Yesterday was probably the most random day I’ve had here.

We were supposed to go to an orphan “party”, which turned to be an English class for about 8 orphans. Taught by us. Lost in translation, anybody?

Then we went to a training seminar for mosquito nets, where we thought we would be trained on how to install them, but which turned out to be a 3 hour mosquito net sales pitch. In French.

At least it was under a mango tree, so we were cool. Plus, they gave us free cokes. Bonus.

Then remember the latrine we were supposed to build? Well, part of the team went off to get the supplies, and Rony called the orphanage director one more time to solidify everything. She told us that they already HAVE a latrine, so why are we building another one?

It was at that point that I said, ‘What the hell?’

We decided to cut our losses and head to the beach. Only to have one of the creepiest moto taxi drivers ever be our escort, and to have a thunder clap about 15 minutes after we got there. And another member of our team wasn’t feeling well, so she and I hopped on another moto taxi (breaking the rules, of course, because two girls aren’t supposed to drive on taxis alone, but she was sick and we had to go), which dropped us off NOT at our house, but at HODR, the other NGO around the corner from where we live. I suppose he figured if whites, or as they shout at us, “blancs” were going somewhere in leogane, that was the place where all the blancs lived. Not a big deal, we just walked the quick walk home, just in time for the sky to open up and deliver on its threatened storm.

It was better than a fireworks show.

We all sat on the porch, watching the lightening, being glad that we didn’t live in a tent city at that moment.

Ah, Haiti.

The good news is that today I checked on the church’s sq foot garden, and there were RADISHES!! Real, honest to goodness radishes. I pulled them, washed them, cut them up, and gave them to the orphans who followed us home from church. One of them spit it out and said, “Par bonne!” which, roughly translated, is, “That SUCKS!”

I wanted to say I feel the same way about sugarcane, but I refrained. Still, a small success that could mean big things. Big things.

Home in 2 days. I’m actually glad to be going home. I miss my babies.