1 Week

So, I've been in contact with the newest volunteers coming down here, and it has really made me think about my experience. The latest questions I got from the girl taking over my position were not simply about what kinds of clothes she should bring, but questions that led to a really long response from me. Probably more than she wanted to know, but it was nice getting it out there. It is something I'd like to share with everyone, especially those with similar questions to hers which were: What made you do this trip to Haiti? Do you think you'll go back to Haiti? and Are you excited to be coming home?

This was my response:

What made me do this trip to Haiti.. hmmm. This is a story I think I've told 100 times! By the beginning of my senior year of college I knew that during the year following my graduation I wanted to volunteer long-term. I had yet to decide where... though another choice of mine was at the Christian Appalachian Project in Eastern Kentucky. I did an alternative spring break there my junior year, and really liked the organization. Then, January of senior year (Jan. 2009) I came with my church group from college down to Haiti. It was an immersion trip, not as much a service trip. It was to learn about and witness first hand Haitian life and culture. We spent about 7 days in Port-au-Prince and two days out here in Jeremie with Bette and HHF. By the end of the trip, the rest of the group reflected how it was a great trip and really eye-opening, but that they were ready to get home. But, all I could think was, I don't want to go home! If it could have worked out, I would have stayed down here from that week on.

I knew as soon as I got back to the US that Haiti had to be the place I would volunteer. I knew the girl I ended up replacing was getting towards the end of her time here, so about two weeks after I was back in the states, I emailed Bette and asked if I could come for a year. And it was decided! I came down in August of last year after having the summer at home, and doing the Kreyol course.

In the very beginning it was hard for me. I had left a boyfriend at home, and my sister had just had a baby in May... so I felt like I was leaving a lot behind. I contemplated leaving early, saying I just couldn't do it. But I knew then, as I know now, I would have regretted that for the rest of my life. It didn't work out with the boyfriend, (though it wouldn't have if I'd stayed home either... I think this trip was a blessing in that sense as well...) and I get to go home and see how my niece has changed and really begin to build a relationship with her. I have learned so much about myself, and really grown as a person during my time here. I've learned to put things in perspective and broaden my worldview on so many levels.

It is not just about your job. As with most jobs, it is what you make it. It's about the relationships you form and all the experiences you gain and the lessons you learn. I liked working with HHF but that with the combination of my life outside was really, really what did it for me.

I was an English major for my undergrad, mainly because I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and I love reading. I played with the idea of going into publishing, but when I really think about it, it seems like a lot of work, very little pay, and most importantly, I don't see it directly helping someone. When I was little I wanted to be a nurse, but during my high school chemistry class (which I found very difficult) I thought I had an epiphany that I COULD NOT be a nurse because I was not great at chemistry. Well, in the years following that class I have learned that I'm capable of a lot more than I gave myself credit for back then. And now, I'm going back to school for nursing!

I am excited to get back to school, to eat an ice cream cone, take a hot shower, and kiss my newest niece, but I come near tears every time I think about leaving this place. While coming here and adjusting was hard, I think it will be significantly harder going the other direction. I currently live in Manchester, CT, grew up in Coventry. And that's where I'll be for the next few years! If you're from anywhere in New England/Northeast, we can definitely meet whenever you're home again. Let me know :)

Oh, and will I come back? Well.. if home is where the heart is, I'll never be completely at home in the US.

Cap Haitien

Like I said, I am going to make an effort to catch up and write during my last 2 months here… And now here I am, 8 days before I leave. Sorry. Here goes. I’ll write about the trip we took to Cap Haitien. For those of you who don’t know, Okap (what Haitians call Cap Haitien) is in the Northeast of the country, not far from the Dominican Republic. From what I’ve seen, Okap is the second biggest city in Haiti, second only to Port-au-Prince.

When I first met Ann back in August, we started talking about making a trip to Okap. It took us a while, but we finally got our act together and made it happen. We planned with our friend Prophete, and found a hotel to stay in right outside the city. The first leg of our journey was to get to Les Cayes. A friend of Prophete’s was taking his private car there so kindly let us ride with him. We left around 4:30 in the morning and arrived about 10AM. I basically slept the entire ride with my head rolling around and my mouth open. I’ve made that ride on a bus and on a moto, and I chose sleep over looking at the view this time.

In Les Cayes, we found a bus going to PaP at a gas station. We grabbed a pate and a couple donuts then sat in the bus waiting. After it was FULL we started on our way. Again we all slept a little bit in between stops where people gathered around the bus to sell us food and drinks. I bought tablet (like a delicious peanut brittle) and we got a lemon-lime soda. At one stop this one guy was yelling, “Makwòs, Makwòs!!” over and over and over again. It’s a type of sweet that is sold in a block, but listening to the guy shout it over and over drove us crazy. When we asked what it was he answered, “Makwòs!” to which we said, “DUH, but what is it??” Finally we found out that it was the sugary sweet stuff.

When we arrived in PaP, we needed to get to the airport so we could pick up our rental car from God-Given Rental Car… and boy was it. We finally got a woulib (ride) from one of Prophete’s friends who brought us to the airport. We went in and the very serviceable employee took good care of us. We rented a Daihatsu Terios. It was a small hatchback but it had 4-wheel drive should we have needed it. It was white, so of course we called it Ti Blan, like me. From PaP, Prophete got us on the main highway (if you can call it that, but here, all things are relative). After about 4 hours we arrived in St. Marc, a small city that was still bigger than Jeremie. We stayed overnight with Prophete’s mom. She made us dinner with a spinach-like vegetable from the Artibonite region of Haiti. It had crab, which I avoided, and we put it over rice. The next morning she made spaghetti that was spicy and delicious. We got back on the road before 7AM and continued to Okap.

We finally arrived, and thanks to Devon’s Lonely Planet book, which included a map, we were able to easily find our hotel. We stayed at Hotel Rival, just out of town, and right across the street from the sea. I would recommend this hotel to anyone! It was in good shape, clean, comfortable, had air conditioning, and hot water! The room rates included a large breakfast as well. After we paid for the room for a couple nights, and put our things down, we took the car into town to find something to eat.

After parking on a safe side street, we found a small restaurant on one of the main streets. The great thing about Okap is that the streets form a grid with vertical ones being letters, and horizontal ones being numbers. In the restaurant we asked what the options were for lunch. We were told fish and chicken. There was a Haitian guy sitting and eating at the bar. As we discussed what we wanted and tried to figure out if the items were fried or with sauce, the Haitian guy pipes up with, “It’s like chicken with gravy” in perfect English. And that’s how we met our friend Jimmy. Apparently, he had spent college in L.A. which explained his almost nonexistent accent. Jimmy was a night nurse working at the new clinic for prosthetic limbs in Milot. This hospital has hundreds of foreign doctors going in and out to help all the people from the earthquake who lost limbs. They can arrive there free of cost if they lost a limb in the earthquake. The specialists will fit the prosthetic limb and help the people get used to it.

After we ate lunch we got in the car and drove up to Labadi where Royal Caribbean cruise lines has their port. We got into the port but didn’t get to Labadi. The boat that was available was too expensive so we opted not to go to the actual town of Labadi. From outside the gate, though, we could see Royal Caribbean’s ROLLERCOASTER, and jet skis, and water trampoline, among a bunch of other fun things. We only got to look though, so we headed back toward town. That night we stopped and got ice cream! And then headed back to the hotel. After we all had hot showers we basically settled in for the night, reading and watching ESPN2 or, The Lebron James Channel. We had a TV but that was the only channel that came in…

We had made plans to meet Jimmy in Milot the next day to see the hospital. He gave us a quick tour of the actual hospital, and the makeshift clinic for amputees. I made a fast friend who held my hand during the whole tour, and then let go when it was time to leave. Overall, we were impressed with the operation there. It made me envious of all the nurses.

Jimmy decided to come along with us to the Citadelle, and he brought a buddy of his that is also a tour guide. After the drive up to the parking lot that the people there have named, “Parking” we started our ascent to the actual citadel. Some people took donkeys up the road, but we decided to walk… it actually wasn’t that bad. The Citadelle was pretty cool… it has a really interesting history behind it. And it’s not really regulated, so you don’t pay to get in, and there aren’t really any areas you can’t get to (except for the random bedroom that remains a mystery to me).

After walking around and taking pictures we headed to Palais Sans Souci (in French that means ‘without eyebrows’ which makes me giggle, but it also means ‘without worries’ which makes a lot more sense). Unfortunately, there’s not much left of the palace so we were forced to use our imaginations in envisioning what once was a grand palace.

The trip after that wasn’t anything too exciting. We had a good dinner at a really nice restaurant, where I was able to find an ice cream sundae!! And then drove around for another day where we saw Fort Liberte, which had some nice views, and went to the town of Ouanaminthe, the border town with the DR.

We then got to drive back to St. Marc, and then to PAP where thankfully we flew to Jeremie. Even though Prophete hates flying, I was grateful for the break.

Sorry it's been 4 months...

Wow. I really did a poor job of updating this blog, and I apologize to those who check for updates! It’s the same as keeping a journal to me- I love the idea, and I have lots of things I want to remember and share with others, but I can’t make myself write about what has become my life. In the beginning everything was so new, and I wanted to write about all the differences that I came across, but now I kind of just find myself accepting things and not questioning them quite as much. I’m going to try to write some catch up things.. new things I’ve learned and experienced.

I’m going to start with WHERE DID THE TIME GO? I cannot believe I have just over two months left here… There was a period where time was going slowly, and now I can’t seem to slow it down! Just as in the end of any part of my life (high school, college) the end of my time here will be bittersweet. I am so happy in my decision to have come here and would not change it for anything. I love my life here, the people I’ve met, the ways in which I’ve grown, and all of the things I’ve learned about the world and myself. But on the other hand, I am also ecstatic to be going home. I am excited for all the plans I have, and the next steps I’m taking in my life. I feel like the experiences I’ve had here have impacted me in ways that have changed me forever. I’m so grateful to have that to carry around with me.

I told Ann I get especially sad about leaving when I’m eating an abriko, or swimming at Anse d’Azure, but when I talk to my friends and family at home I am equally excited to be able to see them regularly again. Anyway, I don’t want to dwell on the fact that I’m leaving… I’m still here and I want to share some new things…

A lot has happened in the 4 months since I last wrote. Port-au-Prince is still a mess… I feel that it will take a long time to get it back to the way it used to be, which wasn’t a great state anyway. I was in the capital for a few days over the last few months… and it’s hard to describe. In my personal opinion, Port-au-Prince was not a beautiful city to begin with, so besides collapsed buildings and tent cities it is difficult for me to point out changes. I’ve never spent more than a few days in the capital at a time, and cannot make my way around myself, so I cannot provide much detail. What I can say is what I’ve heard from others… For instance, that people are receiving aid in the tent cities so they do not want to move back into their homes even if they’ve been deemed safe to live in. I’ve heard that someone (the government? Aid organizations?) are thinking about giving an incentive to families hesitant to move home. Like, if you go back to your house, we’ll give you $50. They want to start clearing out the tent cities, which I can understand. But, even though I said people are receiving aid in the tent cities, I’ve also seen spray painting and signs outside that say “we’re hungry” and pictures of a crying Haiti… It boggles my mind and hurts me to know there’s no quick and easy way to ease the suffering.

Out here in Jeremie things are about the same. A lot of people have started going back to Port-au-Prince to pick up the pieces of their life and start over. People are looking for work, and going back to school or looking for a new school if theirs was destroyed. There were a few weeks where we didn’t have much gas/diesel out here and no city power, but there weren’t any MAJOR outages of anything. Of course there were thieves on the road to Port-au-Prince who stole food and supplies coming out to this region, but nothing horrific happened that I know of. There was a point for about a week when the US Army was here with supplies and checking out the situation around Jeremie. They helped HHF bring supplies from PAP on one of their cargo boats. There was not nearly as much on there that could have been on there, but it was still a great help.

HHF continues in the earthquake relief effort. There are still many families dealing with extra people that came from PAP, and lingering injuries. It’s as though it has become the norm now.

In the wake of everything that has happened, we have continued operations of all of our regular projects in addition to earthquake relief. For me this means mainly the Next Generation of Healthy Women program. Youth from 29 villages were trained in the Responsible Sexuality course, and we are now finishing up our “Girls Health Days” which now include boys as well. We take height, weight, hemoglobin, and blood pressure in order to check for malnutrition and give iron to anemic girls. We are focused on the girls that will be playing soccer this season. We want to make sure they are healthy enough to practice and play all summer. Johns Hopkins University nursing students are coming at the end of the month to help with the last two Girls Health Days.

We also have 2 med students down to study breastfeeding and prenatal care especially pertaining to women who came from PAP after the earthquake. It will be interesting to see what they find.. if there are any differences.

In May I went to Cap Haitien with Ann and another friend, but I will write another entry on that… Haiti has a crazy and interesting history, most of which none of us are taught in school, which is interesting in itself.

I promise to write more soon!

Vaca That Needed a Vaca of Its Own

Recently we had a few days off for Mardi Gras, and decided to make the most out of it by getting out of Jeremie. We originally had planned to go to Jacmel for Mardi Gras, however it is just as devastated as Port-au-Prince since the earthquake. Instead, we looked at Devon's Lonely Planet book and decided on Port Salut, just outside of Les Cayes. It was a super quick decision to do it.. Ann called Hotel du Village in Port Salut to talk about rates, and we consulted friends on transportation.

Finally it was decided that we would take moto taxis to Les Cayes and catch a tap-tap from there to Port Salut. A good friend (and quite the gentleman!) organized our motos for us, and got one for himself as he too was headed out that way. You may or may not know, but Haiti is known for its deplorable roads. The road from Port-au-Prince to Jeremie is no exception, especially the Les Cayes to Jeremie portion. We opted for motos because it was either a 4 hour moto ride or a 10 hour bus ride, most likely leaving in the middle of the night.

The following morning we were up and ready for 10AM, equipped with water, sunblock, sunglasses, and hats. Motos arrived caravan style outside the front gate around 10:30 and we were on our way! Of course, I ended up choosing the trailblazer who was a good 3 minutes ahead of everybody, flying down the good parts of the road. One hour into the ride, I had blisters on my hands and a sore back. I could not have been happier by the time we arrived in Les Cayes (until our ride home, which I'll get to soon). We found a tap-tap to Port Salut and just waited for it to fill up, and they really do fill up! A tap-tap is usually a modified pick-up truck where you pay and then get on until you get to where you want to be. You tap the side of the truck when you want it to stop, and that's where the name comes from.

This was my first official tap-tap ride (we took one from Chambellan to Jeremie, but we rented it just for us and there were no other passengers) and it was a decent experience, considering it did not break down in any way. Two guys that were clearly from Port-au-Prince (trust me, you can pick these people out) were quite entertaining. And it turned out that one of them spoke excellent english, so he helped us find our way to the hotel in his hometown, Port Salut. I'm sure we could have managed, but it was still helpful. On the ride we stopped because there was a huge group of people in the road, and apparently the driver and others wanted to know what was going on. So we stopped and people went to find a huge snake that the people were killing! Well, I guess they had killed it just before we got there. Haitians are generally afraid of cold-skinned creatures such as snakes and frogs. The only other incident after that was when we couldn't make it up the hill. The truck was pretty packed and we were going up a long hill... so we all had to get out and walk up the hill and meet the truck at the top.

We passed right by our hotel, so we were dropped off right in front. The lady that runs the place is French and very nice, so she gave us a nice room and we went right in the water. The beach was long and clean, and the water is really calm. It's not quite as clear as our normal beach, Anse d'Azure, but it was still beautiful. The picture at the top is sunset the second night we were there.

I am trying so many new things here, and getting used to things as well. Since I got here I have become a firm believer that a person can get used to ANYTHING. I barely cry when I see a spider anymore, I eat bananas, I take cold showers every day, I never have cheese, and I can sleep even when dogs are barking and roosters are crowing at ridiculous times. But my latest improvement is that I ate a FISH. All by myself. Mum and Dad should be so proud! As a kid the closest I would get to a fish was jumping in the water my dad was trying to catch one in! Here's a pic:

Okay, so Ann had to cut the head off for me before I could eat it, but fish for me is a big step! And it was delicious, but nothing compared to the fish that I ate on the last night. AND Rachel shared the fish with me! She's a very very bad vegetarian :-P

So, our vacation basically consisted of lying on the beach and reading, playing euchre (a card game Ann taught us) and walking in the town. I finished reading Mercy by Jodi Picoult and picked up Tess of the d'Urbervilles where I left off before Christmas. (I still haven't decided how I feel about it... but I don't love it). In town we were able to find some delicious peanut brittle and Devon found some bread. But the beach was definitely the high point.

Apparently Port Salut and Taiwan have a cooperation project for tourism at Pointe Sable, so the people make a concerted effort to keep the beach clean and provide delicious food and the best part is, they don't ask us for things! In Jeremie the people are so used to whites coming and handing things out (not a good thing...) they expect it all the time. For volunteers such as myself, it is a big problem because I honestly have nothing to give them. But in Port Salut people were interested in their own lives and didn't come and try to speak english to us or ask us for presents or anything. When I couldn't finish my dinner I gave it to this young kid sitting behind us and he was grateful, but didn't ask for anything. It was just a casual thing and it was really nice.

After our 3 wonderful days in Port Salut it was time to come home to Jeremie. Our original plan was to come back in a private car with the same friend that brought us to Les Cayes, but the chauffeur lost the key so we had to make alternate plans. After arguing with moto drivers to get a ride to Les Cayes (they wanted wayyyy to much and tried taking advantage of us, but we know better) we ended up in Les Cayes looking for a bus. Well, we found a bus and paid, but we did NOT realize that it was already full. So, Ann and Devon got on the back door, and Rachel and I got on the front but there was NO WHERE TO GO. We ended up standing for 5 hours, and that is not even the worst part of the entire ride.

Standing, packed between people, made me more claustrophobic than I have ever been in my life. I am not a big fan of crowds, and that combined with the fact there was nowhere to go made me a little nervous. The road is terrible, as I mentioned before, and this forced us to go really slowly. About 2 hours into the ride, there was a huge rock in the road we could not get over, so we started to back up so we could get some momentum to make it over, but we were right on the edge of the cliff. The best part was looking over the cliff and seeing a bus down at the bottom from who knows how long ago. Well, the Haitians started FREAKING out and jumping out of the bus. They were screaming and climbing over each other to jump out the door. They broke the front door in order to get out. This scared me. Probably close to the top of my "Scariest Moments of my Life" list. Obviously we did not fall off the cliff, but it felt like we were going to and that was enough. I looked at Ann in the back of the bus and she mouthed to me "No wonder these people pray so much." Yeah, no kidding. I even contemplated getting off the bus at that point, but once we made it, we were back on our way.

The same thing happened about an hour later but it was less scary and more annoying. Because when all these people get off, they have to get back on and it takes time. Finally, about halfway to Jeremie, some people started to get off, and Rachel and I were able to sit. Slightly more comfortable. Until the time came when we stop and Ann says, that we should probably get off because there's a huge cutout in the road they are throwing rocks in to fill so we can pass without sliding off the cliff. At this point, everyone gets off the bus and walks a little ways ahead until we can get back on. I was never happier to see the Jeremie bus station. Even in the pouring rain.

Through the whole trip we told ourselves what we always tell ourselves (thanks to our friend Stet) especially when things aren't going quite the way we wish they would: N'ap fe eksperyans= we're experiencing.

When we got off the bus and looked back at it.. the name on the front? Experience.

Pinez!

Here is a quick picture of the pinez bites I received before Christmas. Pinez are like bed bugs but they live in the woven chairs here. I was out in the village of Campagne sitting in on a Responsible Sexuality session, and I didn't even know I was being bitten! But I sure felt them later. The only relief I had while I was out there was to go into the bedroom and scratch until I was satisfied! When I got back to Jeremie I was able to get some cortizone which provided relief, but they were nasty bites while they lasted! I had over 100 on the backs of my thighs!

Update

It is a beautiful, sunny day here in Jeremie today (though already a little hot for 9 AM) and I wanted to give you a quick update of what's going on here at HHF.

The last boat we received was a week ago, bringing with it another 1,500 people. Camions and tap-taps (buses) continue to come in with those leaving Port-au-Prince, though at a slower rate than in the beginning. Hopefully it will continue slowing down this way, as the town is already packed with people. As we drive and walk around, there are noticeably more cars and people in the streets. There is a Haitian proverb that says 'The streets are the living room of the people' so it's easy to notice the increased number around town as they are outside and not in their homes. It is also interesting because you can sometimes pick out those from Port-au-Prince, as you might be able to pick out someone from NYC in a rural area in the US.

The best recent news is that we have been able to get supplies into town. We received two large tractor trailers within the last week, and just yesterday 4 small airplanes arrived straight from Florida for us. The trucks came from Catholic Relief Services with food, and the airplanes were paid for by private HHF donors in the US, bringing food and supplies. In addition, we were able to help out our Haitian staff of 150 with earthquake relief donations given to HHF. On Friday of last week I helped our accountant count out $30,000 and divide it into packets of $200 to be given out to each member of staff--from laundresses to doctors. Passing out the cash brought out more smiles than we have seen in the last couple weeks combined.

Another volunteer like me, Rachel, did some research to see how the staff here in Jeremie have been affected by the earthquake, and the subsequent influx of people here in town. Her findings showed that 44 out of 114 houses were damaged, and an average of 5 people were coming to live in houses that already housed an average of 7 people--That is a lot of mouths to feed! So, it was great to actually see the money going out to our staff members as it is much needed just to feed the people in their homes right now.

In addition to these arrivals of food and supplies, we are working on getting our usual container from Port-au-Prince. The Connecticut office had packed it in October to be sent down by boat. We should have received it in December, but there was a delay in customs, followed by the earthquake, so we are lucky it is even intact. Hopefully this will arrive soon with much needed food and supplies!

Please continue to keep Haiti in your thoughts!

From HHF...

WATCH HHF ON PBS TOMORROW NIGHT!!!

Dear HHF Supporter,

Amidst the tireless planning and relief work that Haitian Health Foundation employees and volunteers are providing to the thousands of people fleeing Port-au-Prince, we are reminded that we also continue our mission of nearly 30 years to the people who were already living in our area prior to the earthquake. Among HHF's food and nutrition, education, housing, and other programs for the people of Jérémie and its surrounding 100+ villages, HHF provides prenatal programs and emergency evacuations to pregnant mothers in the far reaches of the Grand'Anse.

At the time of the earthquake, we were just a few days into a week-long visit by the award-winning PBS program NOW, led by documentarian Mary Olive Smith and crew. Although the earthquake cut short their shooting schedule, amazingly they have already produced a final piece—called Saving Haiti's Mothers—that will air on PBS's NOW program this Friday, January 29, at 8:30 pm in many markets. (The actual air time varies city by city, so click here to determine the scheduled time in your city.)

I hope you will take the time to view this documentary to observe the work that you are helping to support. Scores of pregnant women have come from Port-au-Prince—and already we've had reports of some of them giving birth in Jérémie upon their arrival! This is just one of the programs that HHF is proudly gearing up in order to assist the thousands of people who are being added to our catchment area for the long term.

Thank you for your support of this vital maternal and infant health program—and all of HHF's programs for the people of the Grand'Anse. And please keep our neighbors in Haiti in your thoughts and prayers.

Jeremiah J. Lowney, Jr., DDS, MPH

Founder and President
Haitian Health Foundation

---

From PBS:

Haiti's catastrophic earthquake, in addition to leaving lives and institutions in ruin, also exacerbated a much more common and lethal emergency in Haiti: Dying during childbirth. Challenges in transportation, education, and quality health care contribute to Haiti having the highest maternal mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere, a national crisis even before the earthquake struck.

While great strides are being made with global health issues like HIV/AIDS, maternal mortality figures worldwide have seen virtually no improvement in 20 years. Worldwide, over 500,000 women die each year during pregnancy.

On Friday, January 29 at 8:30 pm (check local listings for your specific area), a NOW team that had been working in Haiti during the earthquake reports on this deadly but correctable trend. They meet members of the Haitian Health Foundation (HHF), which operates a network of health agents in more than 100 villages, engaging in pre-natal visits, education, and emergency ambulance runs for pregnant women.

The United Nations Population Fund, which trains midwives to share life-saving birth techniques, says that with proper funding, public support, and wider application of simple but scarce innovations, such deaths could be reduced by nearly 70%.

As humanitarian attention on Haiti slowly fades, the issue of maternity mortality remains as imperative as ever. But with an estimated 63,000 women in Haiti currently pregnant—and a main midwife training school devastated by the earthquake—the mission of keeping mothers alive has never been more daunting.

NOW co-produced this program with the Bureau for International Reporting.