Rest in the Midst of Chaos

Today is a day for visiting. I visit Marie Claude first. She is the best. Everyone talks in a circle about the hurricane and their friends who don't have houses anymore. Marie Claude and I cut up carrots and she boils them over a fire in her kitchen. She is always joyful. Always smiling.

Marie Claude.

We laugh about people in town and Josianne says she wants to help with the mobile medical clinic that's coming. I visit Frizzball (not his real name) and his wife. She is beautiful and kind. He's lucky to have her. I visit my friends downtown and it starts to pour. We run inside which doesn't make much of a difference because the roof is all holes. We laugh and I sing. It's barely heard over the rain. I'm soaking wet. Rosberge says she can't finish cooking now because the rain is in her kitchen. I tell them they are rich because they have showers now throughout their whole house. We laugh and tease each other. 

We talk about life and what they will do. Natasha tells me the school for handicapped kids is closed and she doesn't know if she'll have a job again. She talks about the hurricane and says "mwen la. Mwen viv an fanmi. Pwoblem pam se pwoblem pa yo" which means "I'm here. We live as a a family. Their problems are my problems." She is soaking wet because she doesn't have anything over her house. An old woman walks up to me and says she is honored to have me with them and is happy I came to check on them in the rain. She said it meant a lot to them. I didn't even think of that. 

Natasha and I stand under her roofless house with the walls falling apart and the rain falls on our heads. I help them sweep and clean trash out from her gutter in front of her house. Her house is an 8 by 10 foot room. She says she ran to the church with her children when their roof got ripped off. She says everyone was running to find safety and tin was everywhere. She says she's surprised it didn't kill more people. 

The rain slows a little and I go to the market to bring water home for the family. I decide to visit Mackenzy. He is sleeping on the tile floor of an old blan lady's house with just a sheet. Her name is Judy and she's the sweetest. Super hyper and just moved here in July. All the other beds in her house are taken up. Mackenzy and I talk and laugh for hours. Judy says she wants to have a little party at her house so people can forget just for a moment. Maybe we will do that this week. Mackenzy and I dance konpa and we laugh and laugh so hard. Judy watches and loves it. I'm really glad I came here to visit. So much fun. I walk back up the mountain to Diudonne's house and talk with Delice and his friend. When they leave I sit and talk with Diudonne. Sunday's are rest days. Even in the midst of all this chaos, people still have to rest. Life is hard but life is good