Here's my first story from my recent trip to Haiti.  Before you continue to read this, I want to warn you that this is a serious subject, not at all like my usual attempt to bring some humor to my life.

I arrived in Port-au-Prince on Friday morning, the 11th of November.  On Monday morning, David received a call from a family friend.  Apparently, his family had been trying to reach him without any luck for over a week.  His younger brother, Samuel, who is 21 years old, had been kidnapped.  The kidnappers were demanding a ransom for his release.  Immediately, David got a hold of his family to find out what was going happening.  Then, he was able to call the kidnappers to speak with them.  They knew many things about David, which was why they took Samuel, because they felt that David could afford to pay the money to get Samuel back.  They know where he lives, his two previous bands, his siblings names, in other words, they had done their research.

At first, they asked for $100,000 US dollars!!!  Can you believe that?  They always start high, then come down in price.  Then, they said no less than $10,000 US.  Still, not even remotely a possibility for David's family. After all the negotiating, they finally settled on $3,000 US, which was all the family could come up with on short notice.  Then, they said if we didn't have the money by Monday, the 21st, Samuel would be not be coming home.

On the 21st, we had finally gotten the money together and set a time to exchange the money for Samuel.  David went with his brother-in-law and his sister while I stayed at home.  I waited and waited.  He finally returned about 6 hours later without Samuel.  The kidnappers sent them on a wild goose chase; then they thought the police were involved (which they weren't, wouldn't do any good anyway) so they wouldn't give him back.  So, we had to try again Tuesday.  Same story, except this time, they took the money, but didn't return Samuel.  They said they would in the morning at 10am.  We were ready and waiting Wednesday morning, but of course, it wasn't going as scheduled.  We spent the day waiting and trying to call.  Finally, we got the news that he was on his way late in the afternoon.  Then, David finally found out he had been left alone, so David drove to pick him up and bring him back around 6pm that evening.

Seeing Samuel that evening was very overwhelming knowing what he had just went through.  He had been held by these jerks for 22 days before we finally got him back.  Thankfully, he was only beaten one time.  After that, they left him alone thanks to David's calm demeanor on the telephone.

Watching David face the possibility of never seeing his brother again was challenging.  I couldn't even imagine how he was feeling.  He is very close to his brother.  It was like a part of him was missing the entire time.  Then, add to that, feeling completely helpless because you have no money in your pocket.  It's hard enough for any family to come up with $3,000 US dollars in cash, let alone a family where no one has a steady paycheck.

Thankfully, we were able to get Samuel back, and I was able to spend my last few days with David, Samuel, and their family.  David's family was lucky.  Not all people are returned after being kidnapped.  So, I will count my blessings for Samuel's life.  And, I will pray that it never happens again.

Here's a picture of David and Samuel from the last day of my vacation:

Okay.  I just got told to update my blog.  So, here it goes.  It's been awhile and lots has happened, well, sort of.

Beet harvest finished.  I'm still looking for a permanent job.  I'm still living with my parents in the freakin' artic circle of northeastern Montana/western North Dakota.  My nephew, Kieran, is eight weeks old and getting more adorable by the minute.  And, I spent two weeks in Haiti!  Then I flew to Minnesota for my nephew's baptism.

Yep, I was lucky enough to take a two-week vacation to Port-au-Prince.  It was wonderful to be back!  Once I got there, it seemed as though I had never left.  David (yes, I am still with my boyfriend who lives there) picked me up at the airport.  I was so happy to see him!  Neither of us could stop smiling!  I went to visit so I could attend the grand premiere of Konpa Top, his new band.  They played at the Poly Cafe in Petionville on Friday, November 18.  It was a good show, at least what I can remember of it since I drank plenty of rum that night.  No, just kidding.  I remember everything while they played; it's the after hours partying that is a little blury.  Anyway, it was so good to see him on stage again.  Previously, he was in the band Top Digital.  But band broke up, so David (the guitarist) and Franck (the bass player) formed another band with one of the managers, Louis.  David, I mean Dave Benson, is such an incredible guitar player.  Yes, I am biased, but seriously, he is really good.  He belongs on a stage entertaining people with his talent.  I only wish I could see him play more.

I will write more stories about this trip as the month continues.  There is plenty to tell about, but it shouldn't be in just one blog.  Although, I need to mention one thing . . .

My two cents of the day:  This goes to myself.  As I was getting out of the car at the PAP airport to leave the country, I forgot one of my bags.  I didn't notice until I went through the first security checkpoint with David, who then said to me, "Where is your other bag?"  He noticed it first!  Not me!  The car had already left, so I had to run outside the airport, find someone I knew with a cell phone, and get the car to stop so the person could take me to meet the car to get my bag while David stood inside the airport with my bags waiting for me to come back.  Geeesh.  I'm an idiot.  Can you blame me, though?  I wasn't thinking about my luggage, I was thinking about leaving David again.  Not exaclty thinking straight through all the tears.


Okay, so I thought I would add a picture of myself with my students and David (it's from June):

I'm officially an aunt!!!  My brother and his wife gave birth this afternoon to a baby boy in Minnesota!  I will leave out the details for now as everyone gets contacted, but I just had to say something since I'm so darn excited!  Notice all the exclamation points!  Leah and baby are doing wonderful - everything went good, I'm told!  It's a happy day for the Anderson's and the Keehr's as it's the first grandbaby on both sides!  Congrats to the new parents!  I can't wait to see some pictures!

Yep, that's right.  It's a winter wonderland out here in western North Dakota.  In fact, most of North Dakota will be covered with the wet, white stuff by the time evening rolls around.  It was about 38 degrees when I went to bed and brown and about 30 degrees and completely white when I woke up.  We've had at least a foot of snow already!  Needless to say, power lines and trees are down on many places, but thankfully we only lost power for awhile this morning before we got out of bed.  By the way, did I mention it was 90 degrees here last Saturday, only four days ago!

Of course, this means I am not going to work today, again.  So much for any overtime this week.  If you read my brother's blog, then you have heard about my new temporary job.  I'm a scale lady at the Sugar Valley Sugar Beet Dump, aka the Fairview Beet Dump!  I know that all of you are jealous!  I had many offers to drive a beet truck, but passed up the opportunity so I could be a scale lady!  I get to sit in a little scale house for about 12 hours each day, weigh beet trucks, visit with people, and give the truck drivers a hard time.  All of this fun will last until beet harvest ends somewhere around the end of October.  We've had only two full days and one half day since it started at the beginning of October.  Not the best start, but hopefully the snow will melt soon and we will be back at it in just a few days.  We got shut down on Monday afternoon around 3pm due to rain, so what did we do then?  We headed to the Water Hole #3 for a few reebs!  Aaaahhhh, Monday afternoon at the Water Hole.  Can life get any better than that in eastern Montana?

For the record, I hate Wally World, a.k.a. Wal-mart. However, it's the only place to shop where I am living right now.  So, my mother, grandmother, and I went to pick a few things up today.  After being there awhile, it was time to pick up the last few things so we could get going.  As my mother was heading over to the animal section to get cat litter, I headed toward the candy aisle to stock up for my job for beet harvest as a scale lady at the beet dump.  Note: I was wearing a blue nylon Eddie Bauer slightly puffy vest.  Just as I got stuck in a middle of a cart/people jam, a lady asked me where the greeting cards were.  Since I knew, I pointed and told her.  Yep, I was mistaken for a Wal-mart employee.  I guess if I can't find a job soon, I am a natural for working there.  Then, I went to find my mother.  She had loaded up the cat food and cat litter so we headed toward the checkout stands.  Right before we got there, we saw some local ladies that we knew so we stopped to say hi.  Just as I started talking to them, one looked down and noticed a pile of cat litter under my feet.  Apparently, there was a hole in the bag.  We looked back to where I had just come from to see a trail all the way to the checkout stands!  The lady started laughing and asked me, "Where's Hansel?"  It was hilarious.  Ahhh, the entertainment to be had at Wally World.  Just think, by this time next year it will be a Super Wally World.  What might happen then?

My two cents of the day:  When you look at a beautiful sunset, don't you just think that it was made just for you?  Each time I watch a sunset, it's as though the world stops for a perfect moment as an incredible painting.  No two are ever the same.  I wish I was a great photographer so I could capture the moment exactly as it looks.  But, I guess I will have to settle for snapping a picture in my mind.  If you haven't done so lately, take a moment to watch one.

I think I've been living in denial.  It took me a month to take the Haitian money out of my wallet.  I just put my passport on my desk instead of carrying it in my purse.  I am still living out of my suitcase and haven't started to use any of my old stuff.  I am obsessed with looking up the prices for airplane tickets back to PAP even though I have no plans for a trip there anytime soon.  I haven't erased the pictures from Haiti off my digital camera even though I have copied them to my parent's computer.  For the past two years, I have flown to Haiti over Labor Day weekend (which happens to be the same time as my birthday).  This year, I'm not.

If I could do one thing in the world right now, it would be to return to Haiti.  I have a hard time making decisions these days trying to figure out what I want.  I have been looking for jobs in either Montana or North Dakota.  Nothing looks interesting or worth my while.  Then, a few weeks ago, I found a teaching job in Haiti working with Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders teaching an American curriculum in English.  I contacted the school, and they offered the position to me.  I was so excited about the possibility of returning!  But, after looking over my finances, I came to the conclusion that I can't afford to go.  I had to call the school back and tell them I couldn't take the job.  I hated making that phone call.  I knew they were excited about having me, and I was excited to work for them.  The school would have been a great fit for me.  I completely agreed with their philosophy.  Honestly, I have a hard time talking about it because I start crying.  Almost every night I dream about it - the school kids, the countryside, my friends, my boyfriend, the music, everything.  I wake up thinking I'm in Haiti and have to remind myself that I'm back in the states.  The connection I feel to Haiti is unexplainable.

So, now I sit here trying to find acceptance in starting my life again in the states.  I need to decide where to live, find a job, unpack some of my belongings, and stop living out of a suitcase.  It's not that I'm unhappy about living at home, it's just that I would prefer to be somewhere else - in Haiti, where my heart is.

So, here I am hanging out at the farm.  I am racking my brain about something to write about, but I'm coming up blank.  For each day that passes, I feel farther and farther away from Haiti.  Not that my actual distance is changing, but communicating with people there can prove to be a challenge.  Just ask my parents how easy it was to call me while I lived there.  But, sometimes, people get me talking about it, and I just start to smile thinking about all the wonderful things that made me laugh while I was there.

For instance, the time that Adam (a 5th grader) asked me in the middle of class, "Miss Anderson, what's a g-string?"  I can thank the Clinton's for that question.  Or when we ran up to the roof to play in the rain during school and went back to class soaking wet and laughing hysterically.  Or one really hot afternoon when we got ice cream bars from the vendor on the street.  Or the love notes I got from the only white kid in the school, Ted, a 3rd grader.  And then the time toward the end of school when Ted sent me another note stating that he was breaking up with me, and he was sorry for breaking my heart.  It took him about one week to get over that phase and declare his love for me again.  Oh, those kids would say anything.  There wasn't a day that I didn't laugh and smile starting with day one.  I may have made an impact on the kids while I was there, but they have changed my life forever.  I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

It is here.  My last full day in Haiti, for now at least.  Do not be fooled into thinking I will never set foot in this country again.  After everything that has happened, you can be sure this will not be my last trip to Haiti.

As for my next big plans, they do not exist yet.  I am going to spend some time with my parents at their farm and some time in Bozeman to figure out my next step.  Ahhh, almost 26 years old, jobless, and moving back home.  Gosh, life never happens how you intend for it to happen.

Let this be said - I am not ready to leave, but I suppose I will never be ready.  One is never truly ready for big changes.  I am not ready to say goodbye to my boyfriend, my friends, and the nice weather.  Sure, on the flip side there are a few things I will not miss.  However, I do not need to elaborate.  Today I decided that I should buy David a bottle of rum for tomorrow for after we say goodbye.  Or maybe before.  We will see how the morning goes.  Either way, we are not looking forward to it.  I hate goodbyes.  They suck.  For now, I am at the Hotel Oloffson for the night, the place where I met him.  RAM is playing tonight, so it will be great to hear the band play one more time before heading back to the big sky state.  Guess I will just have to start drinking rum now and continue on into the wee hours of the morning.  Maybe that will help!

Well, I made it.  Today is the last day of school for the students.  They have tomorrow off so we, the teachers, can finish our grades.  Then the graduation/closing ceremonies are on Saturday morning.  Hard to believe it is actually the end of the school year considering it feels like I just got here.  School finishes at twelve today instead of two.  I have one last test to give this morning, then my students will be officially finished with everything!

I'm having a hard time with what I feel this morning.  I am definitely excited for school to be finished.  It's time for a vacation.  I now understand that teachers need the summer vacation just like the students do.  But, I'm not ready to say goodbye to my students.  They've become like my own children to me.  They even call me mom.  With only four students in my classroom everyday, you get a chance to really get to know them.  Thankfully, I know that I will stay in contact with them, but it will be an adjustment not seeing them everyday.  They just don't hold back their actions and thoughts, which can be entertaining even on your worst days.  I have so many great memories from the this year.  I'd love to start telling you all about them, but typing it just wouldn't do it justice.  I guess my kids and I will just have to keep the stories to ourselves.

This weekend, my dad will finally get to meet my students.  As I'm typing this, he is in Billings, Montana checking in at the airport to fly to Florida, and then fly here tomorrow morning.  On Sunday, Father's Day, my dad and I are taking my four kids to Epidor to eat (American food), visit, and have fun.  Both my dad and the students are very excited for it.  Now, they can tell him exactly how his daughter has been over the year.  Could be interesting to hear their point of view!!!