Monday moments

Here are a few notable moments from today:

1. Started school without diesel (and subsequently power). Yesterday Anderson told me that we were out of gas, and when I said I would talk to Marlvarl, he said, "Not now, he's going to play soccer!" Diesel arrived around 8:30 am, and Marlvarl got to enjoy his soccer game. I have also learned that it's very Haitian to wait until the last minute to ask for anything.

2. Patrick was over at the guest house this afternoon, and I jokingly mentioned that he just wanted our ice; he comes at least once a day and fills up his cup with ice. He said that I was correct. There's a Haitian philosophy that if you have two, then I (he) can take one. We have lots of ice ... so he takes some.

3. I announced that today is Jeff's birthday. He disagreed and told us (the whole school) that it is in October. Susette double-checked his birth certificate, and it IS today. I asked him about it after school since we always make a cake and put together a gift for birthdays. I don't know if he was being shy or if he just doesn't like birthdays. We're planning to celebrate after dinner.

4. Watched about 20 minutes of Planet Earth with the 1st and 2nd graders. I quickly realized that they were seeing squirrels mate and then get attacked by other animals. In another scene an animal's head was torn off then stored for later. Was I the only one disturbed by this content?

5. Woke up cold. That's right, COLD! The team that arrived on Saturday finished the installation of an air conditioning unit that the team from San Diego started before they left. Less confusing than it sounds. I woke up in the middle of the night and realized that my top sheet wasn't keeping me warm enough. Somehow I managed, because I slept through my alarm. I was quickly reminded of the Haiti heat when I walked out of my room to go to school.