Chris and I pulled the wheel off and pulled apart the brakes and found one of the pistons was leaking brake fluid. Chris said that he had recently replaced the pistons in all the brakes. We found some dirt on one of the seals and cleaned it off. The only place to get parts for the truck is in Port, so we were hoping to solve the problem by simply cleaning everything and putting it back together. The brake pads had a good layer of oil on them, so we put them on a cookie sheet and threw them in the oven. After the brakes had baked for a while, and the house had filled smoke, we let them cool and then reassembled everything. Not sure if it has solved the problem yet, but we’re trying to be optimistic.
Everything Disassembled
Brakes After a 30 Minute Baking SessionMonday, July 7, 2008
Participation Requested
On Sunday the Hopps stopped by to visit for the afternoon. They have three kids and we did a little swimming and had a nice big lunch. The Hopps are missionaries living at Kaliko, but they work primarily with people and churches on La Gonâve. La Gonâve is a small island off the western coast of Haiti. I’m including a map to show La Gonâve in relation to Clean Water for Haiti. I’m hoping to do this more in the future to show where places are located that I’ve mentioned. If nothing else, this should help me to learn more Haitian geography.
A little while back we discovered a crab that decided to take up residence in our shower. I took a picture of him, or her, and thought I would share it with you. We haven’t decided on a name yet, and I was hoping to get your input. On the right column of the blog there should be a survey that will allow you to vote for one of the names that I’ve been contemplating. For those of you who don’t like to be boxed in, please suggest an alternate name and I will add it to the list of possibilities if deemed appropriate.
The Nameless Crab
The Nameless CrabSaturday, July 5, 2008
Dorm Construction
I realized that I have talked about the dorm building that is under construction, but I don't think I've posted any pictures of what's going on with it....sorry about that. Well, here are a few pictures of where the construction is at. The first floor has been built and work is currently being done to finish this one before the second floor is constructed.
The First Floor
Left Side of the Dorm
Right Side of the Dorm
My task the past day and a half was to put on the door knobs and locks for the two exterior doors of the dorm. It proved to be a bit of a task though for two main reasons. One is that the doors are made of sheet metal and have no thickness to them. That makes it hard to install a door knob and lock that are designed for a wooden door that is an inch and a half thick. The other reason was that we had to relocate the welder, CO2 tank, plasma cutter, and air compressor....and those things are heavy.
Before
I ended up having to create a metal box to add thickness to the door. Then I ground paint of the door and welded the box into place. After that I used the plasma cutter to cut holes in both sides of the door and both sides of the frame where the locking mechanisms engage. I ended up just welding the dead bolt and door release to the frame since wooden screws don't really work that well on sheet metal. In the future we'll be painting everything so it looks nice.
After - Outside
After - Inside
The First Floor
Left Side of the Dorm
Right Side of the Dorm
BeforeI ended up having to create a metal box to add thickness to the door. Then I ground paint of the door and welded the box into place. After that I used the plasma cutter to cut holes in both sides of the door and both sides of the frame where the locking mechanisms engage. I ended up just welding the dead bolt and door release to the frame since wooden screws don't really work that well on sheet metal. In the future we'll be painting everything so it looks nice.
After - Outside
After - InsideWednesday, July 2, 2008
What Happened?
Monday after work I started some informal Creole lessons. I go to Canaan every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after work to learn and practice Creole with Robert. Robert speaks French, Creole, and knows a decent amount of English. I’m hoping that spending time with him and practicing more will speed up the learning process. I’m finding out that I have a hard time learning languages. There is a lot of memorization, and you have to practice without having everything perfect. Well, I have a horrible memory and I don’t like doing something in front of others unless I have figured out; hence, why I’m bad at learning a foreign language. Anyway, while we were talking I found out that Robert’s grandfather used to be the president of Haiti. That explains why he knows French….most of the upper class in Haiti speak French. He is very helpful and seems to enjoy teaching.
So, remember how I said the weekend was pretty low key? Well, some things happened over the weekend that I didn't find out about until Chris and Leslie got back. We have a guy that comes by after dark to keep an eye on the house and the mission. His name is Jean (a lot of people have that name here), and he usually walks around with a flashlight and is a presence on site to keep people from wandering onto the property. Jean doesn’t speak a word of English and of what little Creole I do know, I still have a hard time picking it out when people are speaking to me. Since Chris and Leslie were gone, he would say “bonswa” (good evening) to me and then start a conversation. I would try to listen and contribute to the conversation, but I was completely lost. After a minute or two, I think he realized I didn’t understand anything and he’d stop trying. Well, on Sunday he came by and we went through the same routine, except that he seemed a little more enthusiastic about something. I couldn’t make out what he was saying and just thought he had a little more energy than usual. Once Chris and Leslie got back I told them to ask about what he was saying on Sunday. He told them that he arrived on Sunday and while talking to someone outside the gate to our house, he saw someone walking in our yard. The person was trying to steal keys to the door locks that we hadn’t installed yet in the new dorms. Jean yelled at him and chased him away. I heard the commotion going on outside and I went to check it out. I didn’t notice anything at the time, but that explains why Jean was more enthusiastic than normal. I slept just fine that night not knowing what had happened. Maybe it was a good thing I didn’t know what was going on.
I’ve been feeling a little funny since around Thursday of last week. Whenever I eat something my stomach immediately starts to churn and make a ton of noise. There are other symptoms that deal with digestion, but I won’t go into that here. Chris had been experiencing similar symptoms and then he started losing his appetite and getting tired really quickly from doing anything. He took some antibiotics and seems to be getting better, so I followed suit yesterday and things seem to be settling down for me also. I’m actually surprised it has taken this long for me to get sick. Hopefully I will continue to stay pretty healthy….it makes life a lot easier if your not sick.
So, remember how I said the weekend was pretty low key? Well, some things happened over the weekend that I didn't find out about until Chris and Leslie got back. We have a guy that comes by after dark to keep an eye on the house and the mission. His name is Jean (a lot of people have that name here), and he usually walks around with a flashlight and is a presence on site to keep people from wandering onto the property. Jean doesn’t speak a word of English and of what little Creole I do know, I still have a hard time picking it out when people are speaking to me. Since Chris and Leslie were gone, he would say “bonswa” (good evening) to me and then start a conversation. I would try to listen and contribute to the conversation, but I was completely lost. After a minute or two, I think he realized I didn’t understand anything and he’d stop trying. Well, on Sunday he came by and we went through the same routine, except that he seemed a little more enthusiastic about something. I couldn’t make out what he was saying and just thought he had a little more energy than usual. Once Chris and Leslie got back I told them to ask about what he was saying on Sunday. He told them that he arrived on Sunday and while talking to someone outside the gate to our house, he saw someone walking in our yard. The person was trying to steal keys to the door locks that we hadn’t installed yet in the new dorms. Jean yelled at him and chased him away. I heard the commotion going on outside and I went to check it out. I didn’t notice anything at the time, but that explains why Jean was more enthusiastic than normal. I slept just fine that night not knowing what had happened. Maybe it was a good thing I didn’t know what was going on.
I’ve been feeling a little funny since around Thursday of last week. Whenever I eat something my stomach immediately starts to churn and make a ton of noise. There are other symptoms that deal with digestion, but I won’t go into that here. Chris had been experiencing similar symptoms and then he started losing his appetite and getting tired really quickly from doing anything. He took some antibiotics and seems to be getting better, so I followed suit yesterday and things seem to be settling down for me also. I’m actually surprised it has taken this long for me to get sick. Hopefully I will continue to stay pretty healthy….it makes life a lot easier if your not sick.
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