Genyen yon sourit nan chanm mwen, Li anba biwo a. So, I've been able to fashion some pretty elaborate sentences in Creole recently. Lot's of down time can do that. Unfortunately the phrase above means "There is a mouse in my room, it's under the desk." The sisters here were excited at my improvement, and I think a little at the mental image of me sitting on the edge of my bed starring at my desk with a mango in one hand and a sandal in the other.

Life in Fondwa, as in most poor, rural villages, is slow and calm. Drama rarely mares the lives of these people, but when it does its of a more intense, mortal nature. The other night a woman was giving birth right next door to my room. When I finally stopped hearing the contractions I went over to see what had happened. I already knew, though, because of what I didn't hear, namely, the baby crying. The mother had very high blood pressure, and combined with her not knowing how to push, and a fragile health herself, it was clear that one wasn't going to make it.

The other drama is, ofcourse, the insecurity of food. There is no guarantee, no welfare state, no savings accounts for many families. Their security lies in their assets, the few chickens, goats, and pigs that they have. But this is all they know, so outside of the rainy season, or the occasional death, life is constant. Impoverished, but constantly so.

A small sidenote: Be careful when you tell your hosts that you really like the food your eating. You may be eating it for the next few days. Bless their hearts.