This past week we only had school Monday and Tuesday, and then we got the rest of the week off for Thanksgiving. It's been a really nice break. For the past 5 years, over Thanksgiving I went on a mission trip to Mexico with my youth group, but since I'm in Haiti this year I couldn't go, so I've been praying for my youth group all week and really wish I could've been there with them this week. Today I looked at pictures from the trip and the kids at the orphanage are growing up so fast, I almost teared up! I've been really missing Mexico and all the amazing people we get to visit there so much this week. <3

A few days ago I went to the restaurant by the school to get coke and milk mixed together. When her kids first told me about that drink, I thought it did not sound good, but as I thought about it more it seemed like it might actually be good like a creamy coke drink. And then I finally tried it and it was soooo good, I think it's much better than a normal coke. It tasted like a rootbeer float but with coke instead of rootbeer. You should try it. It may sound different, but its really really good and it made me so full. Like they give you this big cup and put ice in it and then pour in a can of milk in it and then pour a big bottle of coke in it and you stir it all up. It was yummy. :) And then at the restaurant I also saw Widloveson there one day. He is the cutest little cutie ever. I love him so much. He is in fifth grade this year, but I helped in his class when I visited Sonlight before, I think he was in 2nd grade. He is just as cute now as he was then. We talked in the restaurant for at least an hour maybe more, I love talking to him, the conversations we have are so funny. I asked him what he'll do over Christmas break, and he said how he's gonna eat a cat sandwich! Because that is like a special meal he has over that time I think haha, and he said cat is his favorite meat, and that is tastes spicy. He asked me if I would try it sometime but I said no because I don't eat meat, and he asked me why I don't eat it and I told him how I stopped eating it in 7th grade because I felt bad for the animals, and he was like, you don't need to feel bad for them, they're gonna die anyway, haha. That is true. And he also told me that he likes to eat onions and he can eat them raw by themselves. And he said he is gonna make little firework things when he got home haha. I love talking to him, he is really funny and adorable. And then I told him I'd come back tomorrow morning for spaghetti. And he said what if there is a giant storm and it's raining everywhere, would you still come? And I told him there is nothing that will stop me from coming because his mom's spaghetti is too amazing. And he laughed. And then I came and got her spaghetti the next morning, it was not raining though which was nice. It has been raining so much here lately though, almost everyday since the hurricane, so most everyone here is really tired of the rain because it turns the roads to mud, so its hard to travel in it, and it makes it hard to dry clothes. So were hoping for more of the sun. Yesterday it was beautiful out, but today it is back to rain again.

I also put up a Christmas tree in my class this week, it's cute. :)

I also caught a lizard in my rom this week, it was a cute little baby lizard.

And I also had lost my ipod for a few days and had been looking all over my room for it. The other day I finally found it, and guess where it was.......in my tennis shoes!! Hahaha, how does and ipod get inside your shoe?? I don't know but I was so happy to find it, its got all my good worship music and stuff on it.

Yesterday Samantha and I went on a walk. We walked up to the pretty cross and then past it where this path leads you up and down the hillside and the view from up there is beautiful. It was way greener out there than last time, because of all the rain. And then we saw a beautiful rainbow when we got home. On our walk, at one point we didn't take a turn when we were supposed to so we started walking through downtown. And we knew where we were we just didn't know the best way back. So Samantha said something to me like, I hope God will just give us another person we know to lead us home! And sure enough a few minutes later we hear "Miss Sarah!" And it's my student James, so we asked him if he could get his older sister to tell us the way back. And she ended up walking us back, which she didn't have to do but she wanted too which was really nice and sweet.

Our internet was also good enough that we could watch Gilmore Girls!!! I did not think I would be able to watch it here, so I was sooooo thrilled that we got too.

This past weekend was amazing, I got to go down to Port-au-Prince, for the 3 day weekend. Amber took us there to drop off Sarah at the airport because she is going to the states for around a week or so I think. The best part of the trip (other spending time with the great people I went with) was that I got to have sushi. That was the best thing ever, they even had vegetarian rolls which was perfect for me. It was so good. Sushi is the best and I was soooo happy to have it haha. We also got to go to the top of our building and it was at night, but the view was still so pretty. And the wind was blowing and I was cold, which is crazy because its always hot. That was the first time I have ever been cold outside in Haiti. We also went to this store called apparen project I think, it has things you can buy that people hand made and the money goes to a good cause. But to get to that store is crazy because its like hidden and the way to get there is you go up this one main road, then while your on that road you have to look for a butterfly (not a real one but like this 2 ft by 2 ft metal one that will be on one of the buildings walls, because the stores symbol is a butterfly). And the first butterfly, I don't even know how Katie saw it because it was a tan metal butterfly on top of a tan wall, so you would never notice it if you weren't looking. So then you have to turn where that butterfly is and then go down that road and look for the next one, the rest were orange which was easier to spot, but still its pretty tricky getting there you have to follow like 5 butterfly signs until you make it, it was an adventure. When we were there I also had a smoothie. It was yummy, It had mango, banana, strawberry, and peanut butter. I love peanut butter so it was great. :)

We also went to some grocery stores, it was very weird to go in a grocery store for the first time in three months, it did not feel like I was in Haiti because in Port-de-Paix there aren't any grocery stores. But a lot of the stuff can be pricey, I got a bag of Sour Cream & Cheddar chips, which I was really excited to have.

But yeah it was just great to spend some quality time with Amber, Sarah, Samantha, Lindsey, and Katie. I loved talking with them and getting to know them better. It was really great. And it was just so nice to change our scenery for a bit and have an adventure in Port-au-Prince. It was an awesome vacation. :)

And we went the weekend of the election in Port-au-Prince. So you would think it might be a little crazy there, but actually on Election Sunday, no one was out. It was crazy. Normally there is so much traffic that it takes an hour to get to from where we stayed to the airport. But we passed by the airport after just 20 minutes of traffic. There was barely anyone out and it was awesome because that meant no crazy traffic.

Like you wouldn't believe how packed it can get, and we were driving and at one point we weren't able to get through this one section, so Lindsey jumped out of the car and stopped this car to not pass us so we could finally get through, it was funny. And there are constantly people weaving their way across the street as well so there is a lot to watch out for if you drive.

And another time we had to get up this street in our car, that Amber is driving, and there is a big truck on the other side of the road and there isn't enough room to pass through. But there are people selling things on the side of the street, so they all one by one start pushing in their stuff another foot so we can squeeze though, like 15 people had to move their stuff, but we didn't even ask them too, it was really sweet.

Yesterday afterschool I was able to go with Kimley and his mom to the market. His mom helped me buy a ton of fruit, that I gave to Sarah and Amber who will give the fruit to their neighbors, and their neighbors will get to eat the fruit and then their gonna use the seeds to plant in those bags and eventually take these to the south to plant there. I brought a huge bag to fill with fruit at the market, like if you've ever seen those giant Costco or Ikea bags, it was as big as that (like maybe 3ft by 2ft and then like a foot and a half deep) and I filled it all with different fruit like citron (I think that is either lime or lemon not sure which), oranges, mangos, grapefruit, and breadfruit, and I ended up spending less than 5 dollars American for allll that fruit. The bag was so heavy haha.

And then today we didn't have school so I came to Port-au-Prince with Amber, Sarah, Katie, Samantha, and Lindsey. We took the bus down which is super bumpy haha but only the first half is, the second half was in a smooth road. Where we stay is beautiful and has a really beautiful view of the mountains with houses on them.

Yesterday night Sarah, one of the 6th grade teachers, told us about her experience in helping with wound care in southern Haiti. And it was just so sad seeing the pictures, it really did look like a bomb went off all over the south, all the trees were uprooted and all the agriculture and gardens were ruined. So the people there have no food because of that. And so Sarah is an amazing person with an incredible heart and her and Amber (the other 6th grade teacher) are doing whatever they can to help. And at this time, it is planting seeds in these little bags that they will ship over to Dan Marie, the area that Sarah helped at that had a lot destroyed by the hurricane. They got 1500 of those bags so far and they have neighbors helping them plant the seeds and its just awesome that they found a way to bring support to those people even though we live far from there. And so please just don't forget to not stop praying for those affected by the hurricane. The results of it were devastating, especially since it wiped out their whole agricultural system, so that they really have no food and have to start over all their gardens. So please, keep them in your prayers. Don't forget about them and that they still need support.

Also on Sunday I went to see Ketsia's Mom and Dad sing at their church. It wasn't during their church service, but basically their mom and dad are lead singers in a Christian singing group and they had an event taking place in their church that afternoon so they invited me to come. It was really fun. I got to sit by a bunch of little kids and listen to her parents sing, there were even MC's there who talked between the songs. And they also did a little play and recited poetry and there was dancing too, and I just watched all the little kids go crazy dancing everywhere, it was entertaining. And her mom talked in front of everybody, I wish  knew Kreyol better so I could know what she said, but at the end she pointed me out and said I was Ketsia's teacher and that she was happy to see me, she made me feel so special haha it was sweet. But they told me this event started at 3, so I thought oh maybe I'll be home by 5. But I got there and it didn't actually start until like 4:15 haha, but that was fine because I waited at Ketsia's house and sat and talked with her. And then It didn't end until 8 pm haha, I was not expecting that haha, but it was okay because I was having so much fun anyway. But I felt bad because I was supposed to take a taxi home, so her dad walked me up to the street where the mopeds pass by, but there were none, so he had to walk me home, but he was so nice and he told me not to be sorry when I apologized and he even asked me, "whats your favorite juice, I can buy you some juice" Both her parents are so so nice and sweet. I didn't tell him my favorite juice though because I didn't want him to have to buy me any haha. But it was so nice that he wanted to.

And then last Saturday, I had a Kreyol test with Kimley at his mom's restaurant that I got 100% on, whoop whoop! :)

Sorry I haven't updated you all in awhile, I've tried to but the internet has been off and on lately.

Today afterschool I had the best time. I took my bible study girls to the House of Hope, it was so fun. We just played with the kids, made bracelets with them with beads, drew chalk drawing together. It was so fun. That's my favorite place to be. Just playing with kids and holding them in your arms. Its the best. There are 68 kids there. I just sat and drew chalk with them and then they'd just come sit on my lap and I'd hug them and tickle them. It was sweet. I'm also glad I got to take my bible study girls there. They all loved it so much and were asking me, "When can we come back Miss Sarah??" So we will definitely plan another trip there :) And then on the ride back they all sang worship songs in the back of the truck, it was sweet. And they have really good voices too.

Today at school, that was another tough day, it's just hard to get them not to talk while I talk. And I've been stricter, but it doesn't always work. BUT during math I brought out the "silent turtles". They are little turtles that I made out of pipe cleaners and hot glued googly eyes to them, they're really cute looking. And today I told them that while their working on their math workbook, they may get visited by one of the silent turtles (I only made four). But the turtles only visit students who are not talking. And the turtles are scared of loud voices, so if you talk while their on your desk, they'll run away (aka Miss Sarah will take them off your desk). And man oh man were they dead silent. It was beautiful. And so hilarious and adorable that they all really wanted a turtle to sit on their desk as they worked. So I hope I can find more strategies like that to keep them quiet, because it worked so well.

This morning I went over to my kid, Saborah's house. She asked me to come at 8 am so I was up early this Saturday. She lives right across the street from Sonlight though, so it was a very short walk to her house. She is so sweet. We played dolls together. She played with my hair. We played this game with old CD's where you slide one CD on the tile ground. And then you try to hit that CD by sliding more CDs at it. It was really fun. She said whoever loses has to give a surprise to the winner on Monday. She won, so now I need to think of a good surprise for her haha. Then we played tic tac toe. We also went onto her roof which was really cool because they are in the process of adding an upstairs to their house I'm guessing because on the roof there are several walls for rooms except there is no roof and not all the walls are there. It was cool, I wanted to play paintball on top of her roof haha, because that what it felt like with all the walls, but it still felt open because not all walls were there and there were openings in the cement walls for windows so you could still see a lot of the outside. It was cool. We played hide and seek up there. :) And then they also made me spaghetti for breakfast. I don't deserve that they would do that. And then we went to the store right outside her house and bought some yummy crackers and gum.

And then after that I met a boy named Wesley, like my brother. :)  His full name was Nicolasy Wesley, but he goes by Wesley I think. There is a fence that separates the school yard from this piece of land with plantain trees and stuff on it. He was on the other side of the fence. I had a lot of fun with him. And it makes me wish I knew more kreyol to understand more of what he said but I was able to still talk a decent amount with him. I learned he is 8 years old and he's in 3rd grade. And he has 3 sisters and 3 brothers. And his favorite color is red and his favorite animal is an elephant and he doesn't like the rain. I talked to him for at least an hour and a half haha. I met his sister. She is 18 like me. And I would point to things and say "Koman ou di" (How do you say) And then he'd tell me how to say stuff in Kreyol and then I'd tell him how to say it in English. And the he asked me if I wanted to play a little game and he went on one foot and I did not know what he meant by that haha and finally after like 5 minutes of me trying to figure out what he was saying I realiezed he wanted to race by jumping on one foot. So we both raced on to the end of the fence by hopping on one foot. Hahaha, it was so fun. We were both laughing so hard. We raced several times. We were both so tired. We either raced by hopping on one foot or we ran. It was really fun. And we played hand games with me reaching over the fence at one of the lower spots, and him reaching his hands up so we could play. And then we played with our eyes closed. And then I would tickle him through the fence and he'd laugh and laugh and he'd try to tickle me through the fence too. Then I said "Tann, mw retounen" (wait, I return) And grabbed my notebook and black and red marker and then I drew his name for him all cool.

Then after that I made churro bites with a lot of the missionaries kids, Riley H, Riley, Cameron, Ethan, and Ally. They were ahhhhmazing! And Grace (Mme Robs daughter) was supposed to come, but poor Grace was sick with a fever and headache. So we brought a bag with some churro bites to her house. And we saw Rob's sick motorcycle that he fixed up. He said its a 650 or something which is a really big motorcycle, it looked so cool! I'm excited to see him ride it places, it turned out so cool.

And then I went to Kreyol lessons with Kimley at the restaurant. And he picked pages out of my Kreyol notebook for me to study for a test next week. (I have 44 pages of Kreyol notes in there so far !!) And then he talked in Kreyol and I would first see if I could understand him and then I'd try to say something back. And that was really helpful. Because if I didn't know something, I could just ask him how to say something. And I also would read some pages of notes to him and he helped me pronounce stuff right.

And then we went to Miss Katie's house and made amazing grilled cheese and watched Now You See Me 2.

It was a really great day. :)

And one of the girls, Ketsia, who I love with my whole heart, had not been listening the past few days and was mad at me for taking away a point from her team, she even wrote me a note that said "I don't like Miss Sarah" (but I knew it was just because she was upset with me about the points) but she came up to me during movie looking sad and I told her, "Oh Ketsia, I know your mad at me but I want you to know that I love you soooo much" And then she just started crying and gave me a big hug. And I just sat with her on my lap hugging her and rocking her side to side in my swivel chair until she stopped crying. It was really sweet. And I'm glad she knows I love her. and that she isn't mad at me anymore haha

And one of the other boys, Bendjino, he is kinda shy and so sweet. And today he gave me this super sweet letter, he had made a little envelope out of paper and it was just so cute and thoughtful. I love him so much. He drew me a picture of a heart that said "I love you" in the middle. And then He wrote me a letter and asked me questions like what my favorite color was and how many kids I have. hahaha. It was so funny. And then I wrote him a letter back. He is so sweet. Goodness I love him so much. And when I try to quiet the class he always has my back and says "Shhhh!"to the other kids haha

And I got like 4 other letters just today from my kids that say they love me. Those letters really do help get me through the day when the days are tough.