It is only 5:15 pm, but it feels so much later!
I love hearing the prayer service every morning, but it means a 6 am wake up. :)
John called when it ended and he had his friend Charlie with him - and I was so happy to see Charlie!! Charlie was one of the other translators we had in October.
I quickly ate breakfast and was back out before 8 am. We chatted for a bit and then got right to work on the essay portion of the test. Charlie is planning to take a test similar to the GED, so he was more than happy to study with us. I was so excited by how well both of them did on the different essays we went through!! We took a few topics and brainstormed together as to how it should be answered and written. I then gave them a topic and they went through all of the steps and wrote am essay. After they finished each paragraph, I checked it over and helped them fix any problems. They both are such good writers and picked up the format quickly.
By 12:45, we were ready for a break so we went back to John's house. His dad is visiting right now and he was waiting for me with a mango! I should have videotaped John washing the mango for me - I cannot imagine a piece of fruit being more clean then this mango. (He knows I am terrified of accidentally drinking or eating the wrong thing and getting sick.)
I also needed to talk to his dad about paperwork John needs from him for his dossier.
After a wonderful visit, we parted ways with Charlie and headed back. It was my first time traveling by foot in Port-au-Prince. I stayed clear of all motorbikes and flying debris and rocks! For the first time this trip, someone called me blan - and she really wanted me to hand over my sunglasses. That didn't happen.
I got back at the tail end of lunch, very hot and sweaty, but the wonderful cook had saved me a big piece of pizza.
After 3 hours of practice tests on sentence structure and correction, we decided to call it a day. We are hoping to shoot a short video tomorrow in-between reading comprehension.
I must say that several texts from home today bemoaned the coooold wind chills, so I will refrain from mentioning the weather we had here today.
(think blue skies and bright sunshine - and whatever temp makes you happy)
The pictures today are:
Charlie and John
The guys writing essays in the shade
Mango eating!
(I apologize for misspelled words and crazy sentence structure - it is hard to type an entire entry on my iPhone! lol!)
Hi Melissa,
I'm enjoying reading about your trip. Praying the rest goes well. And it was Freezing.Cold today, so I'm jealous too. Does Blan mean white?
Posted by: kristin | January 21, 2011 at 08:06 PM
Kristin - yes, a blan is a white person - and when it is spoken it sounds like bln - with no vowel.
Matéa had indoor recess today b/c it was so cold! Her class sent me an email during lunch. :)
Posted by: Melissa | January 21, 2011 at 08:28 PM
I am thoroughly enjoying the posts about your trip, Melissa. I bet that was one of the best mangos you have ever eaten. It looks so good.
Posted by: Heather M. | January 21, 2011 at 08:39 PM
So good to see Charlie in your photos. He is such a great kids with a ready smile. Great pic of the two boys. Wonderful to see that your teaching talents are being utilized by not one, but two! Double blessing! They must be doing so well because of your teaching. Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Kim Chapin | January 21, 2011 at 11:18 PM