Consequences for being forgetful

Yesterday, I went for a long walk to clear my mind and when I say long, it was about two miles there, and two miles back. That is long for me, AND… I did not put sunscreen on. I have an excuse besides I forgot, which I really did forget, but since I have been here I haven’t had to use sunscreen once. We stay in the shade and lathering on sunscreen isn’t a daily routine. Well now my arms are extremely burnt and they feel as if they are on fire. Dumb move on my part, but I'll heal.

Let me tell you about my walk. I left around 9:00 a.m. and I was walking happily, greeting everyone I saw and somewhat smiling, feeling energized and good about myself. All I had with me was a full bottle of water and my goal was to find a place where I could swim because I don’t get to swim often in Haiti, which is another love of mine. So I see the sea from where I am and I am thinking in my head, “This is going to be a long walk but I have all day.” So I started trotting my way to this beautiful land of water. Shortly after I started my walk, this kind couple waved at me to come sit and take a break. (Everyone does that here and wants you to stay and chat for fifteen to twenty minutes.) I stay for about ten minutes, we exchange polite words, and I am soon on my way.

Not bad, still trotting away, and getting further from home, and still aware of where I am. The further I get, the more I doubt if I should actually attempt this trip, but I am dying to swim. Also, the further I get, the less water I have. I finally take a rest and sit under a tree in the middle of the road where I hear the church hymns. As I continue, I come to a spot where there is no walking path, and by now my two arms are on fire! I am dripping in sweat, like I just got out of the shower.

I decide to head back home, trying to save every last drip of water only for when I am REALLY thirsty. I stop at every shade, which is about every fifty steps to help my skin not scream so much. By this time, the sun got me, and I literally felt like I was on fire. I finally reached my newest destination, was was now the house I previously rested for those ten minutes. I kindly asked for dlo (water). Mw vle dlo, meci! I want water, please!

Well they gave me water and bananas, which I am not permitted to drink Haitian water, but it didn’t matter at the moment because I felt as if I was dying of thirst and heat. After that they offered to set up their shower so I could bathe. When I say shower I actually mean taking a cup of water and pouring it on myself. Because I was extremely over heated and my clothes were soaked from sweating. I took the offer and put my dirty and sweaty clothes on after, and took a rest before I headed home. I had no idea who these people were but I do know that almost everyone in Bainet, Haiti is hospitable and friendly, so I felt safe. I've learned I can trust my gut. 

During my rest, I held a two months old baby that fell asleep in my arms. I might add that I feel most connected with babies here because they can’t speak yet and I can’t speak much Creole, so I just talk to them about my life and how I am feeling, like they understand or something. It is the point that we have that in common. haha 

I have been slacking on my blog since Friday because one, Jimmy is visiting for the week. Two, I am running out of topics that I feel I could discuss. I need more activities to do around here besides lounging around.

That is all for now. Muah!!!! XOXO : )