Foto Friday

Taxi This bus is our primary mode of transportation. It doesn't run late, so if we miss it we will definitely be needing a taxi

Mission Life

I haven't had a chance to post anything for the past 8 days, but that is because I am on a mission trip to the interior of Suriname right now. My friends from NAPS, the organization I work with, are here. They arrived on February 15th. We actually left for the interior on the 17th. I only have like 15 minutes for this post, but I am writing to let you all know that I am o.k. and there are tremendous things happening out here. Of course there have been some ups and downs, but overall I see a continual increase in the positive outcomes of our work.

We have been teaching at the village school, visiting homes, and holding nightly family programs. The villager attendance at our programs have been steadily increasing. There will be doctors, and dentists coming in 2 weeks to really meet the needs of our new found friends here in the interior. The bond we have with the families, especially the children is amazing. Please keep a prayer in your heart for us and I will TRY to keep you updated. We plan to work out here until the 17th of March. I can't wait to see what the future will hold!

Loving what I do...

Get on the Bus

The PJU bus is our primary transportation here in Suriname. We take it pretty much every day. Roughly 15% of the buses that run here are government buses. The other 85% are privately owned and operated. All of which are named by the areas that they service. We live in Uitkijk [pronounced urwt (like earth with a funny accent)-cake]. That is the U in PJU. P is for Paramaribo, the capital and all happenings of Suriname. J is for Jarikaba where the biggest plantain plantation is located. There are a lot of Haitians that work there and also live in Uitkijk. This is why we live in Uitkijk which is 25 or so kilometers from downtown Paramaribo. The PJU bus fare is a whopping 2.25 SRD (like 70¢ USD). Recently there was a major increase in gas, food, and pretty much everything in Suriname. A few days after the gas increase the bus fares immediately went up, like the next day.

The government told the buses to bring the prices down because the people weren’t really prepared for this yet. After the bus drivers heard that they went on strike. Practically all of the buses that run were like, ‘if we can’t get paid we won’t work!’. Thank God Jean and I had borrowed a car for those couple of days. Traveling on the streets was like being in a ghost town. Usually there would be so many buses and a lot of activity, but since there was a strike, nothing. There were even children that couldn’t go to school. One of our friends barely made it to work. She actually had to look out for the government bus that of course was running. To appease the bus drivers the government decided to subsidize the difference in what they would have charged and the expected bus fare. I don’t know how long this subsidy will last, but soon the bus fare will go up to 2.50 SRD/person. Imagine that is 5 SRD for both of us one-way. Round trip is 10 SRD for just one day. Just pray that we get a car so instead of spending money on bus fare we’ll just spend it on gas and we have the freedom to move where ever we want.

Yea we can drive here…

Foto Friday

Congratulations! After the wedding of Sedan and Dennis my Oakwood-bound Natalie and I pose as we celebrate and congratulate the newlyweds on Christmas day.

...and a Happy New Year!

 Thus far this has been a happy new year. After Christmas before New Year's we got a 10-day visit from our friends from America. It was such a breath of fresh air. Not to say that the air was stale, but you get the point. For about a week we made preparations for their arrival. We cleared our schedule and decided we would have a little vacation ourselves, like the rest of the country. A lot of things were closed around this time. Literally, there were places that closed for Christmas and didn’t open up till after New Year’s. There were a lot of pretty Christmas decorations up still.

New Years eve we went to church you know to go out with a bang (spiritually). The rest of Suriname was really going to end the year with a bang, really BIG bangs! At 11:30 p.m. the pre-show began. Once midnight struck all you saw in the sky was fireworks. Ping, Bang, Zwing, Suuuu…POP! For like 30 minutes straight. If you think you are a deep sleeper trust me you wouldn’t be able to sleep through this. I know ‘cause I didn’t and I sleep real deep. In the morning there was thick smog all over. It cleared up after 8 in the morning. I won’t be home for 4^th of July weekend but with all the firework action I got here in Suriname I think I’ll be o.k. for the next 3 Independence days!

Has your New Year been a bang…

Merry Christmas...

As in other countries Christmas is a time when people eat a lot, have family over or not, and be stressed. I experienced these feelings exactly my first Christmas in Suriname. One of the young ladies from our congregation actually got married on Christmas day. We were responsible for putting a few things together, like the program, decorations, practice, and other wedding stuff. Stress! Since this was a Haitian wedding there was a lot of food. There was food for probably like 1,000 people (I’m not exaggerating, o.k. maybe a bit). There was rice and beans, chicken, salad, fried plantain, and even roti. 

There are many people that have loved us here in Suriname like family. I really appreciate them. Since it was the holiday season more people were off, but very busy. Around this time I did miss my family. I’ll try not to make this a sob story but this was part of my life in Suriname. Right? The moment that I really got to my breaking point was at the church Christmas program. In the sanctuary there were poinsettias, everyone looked so nice, the music was great. All of a sudden it was like my heart just dropped. ‘What child is this?’ was being played by a saxophonist and I just started to cry. Yes, tears just streamed down my eyes with memories of my friends and family. My husband saw this and felt really bad. He consoled me and let me cry on his shoulder. 

I kind of knew that that day would come, but since that low point I have been rising to higher heights. All of the encouragement and support is really appreciated. I have realized that even though you are away from family and friends there is a greater mission for you to accomplish for that moment in time. Sometimes when you are at your lowest point you can be an even greater blessing to those around you. 

Don't feel bad for me...it's all part of the work.

Super Bowl Caviar

I know you think that today I went to a fancy Super Bowl party and had some expensive Caviar...but it was actually the opposite. We were invited to a Super Bowl party, but due to the large group coming in next week we took a rain check to make preparations for them. Also, Sunday is the only day that the PJU bus doesn't run. (In a later post I'll tell you more about the PJU) This day I usually do laundry, cook for the week, wash & style my hair, and the things I probably won't get to do through the week.

Today on Super Bowl Sunday that is exactly what I did. I try to be as productive as possible, but you know there is just never enough time in the day. My husband wanted to eat some fish. We bought a smoked fish. I cut it up and cleaned it. While I was cleaning it I found that our little fishy was prego. Then I thought, 'caviar!'. So I stewed it up in a good sauce and it turned out pretty good. It was actually my first time having caviar. If you have ever chewed on a rubberband (I know you have) then you know the texture of my caviar. At the end of the day I can say I had a good day and I hope you did too. How was your Super Bowl Sunday? Or your first experience with caviar (LOL)?

Till next post...

Foto Friday

Work Hard, Rest Hard After working so hard these past couple of months we went on a fishing trip with new found friends that were off on the Chinese New Year which was observed as a national holiday here 

First Post

My dearest good friend has a blog that inspires me. I feel so connected just reading the blog. Even though I am in another continent with every post I read I feel right there by her side. With this blog I hope to bring you by my side. I have wanted to post this blog for a month now, but didn't know what to say. This is actually my very first blog, but definitely not my last. I really like the idea of a blog because you can share your thoughts and feelings with practically the world. (Even if the world doesn't follow this blog it's available for them)

I am a part of a non-profit organization that does humanitarian work around the world. Last year some members from our group who dedicated their school year to missionary work were supposed to come here, but because of the earthquake in Haiti all efforts were diverted to the cause of relief in Haiti. This year there is a team doing the same thing and will work in the interior/jungles of Suriname.

Why am I in Suriname, South America? As a recent college graduate, newlywed, and Haitian-American there was a need for us to be here. Believe it or not there are Haitians here in Suriname. Among those there are believers who were in need of a pastor to minister to their needs in their own language. My husband, who is a pastor, and I both being of Haitian descent decided we would love to minister to our own people here. We have dedicated 1 year to be an aid and support for the Haitian community. Even though I didn't start the first day I got here, "it's better late, than never". Right? On SuriTam my journey will be penned for your enrichment and my memory. Enjoy!

Now I have officially posted my first blog entry. Wow! finally over that hump...