our first guests

So today, our first guests have left the guesthouse. They arrived last night after a week and a half in Haiti way out in the countryside. The team of 8 people set up a new radio transmitting tower for Radio Lumiere a Christian broadcasting network in Haiti. What an interesting and pleasant group of people. After over a week in the countryside, they were thrilled with screens on the windows and ice cubes in their drinks! I know I will enjoy meeting this steady stream of interesting people. I am sure they will be interesting because anyone with the desire and opportunity to come to Haiti will be interesting in some way or another. It was fun for Julie and I to work together to set up and run mealtimes etc. though obviously we have terrific help in the Haitian staff we have inherited.

-Jean (John) is the yard man. He has a great smile and and is totally dependable and responsible. He is a wiry little guy who is in charge of all things outdoors at the guesthouse. Jean sweeps the whole yard and mops all three porches/decks every day. he deals with Mr Brown, answers/opens the gate, takes out the trash, helps guests load/unload, does simple maintenance on the Chevy Blazer and diesel generator as well as run errands etc as needed.

-Sophie is the head cook and prepares all the guest meals. She also consults with menu planning and shopping for food. Our meals are fantastic.

-Madam Louie is the housekeeper. What a gem. She does her job so well and needs almost zero oversight. She has a routine down and keeps the house spotless. Guests constantly mention how clean everything is. She also changes the beds and does the laundry. She is quiet and a little shy but has a beautiful smile and sweet demeanor. I have mentioned wanting to clone her if I could.

-Louise - she's our part-time dishwash helper. After a long day, Sophie leaves as soon as dinner is put out for the guests. Then Louise takes over and washes the guests dishes and wipes down the kitchen etc. She is very shy but a sweet sweet soul and it is so cute when she answers in almost a whisper when you greet her.

It might sound at first that to have such a great staff is somewhat indulgent, but things just work differently here. There is no mechanical dishwasher and we are actually very fortunate even to have hot water for wash here. Even many well-to-do people in Haiti don't have that. Since all dish washing also requires a sterilization step in a dilute bleach solution, everything takes longer. Laundry is hard work here and two loads take most of the day to complete. Food prep also requires extra washing and disinfecting steps to ensure the good health of our guests. Bottom line - there is still PLENTY of work to do where Julie and I jump in to lend a hand. We are slowly getting the hang of it and Linda is being so great about helping us learn. Hopefully we can add some pictures soon so you can see the folks I am talking about and put a face with a name.

Until then .... Bondye bene ou (creole for God bless you)

Gerritt (and Julie)