We had Ange-Laurette and Pierre's vision and hearing screened at school. Both passed the hearing but Ange-Laurette had 20/50 vision in one of her eyes. That night I told her that the nurse had called and said she could not see very well out of her right eye. Ange-Laurette said matter-of-factly, "Yes, this eye does not work." We told her that there are eye doctors that can prescribe glasses to help her see. You should have seen her face. She said, "Sunglasses?" She had no idea that the glasses people wear are not strictly for fashion or that there was a way to improve vision. Now that I think about it, I don't remember seeing anyone in glasses on the streets in Haiti. There are so many things we take for granted, especially related to our healthcare.
Yesterday, she had a thorough eye exam. When the doctor showed her what her vision would be like with glasses, Ange-Laurette yelled with a smile, "I can see! It is clean!" Even though Bruce encouraged me to have them remove all pink glasses from the shelves before Ange-Laurette started to try some on....she found a pink, glittery pair that is definitely "her." When she looked in the mirror she said, "I am beautiful." THAT she is!
The same morning she lost her first tooth here. At dinner, she and Pierre explained to us that, in Haiti, you throw your tooth over the house when you lose it. If you do this, a new white tooth will grow in its place. If you just throw the tooth on the ground, you will never grow in a new tooth there! (And they think OUR tooth fairy stories are silly!) I asked Ange-Laurette if she wanted to throw her tooth over the roof. She said, "No, me want the money." Beautiful....AND smart!
