There has been good news about Haiti's future recently and I've been meaning to post about it but I'm on vacation :) Bryan Schaff at Haiti Innovation has written an excellent blog post.
Haiti Food Security Update
By Bryan Schaaf on Sunday, July 12, 2009
The past month has been important for Haiti. The World Bank, IMF, and the IDB forgave $1.2 billion of Haiti’s debt. Deals were reached with members of the Paris Club to cancel an additional $152 million in debt. Bill Clinton made his first trip to Haiti as UN Special Envoy. Plus, discussions at the G8 Summit indicated we may be on the verge of a historic shift in how food assistance is delivered, to the benefit of Haiti and other food insecure countries.
Continue reading here
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7.13.2009
7.06.2009
Random thoughts and questions
I have no desire to blog, but think that I shouldn't leave it too long or I may never come back to it - not really likely but a worry nonetheless.
Traveling, being home, seeing Canada through more distant eyes has brought a lot of thoughts, realizations and questions to mind. Here are some, thoroughly random and probably unrelated:
- I am struck at how well-manicured and clean everything is. No garbage on the streets and lawns, neat flower beds, no donkey dung to watch out for.
- TV is a waste of time and I know why I don't miss it
- Why is it that I couldn't wait to get a break away from Haiti, and now I'm just biding my time until I return?
- Going from the shopping economics of the US to the economics of Haiti, and then coming to Canada to stock up on supplies is causing major sticker shock. How can anyone afford to live here?
- The quiet is deafening.
- I want to write some serious posts about the insider's view and observations of our culture of charitable giving and working for non-profits in Haiti, but am afraid that I will offend someone.
- There wasn't any food in particular that I was looking forward to eating when I got back, but that hasn't kept me from eating EVERYTHING that crosses my path. I've never been an icecream freak, but I've eaten it every day. I know I'll start missing the rice and beans any moment now...
Traveling, being home, seeing Canada through more distant eyes has brought a lot of thoughts, realizations and questions to mind. Here are some, thoroughly random and probably unrelated:
- I am struck at how well-manicured and clean everything is. No garbage on the streets and lawns, neat flower beds, no donkey dung to watch out for.
- TV is a waste of time and I know why I don't miss it
- Why is it that I couldn't wait to get a break away from Haiti, and now I'm just biding my time until I return?
- Going from the shopping economics of the US to the economics of Haiti, and then coming to Canada to stock up on supplies is causing major sticker shock. How can anyone afford to live here?
- The quiet is deafening.
- I want to write some serious posts about the insider's view and observations of our culture of charitable giving and working for non-profits in Haiti, but am afraid that I will offend someone.
- There wasn't any food in particular that I was looking forward to eating when I got back, but that hasn't kept me from eating EVERYTHING that crosses my path. I've never been an icecream freak, but I've eaten it every day. I know I'll start missing the rice and beans any moment now...
7.02.2009
Taking a break
When I left Port au Prince two days ago it was in the low 30's (90's F) with high humidity. Can you imagine how much I'm enjoying the 18 degree weather and the rain here at home? I slept under a comforter and am sitting here now at the computer in a long sleeve shirt with cold feet. Lovin' it.
6.23.2009
Back to bugs
I left my bathroom light on by mistake earlier tonight, which always brings an assortment of smallish bugs in around the screen. As I was getting ready for bed, I saw this interesting one.
It wasn't until I opened up the photo files on my computer that I realized that I had caught something my eyes hadn't been able to catch - the split second when it's wings separated.
6.19.2009
Where I am
Sometimes I still need to remind myself where I am.
One morning last week I was going to see the feeding program at the church school at Kapen before it was done for the year. I was in the pickup with Pouchon and Jean Rony.
We were driving along and I saw some kids in one of their local school uniforms, which has a pink shirt that brought a question to mind.
"Pouchon, nan Ayiti eske gen gwo zwazo ki woz?". Are there any large pink birds in Haiti?
"Non".
I went on to tell him about flamingos, explaining a large pink bird in Florida that stands on one foot, while envisioning how beautiful and ornate they are.
"Can you eat them?" he asked.
A quick succession of thoughts passed through my mind. In a split second I went from revulsion and incredulity, to remembering that here in Haiti a lot of things come down to survival. If my family was hungry it would make perfect sense to eat flamingo.
Pouchon went on to explain to me that there are large white birds in Haiti that stand on one foot and live near water. I can't remember the Kreyol name for them, but he said they are also called "poul dlo" or water chickens. The name doesn't leave much room to wonder if they eat them or not.
One morning last week I was going to see the feeding program at the church school at Kapen before it was done for the year. I was in the pickup with Pouchon and Jean Rony.
We were driving along and I saw some kids in one of their local school uniforms, which has a pink shirt that brought a question to mind.
"Pouchon, nan Ayiti eske gen gwo zwazo ki woz?". Are there any large pink birds in Haiti?
"Non".
I went on to tell him about flamingos, explaining a large pink bird in Florida that stands on one foot, while envisioning how beautiful and ornate they are.
"Can you eat them?" he asked.
A quick succession of thoughts passed through my mind. In a split second I went from revulsion and incredulity, to remembering that here in Haiti a lot of things come down to survival. If my family was hungry it would make perfect sense to eat flamingo.
Pouchon went on to explain to me that there are large white birds in Haiti that stand on one foot and live near water. I can't remember the Kreyol name for them, but he said they are also called "poul dlo" or water chickens. The name doesn't leave much room to wonder if they eat them or not.
6.11.2009
Confidentiality
There's a huge cultural difference between us privacy-obsessed North Americans and Haitians. And you are especially aware of it if you work in healthcare.
When I worked in a hospital in the US I had to sign agreements of confidentiality and was required to take yearly tests to show that I understood the concepts as they pertain to healthcare and patient rights. And I agree with the need. It is no one's business who I see, where I go, or why and I respect that right for others.
In Haiti, things are much different even though we do attempt to provide privacy to our patients here at our hospital, especially for patients who have HIV/AIDS. Our staff signs agreements as well, but no one here seems to EXPECT to have privacy so there doesn't seem to be any negative consequences when they don't.
My friend V's older sister was recently admitted to our hospital with something that just needed to be monitored and to have her medication adjusted. She was with us for a couple of days and I went down to say hello to her a couple of times. I spoke with V on the phone a few times while she was here and he didn't say anything about it. He's working in another part of the country. I assumed that his sister would have told him she was in the hospital if she wanted him to know or she would ask someone else close to the household to do it. I also thought the confidentiality rules were the same here as at home.
V came back to visit a couple of weeks later and found out that his sister had been in the hospital AND that I knew and didn't tell him. He was incredibly hurt that I didn't. When I tried to explain to him why, that I could end up in big trouble, he wouldn't listen. He just kept saying that it was probably different in my culture. When I tried to explain that I was thinking of his sister's rights, he did not understand.
So I asked the medical director what the privacy policy is, hoping for some way to explain to V that I did the right thing. Turns out the policy is that I can tell WHO I see in the hospital but I just can't say WHY the person is in the hospital.
If I had a chance for a do-over, I'd ask his sister if she wanted someone to let him know. I'm still sure I did the right thing by not saying anything to V, but it's kind of tough to be judged for simply respecting someone's right to privacy.
When I worked in a hospital in the US I had to sign agreements of confidentiality and was required to take yearly tests to show that I understood the concepts as they pertain to healthcare and patient rights. And I agree with the need. It is no one's business who I see, where I go, or why and I respect that right for others.
In Haiti, things are much different even though we do attempt to provide privacy to our patients here at our hospital, especially for patients who have HIV/AIDS. Our staff signs agreements as well, but no one here seems to EXPECT to have privacy so there doesn't seem to be any negative consequences when they don't.
My friend V's older sister was recently admitted to our hospital with something that just needed to be monitored and to have her medication adjusted. She was with us for a couple of days and I went down to say hello to her a couple of times. I spoke with V on the phone a few times while she was here and he didn't say anything about it. He's working in another part of the country. I assumed that his sister would have told him she was in the hospital if she wanted him to know or she would ask someone else close to the household to do it. I also thought the confidentiality rules were the same here as at home.
V came back to visit a couple of weeks later and found out that his sister had been in the hospital AND that I knew and didn't tell him. He was incredibly hurt that I didn't. When I tried to explain to him why, that I could end up in big trouble, he wouldn't listen. He just kept saying that it was probably different in my culture. When I tried to explain that I was thinking of his sister's rights, he did not understand.
So I asked the medical director what the privacy policy is, hoping for some way to explain to V that I did the right thing. Turns out the policy is that I can tell WHO I see in the hospital but I just can't say WHY the person is in the hospital.
If I had a chance for a do-over, I'd ask his sister if she wanted someone to let him know. I'm still sure I did the right thing by not saying anything to V, but it's kind of tough to be judged for simply respecting someone's right to privacy.
Little kindnesses
I was up drinking my coffee this morning when Dieumene and Sola arrived and plunked a bag on the table beside me. They had made tea because I was "gripe" (gree-pay), had a cold, yesterday. They wanted to show me the ingredients today before they made me some more. The only thing I know the name of is the hibiscus flower which they call choublak.
It makes a very nice tea with grated ginger and lots of sugar. Not sure if it did anything for my cold, but it did wonders for my mental attitude :)
6.09.2009
Feeling free to whine
It's 92 degrees in my room and I have a fever. My throat is sore, I can't sleep because I'm coughing all the time. My nose is leaking and I just feel rotten. I also just discovered a fourth patch of ringworm on my butt. Wonderful.
No one needs to feel sorry for me, I'm doing perfectly well with that on my own.
No one needs to feel sorry for me, I'm doing perfectly well with that on my own.
6.07.2009
Hard work, tough hands
We have three really great women who cook for us, do the laundry and clean. When we have teams of visitors here they work even harder.
We just had a large team leave so all of the bedding and towels have been collected for doing laundry this week. This is what I saw in the tiny laundry room today.
We don't have a washing machine. Most of these are thick bath sheets. Can you imagine how difficult these are to scrub and wring out by hand?
Ti Sola is the one who usually gets the honour of doing the laundry. She also washes my clothes for me once every week or two, and irons them.
6.06.2009
Saturday
It's Saturday morning and Nicole and I are sitting on the little galeri by the kitchen door. I'm doing some data entry for the nutrition program and Nicole is sitting balanced on the ledge. She says she has some serious cabin fever today. Just for fun she is sniffing all of the Mr. Sketch markers to see what flavour/scent they are. She's been throwing the ones she likes to me so that I can smell them too. She's nice that way.
I'm not feeling so well. I have a sore throat and cough that doesn't seem to want to progress to a full-fledged head cold. I've been taking a strong muscle relaxant at night because I've been getting painful muscle spasms in my back while I sleep so I'm still kind of dopey from it. And to top it all off, I seem to have contracted ringworm which has left a bright red itchy circle about the size of a quarter on my left cheek. As if I need anything else to make my skin look bad :( I've been here for 15 months with no malaria, no dengue, no horrible food or water-borne illnesses, so I guess I'm due for something. I just hope it doesn't scar.
Just to get all of my complaining out, I'm also feeling down because none of the mothers from the ambulatory nutrition program have shown up today to clean the beans to make Akamil. This has been an issue almost from the beginning and I'm not sure how we're going to address it.
Will try to write something a little more uplifting later on.
Sorry to the writer who requested to hear from the Loyola team. I put the request out for guest bloggers and didn't get any takers. They should be home by now, so maybe you'll get to hear their stories first-hand. They had a great trip, did a lot of good work, and were a really nice group.
I'm not feeling so well. I have a sore throat and cough that doesn't seem to want to progress to a full-fledged head cold. I've been taking a strong muscle relaxant at night because I've been getting painful muscle spasms in my back while I sleep so I'm still kind of dopey from it. And to top it all off, I seem to have contracted ringworm which has left a bright red itchy circle about the size of a quarter on my left cheek. As if I need anything else to make my skin look bad :( I've been here for 15 months with no malaria, no dengue, no horrible food or water-borne illnesses, so I guess I'm due for something. I just hope it doesn't scar.
Just to get all of my complaining out, I'm also feeling down because none of the mothers from the ambulatory nutrition program have shown up today to clean the beans to make Akamil. This has been an issue almost from the beginning and I'm not sure how we're going to address it.
Will try to write something a little more uplifting later on.
Sorry to the writer who requested to hear from the Loyola team. I put the request out for guest bloggers and didn't get any takers. They should be home by now, so maybe you'll get to hear their stories first-hand. They had a great trip, did a lot of good work, and were a really nice group.
6.04.2009
5.29.2009
Request line is open
I just received an anonymous comment:
"I want to hear stories about the Loyola crew visiting!"
Dear Anonymous,
During visitor orientation, in the interest of confidentiality, we tell all of our visitors what happens in Haiti, stays in Haiti.
Kidding.
I do think that visitors should tell their own stories though.
Tell you what, Anonymous, I'll honour your demand and when the team gets back from mobile clinic tonight I'll see if anyone wants to be a "guest" blogger. Being the control freak that I am, I will reserve the right to censor the post in case things get out of hand :)
"I want to hear stories about the Loyola crew visiting!"
Dear Anonymous,
During visitor orientation, in the interest of confidentiality, we tell all of our visitors what happens in Haiti, stays in Haiti.
Kidding.
I do think that visitors should tell their own stories though.
Tell you what, Anonymous, I'll honour your demand and when the team gets back from mobile clinic tonight I'll see if anyone wants to be a "guest" blogger. Being the control freak that I am, I will reserve the right to censor the post in case things get out of hand :)
Role Reversal
Just had something amusing happen.
I was out walking Jonah, Sr. Ellen's miniature pinscher mix. We usually get a few stares from the patients and visitors to the compound. It's unusual for anyone to tie a dog here, let alone walk it on a leash. Most of the dogs look the same so Jonah kind of stands out anyway. People are usually surprised that he has a name and that we talk to him. Sometimes they snicker rather unkindly.
As I left the residence with the dog I saw a young man watching us with interest. When I came back, he came up to us with his camera phone and took a picture of Jonah, then showed it to me.
Just for fun I said "gade sa", watch this and I made Jonah sit for him.
Amazing!
He then asked to hold the leash and have his photo taken with the dog.
I can just see him showing the photos to his friends, just like our blan visitors do when they go home and show their photos of the strange things they see in Haiti.
I was out walking Jonah, Sr. Ellen's miniature pinscher mix. We usually get a few stares from the patients and visitors to the compound. It's unusual for anyone to tie a dog here, let alone walk it on a leash. Most of the dogs look the same so Jonah kind of stands out anyway. People are usually surprised that he has a name and that we talk to him. Sometimes they snicker rather unkindly.
As I left the residence with the dog I saw a young man watching us with interest. When I came back, he came up to us with his camera phone and took a picture of Jonah, then showed it to me.
Just for fun I said "gade sa", watch this and I made Jonah sit for him.
Amazing!
He then asked to hold the leash and have his photo taken with the dog.
I can just see him showing the photos to his friends, just like our blan visitors do when they go home and show their photos of the strange things they see in Haiti.
5.28.2009
It's the little things
I'm so excited. I just found out how to make long distance phone calls for only 5 gdes a minute (about 12.5 cents US). I had been paying about 15 gdes.
I wonder how much money I've wasted in the last 14 months....
I wonder how much money I've wasted in the last 14 months....
Small world
Dried salted fish is a staple here in Haiti if you can afford it. We received a generous cash donation to supplement our nutrition program for a few months. We decided to give the families in the ambulatory program some foods that could be used with Akamil.
We are giving them cooking oil, sugar, powdered milk, and dried fish called aronso (can be spelled a few different ways) or smoked, dried herring.
A couple of weeks ago I was sweltering in the food depot helping Pouchon and Michel distribute the food. I had the delightful job of bagging the portions of dried fish. Pouchon was telling me how much he likes aronso and I was telling him how much I hate it. He asked me where it was from. I jokingly said "Not Haiti?" as I turned one of the crates around. I almost fell over laughing when I saw what was written on the other side.
Cormier Brothers Fisheries Ltd.
Cap-Pele, N.-B.
Product of Canada
Cap-Pele is only a couple of hours away from where I'm from. The fish and I have probably swum in the same water. I told Pouchon that, too.
We are giving them cooking oil, sugar, powdered milk, and dried fish called aronso (can be spelled a few different ways) or smoked, dried herring.
A couple of weeks ago I was sweltering in the food depot helping Pouchon and Michel distribute the food. I had the delightful job of bagging the portions of dried fish. Pouchon was telling me how much he likes aronso and I was telling him how much I hate it. He asked me where it was from. I jokingly said "Not Haiti?" as I turned one of the crates around. I almost fell over laughing when I saw what was written on the other side.
Cormier Brothers Fisheries Ltd.
Cap-Pele, N.-B.
Product of Canada
Cap-Pele is only a couple of hours away from where I'm from. The fish and I have probably swum in the same water. I told Pouchon that, too.
5.27.2009
Creature comforts
Tizwazo after the battle. Always likes to sleep on my computer adapter because it's nice and warm. Timakak just slumps against the wall.
Playing catch-up
Time slips away from me. The more I put off blogging, the more difficult it is to start again. It's not that I've been too busy, though there has been a lot going on here lately. Lack of motivation is the best way to describe it.
So I've plunked myself down in front of the computer with some chocolate (Thanks Peter!) and am starting to write.
We had a great visit with the surgical team from Jacksonville last week. It always amazes me how hard they work while they are here and I always wish that they could see more of Haiti during their visits - but they're too busy doing something very worthwhile.
Over the weekend I was able to get some education credits to help maintain my credential. We had a three-day workshop on monitoring and evaluation, provided by JSI, an organization that provides training for NPI programs. Even though I don't work with our HIV/AIDS programs, I was allowed to participate. It was really good. The presenter spoke English, used French slides, and the discussion was in Kreyol. Most of the concepts I have already learned in other courses and work, but it was great to have it all pulled together and then to work as a group on a practical application with one of our projects. Our Haiti team got a lot out of it and it was so fun to work with them and see their enthusiasm.
My friend Emerson came to visit Fond des Blancs this weekend and it was great to spend some time with him. I watched a roof get poured on his brother's new house, we went out to a local "nightclub" for a beer, and had great food at his sister's house. We also attended a veye (wake) for his elderly aunt and her funeral the next day. I may write more about that later.
I've had a (hopefully) brief setback with the Akamil program. When we started to make it the other day, the mill began making some funny noises. One of the metal parts inside had cracked and broken. The part is now in Port au Prince where hopefully we can get a replacement machined soon. I may be too optimistic to think that we can make it next week, but hey, stranger things have happened. For now, the women are being given the corn and beans without it being milled so the kids will still get fed.
The two mimis are getting bigger and badder. As I'm writing this they are wrestling under my desk and screaming at each other. I hope to have them in their new home soon. They will be going to two little girls, so they should go while they are big enough to protect themselves, but not so old that they can't adjust to a little rough handling. Every day I tell them that it's all downhill from here :) They'll never have it as good as they have it now.
Okay, time to get back to the To Do list...
So I've plunked myself down in front of the computer with some chocolate (Thanks Peter!) and am starting to write.
We had a great visit with the surgical team from Jacksonville last week. It always amazes me how hard they work while they are here and I always wish that they could see more of Haiti during their visits - but they're too busy doing something very worthwhile.
Over the weekend I was able to get some education credits to help maintain my credential. We had a three-day workshop on monitoring and evaluation, provided by JSI, an organization that provides training for NPI programs. Even though I don't work with our HIV/AIDS programs, I was allowed to participate. It was really good. The presenter spoke English, used French slides, and the discussion was in Kreyol. Most of the concepts I have already learned in other courses and work, but it was great to have it all pulled together and then to work as a group on a practical application with one of our projects. Our Haiti team got a lot out of it and it was so fun to work with them and see their enthusiasm.
My friend Emerson came to visit Fond des Blancs this weekend and it was great to spend some time with him. I watched a roof get poured on his brother's new house, we went out to a local "nightclub" for a beer, and had great food at his sister's house. We also attended a veye (wake) for his elderly aunt and her funeral the next day. I may write more about that later.
I've had a (hopefully) brief setback with the Akamil program. When we started to make it the other day, the mill began making some funny noises. One of the metal parts inside had cracked and broken. The part is now in Port au Prince where hopefully we can get a replacement machined soon. I may be too optimistic to think that we can make it next week, but hey, stranger things have happened. For now, the women are being given the corn and beans without it being milled so the kids will still get fed.
The two mimis are getting bigger and badder. As I'm writing this they are wrestling under my desk and screaming at each other. I hope to have them in their new home soon. They will be going to two little girls, so they should go while they are big enough to protect themselves, but not so old that they can't adjust to a little rough handling. Every day I tell them that it's all downhill from here :) They'll never have it as good as they have it now.
Okay, time to get back to the To Do list...
5.15.2009
Friday afternoon pastime
It's becoming more of a habit for us (the long-termers) to sit on the little galeri that looks out onto the driveway and parking lot and watch the Friday afternoon departures. It may even be called sport. It certainly could be called entertainment.
Every Friday we send two ambulances to take home the staff who have the weekend off, and they head in two different directions. They are supposed to leave at a certain time, but are almost always late as stragglers come or someone has to finish up a little work before they get on board.
We like to watch to see what kinds of things people want to take home with them, and commiserate with the whole group when they decide to carry the live chickens inside with the passengers - we commiserate with the chickens too because they're usually tied up and just shoved around as though they are already dinner. Sometimes there are big sacks of chadek (grapefruit), charcoal, plants, and always backpacks and duffels.
It never ceases to amaze us that they just don't pack the roof rack of the ambulance first instead of emptying stuff from the back as more people show up and then have to put things on the roof. The ambulance always fills with passengers, and they always have to move stuff. But it's the same routine every week.
It's also a good time to learn the names of the employees. It goes something like this:
"Who's that nurse there in the blue? I've talked to her and she's so nice but I don't know her name."
"That's Michelle, she's working with the vaccination clinics."
We also like to watch to see who sits where. It's very interesting culturally and the hierarchy is sometimes disturbing.
Okay, so we sound like the little old verandah ladies at home, but entertainment is hard to come by around here. And besides, we are doing exactly what the Haitians would do. Gawking is a national pastime.
Every Friday we send two ambulances to take home the staff who have the weekend off, and they head in two different directions. They are supposed to leave at a certain time, but are almost always late as stragglers come or someone has to finish up a little work before they get on board.
We like to watch to see what kinds of things people want to take home with them, and commiserate with the whole group when they decide to carry the live chickens inside with the passengers - we commiserate with the chickens too because they're usually tied up and just shoved around as though they are already dinner. Sometimes there are big sacks of chadek (grapefruit), charcoal, plants, and always backpacks and duffels.
It never ceases to amaze us that they just don't pack the roof rack of the ambulance first instead of emptying stuff from the back as more people show up and then have to put things on the roof. The ambulance always fills with passengers, and they always have to move stuff. But it's the same routine every week.
It's also a good time to learn the names of the employees. It goes something like this:
"Who's that nurse there in the blue? I've talked to her and she's so nice but I don't know her name."
"That's Michelle, she's working with the vaccination clinics."
We also like to watch to see who sits where. It's very interesting culturally and the hierarchy is sometimes disturbing.
Okay, so we sound like the little old verandah ladies at home, but entertainment is hard to come by around here. And besides, we are doing exactly what the Haitians would do. Gawking is a national pastime.
5.11.2009
Random Rambling
I was looking back on the blog to the same time last year. My writing was definitely different then. I thought I almost everything was interesting enough to write about.
It has started to get really warm here. My room/office is in the low 90's most of the day because there is no air flow through it. I have two fans that are now on whenever I am in the room. It is very humid out. Today looks like it may be overcast and I'm hoping that it doesn't rain because we have to run the mill for a couple of hours.
Mondays are always busy. We have the most visits to the outpatient clinics and all of the other programs seem to ramp up on Monday. We are in the middle of a two week vaccination campaign that makes the grounds very busy in the morning with all of our community health workers coming in to go out in the trucks in large teams.
I have lots on my plate today besides making akamil. I have a couple of meetings, three classes that I need to design and make powerpoints, a few phone calls to make, and an HR issue to resolve for the elderly home. I love the diversity of my job here.
Well enough chit-chat. Off to my meeting.
It has started to get really warm here. My room/office is in the low 90's most of the day because there is no air flow through it. I have two fans that are now on whenever I am in the room. It is very humid out. Today looks like it may be overcast and I'm hoping that it doesn't rain because we have to run the mill for a couple of hours.
Mondays are always busy. We have the most visits to the outpatient clinics and all of the other programs seem to ramp up on Monday. We are in the middle of a two week vaccination campaign that makes the grounds very busy in the morning with all of our community health workers coming in to go out in the trucks in large teams.
I have lots on my plate today besides making akamil. I have a couple of meetings, three classes that I need to design and make powerpoints, a few phone calls to make, and an HR issue to resolve for the elderly home. I love the diversity of my job here.
Well enough chit-chat. Off to my meeting.
5.10.2009
Happy Mother's Day
Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I hope you have a special day. I miss you. Wish I was there to sit at the kitchen table and make you late for church.
5.09.2009
Boulet 1 and Boulet 2
Just an update on the ti mimis (little kittens). They are doing well and thriving. I think they have tripled their weight since I started giving them solid food last week - not kidding.They seem to have gotten over the trauma of their stay under the stairs. The meowing one no longer meows all the time, and when he does the volume is now normal. They are both really curious, but one is more of a lapcat than the other. Two very distinct personalities. They're a lot of fun to watch.
They've been introduced to the dog who tries to play gently with them. I've bathed them three times for fleas and still haven't gotten rid of them. I have found a home for them that they will go to when they are a couple of weeks older. Though I really enjoy having them, I will be happy to have my bathroom back when they are gone.
It's not a Haitian custom to name animals, in fact the animals here are rarely treated as we treat pets. The granmoun at the elderly home thought it very funny that I had named them Tizwazo (little bird) and Timakak (little monkey).
It's not a Haitian custom to name animals, in fact the animals here are rarely treated as we treat pets. The granmoun at the elderly home thought it very funny that I had named them Tizwazo (little bird) and Timakak (little monkey).
They have outgrown those names though. The little bird no longer cries all the time, and the little monkey is so chunky he no longer acts like one. Today one got out of my room and Solange helped me get him from under one of the guest room beds. She picked him up and told me he had a "vant" like a "boulet" - a stomach like a meatball. I think Meatball is an entirely appropriate name for both of them :)
4.30.2009
Djon djon
We’re in the rainy season, so we are getting short periods of rain almost every day, and almost every night. It’s muddy, humid, and starting to get really hot.
I went to the other yard to check on the moulen (mill) and see if it had been cleaned. The metal cover on it is heavy so I asked Michel to come help me open it. The moulen is situated under a mango tree with a few other trees around. He pointed under one of the other trees at a bunch of fungus that had sprung up and told me that it was djon djon.
You place them out in the sun to dry for a couple of days, then pick out all the leaves and sticks. The mushrooms are cooked in rice to make diri ak djon djon, which is very good. The mushrooms are black and turn the rice an interesting grey colour. They’re a delicacy, so it’s usually cooked for special occasions.
Djon djon is and expensive to buy. It costs 400 gourdes (approx. $10 US) to buy a mamit (large can) in the market here. In the US they sell for $4/oz, or about $64 a pound. They’re not cultivated commercially as far as I know.
People who pick djon djon usually keep the locations secret. There’s at least six of us who know where these are growing. I have the feeling I won’t be finding many more.
I went to the other yard to check on the moulen (mill) and see if it had been cleaned. The metal cover on it is heavy so I asked Michel to come help me open it. The moulen is situated under a mango tree with a few other trees around. He pointed under one of the other trees at a bunch of fungus that had sprung up and told me that it was djon djon.
I’ve picked djon djon before but I didn’t recognize this as the same. I’ve come to find out that there are a couple of similar varieties of mushrooms here that are eaten. There are a few that aren’t, maybe because they are poisonous, I don’t know. They are called djon djon tè. If Michel hadn’t told me that they were okay, I wouldn’t have given them a second thought. 
I picked a few and took them back to the kitchen on a piece of scrap styrofoam. The cooks asked me if there were more. I said yes and we went back with a big basket. We ended up with three trays of them, apparently quite a lot.
You place them out in the sun to dry for a couple of days, then pick out all the leaves and sticks. The mushrooms are cooked in rice to make diri ak djon djon, which is very good. The mushrooms are black and turn the rice an interesting grey colour. They’re a delicacy, so it’s usually cooked for special occasions.
Djon djon is and expensive to buy. It costs 400 gourdes (approx. $10 US) to buy a mamit (large can) in the market here. In the US they sell for $4/oz, or about $64 a pound. They’re not cultivated commercially as far as I know.
People who pick djon djon usually keep the locations secret. There’s at least six of us who know where these are growing. I have the feeling I won’t be finding many more.
4.27.2009
Mimi One and Mimi Two
These pathetic little creatures are my new roommates. Their mother died over a week ago and the first one was discovered by Michel, one of our yard men. It was kept in a cardboard box below the stairs and meowed constantly. A second one was found two days later, and managed to keep his brother quiet for a few days.
Today I woke up to hearing one meowing in the laundry area, and a while later watched his mud-soaked twin tumble after some of our employees and try to follow them up the stairs to the nutrition center.
Enough. I picked them both up by the scruff of the neck and deposited them in my shower. I gave them a bath and a bowl of milk, which they like to put their whole body in.
They meow continuously when I walk in the bathroom, and only stop when they drink milk. They miss their mama.
If I hadn't done this they would have died. They are very little and no one seemed interested in caring for them. They were pretty dehydrated and very skinny and dirty. They are valuable for keeping rats and mice at bay, so I will get them stronger and find someone who will take them in.
I do like cats, but I don't want to get attached to them. It feels funny to have pets here when so many people need the attention that I would give to an animal.
4.26.2009
Se pa fòt mwen
I was sound asleep. I had first awakened at 5 am, realized it was Sunday, and decided I didn’t have to get up. Sometime later, in a dead sleep, I heard a knock on my door. I turned the fan off and asked who was there.
“It’s me, Jean Paul.”
“It’s 6:30. Why do you come so early? What do you want?”
“Someone wants to have a word with you.”
“What do they want?”
“They need a laissez-passer.” A laissez-passer is a permission slip to leave the property with a vehicle or other item. Apparently right now I’m the only one here who can sign them at 6:30 in the morning – or else I’m the least likely to explode – or maybe it’s an emergency.
“OK, I’m coming.”
I go out to the dining room to find Jean Paul and no one else.
“Who needs the laissez-passer?”
“It’s for a bourèt.” Wheelbarrow. I start to fill out the form.
“OK, but who is it for?" Blank stare.
“Jean Paul, who asked for the laissez-passer?”
“Viques.” The security guard. So it becomes clear that Jean Paul is the one who needs a laissez-passer to take a wheelbarrow off the property – at 6:30 in the morning. I’m not sure if he’s being vague because he knows it’s too early to come or if he is just being vague because that’s the way it is sometimes. Or I don't ask the right questions.
“You know it’s too early to come to ask for this. You got me out of bed. You shouldn’t come until 7:30 or 8:00 when people are up. Today is my day off and you disturbed me. That’s not very nice.”
“Se pa fòt mwen.” Literally translated that means “it’s not my fault”. In usage it means something similar to “I didn’t mean to”. I’m glad I knew that. I was already grumpy and would have gone into explaining to him that yes, it was his fault that he was waking me up on my day off to borrow a wheelbarrow.
“Pa fè sa ankò.” Don’t do it again.
“It’s me, Jean Paul.”
“It’s 6:30. Why do you come so early? What do you want?”
“Someone wants to have a word with you.”
“What do they want?”
“They need a laissez-passer.” A laissez-passer is a permission slip to leave the property with a vehicle or other item. Apparently right now I’m the only one here who can sign them at 6:30 in the morning – or else I’m the least likely to explode – or maybe it’s an emergency.
“OK, I’m coming.”
I go out to the dining room to find Jean Paul and no one else.
“Who needs the laissez-passer?”
“It’s for a bourèt.” Wheelbarrow. I start to fill out the form.
“OK, but who is it for?" Blank stare.
“Jean Paul, who asked for the laissez-passer?”
“Viques.” The security guard. So it becomes clear that Jean Paul is the one who needs a laissez-passer to take a wheelbarrow off the property – at 6:30 in the morning. I’m not sure if he’s being vague because he knows it’s too early to come or if he is just being vague because that’s the way it is sometimes. Or I don't ask the right questions.
“You know it’s too early to come to ask for this. You got me out of bed. You shouldn’t come until 7:30 or 8:00 when people are up. Today is my day off and you disturbed me. That’s not very nice.”
“Se pa fòt mwen.” Literally translated that means “it’s not my fault”. In usage it means something similar to “I didn’t mean to”. I’m glad I knew that. I was already grumpy and would have gone into explaining to him that yes, it was his fault that he was waking me up on my day off to borrow a wheelbarrow.
“Pa fè sa ankò.” Don’t do it again.
4.19.2009
Singing in the rain
It's pouring outside right now. When I peeked out my window I could see a little girl standing in the laundry area with a plastic basin on her head to keep her hair dry and she's naked except for underpants. She's taking a bath in the rain. She's also singing at the top of her lungs in an effort to make the cold bearable.
Weekend fun
Earlier in the week we met Kristin and Sam when they came to the hospital to donate some medicines and bring a couple of patients to clinic. We had a nice time talking to them on the galeri. Their mission (Moving With The Spirit) is building an orphanage in Duverger, a village almost an hour's drive from here. They invited us to come and visit them on Saturday, to see the orphange, visit their house, and to go to a nearby river to swim at a waterfall.
I ended up hiring a moto driver and going alone. I'm sad Nicole missed it, but I hope that she will get another opportunity to go.
I arrived to see the orphanage under construction. It's on a beautiful, fertile piece of land. We then drove the motos as close to their home in Danndann as possible, and walked the rest of the way down the river bank (the river is dry where they are right now) and up a pretty steep hill to get to their house. They are staying with a host family who were extremely gracious and welcoming to me. Sam's father has been visiting there for the past month so I had the chance to meet him as well.
We sat for while, drank some water and cooled off before we headed back to follow the river bed with Sam and Kristen's neighbours and friends. We walked for more than an hour to Grand Sault where the waterfall is. It wasn't a difficult walk. Only a few short hills, but the terrain was a little rough in places, so my legs and ankles were pretty tired by the time we got there.
When we arrived we met some of the local Mennonite missionaries with their family. They were about to leave so we soon had the swimming hole to ourselves.
We arrived from the direction of the bottom of the falls. I didn't trust my legs to climb up to the top so I stayed down below and watched the brave jump from about 2 1/2 stories up. There were other places to jump from too. The water was wonderfully cool.
Yvener, the nice guy I hired to drive me, spent the whole day with us. He was tired from all the walking too, but is a very good driver and got me home safely.
.
I ended up hiring a moto driver and going alone. I'm sad Nicole missed it, but I hope that she will get another opportunity to go.
I arrived to see the orphanage under construction. It's on a beautiful, fertile piece of land. We then drove the motos as close to their home in Danndann as possible, and walked the rest of the way down the river bank (the river is dry where they are right now) and up a pretty steep hill to get to their house. They are staying with a host family who were extremely gracious and welcoming to me. Sam's father has been visiting there for the past month so I had the chance to meet him as well.
We sat for while, drank some water and cooled off before we headed back to follow the river bed with Sam and Kristen's neighbours and friends. We walked for more than an hour to Grand Sault where the waterfall is. It wasn't a difficult walk. Only a few short hills, but the terrain was a little rough in places, so my legs and ankles were pretty tired by the time we got there.
When we arrived we met some of the local Mennonite missionaries with their family. They were about to leave so we soon had the swimming hole to ourselves.
We arrived from the direction of the bottom of the falls. I didn't trust my legs to climb up to the top so I stayed down below and watched the brave jump from about 2 1/2 stories up. There were other places to jump from too. The water was wonderfully cool.
Joselyn had cooked some spagetti to have a picnic lunch. It started to rain as we started to eat so everyone found a dry overhang. We waited out the rain, swam again, and then headed back to where the motorcycles were parked.
Yvener, the nice guy I hired to drive me, spent the whole day with us. He was tired from all the walking too, but is a very good driver and got me home safely.
.
4.14.2009
Yay!
We FINALLY got our Akamil (AK-1000) program started with the mothers in our ambulatory malnutrition program. This program has been in the works for over 6 months and has met many large and small stumbling blocks.
Akamil is a cereal mixture of one part beans with two parts grain. It is milled to almost a flour consistency and is cooked like cream of wheat. It can be made sweet, like labouyi, with milk and sugar, or it can be made savoury with bouillon, garlic and onion. Because it is a combination of beans and grain it is higher in protein than regular hot cereals. Rations of Akamil will be given to the family each time they come, enough to supplement their diet for two weeks.
We have done training with the mothers/guardians. They have organized so that they will arrive early each Tuesday before the regular program to clean the beans. This means picking out the bad ones, small stones, and any sticks or grass. They had to sort over 80 kg of beans by the handful.
This week we are using black beans and cornmeal. Unfortunately, when this is cooked it is a rather unappealing grey colour. We've tested rice and red beans in the mill and this looks much better when cooked. They both tasted really good though.
I took a lot of photos for our donor and those who are supporting this program and did some running around this morning. Later I helped three of our guys run the stuff through the mill. My back was quite tired from bending down and scooping up the mixture to put in the mill. I came into the house in the early afternoon, hot, sweaty and covered in corn flour. I'm not sure if this will be my role each week, but it was a good experience.
I'll be putting up a gallery of photos soon, but for now I will post a couple of my favourites.
Even the chickens got to participate
Akamil is a cereal mixture of one part beans with two parts grain. It is milled to almost a flour consistency and is cooked like cream of wheat. It can be made sweet, like labouyi, with milk and sugar, or it can be made savoury with bouillon, garlic and onion. Because it is a combination of beans and grain it is higher in protein than regular hot cereals. Rations of Akamil will be given to the family each time they come, enough to supplement their diet for two weeks.
We have done training with the mothers/guardians. They have organized so that they will arrive early each Tuesday before the regular program to clean the beans. This means picking out the bad ones, small stones, and any sticks or grass. They had to sort over 80 kg of beans by the handful.
This week we are using black beans and cornmeal. Unfortunately, when this is cooked it is a rather unappealing grey colour. We've tested rice and red beans in the mill and this looks much better when cooked. They both tasted really good though.
I took a lot of photos for our donor and those who are supporting this program and did some running around this morning. Later I helped three of our guys run the stuff through the mill. My back was quite tired from bending down and scooping up the mixture to put in the mill. I came into the house in the early afternoon, hot, sweaty and covered in corn flour. I'm not sure if this will be my role each week, but it was a good experience.
I'll be putting up a gallery of photos soon, but for now I will post a couple of my favourites.
Added: the gallery is posted here
Even the chickens got to participate
4.12.2009
Happy Easter
Joyeuses Paques. If I knew how to write "joyeuses" in Kreyol I would, maybe it's "jwayouz pak", but I can't find it in any of my dictionaries.
Anyway, Happy Easter.
Paques is a big holiday in Haiti. The Lenten season is celebrated like I've never seen before. That said, I'm feeling rather flat about Easter this year and am a little disappointed with myself for that. I missed the Baptist service this morning, and the idea of attending mass later this afternoon isn't too appealing - standing in a crowded, hot church for two hours and not understanding a word is not necessarily my idea of celebrating.
What I like about Easter in Haiti is that there isn't a bunny to be seen. The only decorated eggs were the hardboiled ones that Nicole dyed yesterday.
Anyway, Happy Easter.
Paques is a big holiday in Haiti. The Lenten season is celebrated like I've never seen before. That said, I'm feeling rather flat about Easter this year and am a little disappointed with myself for that. I missed the Baptist service this morning, and the idea of attending mass later this afternoon isn't too appealing - standing in a crowded, hot church for two hours and not understanding a word is not necessarily my idea of celebrating.
What I like about Easter in Haiti is that there isn't a bunny to be seen. The only decorated eggs were the hardboiled ones that Nicole dyed yesterday.
4.10.2009
Seriz
Yet another favourite thing here in Haiti - ji seriz, or cherry juice. Cherries here are the acerola, or Barbados cherry, variety. They are quite sour off the tree, have three seeds in the middle instead of pits, and make a very good juice when a lot of sugar is added.
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