gunshots

Climbing into bed after successfully shaving my legs (you laugh, but quite a feat with limited cold water), using my laptop through our wireless internet and falling asleep peacefully- I almost forgot I was in Haiti.

Until I wake up in the middle of the night to, "Kaitlyn, they're shooting!" Reality check.

(let me interrupt this story to say everything turned out fine in the morning)

Being woken up and hearing gunshots all around makes your blood run cold. We both heard gunshots in the distance, then someone outside our window and then a gunshot that sounded like it was right outside. So what does one do when in fear? Hide in the bathroom! Why do people always run into bathrooms when they are scared?

Brooke and I, after sheer panic released it's grip on us, laughed at ourselves cuddled up on the floor of our bathroom and assessed the situation. In all reality, we sleep behind about 3 steel doors with locks and deadbolts and steel over our windows- there is no way anyone was getting to us. But if they did get through the steel doors, I don't know why we thought our bathroom was impenetrable?

We ran over to a couple who was staying in the room next to us (their second night in Haiti) and assessed who had heard what? We had some good laughs over what we did in the moment of fear... Brooke and I hide in the bathroom, Lucas and Alicia had dropped to the ground- Lucas, of course grabbed his computer on the way down to the floor. Why? Are you going to email someone, help!? Alicia had gotten fully dressed and put running shoes by the door. They must have been boy/girl scouts because they were fully prepared.

Finally we cracked our front door open and shouted for the guard- He told us everything was fine and to go back to bed- yea right. It was just our guards shooting in the air at men standing too close to our gates.

Mom, Dad, people who act and love me like a Mom + Dad, I truly am safe. We have 16ft walls with razor wire around the top and two armed guards that patrol all night long. Brooke and a sweet woman Cindy are the only ones that have the key to our house. The noise outside our window was our caretaker running by to see what was happening. Brooke and I actually got laughed at the next morning by all the Haitians- gunshots? you got scared of gunshots? Welcome to Haiti. Our Haitian children actually slept through the whole event. Those of you that don't need to sleep behind an armed guard (like my last 24 yrs) realize how scary this would be. But to some, this is normal. And I guess the only way to deal with it is to laugh.

In all seriousness and lightness aside, I am lucky to sleep in such safe quarters but others don't. This is reality. reality. Others don't have guards that keep them safe at night. Something has to be done in the country. Something has to be done to get people out of tents and behind 16ft walls with guards. But what?