Returning To The Mission Field

If it was possible I would combine my two kinds of enjoyment together, stateside and overseas, and have a perfect sense of "enjoyment".

It's been a few weeks since I've left Haiti. I've had many a-hot showers and lots of electricity. I've walked to the store to buy a milkshake and munched on some gooey, cheesy pizza. I've enjoyed my time here!

It's a different kind of enjoyment though.

It's not the same kind of joy that one gets when they wake up every morning at 5 to bath the orphanage kids to get them to school. It can't be compared to the fun one has when all the kids are in bed and you sit around the table with the Haitian staff and sing hymns. It's not the same.

It's not hard to smile when you have a platter full of great restaurant food sitting in front of you or when you spend time with your friend you haven't seen in so many months. In fact, I've had a lot of laughs and smiles theses past few weeks. I've found that I do indeed like it here in the US!  So what do I do? With two happinesses (not a real word) to seek?

I enjoy my life here with all its wonders and joys, and work hard to, one day, visit that other "enjoyment" in my future.

Frozen Fingers Make Good Writers

What's cold, smiles and fills out a ton of applications?

A young "ex-pat" who has recently re-entered her country and is looking for a job.

She learned a few lessons today:

One of the applications filled today.

- It's the year 2012 and 89% of all applications should be done online. (I found this out after walking 25 minutes, in the cold, to the shopping center at which I was planning on applying, at least I got in some exercise). 


- I need to be over 18 to work at a warehouse. (I guess putting teens and saws in the same building is dangerous??) 


- After just one day of job hunting. I found some promising places. (Thus, I'm not understanding the whole "I can't get a job" thing that I've heard some say.) 

It's a matter of determination and self motivation. I'm not an expert in job hunting or anything, but it's easy to find an excuse for something that just takes some effort to get done. If you go our there, in the ice, with a grin on your face and fill out some papers you may end up with some money in your pocket later on.

My Toilet Paper is a Blanket

After dismounting the plane from Port-au-Prince, Haiti to Newark, New Jersey:

I’m standing in line to go to the immigration desk I see a lady directing people to their corresponding line.  My first thought: “She looks like a clown”, with her heavy eye makeup and 5-tones-too-dark lipstick. As I looked at her I saw that she had both fake eyelashes and fake hair. This is America? No. America can’t be summed up in one artificial woman.

Fast forward a few more hours. I’m sitting at the toilet. My arm reaches for the toilet paper; I grab a hold of it, “Gosh! I’m about to wipe with a blanket!” The toilet paper was so thick, full and plush I didn’t know what to do. I rerolled it and ripped off two dainty squares, one. by. one.  

Looks like I’ve come to a land where we have more than enough…and maybe, sometimes, too much; too much makeup, too much synthetic stuff and even too much toilet paper.