“Si ou pa lakay ou, ou pa granmoun.”
Translation: “If you are not at home, you’re not an adult. Meaning, you can only do as you wish at home.”
This proverb shows itself to be true every day of my time here in Haiti. One of the most challenging aspects of living at the orphanage is the fact that I am really no longer afforded the freedoms of a normal adult. I do not choose what or when I eat. I do not choose when to bathe. As much as I would love to go on solitary walks down the mountain roads to clear my head somedays, that is impossible. Someone would be sent with me. I cannot stay out past dark as a moto ride after sunset is dangerous on streets where headlights are an option not a requirement. At home, I could hop in my car anytime of day and head to whatever destination I chose without worry telling someone exactly where I was going and exactly when I would return. Getting used to not being a ‘granmoun’ has not been overly difficult as I experienced the same return to childlike status during the Peace Corps. The tough part is enduring it. A few weeks is nothing but after a few months of not being treated as an adult can wear on you. Frustration starts to build up and the breaking point that was once in the distance moves a little closer.
So I would like to say thank you to all of my donors. Because of you I am able to take a break every few months which allows me to have the freedoms of adulthood back again if only for a few weeks. It is these breaks when I can drive where ever, eat what ever, bathe when ever, etc. that reset my frustration levels back to 0, giving me the ability to return to the orphanage and my nonadult status. But every day is a challenge. So I ask that you please keep me in your prayers. Pray that God continue to give me His peace and the perseverance I need to continue this non ‘granmoun’ lifestyle.
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