Day 19

It started to rain last night around six thirty.  It continued to thunderstorm for two consecutive hours and on and off during the night.  It resulted in ten to twelve inches of water on the ground.  Tent city received the worst of it.  Three children drowned and many shelters and belongings were washed away in the storm.  There are eighteen hurricanes on their way to Haiti.  They are supposed to hit between June 1st and the beginning of August. However, there are 3-6 major hurricanes that are supposed to hit by mid June. Haiti does not need anymore devastation; they are still recovering from the earthquake and hurricane that hit last November.  The pain seems never ending for Haitians. 
Last night was the first night that I had a good sleep since being here.  I think it is because the rain prevented people from partying on the streets so it wasn't too noisy except for the sound of rain, wind, and thunder.  Mom and I were up at six this morning.  I took my bucket shower and then played with the kids.  At nine we left the orphanage to go to Western Union to pick up some money that my Mom wired before she came.  After that we went to a shop to buy paint and other supplies.  We ended up buying Jean a new saw, hammer, supplies for painting, and light bulbs.  I was amazed.  All of that only came to $25 US.
When we got back to the orphanage Jean had a friend come over to help build the new ladder.  Finally they no longer have to use that ladder that looks like it is going to fall apart any day now to get onto the roof.  Jean and his friend also went to another shop and bought more tin to build a roof over the kids bathroom.  After they were finished building the roof we put the new light bulbs to use ! We now have a light in the bathroom, in the main bedroom, and another light in one of the classrooms.  We got a lot done today !! We gave the kids some pages out of the colouring books and it kept them occupied for quite awhile.  Yvenson was very sick today.  He had a fever and seemed pretty lethargic.  I gave him some cough medicine and then he went down for a nap.  He seemed to be feeling better later in the day.  I really need to potty train him though.  He pees his pants constantly and then wants to be picked up.. half the time you don't even realize he has peed his pants until you are already holding him or he's already sitting on your lap.  A lady came to the orphanage at eleven to braid my hair again.  It took three and a half hours !!!!! My corn rows only took forty five minutes.  However, getting my hair braided this time did not hurt nearly as much as getting corn rows.  By the time I was finished my back and neck were so stiff and I was hungry.  We had chicken, potatoes, and macaroni salad for dinner.  When we were finished eating we sat down with Jean and arranged plans for the beach tomorrow.  Jean wants to only bring seven kids (the older ones).  He was unsure if we could go because of the cost.  We wrote down the cost for everything and it worked out to be $75 in total for everyone.  That includes transportation and entrance to the beach.  It is definitely worth it !!! Especially because most of the kids have not seen outside of the orphanage since they arrived here.  Jean and his wife seemed very excited about going.  As soon as we finished organizing the plans they left to go buy food and things for the beach tomorrow ! It is the first time that I have seen his wife leave the orphanage since the first Sunday I was here when we went to Church.  The two housewives had worked so hard all day and were now left with the children to tend to.  Mom and I decided to give them a break and put a movie in for the kids.  They were glad to have some time to themselves.  It started raining again tonight around seven.  The kids played and showered in the rain.  After they were finished showering we brought them into the orphanage and set up chairs and I played Ice Age on my lap top.  While the kids were watching the movie, Mom and I played Yahtzee.  The electricity ended up going out halfway through the movie so they were unable to finish it.  We decided to go to bed early since we will be waking up at five tomorrow to leave for the beach at six.  Although the sound of the rain helps me sleep, I am hoping that it stops soon.  I feel terrible for all of the people living in the tents.  It not only would be wet and cold, but it would also be scary with all of the wind and lightening. 
I am off to bed ! I am so excited for the beach tomorrow !