It hasn't stopped raining for days and days, I don't even know how many nights and days it's rained. When it rains in Haiti, it's what we call torrential. After the second things pretty much grind to a halt. I haven't been able to get to work, nor has anybody else at the clinic site. The plan as to finish building the first floor-ready to form and pour the slab when I get back. It still might be possible, but I doubt it. Being in Haiti means constantly setting goals, then re-setting them when reality sets in. The reality is there are parallel universes here, one that make sense to us and seems realistic, and one that that is governed by a different set of rules. It takes a long time to figure out what the rules, so far, I have surmised there are NO rules, just put on foot in front of the other, and hope you go forward.
The bad thing about this tropical storm or depression that is happening isn't about not getting the clinic built. It's not that I'm surrounded by a virtual lake of muddy water. No, the worst part is the suffering the Haitian people are enduring. Most of the roads or trails are dirt, creating slip and slides to work. If people are lucky enough to live in a decent house, take it to the bank the roof leaks. Most of the floors are dirt, so that means mud. Schools and business close, the hand to mouth existence that goes on ceases, crops are damaged,and they were doing so well, and cholera starts to creep back in.
One thing that doesn't wain is their spirits. Kids take their clothes off and run and slide whereever they can. Pockets of people gather and laugh and joke, knowing all things pass. Considering the obstacles the Haitian people face they have remarkably positive attitudes.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Finding Scneider
Last Saturday Evens, Zico, and I drove our motorcycles to an outlying area, towards a very well put together town- Camp Perren. Our goal for the day was to locate a boy (we thought at the time we were looking for a girl) that had been born a year ago, almost to the day. Forward in Health was doing a clinic in Les Ceyes and delivered Schneider, a healthy baby, with the exception of a unicorn type growth between his eyes. It was determined at the time that the growth was in fact spinal fluid.
For most people living in Haiti, disappearing into the slipstream is the norm. We had a number for the family, but in time it was lost. So off we go, dropping into full detective mode. It didn't take long for the road to go from paved to dirt. This means dirt biking at it's best-mud, gravel, oncoming dump trucks at warp speed, all a great work out for the adrenal gland. As the road became a trail, we starting inquiring about the whereabouts of our child. It's funny how our minds work, initially people drew blanks, then the more we talked the brighter the light bulb got.
Eventually we came to a small rustic house in a beautiful setting. The family poured out, bringing all their chairs with them. We had the right family, including Grandma. We called the father in Port Au Prince and made arrangements for us all to meet at Grandma's the following Saturday. So yesterday we headed back out, except this time Evens was on the back of my bike, and the boy needs to start exercising. Much as I love him, handling those roads was much more challenging. But we got there in one piece, and Schneider was there.
The first thing that struck me about him, wasn't the fact that, indeed, he had a unicorn growth between his eyes, but how sweet he was. He appeared lethargic, but in fact is shy. He also appeared to have a fever and lung congestion, which he suffers from chronically. The more I held him, the more he wiggled, he could not get over the hair on my arms. The boy and his father were obviously quite close. The father has been trying to resolve this for some time, he had x-rays and reports. We took every scrape of information we could glwww.facebook.com/ean, everything. We also took measurements of his head, which was challenging because he really became the wiggle worm then, and lots of photos.
The next step is to try and get Scneider, and hopefully his Mom or Dad medical visas. There is a surgeon from Boston that has agreed to do the surgery. I suspect finding a plastic surgeon won't be hard.
A great day indeed.
For most people living in Haiti, disappearing into the slipstream is the norm. We had a number for the family, but in time it was lost. So off we go, dropping into full detective mode. It didn't take long for the road to go from paved to dirt. This means dirt biking at it's best-mud, gravel, oncoming dump trucks at warp speed, all a great work out for the adrenal gland. As the road became a trail, we starting inquiring about the whereabouts of our child. It's funny how our minds work, initially people drew blanks, then the more we talked the brighter the light bulb got.
Eventually we came to a small rustic house in a beautiful setting. The family poured out, bringing all their chairs with them. We had the right family, including Grandma. We called the father in Port Au Prince and made arrangements for us all to meet at Grandma's the following Saturday. So yesterday we headed back out, except this time Evens was on the back of my bike, and the boy needs to start exercising. Much as I love him, handling those roads was much more challenging. But we got there in one piece, and Schneider was there.
The first thing that struck me about him, wasn't the fact that, indeed, he had a unicorn growth between his eyes, but how sweet he was. He appeared lethargic, but in fact is shy. He also appeared to have a fever and lung congestion, which he suffers from chronically. The more I held him, the more he wiggled, he could not get over the hair on my arms. The boy and his father were obviously quite close. The father has been trying to resolve this for some time, he had x-rays and reports. We took every scrape of information we could glwww.facebook.com/ean, everything. We also took measurements of his head, which was challenging because he really became the wiggle worm then, and lots of photos.
The next step is to try and get Scneider, and hopefully his Mom or Dad medical visas. There is a surgeon from Boston that has agreed to do the surgery. I suspect finding a plastic surgeon won't be hard.
A great day indeed.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Labor Negotiations AKA Attitude adjustment
The day before yesterday we had a load of two-celled block delivered to us. For a variety of reasons the workers at the clinic decided to not unload the blocks. This caused a rippling effect that went from Fondefred to Boston and finally back to me. I had every intention of going to the site yesterday and ripping. During the night as I was putting together my presentation to them, I remembered Fr. Mark telling the reason the Haitians react so violently to social injustices, is they have never had a voice. So I readjusted my approach. There is a group of college students from Ohio staying here, and one of the leaders asked to come along, so she was going to witness whatever was going to happen.
The first thing I did when I got there, because my trusty translator, Evens, wasn't there yet, was to build a prototype of the engineered re bar header. That gave me a few authenticity points. When Evens and Zico arrived we assembled the workers, 20 or so, and I asked them what were there thoughts on things. Boy was I in for a wait. To a man, they were articulate and very long-winded. Many of their complaints were ancient history, but need to be vented. Some points were valid, some not, so we kicked things back and forth, each giving and getting, had a few laughs, and came out with a clearer understanding of each others needs and expectations. I slipped in at the end that all of us, including myself will unload the blocks. We'll see.
The problems that arise here, which come up daily, really http://halinhaitiblogspot.com/have to be looked at with truth and compassion. Many of our customs and expectations are very different from Haitians. We as Americans working in Haiti, bring knowledge and skill here,
but completely dependent on the Haitians to execute them. Also, the goal is to help them develop sustainable skills, we aren't going to be here forever, they are.
The first thing I did when I got there, because my trusty translator, Evens, wasn't there yet, was to build a prototype of the engineered re bar header. That gave me a few authenticity points. When Evens and Zico arrived we assembled the workers, 20 or so, and I asked them what were there thoughts on things. Boy was I in for a wait. To a man, they were articulate and very long-winded. Many of their complaints were ancient history, but need to be vented. Some points were valid, some not, so we kicked things back and forth, each giving and getting, had a few laughs, and came out with a clearer understanding of each others needs and expectations. I slipped in at the end that all of us, including myself will unload the blocks. We'll see.
The problems that arise here, which come up daily, really http://halinhaitiblogspot.com/have to be looked at with truth and compassion. Many of our customs and expectations are very different from Haitians. We as Americans working in Haiti, bring knowledge and skill here,
but completely dependent on the Haitians to execute them. Also, the goal is to help them develop sustainable skills, we aren't going to be here forever, they are.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Compassion
The project of building a medical clinic in rural Haiti is proving to test just about everything I've learned along the way working my way through Life. The people here do things the way they do them because it's what they know and have always done. Uh-oh looks like somebody is riding in really fast on a white horse, yep, just what I was afraid of, an American. Don't get me wrong, I'm American, and am very proud and thankful to be. You have to admit, we think we know what's best, and in many cases we're right. We've been blessed with constant progress, innovation, and being able to pretty much shape our own destiny. Sometimes that has been a hindrance, but mostly it's allowed us to find better solutions to our problems. We've been brought up to believe if we have a problem, it's within our ability to find a viable solution. Sometimes it turns out very different than we thought it would, but the point is believe we can better ourselves.
Haiti has a very different mindset. They have been oppressed since they were brought to this island as slaves. Even after they won a long and bloody war of independence, they have been exploited. Their natural resources have been stripped to serve the needs of people very far away, who had little or no regard for the Haitian people's well being. Few schools were built, few medical facilities, nothing that they could count on to be sustainable. The forests were literally stripped bare, top soil tumbling to the ocean, ruining streams and rivers in the process. So they've been swimming upstream for sometime now, 1804, to be precise.
People come here from all over the world to help, and help they do. There are people trying to improve every aspect of life here, education, water quality, agriculture, medicine, spiritual awakenings, all aspects of life, many of which we've come to take for granted. Education, for example, when we were galloping across the US heading west, when we stopped to settle in, the first public buildings were schools and churches. We take for granted getting an education, whether we agree with it or not, that all of our children will go to school from 5 to 18 years of age. Not so, here in Haiti. I'm not sure the ratio of schools versus children, but my guess is there is less than half of the kids have a school to go to, never mind being able to afford it. Kids here have to pay to go to school, on top of having to buy uniforms. Even if there was enough schools to go around, people have no money to pay for. Most people don't have enough money to feed themselves or their families.
A by-product of not going to school is the lack of development of critical thinking skills. Even if we aren't paying attention in school, we learn how http//facebook.comto figure things out. One of the frustrating things people from other lands complain about here is people just don't get it. The majority of people haul their water, from a young age, don't have a clue what a toilet is, don't have electricity, don't even have the word leftover in their vocabulary. All of these facts can make it very frustrating for people with the same values as ours. If you loan something to someone, it now belongs to them. Hey, where's that wrench I loaned you? Huh? We look at them as thieves, they look at us as confused and misguided.
In spite of many of these gaps there is progress being made. The clinic I'm building is designed and engineered by Americans. If I turn my back for two seconds they go right back to what they know. The minute I assume they are getting it, they disappoint me. I constantly have to adjust my expectations. The thing is they are inherently really good people, incredible workers, many of them working through the day with little or no food. They are tough yet compassionate. Many of the problems they have really aren't their fault. All of us working here have to bite our tongue and embrace the broad spectrum of wonderful qualities these people have.
Haiti has a very different mindset. They have been oppressed since they were brought to this island as slaves. Even after they won a long and bloody war of independence, they have been exploited. Their natural resources have been stripped to serve the needs of people very far away, who had little or no regard for the Haitian people's well being. Few schools were built, few medical facilities, nothing that they could count on to be sustainable. The forests were literally stripped bare, top soil tumbling to the ocean, ruining streams and rivers in the process. So they've been swimming upstream for sometime now, 1804, to be precise.
People come here from all over the world to help, and help they do. There are people trying to improve every aspect of life here, education, water quality, agriculture, medicine, spiritual awakenings, all aspects of life, many of which we've come to take for granted. Education, for example, when we were galloping across the US heading west, when we stopped to settle in, the first public buildings were schools and churches. We take for granted getting an education, whether we agree with it or not, that all of our children will go to school from 5 to 18 years of age. Not so, here in Haiti. I'm not sure the ratio of schools versus children, but my guess is there is less than half of the kids have a school to go to, never mind being able to afford it. Kids here have to pay to go to school, on top of having to buy uniforms. Even if there was enough schools to go around, people have no money to pay for. Most people don't have enough money to feed themselves or their families.
A by-product of not going to school is the lack of development of critical thinking skills. Even if we aren't paying attention in school, we learn how http//facebook.comto figure things out. One of the frustrating things people from other lands complain about here is people just don't get it. The majority of people haul their water, from a young age, don't have a clue what a toilet is, don't have electricity, don't even have the word leftover in their vocabulary. All of these facts can make it very frustrating for people with the same values as ours. If you loan something to someone, it now belongs to them. Hey, where's that wrench I loaned you? Huh? We look at them as thieves, they look at us as confused and misguided.
In spite of many of these gaps there is progress being made. The clinic I'm building is designed and engineered by Americans. If I turn my back for two seconds they go right back to what they know. The minute I assume they are getting it, they disappoint me. I constantly have to adjust my expectations. The thing is they are inherently really good people, incredible workers, many of them working through the day with little or no food. They are tough yet compassionate. Many of the problems they have really aren't their fault. All of us working here have to bite our tongue and embrace the broad spectrum of wonderful qualities these people have.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Rough Roads in Haiti
Last week the medical team returned to resume their lives in the states. When they left I thought I was allergic to something, my lower lip was quivering. The week was spent organizing, pouring over the engineers plans, meeting with the foreman, trying to figure out how to get temporary housing for the orphans we are caring for, and generally preparing for getting the clinic in the air. The children were evicted from their house and are living under a tarp, AND, it's raining a lot. We are trying to re-register the orphanage, the most recent one expired. Our goal right now is to house themfacebook.com within the walls of the clinic site. There are many NGO's offering transistional housing, we just have to connect with the right one. We met with an attorney who is helping get the correct papers filed.
This week we are at the site, with 12 workers, working on laying the bricks for the walls. The crew is really quite competent and efficient. Paula sent down gloves for them all, first they fought over them, then when they figured out they all get a pair, they were happy happy. The laborers laugh all day long. The masons are a little more serious.
I go there at 7 to open things up, at about 9 a local woman comes and sells bread with peanut butter and coffee. Getting there this morning was particularly challenging, slipping and sliding in the mud, I buried the rear wheel almost to the axle. At least I know my adrenal gland still works. Ah, all roads are rough in Haiti.
This week we are at the site, with 12 workers, working on laying the bricks for the walls. The crew is really quite competent and efficient. Paula sent down gloves for them all, first they fought over them, then when they figured out they all get a pair, they were happy happy. The laborers laugh all day long. The masons are a little more serious.
I go there at 7 to open things up, at about 9 a local woman comes and sells bread with peanut butter and coffee. Getting there this morning was particularly challenging, slipping and sliding in the mud, I buried the rear wheel almost to the axle. At least I know my adrenal gland still works. Ah, all roads are rough in Haiti.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Medical Team
A group of people, including two docs and six nurses, from the greater Boston area, Gadna, Woosta, West Minny and others, recently returned to the states. They were here to conduct clinics in several locations, many of which were far from any definitive care. Some patients had never set foot in a clinic. The way it worked was: there was an intake table, usually staffed by two people, each with excellent translators, the patients each got their vitals taken, weighed, then off to the diagnostic center, four stations, two with docs and two with nurses, then they went, with their intake sheet, complete with diagnosis and treatment, to the pharmacy, and a fairly complete pharmacy it was, drugs on wheels, their order was filled along with soap, lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, vitamins, and suckers for the youngsters, they then went to see two more nurses with translators to explain to the patients what and how to take their meds, then off they went.
This is a great start, but it doesn't offer any continuity of care. And THAT is the point of building the clinic and surgical center in Les Ceyes, to offer follow-up care to these wonderful people. For many people, when their medicines are gone their condition will revert, and THAT is really unacceptable.
We also went out into the true middle of nowhere to see the orphans we are care taking of. They are now living under a big tarp, having been evicted from their home by the Department of Health for substandard living conditions. They did a musical/dance performance that was nothing short of amazing. The music was provided by a lone trumpet, a bass drum and a snare drum, played with two sticks. Their ages ranged from four to eighteen. After the performance every child was looked at and treated accordingly.
I am trying to track down some transitional housing kits, which are in evidence all over the country since the earthquake, www.facebook.com and put them up on the property of Forward in Health. We can get by with two or three, and hopefully we obtain them before it starts raining too much more. They will be living in a mud puddle if we don't. We'll see.......
The crew of people were great, we got along like extended family. We ate and played well together, laughed a lot. The docs and nurses had about two hundred years of experience between them, an incredible level of competency. It was a privilege working with them.
This is a great start, but it doesn't offer any continuity of care. And THAT is the point of building the clinic and surgical center in Les Ceyes, to offer follow-up care to these wonderful people. For many people, when their medicines are gone their condition will revert, and THAT is really unacceptable.
We also went out into the true middle of nowhere to see the orphans we are care taking of. They are now living under a big tarp, having been evicted from their home by the Department of Health for substandard living conditions. They did a musical/dance performance that was nothing short of amazing. The music was provided by a lone trumpet, a bass drum and a snare drum, played with two sticks. Their ages ranged from four to eighteen. After the performance every child was looked at and treated accordingly.
I am trying to track down some transitional housing kits, which are in evidence all over the country since the earthquake, www.facebook.com and put them up on the property of Forward in Health. We can get by with two or three, and hopefully we obtain them before it starts raining too much more. They will be living in a mud puddle if we don't. We'll see.......
The crew of people were great, we got along like extended family. We ate and played well together, laughed a lot. The docs and nurses had about two hundred years of experience between them, an incredible level of competency. It was a privilege working with them.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Back
We left Les Cayes yesterday morning at 7, arrived about 40 minutes later in Port au Prince. Two props, two pilots (Latin), probably 20 passengers. Beautiful mountains and farmland. Farms that are so isolated, no roads, just trails, a long way to market, fertile, verdant land. Listening to Adele, her beautiful voice wrapping around deep sentiments. After landing we tried to rush to the airport in time to catch an 8:50 to Fort Lauhttp://halinhaiti.blogspot.com/derdale, fat chance, so we waited for the 3:45, which was late of course. A group of people sat with us from Atlanta. They were part of a tech school in Les Cayes, which is exactly what the boys at Espwa need when they finish school, to learn a trade and be able to make a decent living with dignity, which is what we all want, no? Turns out flying was a lucky move because manifestations (demonstrations) were starting, not for the anticipated announcement of the election results, but the sharp increases in gas prices. Whew, made it.
It's only about a two hour flight from PAP to FLL , but we were in the air a long time, turns out we had to land in Miami, take a bus to FLL. All said and done the day ended at midnight. Fort Lauderdale is humid and humbling, seen better days. Now I feel silly for writing all this, heck I'm in Haiti anymore, kind of in the hinterland. Ok, bye, bye
It's only about a two hour flight from PAP to FLL , but we were in the air a long time, turns out we had to land in Miami, take a bus to FLL. All said and done the day ended at midnight. Fort Lauderdale is humid and humbling, seen better days. Now I feel silly for writing all this, heck I'm in Haiti anymore, kind of in the hinterland. Ok, bye, bye
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Coastal Cruise
Today was a most excellent day. I met Evens and Zico out on the main road at nine. They thought one of them was going to drive my motorcycle, HELL no. We headed west toward the beach for a few miles then headed north on a dirt road. The road was like a river bottom full of softball-sized round rocks. Sometimes there are trails, sometimes not, sometimes they create a quicksand effect, but you always have to drive slow and cautiously on a motorcycle. Plus, it was so dusty, at times I had to slow to a crawl. We were headed out to place that we could have a clinic for a day. I think it was a French run church. Not really sure of the particulars, except they agreed and we are doing it for a day. They will provide lunch and let the community know to come that day. It took about an hour to get there, and on the way I gave a woman a ride, just her and I on a dusty road with land mines everywhere. I was a little nervous, but getting the hang of driving a motorcycle in Haiti. Most people have entire families on their bikes.
After we solidified our plans we headed back to the main road and proceeded to the beach. Now this was the best part, not too much traffic, wide smooth road, 5th gear baby. Saturday is market day, so women are carrying their wares on their heads. As we came to small towns, with the market in full swing, it was like driving through a crowd milling about outside Safeco Field. Weaving and dodging, but everybody is calm like they know what's going on.
Then the road started to climb into the mountains, smooth, curvy, lined with palm tree, still little traffic, so this why people ride motorcycles so much. Bicycles are cool, but this is really something. As we climb in altitude the road narrows through small villages, people everywhere, all staring at me because I am white. Along the way I kept getting impressions of past experiences, California, Nicaragua, I tell you it was like a dream. At the summit you could see for just about forever, the ocean was turquoise, like those houses painted that color on the way to the coast, that you thought nobody in their right mind would paint their house. There it was-the Caribbean. Tranquil and beautiful. Sliding down the mountain, very few houses and people, quiet and peaceful. Rounding the last curve we entered Port Salut. Cobble stoned streets, walls on each side hiding mansions, luxury hotels ,a coastal resort town.
We arrived at a public beach packed with mostly young Haitians enjoying the sun, beers and seafood. There were a few Europeans, and I spent quite a bit of time talking to UN soldiers here from Uruguay. Though they live in South America and speak Spanish they look European.http://www.facebook.com/ We spent the day swimming, talking, eating, and resting. Then we returned the way we came and it was just as fun. This is definitely a different Haiti this time around.
After we solidified our plans we headed back to the main road and proceeded to the beach. Now this was the best part, not too much traffic, wide smooth road, 5th gear baby. Saturday is market day, so women are carrying their wares on their heads. As we came to small towns, with the market in full swing, it was like driving through a crowd milling about outside Safeco Field. Weaving and dodging, but everybody is calm like they know what's going on.
Then the road started to climb into the mountains, smooth, curvy, lined with palm tree, still little traffic, so this why people ride motorcycles so much. Bicycles are cool, but this is really something. As we climb in altitude the road narrows through small villages, people everywhere, all staring at me because I am white. Along the way I kept getting impressions of past experiences, California, Nicaragua, I tell you it was like a dream. At the summit you could see for just about forever, the ocean was turquoise, like those houses painted that color on the way to the coast, that you thought nobody in their right mind would paint their house. There it was-the Caribbean. Tranquil and beautiful. Sliding down the mountain, very few houses and people, quiet and peaceful. Rounding the last curve we entered Port Salut. Cobble stoned streets, walls on each side hiding mansions, luxury hotels ,a coastal resort town.
We arrived at a public beach packed with mostly young Haitians enjoying the sun, beers and seafood. There were a few Europeans, and I spent quite a bit of time talking to UN soldiers here from Uruguay. Though they live in South America and speak Spanish they look European.http://www.facebook.com/ We spent the day swimming, talking, eating, and resting. Then we returned the way we came and it was just as fun. This is definitely a different Haiti this time around.
Coastal Cruise
Today was a most excellent day. I met Evens and Zico out on the main road at nine. They thought one of them was going to drive my motorcycle, HELL no. We headed west toward the beach for a few miles then headed north on a dirt road. The road was like a river bottom full of softball-sized round rocks. Sometimes there are trails, sometimes not, sometimes they create a quicksand effect, but you always have to drive slow and cautiously on a motorcycle. Plus, it was so dusty, at times I had to slow to a crawl. We were headed out to place that we could have a clinic for a day. I think it was a French run church. Not really sure of the particulars, except they agreed and we are doing it for a day. They will provide lunch and let the community know to come that day. It took about an hour to get there, and on the way I gave a woman a ride, just her and I on a dusty road with land mines everywhere. I was a little nervous, but getting the hang of driving a motorcycle in Haiti. Most people have entire families on their bikes.
After we solidified our plans we headed back to the main road and proceeded to the beach. Now this was the best part, not too much traffic, wide smooth road, 5th gear baby. Saturday is market day, so women are carrying their wares on their heads. As we came to small towns, with the market in full swing, it was like driving through a crowd milling about outside Safeco Field. Weaving and dodging, but everybody is calm like they know what's going on.
Then the road started to climb into the mountains, smooth, curvy, lined with palm tree, still little traffic, so this why people ride motorcycles so much. Bicycles are cool, but this is really something. As we climb in altitude the road narrows through small villages, people everywhere, all staring at me because I am white. Along the way I kept getting impressions of past experiences, California, Nicaragua, I tell you it was like a dream. At the summit you could see for just about forever, the ocean was turquoise, like those houses painted that color on the way to the coast, that you thought nobody in their right mind would paint their house. There it was-the Caribbean. Tranquil and beautiful. Sliding down the mountain, very few houses and people, quiet and peaceful. Rounding the last curve we entered Port Salut. Cobble stoned streets, walls on each side hiding mansions, luxury hotels ,a coastal resort town.
We arrived at a public beach packed with mostly young Haitians enjoying the sun, beers and seafood. There were a few Europeans, and I spent quite a bit of time talking to UN soldiers here from Uruguay. Though they live in South America and speak Spanish they look European.http://www.facebook.com/ We spent the day swimming, talking, eating, and resting. Then we returned the way we came and it was just as fun. This is definitely a different Haiti this time around.
After we solidified our plans we headed back to the main road and proceeded to the beach. Now this was the best part, not too much traffic, wide smooth road, 5th gear baby. Saturday is market day, so women are carrying their wares on their heads. As we came to small towns, with the market in full swing, it was like driving through a crowd milling about outside Safeco Field. Weaving and dodging, but everybody is calm like they know what's going on.
Then the road started to climb into the mountains, smooth, curvy, lined with palm tree, still little traffic, so this why people ride motorcycles so much. Bicycles are cool, but this is really something. As we climb in altitude the road narrows through small villages, people everywhere, all staring at me because I am white. Along the way I kept getting impressions of past experiences, California, Nicaragua, I tell you it was like a dream. At the summit you could see for just about forever, the ocean was turquoise, like those houses painted that color on the way to the coast, that you thought nobody in their right mind would paint their house. There it was-the Caribbean. Tranquil and beautiful. Sliding down the mountain, very few houses and people, quiet and peaceful. Rounding the last curve we entered Port Salut. Cobble stoned streets, walls on each side hiding mansions, luxury hotels ,a coastal resort town.
We arrived at a public beach packed with mostly young Haitians enjoying the sun, beers and seafood. There were a few Europeans, and I spent quite a bit of time talking to UN soldiers here from Uruguay. Though they live in South America and speak Spanish they look European.http://www.facebook.com/ We spent the day swimming, talking, eating, and resting. Then we returned the way we came and it was just as fun. This is definitely a different Haiti this time around.
Coastal Cruise
Today was a most excellent day. I met Evens and Zico out on the main road at nine. They thought one of them was going to drive my motorcycle, HELL no. We headed west toward the beach for a few miles then headed north on a dirt road. The road was like a river bottom full of softball-sized round rocks. Sometimes there are trails, sometimes not, sometimes they create a quicksand effect, but you always have to drive slow and cautiously on a motorcycle. Plus, it was so dusty, at times I had to slow to a crawl. We were headed out to place that we could have a clinic for a day. I think it was a French run church. Not really sure of the particulars, except they agreed and we are doing it for a day. They will provide lunch and let the community know to come that day. It took about an hour to get there, and on the way I gave a woman a ride, just her and I on a dusty road with land mines everywhere. I was a little nervous, but getting the hang of driving a motorcycle in Haiti. Most people have entire families on their bikes.
After we solidified our plans we headed back to the main road and proceeded to the beach. Now this was the best part, not too much traffic, wide smooth road, 5th gear baby. Saturday is market day, so women are carrying their wares on their heads. As we came to small towns, with the market in full swing, it was like driving through a crowd milling about outside Safeco Field. Weaving and dodging, but everybody is calm like they know what's going on.
Then the road started to climb into the mountains, smooth, curvy, lined with palm tree, still little traffic, so this why people ride motorcycles so much. Bicycles are cool, but this is really something. As we climb in altitude the road narrows through small villages, people everywhere, all staring at me because I am white. Along the way I kept getting impressions of past experiences, California, Nicaragua, I tell you it was like a dream. At the summit you could see for just about forever, the ocean was turquoise, like those houses painted that color on the way to the coast, that you thought nobody in their right mind would paint their house. There it was-the Caribbean. Tranquil and beautiful. Sliding down the mountain, very few houses and people, quiet and peaceful. Rounding the last curve we entered Port Salut. Cobble stoned streets, walls on each side hiding mansions, luxury hotels ,a coastal resort town.
We arrived at a public beach packed with mostly young Haitians enjoying the sun, beers and seafood. There were a few Europeans, and I spent quite a bit of time talking to UN soldiers here from Uruguay. Though they live in South America and speak Spanish they look European.http://www.facebook.com/ We spent the day swimming, talking, eating, and resting. Then we returned the way we came and it was just as fun. This is definitely a different Haiti this time around.
After we solidified our plans we headed back to the main road and proceeded to the beach. Now this was the best part, not too much traffic, wide smooth road, 5th gear baby. Saturday is market day, so women are carrying their wares on their heads. As we came to small towns, with the market in full swing, it was like driving through a crowd milling about outside Safeco Field. Weaving and dodging, but everybody is calm like they know what's going on.
Then the road started to climb into the mountains, smooth, curvy, lined with palm tree, still little traffic, so this why people ride motorcycles so much. Bicycles are cool, but this is really something. As we climb in altitude the road narrows through small villages, people everywhere, all staring at me because I am white. Along the way I kept getting impressions of past experiences, California, Nicaragua, I tell you it was like a dream. At the summit you could see for just about forever, the ocean was turquoise, like those houses painted that color on the way to the coast, that you thought nobody in their right mind would paint their house. There it was-the Caribbean. Tranquil and beautiful. Sliding down the mountain, very few houses and people, quiet and peaceful. Rounding the last curve we entered Port Salut. Cobble stoned streets, walls on each side hiding mansions, luxury hotels ,a coastal resort town.
We arrived at a public beach packed with mostly young Haitians enjoying the sun, beers and seafood. There were a few Europeans, and I spent quite a bit of time talking to UN soldiers here from Uruguay. Though they live in South America and speak Spanish they look European.http://www.facebook.com/ We spent the day swimming, talking, eating, and resting. Then we returned the way we came and it was just as fun. This is definitely a different Haiti this time around.
Today was a most excellent day. I met Evens and Zico out on the main road at nine. They thought one of them was going to drive my motorcycle, HELL no. We headed west toward the beach for a few miles then headed north on a dirt road. The road was like a river bottom full of softball-sized round rocks. Sometimes there are trails, sometimes not, sometimes they create a quicksand effect, but you always have to drive slow and cautiously on a motorcycle. Plus, it was so dusty, at times I had to slow to a crawl. We were headed out to place that we could have a clinic for a day. I think it was a French run church. Not really sure of the particulars, except they agreed and we are doing it for a day. They will provide lunch and let the community know to come that day. It took about an hour to get there, and on the way I gave a woman a ride, just her and I on a dusty road with land mines everywhere. I was a little nervous, but getting the hang of driving a motorcycle in Haiti. Most people have entire families on their bikes.
After we solidified our plans we headed back to the main road and proceeded to the beach. Now this was the best part, not too much traffic, wide smooth road, 5th gear baby. Saturday is market day, so women are carrying their wares on their heads. As we came to small towns, with the market in full swing, it was like driving through a crowd milling about outside Safeco Field. Weaving and dodging, but everybody is calm like they know what's going on.
Then the road started to climb into the mountains, smooth, curvy, lined with palm tree, still little traffic, so this why people ride motorcycles so much. Bicycles are cool, but this is really something. As we climb in altitude the road narrows through small villages, people everywhere, all staring at me because I am white. Along the way I kept getting impressions of past experiences, California, Nicaragua, I tell you it was like a dream. At the summit you could see for just about forever, the ocean was turquoise, like those houses painted that color on the way to the coast, that you thought nobody in their right mind would paint their house. There it was-the Caribbean. Tranquil and beautiful. Sliding down the mountain, very few houses and people, quiet and peaceful. Rounding the last curve we entered Port Salut. Cobble stoned streets, walls on each side hiding mansions, luxury hotels ,a coastal resort town.
We arrived at a public beach packed with mostly young Haitians enjoying the sun, beers and seafood. There were a few Europeans, and I spent quite a bit of time talking to UN soldiers here from Uruguay. Though they live in South America and speak Spanish they look European.http://www.facebook.com/ We spent the day swimming, talking, eating, and resting. Then we returned the way we came and it was just as fun. This is definitely a different Haiti this time around.
After we solidified our plans we headed back to the main road and proceeded to the beach. Now this was the best part, not too much traffic, wide smooth road, 5th gear baby. Saturday is market day, so women are carrying their wares on their heads. As we came to small towns, with the market in full swing, it was like driving through a crowd milling about outside Safeco Field. Weaving and dodging, but everybody is calm like they know what's going on.
Then the road started to climb into the mountains, smooth, curvy, lined with palm tree, still little traffic, so this why people ride motorcycles so much. Bicycles are cool, but this is really something. As we climb in altitude the road narrows through small villages, people everywhere, all staring at me because I am white. Along the way I kept getting impressions of past experiences, California, Nicaragua, I tell you it was like a dream. At the summit you could see for just about forever, the ocean was turquoise, like those houses painted that color on the way to the coast, that you thought nobody in their right mind would paint their house. There it was-the Caribbean. Tranquil and beautiful. Sliding down the mountain, very few houses and people, quiet and peaceful. Rounding the last curve we entered Port Salut. Cobble stoned streets, walls on each side hiding mansions, luxury hotels ,a coastal resort town.
We arrived at a public beach packed with mostly young Haitians enjoying the sun, beers and seafood. There were a few Europeans, and I spent quite a bit of time talking to UN soldiers here from Uruguay. Though they live in South America and speak Spanish they look European.http://www.facebook.com/ We spent the day swimming, talking, eating, and resting. Then we returned the way we came and it was just as fun. This is definitely a different Haiti this time around.
Today was a most excellent day. I met Evens and Zico out on the main road at nine. They thought one of them was going to drive my motorcycle, HELL no. We headed west toward the beach for a few miles then headed north on a dirt road. The road was like a river bottom full of softball-sized round rocks. Sometimes there are trails, sometimes not, sometimes they create a quicksand effect, but you always have to drive slow and cautiously on a motorcycle. Plus, it was so dusty, at times I had to slow to a crawl. We were headed out to place that we could have a clinic for a day. I think it was a French run church. Not really sure of the particulars, except they agreed and we are doing it for a day. They will provide lunch and let the community know to come that day. It took about an hour to get there, and on the way I gave a woman a ride, just her and I on a dusty road with land mines everywhere. I was a little nervous, but getting the hang of driving a motorcycle in Haiti. Most people have entire families on their bikes.
After we solidified our plans we headed back to the main road and proceeded to the beach. Now this was the best part, not too much traffic, wide smooth road, 5th gear baby. Saturday is market day, so women are carrying their wares on their heads. As we came to small towns, with the market in full swing, it was like driving through a crowd milling about outside Safeco Field. Weaving and dodging, but everybody is calm like they know what's going on.
Then the road started to climb into the mountains, smooth, curvy, lined with palm tree, still little traffic, so this why people ride motorcycles so much. Bicycles are cool, but this is really something. As we climb in altitude the road narrows through small villages, people everywhere, all staring at me because I am white. Along the way I kept getting impressions of past experiences, California, Nicaragua, I tell you it was like a dream. At the summit you could see for just about forever, the ocean was turquoise, like those houses painted that color on the way to the coast, that you thought nobody in their right mind would paint their house. There it was-the Caribbean. Tranquil and beautiful. Sliding down the mountain, very few houses and people, quiet and peaceful. Rounding the last curve we entered Port Salut. Cobble stoned streets, walls on each side hiding mansions, luxury hotels ,a coastal resort town.
We arrived at a public beach packed with mostly young Haitians enjoying the sun, beers and seafood. There were a few Europeans, and I spent quite a bit of time talking to UN soldiers here from Uruguay. Though they live in South America and speak Spanish they look European.http://www.facebook.com/ We spent the day swimming, talking, eating, and resting. Then we returned the way we came and it was just as fun. This is definitely a different Haiti this time around.
After we solidified our plans we headed back to the main road and proceeded to the beach. Now this was the best part, not too much traffic, wide smooth road, 5th gear baby. Saturday is market day, so women are carrying their wares on their heads. As we came to small towns, with the market in full swing, it was like driving through a crowd milling about outside Safeco Field. Weaving and dodging, but everybody is calm like they know what's going on.
Then the road started to climb into the mountains, smooth, curvy, lined with palm tree, still little traffic, so this why people ride motorcycles so much. Bicycles are cool, but this is really something. As we climb in altitude the road narrows through small villages, people everywhere, all staring at me because I am white. Along the way I kept getting impressions of past experiences, California, Nicaragua, I tell you it was like a dream. At the summit you could see for just about forever, the ocean was turquoise, like those houses painted that color on the way to the coast, that you thought nobody in their right mind would paint their house. There it was-the Caribbean. Tranquil and beautiful. Sliding down the mountain, very few houses and people, quiet and peaceful. Rounding the last curve we entered Port Salut. Cobble stoned streets, walls on each side hiding mansions, luxury hotels ,a coastal resort town.
We arrived at a public beach packed with mostly young Haitians enjoying the sun, beers and seafood. There were a few Europeans, and I spent quite a bit of time talking to UN soldiers here from Uruguay. Though they live in South America and speak Spanish they look European.http://www.facebook.com/ We spent the day swimming, talking, eating, and resting. Then we returned the way we came and it was just as fun. This is definitely a different Haiti this time around.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Settling In
Today I paid all the workers that have been working so hard for Forward in Health, the three translators, but in particular Evens. Evens is conscientious to a fault, honest, and always has our back. The workers that are building the clinic, led byJean Claude, they all work hard. It was a great feeling to reward them for their efforts. This week they formed and poured the gallery behind the depot that will serve as a walkway and support for the depot roof. They also started building a bigger depot that will house all of our tools and materials in a secure dry place. When it rains here it really rains, and things have a way of growing legs and walking away in Haiti, so this depot will give us a great sense of security.
The site of the clinic is in an astoundingly beautiful location. Mountains visible in the distance, patches of palm trees between lush fields of corn with goats wondering and cows tethered to stakes. A variety of houses, some block with metal roofs, some mud with thatched roofs, some wood frames with blankets and or tarps for wall. There is a school nearby, many kids go but many also wander around the beautiful setting. As I drive my motorcycle by kids on their way home from school, the younger ones go in the morning, olders in the afternoon, all in uniforms, some of the older ones yell things at me, only , however, if they are in a large group, the boys trying to impress the girls. But not only boys yell, the girls can be fierce. The kids wandering, playing with hand made toys, for example, one of their favorites is a a car made out of a pop bottle, with caps for wheels, held in place by found nails that they pull with string. Another popular try is to take an old bike tire and push it along with a stick, they'll chase their tires for hours. These kids don't treat me disrespectfully, but are eager to return smiles and waves. In fact, they are precious.
There is a group of women that hang out at the clinic site every day. Some have been there every time I've gone there. Others come in at lunch bringing food, there's an old freezer that is usually stocked with water and soda. Quite the little family scene, kids coming and going, baby goats baying away, like small children. I think the neighbors come in and fetch water, which is one of things FIH plans to do for the community.
A group of doctors and nurses will be coming down to do clinics in various locations, one of them at the job site. Evens and I are going tomorrow to locate another site in the mountains somewhere. The plan is to head to a really great coastal town in the afternoon, maybe get a little swimming in. Thankshttp://halinhaiti.blogspot.com/
The site of the clinic is in an astoundingly beautiful location. Mountains visible in the distance, patches of palm trees between lush fields of corn with goats wondering and cows tethered to stakes. A variety of houses, some block with metal roofs, some mud with thatched roofs, some wood frames with blankets and or tarps for wall. There is a school nearby, many kids go but many also wander around the beautiful setting. As I drive my motorcycle by kids on their way home from school, the younger ones go in the morning, olders in the afternoon, all in uniforms, some of the older ones yell things at me, only , however, if they are in a large group, the boys trying to impress the girls. But not only boys yell, the girls can be fierce. The kids wandering, playing with hand made toys, for example, one of their favorites is a a car made out of a pop bottle, with caps for wheels, held in place by found nails that they pull with string. Another popular try is to take an old bike tire and push it along with a stick, they'll chase their tires for hours. These kids don't treat me disrespectfully, but are eager to return smiles and waves. In fact, they are precious.
There is a group of women that hang out at the clinic site every day. Some have been there every time I've gone there. Others come in at lunch bringing food, there's an old freezer that is usually stocked with water and soda. Quite the little family scene, kids coming and going, baby goats baying away, like small children. I think the neighbors come in and fetch water, which is one of things FIH plans to do for the community.
A group of doctors and nurses will be coming down to do clinics in various locations, one of them at the job site. Evens and I are going tomorrow to locate another site in the mountains somewhere. The plan is to head to a really great coastal town in the afternoon, maybe get a little swimming in. Thankshttp://halinhaiti.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Flyin with the Friars
This weekend a group of Americans arrived for a week long stay. That's fairly common, what wasn't common was the arrival of two Fransiscan Brothers. Brother Robert and Brother Maximillion. I didn't know what to think at first, both in impecible white habits. I had never been around men in habits before, men with habits I know about. I thought stiffaroony. Boy was I wrong. We right away started eating and drinking our way to silliness. Holy cow, no pun intended, well maybe a little, we had so darn much fun. Robert is from Ontario and in his wild past life was a hair dresser and managed 5 restaurants in Canada.
On Sunday we went for, what I thought at the time, was a short stroll to check out a job site. Scott, a great fellow from Long Beach, CA. , the two brothers, Peter, another great guy, whose been here managing construction projects for many years, and myself (obviously). We started out, two men in habits, dragging on the ground, what turned out to be a four hour hike. We started out on a trail passing through trees next to a canal, which passed as a stream. People were doing laundry, washing motorcycles, swimming, bathing and just hanging out. Story has it that the French built these canals in the 20's. At any rate, they are very effective in enhancing simple lives. I say simple without judgement, whose to say all the complications of our modern is any better. These people seemed well fed and content. Decide for yourself. The entire time we're strolling, not only are we white, we are with two men in dresses. Nobody made more fun of them than the Brother's themselves. The people we encountered were warm and embraced us.
We walked almost all the way to Les Cayes, but not quite enough to keep going and make a loop home, we had to backtrack. On our return we were able to revisit our new friends. From an American perspective, the people we encountered were poor and uneducated. But we really didn't have any way of knowing that. They seemedhttp:/halinhaiti:blogspot.com perfectly happy and well adjusted. Funny thing, it's all in how we look at things. They could have been very well educated, for all we knew.
On the way home the Brother's couldn't stop talking about things they were going to drink, some not do desirable After arriving without any voodoo spells on us, that we were aware of, we proceeded to watch the sunset from the roof drinking a few cold ones. I never thought I'd see the day, but I did.
The next day we went to town to buy motorcycles, more on that next time....................
Happy Spring, Hal
On Sunday we went for, what I thought at the time, was a short stroll to check out a job site. Scott, a great fellow from Long Beach, CA. , the two brothers, Peter, another great guy, whose been here managing construction projects for many years, and myself (obviously). We started out, two men in habits, dragging on the ground, what turned out to be a four hour hike. We started out on a trail passing through trees next to a canal, which passed as a stream. People were doing laundry, washing motorcycles, swimming, bathing and just hanging out. Story has it that the French built these canals in the 20's. At any rate, they are very effective in enhancing simple lives. I say simple without judgement, whose to say all the complications of our modern is any better. These people seemed well fed and content. Decide for yourself. The entire time we're strolling, not only are we white, we are with two men in dresses. Nobody made more fun of them than the Brother's themselves. The people we encountered were warm and embraced us.
We walked almost all the way to Les Cayes, but not quite enough to keep going and make a loop home, we had to backtrack. On our return we were able to revisit our new friends. From an American perspective, the people we encountered were poor and uneducated. But we really didn't have any way of knowing that. They seemedhttp:/halinhaiti:blogspot.com perfectly happy and well adjusted. Funny thing, it's all in how we look at things. They could have been very well educated, for all we knew.
On the way home the Brother's couldn't stop talking about things they were going to drink, some not do desirable After arriving without any voodoo spells on us, that we were aware of, we proceeded to watch the sunset from the roof drinking a few cold ones. I never thought I'd see the day, but I did.
The next day we went to town to buy motorcycles, more on that next time....................
Happy Spring, Hal
Monday, March 21, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Settling In
http:/facebook.comI've been gathering so much information recently my brain is swirling. I need to let things settle out, then I can regurgitate it coherently, or at least in my own words. Many of the things I felt and witnessed on my last trip here are proving to still hold their validity. In many ways Haiti hasn't really improved that much since they won the revolution in 1804. For example; plumbing is still a foriegn idea to the majority of people here, toilets, what are THEY?, running water inside their homes, only when it rains, electricity is also unfamiliar to them, and everything that goes with it, lights, switches, all of that plus refridgeration, unheard of, all food is eaten or it spoils, fresh milk, in a box, no fresh dairy. There are many more examples. People come here from other parts of the world, especially the States, and they are quickly confused and angered by the Haitians dumbfounded responses to their expectations. As the country is slowly developing the people are gradually grasping what we expect of them.
Another part of the problem is Haiti's educational system is lagging behind, really, the rest of the world. Most kids don't have the opportunity to go to school. They start working, for example, fetching water, as soon as they can carry a bucket. It costs money to go to school here, also they need to buy uniforms. Many families aren't sure where their next meal is coming from, let alone having money for school. One of the negative by-products of this is the inability to critically think. We take it for granted. When we run into a problem that we don't immediately have the answer to, we begin to think of ways to find resources to solve it. Haitians don't have that mindset. As more kids are given the chance to go to school, they'll figure out how to figure things out.
Water is another thing we take for granted. Most villages have a pump spigot, but it can be miles from people's homes. If you've ever lived for a time without water, you know how much energy has to be put into just getting it to the house. Many people on Lopez remember those days. The difference is we all knew it was temporary, for many Haitians it's the only life they know. If there is a river nearby everything happens there, bathing, laundry, all garbage including dead animals, in extreme cases, humans, goes in the river. These are examples of the inability to critically think, I think. Another huge factor is malnutrition in the developing years. I think the key to getting along with will be patience and compassion, keep showing them the way over and over and over again.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have supported me in these adventures of mine. I think of all of you and really really appreciate your support, I wouldn't and couldn't do it without you. Thanks, Hal http://halinhaiti:blogspot.com/
Another part of the problem is Haiti's educational system is lagging behind, really, the rest of the world. Most kids don't have the opportunity to go to school. They start working, for example, fetching water, as soon as they can carry a bucket. It costs money to go to school here, also they need to buy uniforms. Many families aren't sure where their next meal is coming from, let alone having money for school. One of the negative by-products of this is the inability to critically think. We take it for granted. When we run into a problem that we don't immediately have the answer to, we begin to think of ways to find resources to solve it. Haitians don't have that mindset. As more kids are given the chance to go to school, they'll figure out how to figure things out.
Water is another thing we take for granted. Most villages have a pump spigot, but it can be miles from people's homes. If you've ever lived for a time without water, you know how much energy has to be put into just getting it to the house. Many people on Lopez remember those days. The difference is we all knew it was temporary, for many Haitians it's the only life they know. If there is a river nearby everything happens there, bathing, laundry, all garbage including dead animals, in extreme cases, humans, goes in the river. These are examples of the inability to critically think, I think. Another huge factor is malnutrition in the developing years. I think the key to getting along with will be patience and compassion, keep showing them the way over and over and over again.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have supported me in these adventures of mine. I think of all of you and really really appreciate your support, I wouldn't and couldn't do it without you. Thanks, Hal http://halinhaiti:blogspot.com/
Settling In
I've been gathering so much information recently my brain is swirling. I need to let things settle out, then I can regurgitate it coherently, or at least in my own words. Many of the things I felt and witnessed on my last trip here are proving to still hold their validity. In many ways Haiti hasn't really improved that much since they won the revolution in 1804. For example; plumbing is still a foriegn idea to the majority of people here, toilets, what are THEY?, running water inside their homes, only when it rains, electricity is also unfamiliar to them, and everything that goes with it, lights, switches, all of that plus refridgeration, unheard of, all food is eaten or it spoils, fresh milk, in a box, no fresh dairy. There are many more examples. People come here from other parts of the world, especially the States, and they are quickly confused and angered by the Haitians dumbfounded responses to their expectations. As the country is slowly developing the people are gradually grasping what we expect of them.
Another part of the problem is Haiti's educational system is lagging behind, really, the rest of the world. Most kids don't have the opportunity to go to school. They start working, for example, fetching water, as soon as they can carry a bucket. It costs money to go to school here, also they need to buy uniforms. Many families aren't sure where their next meal is coming from, let alone having money for school. One of the negative by-products of this is the inability to critically think. We take it for granted. When we run into a problem that we don't immediately have the answer to, we begin to think of ways to find resources to solve it. Haitians don't have that mindset. As more kids are given the chance to go to school, they'll figure out how to figure things out.
Water is another thing we take for granted. Most villages have a pump spigot, but it can be miles from people's homes. If you've ever lived for a time without water, you know how much energy has to be put into just getting it to the house. Many people on Lopez remember those days. The difference is we all knew it was temporary, for many Haitians it's the only life they know. If there is a river nearby everything happens there, bathing, laundry, all garbage including dead animals, in extreme cases, humans, goes in the river. These are examples of the inability to critically think, I think. Another huge factor is malnutrition in the developing years. I think the key to getting along with will be patience and compassion, keep showing them the way over and over and over again.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have supported me in these adventures of mine. I think of all of you and really really appreciate your support, I wouldn't and couldn't do it without you. Thanks, Hal http://halinhaiti:blogspot.com/
Another part of the problem is Haiti's educational system is lagging behind, really, the rest of the world. Most kids don't have the opportunity to go to school. They start working, for example, fetching water, as soon as they can carry a bucket. It costs money to go to school here, also they need to buy uniforms. Many families aren't sure where their next meal is coming from, let alone having money for school. One of the negative by-products of this is the inability to critically think. We take it for granted. When we run into a problem that we don't immediately have the answer to, we begin to think of ways to find resources to solve it. Haitians don't have that mindset. As more kids are given the chance to go to school, they'll figure out how to figure things out.
Water is another thing we take for granted. Most villages have a pump spigot, but it can be miles from people's homes. If you've ever lived for a time without water, you know how much energy has to be put into just getting it to the house. Many people on Lopez remember those days. The difference is we all knew it was temporary, for many Haitians it's the only life they know. If there is a river nearby everything happens there, bathing, laundry, all garbage including dead animals, in extreme cases, humans, goes in the river. These are examples of the inability to critically think, I think. Another huge factor is malnutrition in the developing years. I think the key to getting along with will be patience and compassion, keep showing them the way over and over and over again.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people who have supported me in these adventures of mine. I think of all of you and really really appreciate your support, I wouldn't and couldn't do it without you. Thanks, Hal http://halinhaiti:blogspot.com/
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Post Paula and Pam
My support team is back in the states now, but I'm not alone. It seems people living in 3rd or 4th world countries stick together and help each other out. The place where I'm staying, ESPWA, have been very helpful. My right hand man here, Evens, is an excellent companion. We walked around Les Ceyes yesterday, stopping in at the bank, motorcycle shop, and his house. The motorcycles won't be here for a week, wink, wink. We'll see. His mother is very nice and family is friendly. I'm still taking baby steps with Creole.
This trip feels very different, it's like I'm more connected to the people without trying as hard. With 800 kids around it's not hard to interact with them. The weather is warm and sunny, but not stifling hot. I'm going out to the clinic site later today, then we'll see how I feel about the heat. I'm going to meet the man who has overseen things so far and the crew, to go over the particulars of this project. This time around I'm hoping things will be different. We have an excellent architect and a team of engineers to answer to. The first order of business will be undo, how shall I say it, less than exceptable work. But we'll do our subtraction and get on with our addition. Hopefully this time next week we'll be on our way. Alrighty then, until later, Halhttps://facebook.com
This trip feels very different, it's like I'm more connected to the people without trying as hard. With 800 kids around it's not hard to interact with them. The weather is warm and sunny, but not stifling hot. I'm going out to the clinic site later today, then we'll see how I feel about the heat. I'm going to meet the man who has overseen things so far and the crew, to go over the particulars of this project. This time around I'm hoping things will be different. We have an excellent architect and a team of engineers to answer to. The first order of business will be undo, how shall I say it, less than exceptable work. But we'll do our subtraction and get on with our addition. Hopefully this time next week we'll be on our way. Alrighty then, until later, Halhttps://facebook.com
Sunday, March 13, 2011
First days in Haiti-second round
https://facebook.comWe arrived in Port au Prince early in the morning on Thursday March 10. Pam Reidy, Paula Mulqueen and I came from Boston through New York. The evening before I had met with the engineers and architect going over the progress at the clinic Forward in Health is building in Fondeford, this is a very rural area outside the city of Les Ceyes, in the southern region of Haiti. Wort had been started on the walls, they were up about six courses of block. The plans had been modified to protect the building in the event of another earthquake. Engineers responsibility is to ensure the safety of ALL people. If the workers follow the plans that should be the case, however, if they don't which is the situation, the work has to be altered, and in some cases removed. The photos we received indicated things weren't going well.
Upon arrival, it was worse than we suspected, but we will dig in and get the crew back, all of our subtraction, then begin our addition.
I will be staying at ESPWA, an orphanage very close to Fondefred. There is 800 orphan boys living here so I won't be pressed to find kids to be around. They have a guesthouse that I will share with people coming to Haiti to do a variety of projects here at ESPWA. That will give me a chance to talk to people in my native tongue, which is always nice. We take for granted the ability we have to communicate thoughts, feelings, and technical information. Learning a new language is like going back to 1st grade, very trying and frustrating.
Paula and Pam left today, the 13th, after Paul and had done a ton of duties getting things in place to get going again, opening a bank account, looking into buying motorcycles for myself and Evens, my translator, just a multitude of things.
One of the things we did was visit an orphanage that Forward of Hope, an offshoot of FIH, is overseeing now. There are 34 boys and a director. The director, David is there out of the kindness of his heart. He has a college degree in music, so the kids play music and sing like angels. In the plans for the orphanage Paul Fallon has designed a performance space for them. They had enough food for the next three days, that's it, so we went to the Sister's of Charity, which is Mother Teresa's organization and they were kind enough to give us about a weeks worth. This wonderful place houses and takes care of terminal and handicapped patients. There must be 200 patients, all terminal and abandoned by their families, getting as much food, care and love as anywhere in the world, all done with love and compassion. I tell you, it stopped me in my tracks, emotion flooding me, not knowing what I felt. Truly an amazing place. Getting back to the orphanage, I always thought I would build one, and one needs to be built for these boys. In the mean time they need to eat and go to school, with food and an education they have a chance to lead full and productive lives. So the battle goes on.
Pam, John and Paula Mulqueen are all doing really good things for the people of Haiti. And this time around I am having a very different experience, they are all taking great care in ensuring I'm safe and well cared for. For that I am very very grateful. Until next time, take care, love, Hal
Upon arrival, it was worse than we suspected, but we will dig in and get the crew back, all of our subtraction, then begin our addition.
I will be staying at ESPWA, an orphanage very close to Fondefred. There is 800 orphan boys living here so I won't be pressed to find kids to be around. They have a guesthouse that I will share with people coming to Haiti to do a variety of projects here at ESPWA. That will give me a chance to talk to people in my native tongue, which is always nice. We take for granted the ability we have to communicate thoughts, feelings, and technical information. Learning a new language is like going back to 1st grade, very trying and frustrating.
Paula and Pam left today, the 13th, after Paul and had done a ton of duties getting things in place to get going again, opening a bank account, looking into buying motorcycles for myself and Evens, my translator, just a multitude of things.
One of the things we did was visit an orphanage that Forward of Hope, an offshoot of FIH, is overseeing now. There are 34 boys and a director. The director, David is there out of the kindness of his heart. He has a college degree in music, so the kids play music and sing like angels. In the plans for the orphanage Paul Fallon has designed a performance space for them. They had enough food for the next three days, that's it, so we went to the Sister's of Charity, which is Mother Teresa's organization and they were kind enough to give us about a weeks worth. This wonderful place houses and takes care of terminal and handicapped patients. There must be 200 patients, all terminal and abandoned by their families, getting as much food, care and love as anywhere in the world, all done with love and compassion. I tell you, it stopped me in my tracks, emotion flooding me, not knowing what I felt. Truly an amazing place. Getting back to the orphanage, I always thought I would build one, and one needs to be built for these boys. In the mean time they need to eat and go to school, with food and an education they have a chance to lead full and productive lives. So the battle goes on.
Pam, John and Paula Mulqueen are all doing really good things for the people of Haiti. And this time around I am having a very different experience, they are all taking great care in ensuring I'm safe and well cared for. For that I am very very grateful. Until next time, take care, love, Hal
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
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