I’ve been here in Haiti for a month today, in this little mountainous nation that captured my heart four years ago. Back then, I recall realising how it was here that every cell in my soul seemed to light up with life, and here that everything that had been within me from birth suddenly made sense. It’s the place I found myself and the place I’ve seemed to ‘find myself’ again and again, each time I come.
However this time it’s different, as I am now part of a forever-union called marriage to the ridiculously good looking Jacques Smith Seliscar, and I’m learning to ‘find myself’ in a new way, as a part of two. It requires a lot more effort, patience, grace, humility and time to figure out what’s inside two heads and hearts and learn how to make them work as one. It kind of reminds me of two super uncoordinated but in-love people doing a three-legged race, and falling flat on our faces every few steps.
So here beginneth the Seliscar story. The life of two young and passionate newlyweds, hoping to make a life of much more meaning than a life for ourselves could ever be.
So far in Haiti:
We visited the island of La Gonave for a week to spend some days with our beloved friends, Katie and Bernard, who we met back in 2011 in our Discipleship Training School in Port-au-Prince. Back then, our impending relationships were a scandalous concept. Now, we are all married and they have a cute milatto baby.
One by one, chikungunya has taken down a fam or friend for a few days with a burning fever, intense joint pain, a rash, or all of the above simultaneously. Having a chikungunya-infected husband is like sleeping in an oven and hugging a hot potato all day, sans foil.
On a positive note, chikungunya is a great way to form a connection with a random human. When driving to Port-au-Prince, each time we were stopped by a police officer, we asked, ‘You don’t have chikungunya, yet?’. Immediately, a connection was formed, laughter was shared, and good times were had. Thank you chikungunya, for the good times. Now leave.
Here are some other moments and babes that have graced our days in Ayiti so far.