90 Degree Thanksgiving...

With only three more work weeks until Christmas break and two more weekends I am already beginning to pack my bag in my mind and jam-pack my days in Virginia breathing in the icy, cold air and letting my body dry out to the point of crispy from all of this lovely Haiti heat and humidity.

I can't wait:

-not to hear mosquitoes buzzing in my ears at night 

-to stop swatting at flies

-to be in a house free of dust from the outside, inside, all over

-to be cold

-not to see rice for two weeks

-not to see bean sauce for two weeks

-to experience the liberty of getting where I need to go in a car

- to feel clean after a shower

-to feel convenience

I will miss:

-my co-workers I'm used to seeing

-eventually, the kids in my class

-constant sunshine

-lack of a to-do list because there's no where to go and no way to get there, so sit still

-fresh fruit in the mornings

-Haitian coffee

-the lack of rules in Haiti
-the overwhelming natural beauty of Haiti

As always, it's a love/hate and give/take relationship, as it should be. I will always miss things about home and America, because that's how I was raised, but when I leave Haiti, I will always miss the things I thought I detested while I was here; if you've ever lived anywhere else you'll understand. So while I'm dying to be in Va, I know that (hopefully) I'll be ready to come back and see my class and friends here again in January. It will be a long haul until July but then coming home will be worth it again.

Our Thanksgiving here was mildly uneventful. We celebrated at a restaurant in town over Salsa music and grilled lobster. My class loved singing 'Hello Mr. Turkey, how are you?' and parading around the school as Indians. On Thanksgiving Day we visited the bus to sing 'Wheels on the Bus' so I quickly taught them 'Happy Thanksgiving' and they actually did a great job pronouncing it.

I've changed our classroom calendar into an advent calendar and I'm ready to count down the days; 24 and counting 'till Christmas!