This past Wednesday morning a fellow therapist and I began our journey to an organization nestled away in a little town outside of Cap-Haitien where we are staying for a week. We decided to fly from Port au Prince to Cap-Haitien instead of enduring the annoyingly long drive on a hot bus. The small airport that flys to Cap-Haitien is a much more pleasant experience than the main airport. It's quiet and calm and they even provided delicious Haitian coffee served in fancy little coffee mugs. I was not sure if I was to extend my pinky finger while enjoying the liquid encouragement or not. Erin unfortunately did not struggle with this decision as she was served her coffee in a small plastic cup....even strangers know her clumsiness with breakable items. After many laughs regarding how fancy I was with this little coffee mug and enduring many stares from others in the waiting area due to our lack of fancy clothes and shoes, off we went in our little puddle jumper plane. Thankfully the flying experience was much better than my first experience in that tiny plane and twenty five minutes later after a smooth flight we landed in Cap-Haitien, found the driver, and headed out to the organization that is our home for the week after a quick stop at a small store to buy food items. Due to the amazing selection at the store, or lack there of, our nightly dinners consist of pasta and tomato sauce, tuna, crackers, and canned vegetables. Don't be too jealous about our array of amazingly delicious food options.
Upon arrival we quickly made ourselves at home...literally...we got out of the car and marched right into the guesthouse and got settled as of we lived here permanently. Then we quickly thought, "maybe we should tell the staff that we are here??"
The first two days were highly successful as we completed 16 evaluations/assessments, fixed a few pieces of equipment, fitted a few orthotics, gathered all information for updated treatment plans, etc. We have shared many laughs and great conversation over the first two days. It was great catching up with the on ground staff and the therapy staff. And seeing all the kids again and meeting new little ones has been the best.
This brings us to today...day three. We started our morning off debating who was on their "A" game today. You see, each day we decide what grade of a day that each of us is functioning on. We know that if at least one of us is on their "A" game, then we will have a successful day. But this morning...as I struggled to formulate a functional sentence in any language and Erin struggled with sensory overload trying to block out the noise from the daily weed eater outside our window we had a serious discussion regarding who was bringing their "A" game today. We decided to solve this delimma with a serious game of Rock Paper Scissors for the ultimate decision. As we started up the game, my heart started racing and all I could think was "I hope today is not the day for my "A" game".....
Whew. God had me covered in that one. Erin won and got the privilege of being on her "A" game for the day. Relief overflowed my body.
But five minutes later, I made a decision about our schedule that was way better than Erin's suggestion...I then questioned her ability to handle the "A" game today, but we quickly decided it doesn't start until we step foot out of the door.
As we were finally heading out the door, 30 minutes later than scheduled, Erin stated "ok, A game here we come". I questioned her usage of "we", to which she explained she was referring to her and the hamsters in her head. Again, I was left questioning her ability to succeed at the "A" game for the day. Regardless, off we went to face the adventures awaiting us.
Our morning was not nearly as successful as the previous days. Around 11am we both were moving in slow motion and dragging our feet a bit. It was clearly evident that today was not a day for anyone's "A" game.
After lunch we had 15 minutes to spare to which we decided we would lay on the couches instead of using our time wisely. And I must say that it was a glorious feeling for every part of me to lay motionless on that couch even if it was just for fifteen minutes. It always amazes me how quick 15 minutes goes by when relaxing and how slow it goes by when working....
Anyway, we gave ourselves a pep talk and off we went to see the next crew of kids.
The rest of the afternoon was pretty uneventful aside from a few smacks to the face and butt smacks from aggressive little humans, working on our dodgeball skills as other playful children pelted us with balls, and Erin learning "RBF" due to a sassy little human giving us the eye when we entered into her home until the moment we left.
Take aways from the day:
- A cement drill bit does not easily drill into plastic.
- We tend to take the longest route possible when walking from place to place...and often have to walk the same path 20 times due to our poor memory.
- Ashley was in fact not raised by a cow.
- Neither of us were actually on our "A" game.
Good thing we serve a merciful And gracious God because tomorrow is a new day and I am sure we will both be on our "A" game!!
Disclaimer: explanation of the title of this blog - - typically, Erin and I are traveling alongside our other friend, Autumn. We make quite the group and have been deemed "The Three Stooges" as each of us take on a character of a Stooge. Unfortunately, this trip, Autumn was unable to join in on the fun so we are down a stooge. Next time though we will all be back together.
Stay tuned for more adventures from the now Two Stooges...
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