Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts

Friday, May 14, 2010

What a week.

This time we do not plead laziness for our lack of blogposts - au contraire, we've been super-busy over the past seven days.

Last Friday my brother Danny came to visit for a long weekend. A whirlwind tour of our life in Haiti ensued, complete with a hike up the river to our favorite canyon ever.

In fact, Danny ranked this as a highlight of the trip (that, and a cookout in which we introduced him to most of the rest of the MCC crew). Lowlight: buying groceries in the Dezam market (too hot, too many people).

He left Monday, and we returned to Dezam on Wednesday for the weekly team meeting and Fritzner's wedding (!).

Only in Haiti is a wedding held on a Thursday morning at 8am...in the spruced-up MCC office.


Our entire team was dressed to the nines, Nahomie (left) and Denise especially. Even Jides, MCC's helper-kid, spiffed up for the occasion.


Frantzo (right) was the best man, and Fritzner and Frantzo looked great in their matching new suits.


They tried to keep it a small affair (so small, in fact, that Bryan and I were nearly not invited because we're in Port!), but people came in droves anyway.


After the ceremony the crowd filled four vehicles and drove up the mountain to the home of the bride's family. They were worried about having enough food for everyone, although the spread was impressive:

Felisitasyon, Fritzner ak Melita!

On our way back to the city yesterday afternoon, Ben and Bryan stopped at a national landmark for a little bike-video action.

To our entrance contribution we added an hour of entertainment for the gaggle of boys who came along.

I don't know if riding through an amazing waterfall has been a dream of Bryan's, but if so, check. Dream come true.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Where's a speedboat when you need one?


Late Wednesday night I learned that my dear grandmother, Lula Dowell Morrison, passed away after an illness of few weeks. We did get to see her over the Christmas holiday -- but that fact still doesn't make the loss feel any lighter.

I spent all day yesterday trying to get a flight home in time for the funeral this evening, only to discover that every seat on every American Airlines flight (which seems to be the only commercial airline operating right now) is booked.

This is actually how things went:
Me: When is the next seat available?
AA: It looks like there's one seat open next Wednesday, but you'll have to pay an extra seven hundr-- ah, nope, now that one's gone too.

Super frustrating. Especially since the only place I want to be now is home with my Granddad.

Our stress leave is scheduled for March 7-22, but I'm hoping to get home sooner than that. Right now I'm trying to book a flight through the Santo Domingo airport and then I'll figure out how to get over to the Dominican Republic. Wish me luck.