This is the rainy season in Haiti. That always means a lot of water, falling mangoes (very loud when hitting a tin roof!), and mud! Unfortunately, this season we had a bit more than our typical share of water and mud due to a nearby little river that flooded its banks.
We hadn’t even gotten that much rain at our house on that day, but apparently the mountains did. Shortly after the Mathis’ headed home for the night from our place, Sharron called me saying that the road was flooding. Hmm? Well, I was shocked to look out the window and see a stream of water where our road used to be! What should I do? Put on some rubber boots (thanks, Ashlee and Donna for leaving some behind!) and go check it out, of course!
Fortunately, our property is built up a little bit, so we only got a little water in a couple low spots. But the road was literally gone! I walked “upstream” in my rubber boots, water about mid-calf but flowing pretty fast. I passed on the extra pair of boots to Dave to let Quinn use. They had some water in their yard, but their house is built up, too. I wasn’t so sure about some of our neighbors houses though.
By the next day, the stream was gone…but LOTS of water and mud remained.
The road took well over a week to dry up. The Mathis family ended up driving the block back and forth between the 2 houses just because it was too hard (and gross!) to walk. Sharron lost 2 pairs of flip flops during some attempts…and they have yet to reappear!
But what has appeared is the mosquitoes. My Minnesota family and friends know what I am talking about. Actually, I think we have fewer mosquitoes here than we do in MN, they are definitely smaller, and their bites don’t seem to irritate me as much. EXCEPT…most of the mosquitoes in MN don’t carry diseases, whereas many of the ones here do – malaria, dengue, filariasis, and now…chikungunya!
Yes, that is the real name of a virus transmitted by a mosquito (http://www.cdc.gov/chikungunya). And I am one of the many, many people in Haiti who have gotten it. No fun! What started out as some strange joint pain became a high fever (hitting 103.8 on Tylenol before sitting under the shower and putting ice on my neck!) and now – 3 days post-fever – a rash. The good news is that it doesn’t last very long and seems to result in future resistance. Praise God for that!
Praying for those who are suffering with this virus in tough living conditions…protection from other infections…and some dry weather! 🙂
Jen in Haiti 
Still praying for you to get through this virus and regain your strength! That is a horrible temp and a long duration for pain, then to follow with a rash! Praying for all those in the community hit by the flood and virus. I know the clinic is great but they can only handle so much, I am praying they remain healthy! Wish we were there to help while you are down. Praying for all of you in the house, the community, and the children. Miss you! Blessings!!!