Weather

Everything in America looks different to me because I spent time in Haiti.  The other day, when someone commented that the roads near her house were not well maintained, my mind wandered to the dirt roads in the neighborhood of Kay Ste. Ann and bouncing in the seat or in the back of the truck on the way home from school with the children.  While I could easily acknowledge the imperfections in the road probably due to warm summers and cold winters, the roads looked quite good to me, since these things are relative.  When someone talked about how bad the mosquitoes were in Philadelphia last summer, I acknowledge how annoying that must have been, but my thought was yes, but, at least, here it is highly unusual for them to carry malaria or other serious illnesses.  I did here from a volunteer in Haiti yesterday that a couple of children at St. Louie have Malaria, and also that there have been some recent difficulties with the safety of the drinking water for the children.  How strange it seems to me now, that here, I take a warm shower in water that is actually perfectly safe to drink.   

I took this right after the snow started yesterday; we actually had a couple of inches on the ground this morning.  It is very beautiful! 

If the conveniences and other cultural aspects related to reentry and reverse culture shock were not apparent enough, I only had to look out my window yesterday to be once again reminded that I am clearly not in Haiti anymore.  Snow in October, while there are still leaves on the tress, highly unusual for Philadelphia.  Today when I look out the window it looks like autumn and winter at the same time, as there is still snow on the ground and many of the trees are dazzling with their fall colors shining in the sun.  I am enjoying it as there was no winter or fall in Haiti, and New Orleans does not get the significant seasonal changes either.  Actually it will be nice to be in a place that is considerably cooler than Haiti, and considerably warmer than Philadelphia.  I enjoy all kinds of weather, though, so I go where my heart leads.

Here is the website for the Marianites of Holy Cross, the congregation I will be transferring to:
http://www.marianites.org/