We arrive at the dentist’s office, a pristine establishment comparable to a practice you would find in the States. The walls and floors are white, and just inside the door sits the front desk and five small, wicker chairs arranged in one corner. 

It’s an ordinary weekday afternoon at the Lighthouse, and Stephanie and Odette are preparing rice for when the kids return from school. I pull up a chair next to Stephanie as she grates coconut into a large metal bowl.

I knock on her door, peeking through the glass and the sheer white curtain into her bright, Pepto-Bismol pink bedroom. She turns her head and squints her eyes as a huge smile sweeps across her face. Cherie! Vin non! (Sweetie! Come in!)