My Skewed Perspective

I find sometimes when I am in Haiti my perspective of ‘reality’ tends to get skewed. Maybe it’s my perspective of what my reality is now. Or possibly what my past reality was.  I didn’t realize it until I spoke to my Mom on the phone today. I had worked the night shift last night at the Cholera House, and this is how our conversation went:

Mum: “How was the Cholera House? You must have been so busy!”

Me: “It was good. Not really busy actually… We only had 50-something people and 5 new admits”

pause

Mum: “Elizabeth…”

Me now realizing what I had just said.

The truth is 50 patients is a lot of people. Just because numbers are down, which is a very good thing, does not make it less of a deal.

Second Example:

Shay and I sitting on the couch after supper, watching an episode of Friends on Ali’s laptop.

Me: “I love friends.”

Shay: “We are sitting on a couch, watching Friends, in Haiti. “

Me: “I know- weird.”

It was so weird to actually think about the concept of doing these seemingly normal activities at home, while in Haiti. Who watches friends in Haiti?

Example Three:

Sitting in Licia and Lori’s office trying to check my email on slow internet, even for Haiti, as a rat climbs out if a hole in the wall-runs to the box of food- tries to get inside. Me being aware of the rat and not thinking it’s a big deal. It still doesn’t faze me when his rat friend joins him. I only respond when the rat starts onto Lori’s desk, so that she isn’t caught off guard.

Why is it weird to me when someone has AC in a vehicle- and I have to turn it off because I am too cold. Or when putting toilet paper IN the toilet is a big deal.  We went out for lunch after church on Sunday and in the washroom they had hot water. Hot water from the Tap. There is no hot water here, unless you boil it in the kettle. This actually shocked me so much that I yanked my hands back out from the water and stared at it for a second, then turned on the cold. Now, I like my hot showers and hot water as much as anyone but I do not think I have had hot water come out of the tap since I left home. As I am sitting here typing I am actually trying to remember my last usage of hot water, and can’t.

I can think of so many more examples, but it would take all day to list them. The question is: “When did this become a reality?” And, as I type out that question I am struck with the answer- “It always was, you just didn’t realize.”