Haiti

Haiti in October (2011) - 9 days.

2011-10-20T07:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday, Haiti October 9,

As I write this date, I realize that I have been too busy to wish Matt and Tjitske Happy Anniversary, especially this year with now a family of three. So hereby happy, happy, happy, my beloveds.

I am in Haiti since last night. The Delta flight was good: they even gave us free coffee, tea, small snakes etc. A nice surprise compared to all the others airlines lately - one (don't want to say the name of this American airline..)wouldn't even give water on a long-distance flight. Unreal.
Sander took me to the airport, which I always find a wonderful treat. However, no trip is uneventful. At the airport the outside-checking porter told me I had to pay $155 extra. I knew it would be $30+ $75…but that total isn't even close! I made sure I paid by credit card and got a receipt from the grump. I had checked the prices 10 hrs before with Delta! bottoms of my 3rd bag, a duffel, gave out (can't blame it, I almost did the same!) and all my stuff rolled all over the sidewalk. Sander was still there so he stayed (sidewalk check-in) while I ran through all sorts of security and lines to finally get to a store (Brookstone, of all options!), where I bought a new $$$ suitcase. Run back out, Fill. The man, grumpy, then had the nerve to ask me for "a tip for the porter", with his head around the pillar so nobody would see or hear. It is not allowed. I said no, then added that I only had a $50 bill. His response: 'I have change" at which I gave him a cheerful smile "well, then you don't need a tip!" You have to have something to laugh at when things "come apart at the seams".

So far so good.

On the plane I sat next to a young woman and I was fascinated with what she told me. She is 50% of Haitian descent, 49% Italian (how's your math today?) born in France and later moved to Italy (her father.) She is a midwife, lives in Geneva and was sent to Haiti for 6 mo on a special project through the UN. It is her job to supervise and train the midwives who work in poverty of all poverties in 'Cite Soleil, City of the Sun, where fear, filth, danger and darkness rule. How ironic. In the middle of this greatest danger zone she works and teaches a midwife's difficult skills in Cite's only hospital. They deliver, normally, at least 70 babies a day (pop. 40 000, increased to 50 000 after the quake) and about 10-15 die at or soon after birth. They have no way of testing them for aids because the international aid org that is to provide equipment/testing for just and only this project, never has any money, even though this is THE project they serve.. These tests are free of charge to anyone in Haiti. And so are the meds. Questions, anyone??(Yes: it is run by foreigners - not by Haitians) She gave me the name of the organization and I am going to investigate**. Are they who they say they are? Where is the money? (they run on donations…and the project is specifically for Cite Soleil.) Is there another way to get this to the people? If they know at least which mother AND infant are positive, there is a step forward. As an option,anyway.
They do not have a pediatrician. Not even one - and they are desperately needed. Medicines Sans Frontieres, (Doctors without Borders) the biggest medical presence there, is pulling out completely. In fact: they are 75% gone and will be completely by February. Too dangerous. That leaves them with nothing. It is so hard to understand. I have so many questions running though my mind - first of all 'What is Wrong with us??' and I do not mean you, me, our friends…but with peoples as a whole, to have such hellholes on earth. To allow this. Where is our pride and compassion? When did the 'me more - you less' concepts start? Ah yes: according to ancient writings it was Jacob and Esau.
After that all hell broke loose.

On to happy things.
I had brought all my boys (Jean's family) a new school backpack, filled with a toy of sorts, several granola bars, packs with underwear, socks, pants and nice shirts. You wouldn't believe their faces. Each single pair of (printed) underwear was carefully examined, (boys ages 5, 12 and 15) and Claudy, the oldest at 19, had boxer shorts which he was immensely proud of. I saw Gladys later: she had stolen a pair from Claudy because she decided that they were great shorts-that I had made a mistake)
What was great that the four walked around the house all of yesterday and all of today yet,with their backpacks on.
For some great toys for older kids? Go to AC Moore or any such. In the back they sell little pop-out wooden models of planes, helicopters, dinosaurs, motor cycles…all for a buck! They never saw anything like it, and had to get it through their heads to be patient, not follow the picture but the drawn instructions. The first one to finish was Ewol, the youngest, to much envy of the others.
What really amazed me was the puzzle I had brought. Another $1 or so item. It is a giant floor puzzle (hand-size pieces) with the typical horrendous scenes of dinosaurs.
They had never seen a puzzle. Not a clue. They had never seen dinosaurs and asked if they lived in America. Didn't understand significance of straight edges, corners and looking at the picture. I sat with them (Rudy 15, Claudy 19 at first) until they were about 1/3rd through, and with a happy shout I was called later: "Manmie: fini"!. Well…the head of the one was under the *** of the other, but that was straightened out fast. All played with it many times after. More puzzles coming soon. More roaring dinosaurs.

Jean had lost soft and fuzzy "Dog" last spring, one bought at IKEA and much loved by him. He was desolate. I went back to IKEA and bought him "Dog" #2 who was cuddled with joy.
Last night I was given no choice but to sleep in the big bed. Jean, as always, cuddled up next to me, Dog in arms. A little later it was clear that someone else snuck in on the other side (It's a queen- no problems) In the deep dark finally a soft voice whispered in my ear 'can I sleep here too?'. Yes, Makezien, you can too.
So there I was: three little glowing-skin boys, a Dog and me. I slept late. When I woke up there was still One Little One in the bed…the rest had rolled over. It had to be Jean, clutching Dog. But he was too tall…it was 12 year old, quiet Ewol, snuggled up, with Dog in his arms. I looked at him for a while and tears welled up in my eyes. How little love and guidance he has had with both parents dead when he was only 4, and a then 17 yo sister who was just as lost. I snuggled up with him, age 12 going on 7, and asked 'would you like a soft animal too, next time I come?' The whisper 'yes' was very soft. One will be found.

The question, as always, plagues me: why some have so little when others (like me) have so much. Why some countries are always at war, when others seem to have peace for most of a person's lifetime. I feel so desperate. Gladys and Frantz asked why I was crying. I didn't realize I was. I told them "why is it that we have so much, when others have so little?" They didn't really understand then issue. It is the will of God, they explained.
God wants you to live in a bad world? Yes. If your house is dirty, does God come and clean it up? They thought this was hilarious. So I asked if they thought God should straighten out their government? So, then, how about poverty in the world? A great discussion ensued over dinner, and the more i heard, the more I understand their (sad) way of thinking that keeps them where they are.
The more i want to say, the less Creyole I can speak.

I am going to mix up the clay now so it will be ready for tomorrow. It is 4pm and I am very tired. The road is filthy muddy and people walking are working hard to go from less muddy to less muddy area. It stinks, it is brown, there is junk.
Each man and woman is dressed beautifully. Crisply ironed shirts and dresses, cheap custom jewelry nicely arranged, a hat for the older women. I end up crumpled at 9 am in a house….how do they do this?

More tomorrow.
As Carl always says: "it sucks to be poor".
And I see pride although we do not realize what it is.

Tuesday, October something.
One looses sense of time very quickly here. It is light by about 4-5 am, and is pitch-black by 5 pm, so at 6:30 I feel it is high time to go to sleep.

Yesterday was busy, and a later a nice day.
In the morning, hanging over the balcony, life seemed too difficult to me. The road was absolute mud and the holes everywhere bigger than I have ever seen here (on this street). It is virtually impossible to not get your feet disgustingly wet, and for some reason that has frightened me. Dirt everywhere. I never before realized how dirty Haiti really is. By yesterday, when I 'saw' more closely, people didn't seem as clean as before either. Fewer starched shirts, suits and ties. More t-shirts (with holes) and really old shoes. I didn't really see that truth yesterday. It was not a nice way to start.
My question was: is it always like this, or have I simply been seeing it all through my rose-colored glasses? Looking through my half-full glasses? Is that a good thing?
I don't know.

Gladys makes good coffee and, for the first time since the late'60s, I love sugar in it. While drinking it, i noticed that Claudy, the 19 yo, was not going to school. I asked him why not, and Gladys said that he can't because he doesn't have black sneakers.
Makezien and Ewol had just left for their 1st day of school, and Claudy's sneakers from year-end May were worn out and too small. I was appalled! He had new white sneakers on, but he explained that he cleans them very well - they are not new at all. No correct color shoes with the required uniform - no school. I was furious about such stupidity. Education comes above all.

An hour or so later Claudy, Jean and I walked to Jean's school. Dinah: I disagree with you! It is a long, hot walk up-mountain. ;-) especially in 100º humidity!
Jean's school is very nice - nicer than any I have seen. Space well-used, clean, busy kids. Carolyn, the director, took me around all the rooms and it was fun to see the real thing after having seen Dinah's pictures. Each room for different levels (education here goes by ed. levels, not at all by ages), divided over two buildings (large rented houses, converted) with a million dollar view over the ocean. Breath-taking. SThe older students each have cubicles to work in, individual tables or one large one for the younger ones.
I was given a choice of two spaces: one windowless room (cool) with access to a stone courtyard with a cistern and a faucet, or an outside space, covered/enclosed by wrought-iron fences, with 3 big picnic tables. I chose that for all the classes, because it is not used and easier for the materials to stay. And more space to work. I'm happy. We'll start the adult workshop today, and the school projects tomorrow.
I am very grateful to Carolyn and Gary to let us use school space for the clay class.
I am still rather confused about when to or not to work with the younger kids, but so be it.

While we were there, the music teacher came. An older man toting an accordion gathered all the children on the landing and they sang. Those little voices…in tune (these were K-3), perfect English, singing all the songs my children and Carl grew up with. I loved it and will try to get in on film next week. (Note: I didn't - I wasn't there)

After dropping Jean off we walked down the hill, across town, down streets, back up, further left, down….oy…until we came to the market. I went to the bank to exchange money, gave Claudy 100 gourds - $2.50 by today's exchange rate - and told him to go to the market and get black sneakers. He was nervous that I would go to the store by myself but I just laughed. We went our separate ways. I finally had my shampoo, mosquito spray, cheese, peanut butter, an apple and fresh milk for Jean…the compromises one needs because the different and monotonous food gets to your system after a while. Last time I had 'the runs' for four months! Claudy had bought a pair of only slightly used black sneakers for school. Of course this is when I heard that the other reason he was not in school was because it doesn't start until next week…and the first day is a vacation day anyway.

When Jean came home we played games with the game book and the number 'domino' game. Interesting: you nave to match numbers, whether in picture form or actual numbers. He doesn't see those numbers yet (KG) but he instantly sees whether there are groups of seven, three, whatever. That is better than recognizing numbers at this point. I played a lot of games with Ewol, (Errol) also. I have my Kindle, and there was a series of games, including dimensional mazes. Quite complicated as a new concept. It took him a minute to figure it out and worked at them until deep into the dark. (Ewol is the one we worried about)

We've drawn a huge solar system on the wall, with planets circling, - except that Neptune fell behind the bed and we can't find it. Well, Neptune has always been out of sight anyway.So now we have "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us…never knowing how many (Nine/Neptune) and Peanuts/Pluto no longer being a planet shrunk the whole 'system' considerably - but still a lot of gazing for them. We also added glow-in-the-dark stars to the whole room, but I didn't say what they would do in the dark. Total amazement that night. So much fun!
None of them, young or old, know what the solar system is, by the way. I just can't understand this situation. What in %^@T@#* DO they teach these kids??? So happy Jean is in his American-English school!!

I just saw on tv (always on) about a new trade agreement between Haiti and Spain. Part of this is to aim for increased levels in education, with their help in faculty exchanges etc. Very interesting to see/hear that these positive steps take place.Since all was brought in Spanish, French and Creyole in turn, I actually understood. One carries a lot of 'language glue' on these trips.
Why is the tv always on? The lights? the Fans? Because otherwise you don't know when the electric goes off, or, more excitingly: comes on again. Easy.

There is a little boy living here as well, the 9 yo son of Gladys' cousins. Dario is here because, in their mountain village, there is no school at all. The mother pays something to Gladys for food, Dario has certain tasks (as do all the kids) and his is to empty the nightly bucket.
I do not like Dario. He is a sneaky little boy who quietly gets into everyone's things, especially Gladys' and now mine. I have 3 bags with syringes I have to take to the hospital, there are paints…many things to get in trouble with. No matter where I put things: he always finds them. I believe Dinah said much the same. I've tried to spend some time with him, but he is so strange. Another lost boy? Will keep trying.

Mid-afternoon Melet Derose came to visit. We are both members of EducationWorldWide, an international member organization for teachers based out of Denmark. There are ten of us, two from every continent, and the discussions can be very interesting at times. Melet and I have been corresponding some for about 4 years, and actively since spring with EWW. It was great to spend time talking instead of emailing. He is an English teacher in Verrettes, a lovely little town in the Artibonite delta, but, like many, is basically out of work. Recently married and trying his best. His English is really good and it was a pleasure to see him face to face. We hope to meet again at the 1st international conference next August in Poland. He has a great motorcycle :-)
I am going to Verrettes later this week to meet the principals of two high schools there, so we can prepare for the Hexagon Project at their two schools. Melet is very excited about the concept. I hope I can honor Beth and her concepts with the results. On my way I will stop in Dechapelles (hospital) to talk to the man of the clay shop there (they make dishes from molds) about their kiln, take the bags with syringes to the hospital laboratory and go and visit our friends in the woods, in their one-room house. Such lovely people. Money will be given to them for schooling, or maybe shoes. Or maybe food? Thank you, my friend back home. You did another good thing.

Today? Hot already. I will take a bucket now and wash my hair with real shampoo, 'brosss' my teeth, hope my hair dries by 2 pm.
Slept very well. Not so hot, fan worked all night, fewer 'skeeters and only one pair of little legs across my stomach.

One funny story. Yesterday we were on the balcony, reconstituting the clay from dry to moist. There was about a cup full of clean water left, but there were people below the balcony and no place to get rid of it in the house. (the clay plugs up whatever wasn't plugged up already)
Next to/below the house is a little shack, one room, cement floor, with a corrugated metal roof. It used to be covered with trash, but I had asked them to please clean it up and it was spotless. I took the cup and with a lovely wrist motion threw it onto that roof, to run down to the street like the rain. It made an unexpected, explosive sound and almost instantly a man appeared, bright white undershirt on, toothbrush stuck in his month and a terrified look on his face. It was awful and very comical at the same time. I quickly explained, apologized, he broke out in a big smile and we all burst out laughing. Thank heaven for Haitian humor!

There is a large cockroach on the ceiling above me. I SO love the tropics!

So today the first clay workshop has ended, and it was a wonderful experience.
Between knowing nothing about clay, and not understanding much of what I said (ok-it went just fine), they were really deeply into this. Claudy at 19 the youngest, and Frantz the oldest at thirty-something, all were excited and ready. Gladys had been told not to participate, because she just graduated from cosmetology school and I was afraid she would abandon that quickly out of envy and, perhaps, boredom. She quietly showed, sat down, worked and, at the end of the day said "look at me, Manmie!". And she indeed had done the best work.

We took a lump of still really wet clay, but there were no bad faces: they just took it. We played and rolled, smooched and squeezed until it was a the right consistency.
I then explained the reason for being here (mine and theirs) and that I expected certain things from them (such as being there and being on time) out of respect for me coming and doing this. Much agreement (i know 5 of the 7). I really like all of them. Some business information, and looking at the tile books to have a better idea what this was all about. We laid the clay slabs in the humid sun and went to draw given and free designs on 10x10cm paper squares. They saw quickly that a little flower must become a big one, etc. Two of the girls, as well as Frantz, are clearly artistic and are enjoying exploring.
We made several pinch pots, kept their best choice, and cleaned up. Before that happened, however, I quickly walked around one of the tables for some reason, and, my depth-vision always failing me, I fell off a rather high ledge, rolled against the next table and flat on the lower floor. Knee 'feels good', breathing is fine as long as it is not too deep and my right elbow makes its presence known as well. Oh boy. They were more upset than I was! I told Frantz that the only way to feel better will be a rum and coke...
I have to arrange a ride to Verrettes/Deschapelles tomorrow (for Wednesday) and a big one for Th or Fr to Port, for various fun excursions.
The 'mustik' are eating me alive :-P so I am going inside. Besides: Jean is climbing all over me wanting hugs, kisses and lots of games.

Wednesday, my 5th day here.
Still 'something or other'. Time moves at such a slow pace..

Today was good, in spite of my badly swollen left knee (in spite of my bounce I still don't have a good relationship with cement) and my back is hurting at the lowest rib.
So much fun!
The morning I spent at El Shaddai and I think I met all the teachers. There are several young girls working there, and one young woman with her husband, All are strongly motivated by religion.

One elderly man is a nurse. At this time he is supervising the oldest students but he is here to train a group of nurses. No previous education…he is 'it'.
That's not too bad, considering where we are. What he didn't know was that 200 students are waiting for him. That's not too bad either, until he just found out that there are no materials. No books, no stethoscopes or cuffs…nothing, He is starting the 24th,
Miraculously I have 3 bags of syringes Carl had given me to take to whichever hospital needed it most. He will get a huge bag of oranges for them to practice on, until he can figure out what to do. The poor man is just desperate. The least I can do is make a connection with a nursing program in the US to see if they have a few spare items. How to get them over there is yet another issue.

Th middle grades students' work in the hexagon project at El Shaddai was excellent. They understood and really were excited. The oldest students were interested, came up with good ideas but then petered out with the hexagon art part.What they expressed, however, was startling and very sad. These are mostly children who are born in the US to Haitian parents who kicked out their teens and flew them to El Shaddai. Talk about abandonment! Here they are in a new country, living in an orphanage their parents pay for, in a land they have never seen with languages they don't speak.
The clay group did, again, an excellent job and as yesterday we ran out of time. The class was about 3-4 hrs long. We concentrated on coiling, making slip, using slip and making pieces as tall as possible. They take this very seriously.

I took a little time to talk to Jean's teacher. and found out that he is in pre-K. He will be 6 in December, so thats is fine considering his start in life. She said that most kids here lag at least one year behind, and that Jean's problem is mainly his speech. I realized last year that his choice of words is both limited as well as hard to understand. Add English development to that and he needs more time. Not a problem at all. I really like the teacher and she has a loving grasp on what is happening and needed. I am spending much time with Jean just making the correct sounds needed for English and we are having a ball!
So all is well.

Today I am asking myself: why do I want to go home today? What is getting to me?
I just called Tjitske and had a wonderful conversation with her. Thank you for understanding, Tjitske, I really needed that!
As I wrote before: it is the dirt. And the lack of progress. The joblessness. The stopped buildings. The old, faded signs along EVERY road, main or small, that tells you that MINUSTAH, the UN, UNICEF, feed the children, HIV-Aid (haha), every kind of cross from red to religious, educational orgs (.org, naturally) and NGO (Not Good Onough!), medical groups, feed the pigeons, kill the birds or give 'em toppence…it all looks as bad as 10 years ago. It is all and a little of all.
I look at all the organizations that come here through church groups. I really resent that the .orgs here in Haiti are not honest, and tell churches at home what a pain in the &*(*&^ these groups are for them. It takes such organization here (I see that now), and food, and etcs coming out of your ears. What they need is your money. Your money from your flights and all the stuff you bring. They need to employ the Haitians and have THEM build that wall, improve that classroom and paint. They accept groups because they need their fundraising support from home, and because they at least bring some money with them. That is the sad truth that I have heard from multiple people, of various denominations and countries. They need you to use your effort fund-raising, not making yourself feel good when that is the wrong time. Not what people want to hear. Fundraising aid, large and small, is truly their greatest need - or teaching short-term (a subject to doctors or teachers, for example), or volunteering log-term. And another thing that bothers me about select groups that to one place only: they make a difference in place, but do not reach out unless there is religious…agreement. I don't see much about reaching out to fill others' needs. Don't get me wrong: there are SO many here who do make a difference whether short or long term. But there are also many who are just in the way.
Last time I saw progress. A lot of it. Now that progress has stopped again. I can't take it. I feel useless more than hopeless.
So what the heck am I doing there? Trying to justify that when I think of what I just wrote. Is it because I still believe that teaching is everything? I need to think that over when I come back home. In my frustration I am angry and unreasonable.

So…where did my starfish go? Where did it stop that it 'makes a difference to this one'?
It does. It really does. And like teaching: you never know how far your influence will go.
I'm trying - but I would like to go home tomorrow. No more trips by myself. There are certain creature comforts you don't need to give up to make a difference. Next time I will be in a place with a real shower and a toilet. Not a bad compromise.
I have to remember that I can still be a woman on a mission.

Thursday.
Mission aborted. Can't do it any more. And I'm glad nobody is with me, because I wouldn't want to do this life to anyone.
On a personal basis: the rippling rash on my neck, from chin on down, is burning and itching like mad. It feels and looks like lizard skin. Nothing has helped it except, temporarily, a huge block of ice. Who knows where that came from?? My knee is bruised - van Gogh would have had a rich palate to choose from, I don't sleep from the heat or my spinning mind and my entire body is a mosquito battle field. That's all.

This morning there was no bucket for 'shower'. and Gladys explained that a break in the road had drained the entire water supply for all houses. Claudy had gone down the road to get two buckets out of the community well (mind you - this is a city!!) and hauled them home. Half-way through my bucket-scoop-bath I realized that I was standing in concentrated cholera water, the worst region of Haiti. I have a family. Maybe I'm letting my friends down, but I do have a Carl and a family to think of.

I called Melet, who was very understanding (has been to the US a number of times) and asked him to arrange to do the Verrettes workshops as soon as ;possible. He said he would shoot for tomorrow and call back. Cellphones is the only thing that always works here, even shortly after the quake. As soon as my hair dries (like in 2 days in this humidity) Claudy and I will go to the internet cafe and look up when the next Delta flight goes home. I hope to be able to go to Tjitske and help her with Keegan who is sick. That's a big reason I want to be there also; I feel she could use my help now. Maybe I'll just be in the way, but then Keegan can always give me one of his lovely cuddles.

Across the street is a large blue and white truck. It has two very flat tires and has been there for at least two years. The ally next to it is the 'home' of a metal-working business. They repair/weld any metal work, build open sections on top of trucks and hang-on tops so people can ride there. They also make beautiful wrought-iron fences. There are always many people working there and they work from before daylight until long past. They have been there as long as I remember. I went over and asked them if I could shoot a short video. Of course they have seen me on the balcony many times over the past several years, They were very excited. There is also a man who makes furniture and I filmed him as well.
The 'GLAAAACE" man (ice blocks) just came past on his daily delivery route (remember from earlier blogs?)…funny to hear his monotonous voice with nasal sound (carries better). The business across the street, the 'moto' taxies hair-raising rides on motorbikes through puddles and narrow, slippery heights), the lotto sales and the night discos seem to be the only businesses that are always working. And, of course, the endless stream of women working on markets.

Gladys told me a funny story this morning. The owners of the house, Haitian-Americans, collect the annual rent and do nothing to the house. The bathroom is 90% non-existent, walls are starting to peel badly etc. Frantz, Gladys' live-in boyfriend for the past 4 years (great guy) is a certified electrician. This brings on a few chuckles on my part. Anyway: he has a good job inspecting etc. The owners did not provide electricity, i.e. no wiring or anything. The el. company allowed Frantz to bring in electric, and make some extra money by letting the other families in the house (4) pay him. So Frantz put in the wiring, which is now dangling happily from the ceilings, run across the floor and, for convenience, tied under the fridge. Sigh. The neighbor thought he should not have to pay Frantz, so Franz disconnected the wire across the hallway. When they were gone, the man came in and ripped all their wiring off the ceiling, walls, etc. Funny story? I suppose it is better to look at it that way. PPL beware!

Friday
I cannot see a word i am typing in this light, so the test and puzzle is on: if you want to read this, try your best.
Gladys and I were sitting on the balcony this morning, both crying in each other's arms, both about the same desperate situations but both for different reasons.
I can step out. She and her countrymen cannot. Hopeless.

Absolutely not even half a day without adventures. This morning I asked the boys, Claudy and Rudy, to take me to an internet cafe downtown St. MArc (that's the main and only paved road) We walked a long way, dodging honking cars, laptops, motos, taxis (all honking) , wheelbarrows, people hauling stuff any way they could and neatly suit-dressed, bible-toting men. We walked forever;. On our way we met Eddy, Dinah's friend who was hauling half his household on his motorbike. When we continued, and finally came to the cafe in a dark upstairs room: the ONE computer wasn't working. They did have a fan somewhere, and that was enjoyable. I had tripped in the dark on the way up the stairs - my specialty - and put a tiny dent in the port of my computer (fixed it later, which made all more annoying. No tools around,of course. ) We took a moto to another place, sort-of, dodging holes and puddles, rocks, donkeys, busses, wheel barrows, sidewalk business…well: you get the picture. "Over the rivers and through the woods" take on a lovely new meaning here.

We were dropped off, but that's not where the cafe was, according to the boys. I was sure I saw the place I had been to last year.. Not quite as grimy as the others. After roaming several blocks, we arrived at the place I had suggested in the first place. There was no internet there either, but that was not the 'adventure'. Just life.
When we walked in this short guy stopped us at the door, asking what we wanted. I told him 'internet for one hour'. That was 100 gourds, which is ok. He obligingly put the fan on for me, and left.
I tried to get on the internet (failed) when a man came from the back room, asking what I was doing. I had to pay. I already paid, I explained. Between the boys and I it became clear to him that someone had simple walked in, took my money and disappeared. I continued trying to get google. I offered to pay again (after all, what is 10 cents for an hour?) but he would only take the money back from that guy.
Everyone ran down the street (now about 6 people), found the guy and dragged him back, Was this the man? Yes. He screamed at me and tried to attack me: I didn't take anything from you: I worked for it!. The nine or so men gathered by now pulled him back and screamed back. I turned back around, ignoring the crowd, and went back to my google attempt. "But I turned on the fan for you!" he screamed, which made everyone burst out laughing. They finally got the money out of his pocket and the nearly 30 people outside all got rid of him. I never did get on google. I stayed with my back toward them mainly because I had to laugh so hard…not a good moment to antagonize anyone.
Although I was not afraid, I must say that I was happy that we climbed on yet another moto. I'd rather that the man in the orange shirt would not know where I am!

Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday
Friday late afternoon I moved into Le Gou-T, a hotel at the end of the street (sort-of). I was trying to take a nap and the tarantula above me on the ceiling didn't know whether I would be worth a little bite for dinner. I was certain and my cup had filleth'd over. I ended up in a small, very clean room in a nice place that gave me the breath of air i needed to stay. The A/C was great, the bed comfortable, the toilet flushed and I took 3 showers a day until I left. Food was included and the menu offered chicken or fresh fish. Being allergic to seafood, I chose chicken. The next day they offered fresh fish or chicken. I chose wisely.Same menu on Sunday. That was fine. I NEVER drink Coca Cola here, but am hooked on it there and that satisfied me for the day. Gladys was upset at first, which is understandable, but then understood and we spent all other time together. Jean spent the night.

We went to Verrettes to two schools to do the Hexagon Projects, and that was interesting because the schools were clearly quite different in their expectations of the students. The work that came out was good, but contained little art. They had NO clue about any design or expression other than words. Other than for the visiting doctors in nearby Deschapelles I have never seen Haitian art anywhere outside Port etc, and these children had not seen anything. In fact: they were stunned to find out (HS and teachers!!) that blue and yellow make green…red and blue purple, etc.
Where do you think colors come from?
From the store.
I had a great time with them.
I asked the teachers if the students haver have, or see, any art. They were puzzled. No, they explained, we do only school work. Art isn't considered anything. I explained the left-bran/right-brain thoughts and they were amazed!

Afterward we stopped in Deschapelles, even though the driver had to be back in Saint Marc. I tried very hard to find my friend Todo, married to Margarite (Tina put their daughter through school last year) but he was not to be found. Met tons of other 'old friends' there, with the usual squeals and hugs. Suddenly a big commotion: they had found Todo for me! (His nickname is Todo, because over the years he has always asked everyone if there was something to do!) After a joyful reunion, he told me he still doesn't have a job (3 yrs now), but Margarite does. After the cholera epidemic last year so many orphans were left at the hospital that the hospital had to open an orphanage. This is where Margarite finally found a job. My friend Betsy had handed my money 'for whatever needed' before I left and I quietly smuggled it into Todo's hand.
I felt badly that he had to have tears in his eyes for something the world owes this little man who ALWAYS works in hopes of getting a paid job. "Why sit at home" he asks me through his two missing front teeth. "I would get old!"
The hospital is urgently asking for help with the cholera, and to get a full-time pediatrician. I don't understand. Last February, Sander in June and I now again, saw no activity around the hospital at all. Very confusing. I didn't get to talk to the kiln man. Next trip.

The clay project had its last session in the shade at the hotel. They very kindly let us be on their patio, in the shade and under an umbrella. The tiles were made the last day and I am SO pleased with the final results! I left the clay, another new bag of it, and the tools and the book there for them to play with until next time, which will hopefully be in February.

I am not going alone again. I need to share the overwhelming sadness and frustration with someone, and receive and give encouragement and perspective from day to day.
And speaking only FrEolish becomes exhausting!

Monday
I changed my ticket to go home earlier than planned. The projects had all finished and the 2nd tile project, in Port au Prince, had not been possible because, well, sometimes things are out of your hands. That's it.
We worked until the last moment on Sunday, and Monday morning we left around 8 am for Port. Jean came too, and sat on my lap clutching me tightly the whole way.
Although the car almost broke down (transmission) we made it to the airport without any further events. When I got back in after getting gas, the entire…whatever part has the handle to close the door, wind the window etc, came off in my hand. I felt terrible but the driver said it was better without. Just push on the outside. I suspect it had done that before because I saw tape.
At the airport Jean and I both burst into sobbing tears. It was so hard to say goodbye, and seeing his little wet face made me not able to hold back my tears. We have forged such a close relationship, almost 6 years now.
Carl and I are so sure that Jean, some day, will make difference to others.

Between Saint MArc and the airport in Port au Prince, we were stopped several times by a number of motorcades, each preceded by BIG cops on BIG motorcycles. Some were zig-zagging across the road in pairs. Sirens, flashing lights: it was the day to celebrate the death of Dessalines, and a national day of festivals. Sure enough: the President and entourage raged by as well. Funny.

At the airport we had, as Sander had told me as well, to go through NINE checkpoints! It is a "Delta Special" and as annoying as heck! NINE!

On the way home I sat with another physician. She is a GP from NY and goes to Haiti 3-4 times a year for a long weekend. It is a special program that brings in medical personnel to this clinic in a segment of Delmas (Port au Prince), into the largest tent city in Haiti. They come for the sole purpose to teach one certain procedure to the Haitian physicians, nurses, techs etc. (Look at AMSMD.org) They also use people who can teach, in a variety of projects and settings and for all ages. I think this sounds like a good place to go to next February and I am trying all my aphrodesiacs on Carl to go there!! They really need someone to come for a few weeks, rather than a few days, to put certain protocol in place.

So much is needed. So many things to simply develop the minds of these children, help the teachers who often have so little education themselves. Teach mothers about nutrition for their families. Help young and older men to develop job skills. Save lives, one at a time. If you have any time, effort or, yes, money to spare please either send some to OneBigBoost, or to any organization you trust! By the way: Doctors without Borders is pulling out of Cite Soleil all together. Too dangerous. Imagine that.

This blog took place over nine days. It is long, but nobody said you had to read it :D
Thanks for your compassion to take some time to understand more of the difficult lives of others. Send good thoughts - they make a difference!!

Photos and a clip will be added soon. Marianne

** I have lost, in the shuffle, the name of this HIV/aids aid org and will have to do some research to figure out who that is. If you have a spare moment, can you help with that? It is an international org funded to administer free HIV testing and is (also, only?) used in Cite Soleil specifically. It is a big, international organization.

Babies, Haiti, clay and 4 suitcases.

2011-10-06T15:44:00.000-07:00

Greetings again!
In case you didn't know yet: I became an Oma Oma! And Carl an Opa Opa! Tjitske and Matt delighted us with a beautiful, bright-as-a-button grandson named Keegan, who is now 10 months old and getting into everything! It is so wonderful! And to add to the joy Annemieke and Mark had a little Clara (pronounced with two British 'ah's) in April. Carl and I went to see them in May. Utter joy! Because she is so far away (now even in Australia for 2 months!) she calls on SKYPE often. What marvels to make life happy!
We're spending both holidays away from Keegan (oh-and parents) this year, but we'll spend his first birthday with him in December, on our way back from spending Christmas in England.

Haiti on the horizon! As always sad to leave Carl (harder each time) and happy to go. Delighted to see my ever-growing little Jean, who will be 6 December 5th (How about that for a Dutch St. Nick gift??). He is starting to speak English and it is a wonderful feeling for both of us! We decided to keep him in KG one more year, although he is doing very well. He WAS a preemie, and then another 6 mo behind, this won't hurt him one bit.

So why (again!) to Haiti? More projects, more excitement, more upward motion.
First of all I would like to say three neat things. In the first place OneBigBoost gave the funds to Happy Years School (now-who wouldn't want to go to a school like that?) in rural Uganda. They bought a Dell desktop and I will try to download one of the pictures they sent me.
In the second place i have become a member of a great small organization with a wonderful concept. It is called Education World Wide (EWW-but not the Unesco one) and its goal is to gather all sorts of teachers to exchange ideas, teach each other, on a high level. There are two people per continent (for now) plus any number of people who are interested at a state or local level. Guess what? Marianne is one of two. The other is a friend of mine in Haiti, Melet Derose, who is a teacher in Verrettes, only 45 minutes by taptap. (pronounced more like 'toptop' One toptop to get one, give another two toptops to get off and pay. Good system: keep things simple) Melet and I have been friends for several years, but Sunday will be the first time we actually meet face-to-face. Funny.
The third one is that I am an eMentor with the sate of PA. I'm matched with a number of HS students who are interested in the same things I have done. Through carefully designed exercises, the student and I both go through steps (10) to come to certain conclusions. I've had one who couldn't spell whatsoever, now two really bright boys who are interested in theater/art/dance. Fun. I'm really enjoying it!
I volunteer my days away and am loving it!

So about this trip.
There are two projects.
The main one is to teach a skill with the purpose of providing a way in which a small group can start and maintain a business. Haitian run, Haitian owned. Six adults and a gifted 14 yr old will participate on a daily basis, 4-5 days a week, for two weeks.
The project is to make decorative ceramic tiles - the ones used on walls in nice homes like yours. We will start with the simplest: playing with clay, pinch-pots. coils, imprints with found objects, etc. Then the serious stuff begins. Rolling out tiles, checking thickness, followed by at least 6 ways in which a tile have be decorated.
We're also taking a field trip to visit an art studio, three galleries and a wonderful museum of Haitian Art. What joy that place is! There is a 5% chance (maybe 6... ;D ) that we can have a few of their pieces fired at the end. this is part one of two. I will be back in early Febr, at which point we will dig for clay, clean it, test it. Also visiting some kilns built there, and starting to build 'our own'. That in itself will take some time! I have spoken to TONS of artists here, and sometimes I hear too much to feel that I still have a clue.
It will be nice to sort it out.
The 2nd project takes place at Jean's and at Melet's schools. One in Saint Marc, halfway up the coast going north from Port au Prince, the other inland in Verrettes. I am, with great encouragement of Beth, conducting hexagon projects (google Hexagon Project and you will find it) in the upper grades. If I had not been with her while she did this in Nepal, I probably wouldn't had had the guts. But it is so wonderful for the students that I wanted to give them the experience. Just look it up-you will be amazed with the lovely (international) artwork submitted by school students each year.
So I have four suitcases and keep peeling here and there to be sure I stay juuuust under 50 lbs. It costs enough for the two extra ones! Two days ago I tried to see whether the one suitcase was still under 70 lbs (pay a big extra) I lifted it barely an inch and hurt my back.Shouldn't complain: I am the one who caused the stupid punishment!
That's it for now.

If you are so inclined, please, in whichever way you can, join the crowd in Wall street, whether bodily or in any other way you can. The corporate spending/no taxes has to stop, folks!! Some things are also ridiculous: I mean 700 people arrested and carried off in school busses (hello- energy abuse anywhere?) because of peaceful demonstrations?

Anyway. don't get me going. Think of me and wish the projects well, think of yourself and do something good (hug yourself, for example) and do something nice for your neighbor, especially if you can't stand the sight of him or her. Being nice to people you like doesn't count as much!

Kwasiorkor

2011-02-21T15:25:00.000-08:00

As a really, really delayed reaction to a previous comment/question posted: kwasiorkor, 'kwash' for short, is a serious and deadly nutrition-deficiency disease in children. It appears mainly in tropical, developing countries. When so diagnosed, treatment must be applied immediately. The two most common signs are reddish-tinted hair and big bellies with skinny arms and legs. The body is so malnourished that it can no longer absorb food; protein in particular. Signs are also prolonged diarrhea, irritability and lethargy. It is a life-threatening stage that needs immediate attention, and needs to be monitored by professionals. Plumpynut and Medical Mamba are two products that provide high doses of ingredients needed to bring the child out of the worst stages, but many children return to the condition as soon as they return home. The child, lowest on the food totem pole at home, is often only fed the rice that is left after the family eats and, if still nursed, the mother's milk contains little nourishment to help the infant or child.

paper, plastic or hand-woven? (haiti feb 2011) (new hatian free bags)

2011-02-20T05:19:00.000-08:00

greetings to all. another trip to haiti has come and gone: another whirlwind of actions, impressions, accomplishments and failures. it is psychologically very difficult to be part of haiti - even if only for a week. staying there longer - a month or more - is definitely a more peaceful experience: everything settles and there is not such a rush to see and do all, or time to accept and understand. aside from that: i cannot be gone from carl that long.

this will be long, but much has happened again. ready it or dump it :D

as always, i just jot all this down, hope the spell-checker works (has not been...it must be in haiti....)and what you see is what you get. this trip was different. as all are. dinah dreher 19 yr old girl from germany, and katie bower, a social studies teacher in her late 20s from tunkhannunk (rural n.e. pennsylvania) were my companions for this powerful, short journey. dinah was steered my way by lisa walter, our onebigboost ambassador in germany. dinah was searching for something meaningful to do before beginning her university studies in the fall, and is now the volunteer math teacher in saint mark, haiti. a very brave young woman who will need all the encouragement from us all that she truly deserves. she will have many good and many difficult times. but i will let you follow her own stories on facebook and, hopefully on blogspot. thank you so very, very much for doing that, lisa! you've made a great contribution to the el shadai american-english school in saint marc, and a life-changing one for dinah! and that's really what onebigboost is all about!

arrival in haiti.
i was amazed at the improvement at the port au prince airport: an actual arrival into a 'sleeve' rather than across the tarmac (which with one airstrip is perfectly safe even if it is an instant blast-furnace), walking into organized halls to our luggage retrieval and waiting calmly in line for customs. amaaaaazig! outside was a long, covered walk-way with kind luggage porters and, at the very end, a group of people, including gladys and frantz and, most importantly, my little jean. he knew me from a great distance and was pulling away to find my neck with two tight little arms. absolutely wonderful. he is so healthy, so beautiful and so filled with love.

ok. so let me backtrack and give you the perspective as i heard over and over from dinah and katie:
...there were people everywhere...people touching me, yelling and talking, taking my luggage...it was scary and so confusing! i didn't know what to do! it was so horrible! then meeting gladys and frantz and jean, trying to get into the truck with everyone claiming to have helped us and wanting money (that was certainly true and maddening) and...and...

it would be easier to continue like this for pages and hours, but i will give a simple summary of what we did, saw, experienced and accomplished this week. it was good to go home at this point, after 8 instead of 10 days because, for once, i was truly overwhelmed as well. having dinah and katie close was absolutely great!

summary of some of all memories, good and bad mixed:
- there is building and construction absolutely everywhere, including in cities where there was no destruction. ergo: employment and upward motion.
- roadwork was amazing and with fantastic results. raised high up against water, solidly constructed. to saint marc in under 2 hrs instead of 4-5. no more vw-deep holes
- water run-off systems everywhere, also really well-done
- all people working rather than standing around watching others work (one time excepted)...sound familiar?
- strong electric lines on solid concrete poles all along the highways, as far north as gonaives (farthest north we went)
- tent cities as far as the eye could see in every direction of the compass. thousands and thousands and thousands and....of them. the distances these people traveled to safety and shelter is unimaginable.
- safer toilets everywhere, particularly by s.o.i.l and oxfam, who are working side-by-side on the toilet/hygiene issues. more about that later.
- several camps where they are starting little garden plots, flowers and food planted in old car tires.
- many farmers working the land - more than i saw any other year.
- the food prices everywhere are sky-high. no idea how people can survive on it.
- it seemed like almost everyone had jobs, but i didn't see as many school children as usual.
- fabulous (hidden!) restaurants, bars, discos and hotels
- many people without limbs
- wheelchairs impossible in the rubble-filled streets and steep 'roads'.
- handicapped people house-bound as a result. employment opportunities???
- endless complaints that food and fresh water is not delivered to the tent camps, particularly to the out-lying camps, miles and miles into nowhere.
- orphanages who are inundated with children who are not orphans, but whose parents cannot feed them.
- very young prostitutes along every major road, lifting up skirts with nothing under them, hoping to have some food that day.
- the sudden safety and normal- all is relative - daily life when arriving at saint marc or other such towns.
- every inch of space in petionville, leogane, port au prince (on and on) occupied by tents, from make-shift plastic bags to nice square house-shaped units in orderly rows. asnywhere an inch is found: in parking lots, small side yards, on the median of highways,even i the beds of pickup trucks. all parks are occupied as are steep hillsides and rubble-filled empty lots. there is worry about land deeds.
- rebuilding in the city virtually impossible because there is no way to get to the place where something needs to be built: occupied by make-shift shops selling either 'maggie' boullion cubes, spark plugs or bras, behind which are row after row of tents, each filled with families who have no other place to occupy.
- families living under fallen buildings with the risk of another cave-in.
- still an occasional stench of death
- beautifully built or repaired hospitals, often filled with international staff who teach the haitian doctors what they don't know how to do right....(many of those trained overseas: good to see respect and all..)
- worst of all: thousands of ngo-s, who will absolutely not work with each other. (a few exceptions, of course)
- dozens and dozens of international aid orgs, such as individual countries' red cross orgs: sweden, finland, iceland, japan, germany, arabic relief, brazil, chile, canada, usa, switzerland, greece, poland, mexico, china, several african nations etc etc. what was nice there was that many shared vehicles and drivers as needed, judging by stickers
- clear work done and continued regarding past, current and future issues, from roads to schools to mountainsides, growing projects, safety, hygiene etc etc.
- higher level business such as upscale stores and galleries are blooming and true quality artwork is appearing there.
- lots of painters on the street selling "their" art, created faster than degas, renoir,
van gogh, kandinski and dahli combined...and in all styles, of course. one even had jars of paint, ad paint smeared on his hands! i took his hand, rubbed some of the paint on my hand and said "see? i made all those, too!" which created great laughter from his street-vending professionals. long live copy machines!
- we had a fantastic driver while in/around port au prince. a 24 yo college business student named watson who knew the mazes like his back pocket. his english was good and we had a lot of fun. he, as most haitians in such cases, became a special friend to all three of us.
- sleeping on the cold tiles on a balcony in soft rain. a real mix of comfort and discomfort.
- trying to deal with people who always want more, or more for less. very frustrating. their initial requests are usually unreasonable, yet you hate to dicker with those who have so little
- not being able to explain that not all whites are rich, that not all 'blan' are there to get something from them - but to give, help and, hopefully, get the hell out of there again.
- trying to deal with the superior 'blans' around us, who are so good to the inferior, teaching them all they do not know while rubbing in how much they know, and will probably not continue..
- seeing people who will never ask what it is what the haitians want but just bring shirts (maybe they'd tell you they need underwear!) or pencils and paper for school instead of building a small outdoor kitchen so the kids ca have a hot meal once a day. these are just poor examples, but hopefully make clear that we must ask!!
- mingling with the haitians on 'time off' occasions and visit a disco or sip a glass of wine. have lunch together - even if on the sidewalk. they live differently, but are as alive as we are. do we have to do this 'integration' business all over again?
- huge billboards, elegantly done, regarding use of condoms, yes or no on breast-feeding (no for hiv+mothers), other safe sex issues, cholera prevention, cholera treatment, pre-natal care, malnutrition, safe toilet habits, work and education and water purification. clear and open, no baloney. we could do that here too!
- never-ever being able to drink or brush your teeth from a faucet.
- not having a real shower anywhere except at our hotel, which was a nice surprise.
- being able to softly slide into the lovely hotel pool with our clothes on, or just a bra and panties, because after the intense heat we couldn't just let it shimmer there
- always being surprised at the beauty of the vegetation, the huge banyan trees or the...whatever the true giants are called....
- many new large grocery stores, available to all rather than just diplomats and people with passports.
- tons and tons and tons of international corporations who set up permanent businesses, employing the many educated haitians who previously had nowhere to go once they had their diplomas or degrees.
- some tet villages had a little garden plot started by each tent.
- we saw solar cell panels atop (really high) street lights to offer night-time safety for them

boy- that was a lot of blue, wasn't it? (red and blue, haiti's colors...) sometimes one just has to spew in order to release, relive and especially not forget.
as far as onebigboost is concerned: we got some things done, others on the way and some just died a quick death.

dinah has found her temporary home at the house of gladys, jean, frantz and her three teen brothers. she's had a couple of bouts of homesickess already, but it is almost impossible not to. i stepped into this madness having worked myself from the bottom up over the past 11 years, while she and katie landed smack on the top during an exceptionally difficult time. very, very rough. please follow dinah (dreher)'s 5 month intense adventure, if at all possible, on facebook and whatever because she can use all the t-l-c she can get!
she already has many friends there and the fact that gladys is close to her age, has made a complete room available for her and that we started out all together, makes it a little easier. but only a little. she just told me that everyone taught her to 'dance haitian style' before taking her out clubbing last night. she had a blast!

we found two small groups of people, in saint marc and pertionville, very very interested in the tile-making project. they have the free clay, can build a kiln (have free soft and hard stone as well as free/low-cost cement and firing materials-not wood). the glazing materials and tools are not so hard to ship there. this project would entail initial investment from outsiders to purchase and provide labor, and volunteer time for education, building at least two med-size kilns with with them. i explained that during the first 3-6 moths they would have to apprentice a few hours each day and that this was like a school, but they didn't have to pay tuition (and should keep their jobs!). that was understood and appreciated. at least 3 of the people will be excellent a reliable. one of them, using my sample book, immediately talked about design etc. i feel that it should be a selective system as well, to give more value to the project.
very, very great.
we made contact with two galleries who are dealing in quality and all original pieces, one more costly than the other but both within reason. paintings, wood carving, glass, multi-media, photography, jewelry and iron work. no fabric work, come to think of it. they said they would gladly accept tiles for sale, since they have no such items.

we visited a home for restavec teenage girls, which was a very moving experience for us all. They have seven of the worst raped, beaten and neglected girls, with another 8 to come. in addition they are working with hundreds of families through individual and group meetings to improve the lives of many less endangered work girls and boys, some as young as age 3. one of the housemothers, a perhaps early-30s young woman, american of haitian origin, is a Child Advocate. she told us that they are training the girls skills for a profession as well as going to school, having normal chores and the normal life of teens. baking cookies instead of cooking for the entire family.for once. katie, dinah and i conferred, all being equal in onebigboost, and decided to donate $500 to the home, to be used for an object(s) that would benefit all, such as a house computer for study and/or sewing machines. we'd love to give more: this project is worthy of all help we can give it and skill-building is essential for independence.

one camp we visited needed a school building, we were told. they had one, which was very confusing. the principal, rather than asking for books, asked for uniforms. there were about 300 tents, all with at least one family each and nothing much more than the clothes on their backs. we left in great confusion and some anger. it's a longer story - let's leave it like that.

cite soleil - the dirt under the crust of the earth.
after visitig the new gardens outside cite soleil and being told there was a door in the wall that surrounds it, i went to fid it and stepped through. like the witch and her war-drobe.

i made some people worried or even 'unhappy', but i couldn't help myself. i had hear children's voices, and by sound found a lovely little school. the 'building' was new: newly erected walls covered by cheerful yellow tarps which gave it such a sunny appearance! the children, all crowded 8 or more to a bench meant for two, were working hard and paying attention to their teachers. they only have 6 grades and are grateful for any students who make it that far. that school i hope to do something for!

the section of cite soleil i was in was like nothing i have ever seen or imagined. something from a made-up movie. each house was tiny-tiny and each one room only made of stone (or whatever) walls, dark and dank. the 'streets' were perhaps 3 feet wide and often no longer than one or two of the 'houses'. after each segment there was another turn and another. at each turn i looked carefully for things to help me find my way back. it was truly like walking through a maze - an eerie one. people stared at me, some shocked, but whenever i flashed a happy 'bonswa!!' to them, i was greeted with joyful smiles and the same greeting. one time is asked for lekol and was pointed to lakaila. sure enough: i had followed the sound correctly. they were too stunned to take me there.
i had a wonderful coversation with the principal, who took me around to each classroom, introduced me to each teacher and to all the boys and beribboned little girls. watson, deadly worried, finally found me and scolded me. i was really sorry that i had upset him, but am delighted with the little discovery trip. the principal asked me " are you by yourself? not afraid? that is good. very very good!". i have his and the school's information.

the gardens visited were wonderful. all 'fed' by composted, odorless and rich human waste (yes: safe to touch) and anywhere from 1-ft high bean and tomato bushes to peeping green. visiting their system of sifting and safe handling of the tons of waste was truly interesting! the toilets themselves were great! poo and pee are separated within the toiletry. liquid goes into containers, and poo gets a handful of...bash?...that helps the odor and starts the composting off to a good start. it would be good, with more nutrients, to ad the pee, but that also makes the whole process stink like heck. they have a special cleaning system (cholera) for departing trucks, tools and human feet. hip-hip-hurrah for SOIL! our $1500 donation is growing!

we went north, to gonaive, to look at a river that had not been contaminated, and searched for clay. it is excellent, so that was hopeful. we rode there in back on a tap-tap, something upper-class haitians have never done, and had a blast. renting car and driver would have come to $150 for 5 of us...the tap-tap was $6 rt for the whole gang.

another day, we bought some lovely clay/ceramic pieces in port and petionville, to be exhibited in frank goryls' upcoming haiti ceramic arts show at moscow clayworks. the pieces vary from a voodoo plate to a wall platter, a candle stick to simple vases.

can't remember the rest, but i am completely satisfied with the search and research of our goals. much done in just one week and yes: gladys' chicken is the best!
and my boy jean is, well, there is nothing like that, just like there is nothing like having a grandson. two such unique experiences. indescribable joy.

and haiti? my 'baby? sometimes i want to shake haiti in absolute anger. and then i realize that a shaken haiti has already happened, and that the result is awful.
back with courage and more complete plans next time, not so far down the road.

sticking with our mission statement: one time, one place, serving many, is not easy. food and clothing, tho' needed, is not within that scope. school books as school property would be, but pencils and paper are not. seeing the need makes you choke, but there are limited things a small org like ours is doing and should do if we are to be effective. we have that responsibility toward all those who trust and entrust us with their gifts and donations!
it is marvelous to see how and in which way we are growing, and which way it moves. and moves us. volunteers, people, like katie, who goes home with such vivid, confusing and often painful impressions, is carrying this on to her middle school students.
be gentle, katie. we live in a sheltered world and some of the children may have difficulty coping with your emotions!
still we promise to use 100% of all donations as entrusted to us, whether $5 or $1750. both have happened and we carry on your wishes and our promises if and when at all possible.
we're not only working in haiti: we will be wherever we can do a little bit of good - the little holes big orgs cannot or will not touch.

the 'village' is likely impossible, as we have realized after we put all the puzzle pieces together. we need too much from other ngo-s to make it work, and they're not interested in any project they cannot claim to be theirs. however: restavekfreedom has the same philosophy we do: 'it makes a difference to this one' when you pick up that lonely starfish and toss it back into the ocean.

please keep us in mind for donations, volunteerism, joining the international, growing team of all ages of onebigboost in decision-making and idea-contributions.

i already said that you didn't have to read it all, so don't blame me if it was too much. but thank you for sharing all this: the good, the bad and the ugly.
keep in touch via www.onebigboost.org
thanks and love, marianne

OneBigBoost-updates Jan 2011

2011-01-17T19:03:00.000-08:00

The enigma Haiti. Now Duvalier has re-appeared, and yet no-one has an inkling why, for how long, what the reactions will do to the current elections. Just wait and see - another battle for Haiti and hopefully something will go uphil this year.

We at OneBigBoost have had a busy and great year! To see all the things that have happened, click on "to the bar" at the www.onebigboost.org website. Sorry, BYOB there. Our most recent project was a donation of $1500 to SOIL (Sustainable Organic Integrated Livelihoods), an NGO run by great young people in Haiti. They build toilets, do all sorts of organic info projects, and are now building a model garden on land they own in Tabarre. (A 'suburb' of Port au Prince, where the US Embassy also resides) Here the produced human compost will be used to show how valuable it can and will be in future gardening and tree-raising projects. In the central and northern region of Haiti in particular, this may well turn out to be one of the most promising projects! Needless to say they were at the center of action, and well over-worked, during the time and aftermath of the cholera epidemic. Thank goodness that is coming to be under control. Not gone, but almost contained. (but spreading in the DR..)
Now we have to turn to our last and by far largest project. Yet, again, in Haiti.

OneBigBoost wants to attempt a huge project that provides a degree of safety to small children: the restavec.
We have an opportunity to build an enclosed compound of 10 temporary structures, to last an average of 6 yrs, versus a tent to last 1 yr,( in a tropical climate.) Each structure is shaped like a yurt, made of recycled materials. The project intends to take 10 of these units and connect them permanently to create a safer environment for these runaway children. Each yurt can easily sleep 6 children, and two yurts should be given two single (also harrassed and raped) adult women to give a degree of supervision. The children for the first unit will be girls.

So what is a restavek-and what is the problem? Restaveks, boys and girls, are indentured slave children. They are either given or sold to well-to-do families in the city in hopes for a better life and education. Others are just kidnapped. Indeed: there are great and loving and responsible families out there, as Sander and I experienced ourselves. Sander befriended one of the boys: a happy, bright and well-educated boy clearly loved by the woman who had taken him in - and vise versa. Unfortunately this is only a small persentage. These 'stay with', 'reste avec' children often run away if they can, skinny, neglected, punished terribly and abused in many ways. Now, after the quake, it is estimated that 200 000 (yes: 5 zeros) children are abandoned and living off garbage heaps, and no safety - no-one to run to.

Here comes that starfish again. We can't save or help 200 000 children Don't We Wish!!!
But we can help one. Or 10. Or hopefully 50. And help a few women who are raped by strangers at night...when you are alone in a tent and nobody to protect you... (some smart woman in Port au Prince gave the women whistles!! Fantastic!) This is daily life there, including in the many places people escaped to outside Port.
The yurt village will cost $9500, which includes buying them, shipping them, paying workers to put them up (2-3 days), three to four toilets and ground cloths. Of course much more is needed - but these are basics that can be turned into reality.
Sadly, there are always stumble blocks.
A piece of land: there are already two options that are realistic.
Food, water, schooling, medical help...this is where things became a bit...well not so nice. (Although Jiminy Crickett tells me that the kids are better off to have a roof than nothing)
I contacted several big aid organizations this week, filled with hope and excitement. Together we can do great things! Right. Judging by their responses, they didn't realy read what I had sent them. I requested simple help in identifying one or more people/volunteers 'on the gound' in Haiti to make contact with when there, and pick their brain-just for a short amount of times. Asking them to introduce me to a person, direct me to a place. The response was each time: "we do not work with NGOs. You may donate to..." That was the moment that I wondered if we really all do want to save the children.

With the current political situation, we don't even know when to go. On the other hand, OBB is getting some much needed and exciting interest and action from overseas, which is so stimulating! Thank you, all!
We also have unexpected contact with some very rural schools in Guatemala, and a development in Nepal for (illiterate)adult education concerning the Nepali equivalent of Haitian restavec children. See if you can pick up the book SOLD by Patricia McCormick. This novel about a young girl in slavery is amazing - and so is the outcome as well as what is happening because of the book! And part of the book supports the new information project in Nepal! All poor countries have child trafficking. More starfish..

What can you do? Look at the website from time to time. Tell friends, family and collegues to look. If there is an opportunity for a fund raiser, consider us. If you would like to organize something fun, ask. Would you like a copy of our PowerPoint program to use for meetings and public information? Ask and we'll send a copy. Or find a cause and solution yourself!

NAMASTE'

We're not going away, and the need to give can easily be satisfied through the need to receive.

readier..readier...

2010-02-07T07:22:00.001-08:00

There are two really big containers in the living room. they're pretty: one is light b lue and the other an appely (yes: that's how I want to spell it) green. One even has wheels! The great part about these is easy organization and you can sit and work on them!
The dogs look at them and think "oo-oh! There she goes again".

I wish leaving became easier for me. This time, so close after Nepal, is really, really hard. I don't want to leave Carl again. I keep asking him to come. He is my love and my best friend. I need to be with him. And I am sure he is angry and sad and frustrated to have me leave again as well. He has made it clear that he is worried. Give him a call, a kind word when I am gone, Please?
Yet I am pulled the other way too: I hear Haiti and see it in my mind - already having so little in comparison to much of the world. So robbed by any culture that came along to do so. And still so.
I become so annoyed (furious is a better word) when people tell me about other nations being "just as" or even "more than". Do they not see? And SO WHAT! Everyone - all needy, deserve our help. Each team, every donation, all efforts are needed wherever we see need. Asia, Africa, Central and South America, Caribbean..on and on.
But about Haiti: do we not, also, acknowledge that these are our neighbors? Not just in time of such devastating need, but in time of every day? How can we let others live in squalor, in intellectual deprivation and physical hunger day by day? All can be (yes: I do believe ALL) changed through education. They can taught so they may establish a government that can give leadership, regulations, honesty and accountability. They can have good schools with good teachers and high standards, to present a stronger generation. Agriculture re-forestation are musts. Medical care, building practices, roads, clean water and sewage building. Tourism would be wonderful: their beaches, esp in the south and along the northern coast, are gorgeous. (Most are owned by 'Blans..')The fruits and vegetables are plentiful in variety and quality. So much there. And the people open, loving, so clean, so proud. Still.
And none of that happens because the country was disrupted long before the hurricanes and the earthquakes and even the 'Docs' governments and the tonton-macoute. So for now all we can provide is a variety of 'band-aids'. And I hope that will change soon. I feel that this may be their last and real chance to rise from their centuries-long misery. Maybe we can offer help that heals.
And that is about Haiti every day...now their need is beyond my comprehension.

Back to the packing. I get side-tracked in my insides at times. The containers are half full.
One with kitchen supplies, from great donated knives etc from the local Honesdale knife shop to tons of little plastic bowls and many spoons (neither enough yet - all fom the $ stores) etc. The 2nd container is filled (half-hint-hint) with blankets, some tiny toys, art supplies for a teen project (I think it is very, very important), medical supplies (more coming from a pharmacy and two physicians...one looks very familiar...) and personal hygiene (soap etc).

What would still be nice (read: needed) to have?
Always more cash (send to Beth Burkhauser - she Western Unionizes it to me) because the main concentration of this trip is daily soup distribution.
More 3/$ plastic bowls
More 3 or 4/$ metal spoons (NO plastic!)
Hand towels
Hotel soapies
Combs for Haitian thick hair.
Receiving blankets (!!!)
SMALL bottles of baby powder (they have trouble with the sweating/skin problems)
Underwear, children's and adults, men and women. I think this is important!
LARGE aluminum (light-weight!!)stock soup pots. Large! I can stick them in there and fill them up. Enamel ones are too heavy. I have not been able to find BIG ones. Used is great, of course.
Long-handled wooden spoons, sturdy ones.
Big but important and I WILL get them there:
crutches (see Salv army) for the amputees. Children and adult. Rubber caps at the
bottom for rocky soil.
Powdered milk. The more the merrier. I'll haul it.

Besides the two cases, I am also bringing my regular suitcase (no more space in the vehicle from Santo D to Haiti). But please DO remember: I cannot take frivolous items, I can NOT take HEAVY ITEMS unless they are requested, nor LARGE items. I'd just have to give them back to you.

The containers are closing Monday, February 15.
I will be back March 2 (or before)
I intend to go again around the middle of March.
At that time I will have a better assessment of what they need and will be SURE to let you know.

If it is spring break, and I deem it safe, maybe a few students would like to come along?
We're in a safe area and have a house to stay in.
Let me know.

Soup on Friday, Feb 12, U Meth Church, Honesdale, $7 sugg donation. Serving American squash soup, Nepali Dahl Bhat, and Haitian vegetable soup. Noon-1:30

Same day: Nepali craft in Clarksboro, NJ, from 6:30-? Contact me for info and RSVP. Line up in rows of 16.

Oh boy - are you all ever wonderful!

Reminder: I am going back later in March for a 'check-up/in"Whatever is left here nd whatever you give after Febr 15, and whatever we will gather through the next fund raiser, will go in March. And here you thought you were finished :-D

Marianne, with Beth.

Getting closer

2010-02-05T17:18:00.000-08:00

Today was an exciting day. Dates are set: Febr 16-March 23. Selfish dates: leaving after Val's day to go with a good trauma surgeon friend to Haiti - and being back in time for Tjitske's fundraiser for her 'kids'. All needed, all right, and all just. On the other hand: the Daddy won't be there because he'll be skiing with his buddies in Colorado... OK: you tell her. I don't have the guts.
All is taking shape, and rapidly. Today I thought it might be fun to have a Soup For Soup luncheon in Honesdale. Figured out a recipe (Hatian Veg Soup,, duh), fund a church who would host it - for free - and met with the local paper's writer man before noon to put an article + pix in the paper. Me and pix. Right. Funny, funny man. Then I met with a great group of students at Keystone College at 1pm, each representing a group they are 'in charge of'. Most are groups that are service oriented. It was great to hear different people's ideas and hopes. many more people who know about OneBigBoost, and many who think it is great.
Next Fri we'll serve rice, soup, bread and water for lunch for $7/each. Hope &7 is not too high. More importantly: after this blog I have to compose a letter aka guilt-trip talking the local food stores/chains into donating beef, (they're rather short on goat, I heard), tuber-type vegetables and rice. That should not come out of our kitty for Haiti.
Bought a TON more bowls at dollar stores, as well as sippy cups,little bowls, small and large spoons.
If any of you want to contribute: I need GOOD quality potato/veg peelers, about 6 or more, small pairing knives (GOOD ones!), a few big chopper knives and BIG ladles. (Yo-de-daddle-whoo) I will leave all behind and please let's not hand out $%@(#*. Their life already is. Make it last. One is better than four! We hope to make soup (and rice) for at least 300 people to start. We need to work fast and well each morning. And always more: small hand towels, baby receiving blankets and the newborn baby hats, individual soaps. Always ANY kind of med supplies. Someone gave tons of thermometer! Carl said that these are so important to see whether people with wounds have fevers. That was a great gift! We need TOP bedsheets. New or used. We're trying to buy screen tents, and by adding sheets to the tops outsides, we will have VERY cheap tents that do not give passes to mosquitos and allow families some privacy. Without a huge cost.
Gosh - I just love you all. You have no idea. And if you already gave stuff to wherever: don't be afraid to ask friends, neighbors you never speak to, grumpy has station attendants...you'd be surprised how people react. I just encountered that 4x today! Go. Ask. It's not for you--it really is ok! AC Moore gave me t shirts 5/$10, and 20% off all that was on sale. The shirt, 11, are for the women who will serve the soup in Haiti. Easy to identify.

Yes: I am excited. And Yes: we will make A DIFFERENCE!!! You should see my kitchen! Filled with bags with stuff (meds and personal items) Bethany Moser, aka whatever, sent with her friends, neighbors...sometimes it brings me to tears. I will try to send short updates, maybe even with pictures, whenever I can from St Marc. So be sure that I have your email address. You're good people. I think my son Sander (I really hope so) will come with me. He also speaks some Kreyol and knows the people we will be with. Life is good in dark times.

Almost Haiti

2010-02-04T06:49:00.001-08:00

It is so difficult to stand by - SITTING comfortably in my living room, actually...cup of coffee, fairly reliable computer with very reliable electricity and not feel complacent. Human nature, I guess.
Yet my mind is every hour on what Haiti is, at this moment in time. Not just destruction and terrible lack of drinkable water and food. These could be resolved fairly easily if the wheels of aid and honesty worked. And if they reached farther, equally, than the capital. I feel mainly that life and hope have been taken roughly from them. What little hope they had must be dwindling fast.

People ask me (me???) about poverty. About poverty in 'developing nations'. I think they honestly want to know, from their very safe place (look who's talking!) what it feels like to be poor. Because we cannot understand. Really can't. I have come to the conclusion that, aside from famine through circumstances, poverty is measured only by what others have. You do not know poverty when everyone lives the way you do. Nepal is not poor. Some areas need help and they are so ready to move ahead. That's not poverty.

We love to put a degree of blame on them: "Well, look at their government..." and "if they only took care and were honest (huh?) about all that aid..where is it going, anyway?" SEVERAL times I even heard "How come 'those Haitians' look so clean? I thought they were so poor!"
Even "Well, I saw a market on TV, and it looked like they had PLENTY of food!!"
HELLOOOOO- ANYONE HOME UP THERE??
You won't believe the excuses for our riches I have heard.

Gratitude? What do we know about that? Horn of plenty?
You do not need two shawls when everyone has one. As a man in Haiti asked Sander when he showed his camera "But why? Why would I need that? Why do I need a picture?" He doesn't need it and is satisfied.
Haitians are poor because they have been robbed blind for centuries, by others and by their own. They see the rich (mostly white - a black armed guard sitting next to them) driving in shiny Mercedes SUVs, shopping at the fancy big market in PaP (thank heaven it already opened again!) where armed guards protect the 'right' (from entry of the poor without the proper identification) that allows them to purchase better food, better quality.

How can I be here? How can I not?
I cannot leave my family, certainly never Carl. That I am not willing to give up. And giving up family is not necessry. But just about everything else I could. I really think so. Am I willing to put it to the test? Hmm....maybe...maybe not. I'm no different than anyone else: a creature who loves her comfort, fridge full of food, soft bed, a car that actually starts, tons of books and at least 3 shirts on my back. And I will part only with that which is convenient. Bless my soul with what I (and you) give, and I tell myself I've 'done good'. Right. What is 'good'? What does it really mean? How much suffering do others need before I 'get it'?

Do you ever feel, after having been on vacation somewhere, really close to the new people you have befriended? You promise to write and, in some cases, the relationship is close enough that you actually do. You want to see them again and feel that special closeness. The laughter, the great conversations and the quiet times over a glass of excellent wine.
For me it is that way with Haiti. They have become my family. Part of heart and soul and when they cry, I try hard not to because I am afraid that when I start, I will not be able to stop. We laugh, we look into each others' eyes. We drink coca cola (safe), look at books with pictures and we hug. I feel I have three families: my own nucleus, my dearest friends and extended family, and Haiti. I wish so much that my girls, even one of them, would take just ONE week to come and feel what I feel. As Sander and Carl have. It would enrich their lives beyond anything they could imagine. In a really good way. I just want to share that feeling. The people. The friends
But I have to (and do) honor their needs and spaces in life.

So how to get back to how I started. I have no clue what to say, what to offer. My tears don't do them any good. THEIR strength and unbelievable resilience is what keeps those who visit going. The Haitians always seemed to have hope. Still: they are hungry. Now they are not only hungry: they are helpless. Their own people bribe them $7 for a food coupon that was distributed for free by world aid. Goodness...now WE would never do such a self-serving thing!

OK. I'm rambling. I'm sad. I am trying to get from the DR to Haiti and right now I don't know how and the days are ticking by.

We are already starting to forget Haiti, because they are no longer in the headlines. How sad to have to remind you "I told you so!" More: you have to google "Haiti earth quake today" or "Saint Mark, Haiti, today". We have to work for it - make an effort. Efforts are good.
We, here, NEED to trim our trees and fertilize the fields. We MUST pay our taxes on all the money we made last year and we HAVE to look into better schools for our children, after we organize that vacation to the Caribbean. I'm no different.

Time to pack this blog up. Have to go upstairs and take a hot shower, take my expensive meds and figure out what I want for breakfast. So much to do...

Sorry for spewing my thoughts. Had to. Not to you but for myself.
Please keep up the good work, my friends. And thank you for your trust as I try to be responsible about all you contributed.

Marianne

Haiti and Nepal

2010-01-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

First about Haiti. What can one say? And what to tell beside what we all hear in the news? Only this, on a personal note: our little Jean is fine, as is his mom Gladys and her 3 young brothers. No tremors north of PaP/Petionville, in Saint Marc, which is about 5hrs by car up the coast. But little water available and food is running out there as well. The streets around the local hospital are lined with injured, brought up from PaP. I just talked to Gladys when she had a few minutes to talk before the line was cut.
Our dear friends Nathaelf, Erlantz and Christina, with children and spouses, are ok and working around the clock. Nathaelf, phys, was in the hospital in Petionville, the hospital you all heard collapsed. We have not heard about the two people at the UN/UNESCO we had meetings with...

Now about Nepal.
We stayed for several days in a variety of places, for a variety of reasons/ purposes.
The flight there was looooong. From JFK to Hong Kong and from there to Kathmandu (via Bangladesh), all together, home to 'home', about 34 hours. Talk about 'well-done'! (as in food)

We spent 3 days in Bakhtapur, a 'suburb' of Kathmandu and a World Heritage site (the entire town). It is beautiful beyond description. Very old, gorgeous woodwork on every old building (most, therefore), the highest temple in Nepal - five stories high-, of the known Japanese pagoda style which is originally from Nepal to begin with. There are religious edifices on every street corner, courtyard, in between and more. Each are prayed to, bell(s) rung, flowers and red or yellow Tika paste added etc. In the beginning I was filled with wonder and admiration, but later in the trip I began to have difficulty with the animal worships and sacrifices. Still admire their religious sincerity which was, oddly enough, more prominent in the city than in the country-side or smaller towns. It is usually the opposite. The Hindu religious had touches of Buddhism, the Buddhism touches of Hindu and the Christianity an odd touch of both. Even the missionaries. Good to see mutual acceptance and respect. For a change.

The three things that caught our attention first and throughout our trip were the bells all day long, starting a 5am: little and large bells rung constantly by men and women during their short and longer acts of worhip. The second was, yes, hawking. This 'nose-suck-throat glob-spit went on everywhere and from the first to the last mjintue is was totally disgusting. Mostly in the city of Kathmandu and surroundings and we figured it was related to the horrendous pollution. Really something awful.
The third thing was the never-ending, sincere friendliness and kindness. Especially so to Amricans, we felt. That was refreshing. The people who are educated, something every family strives for and gives up what most of us never would, have children studying in every corner of the world, mostly the US and the UK. And I mean Johns Hopkins, Prinnceton etc. And certainly not all on scholarships. Truly admirable and amazing. Getting them back is another issue, and quite understandable.
On the other hand we saw signs familiar with Haiti. The country side, town to fields, are strewn with garbage everywhere you go. Less so in really, really rural ares, most along roadways and in cities. Appalling and unnecessary. Maybe something will change in the future. We tried to talk to many people, and one never knows. Making Beautiful Nepal More Beautiful sort-of-speech.

We became true and life-long friends with a number of people, especially including our hosts Indira and M.P. in Butwal. What marvelous, loving, hard-working and caring people they are. They will be in our heart forever. Their two sons, at Susquehanna U PA and U of Texas, are graduating next summer and we will see them here! We hope we can be as kind to them as they were to us!

In Butwal, one ot the two reasons for our trip, we delivered TWO excellent computers and an excellent, top quality LCD projector to a public school that has next to nothing. It is too bad I cannot let you hear the cheers and excitement of the students. I'd l;ove to go back there and volunteer English speaking classes to those kids. Anyone interested?? They need you! You need to walk through a bad part of town (dirty), over a dubious swing bridge and through rice paddies to get there, but once there you are filled with utter joy and met with everlasting love.
Butwal is boring and ugly as heck, but since were were inundated with friends, parties and friendships we don't really remember much of that. In total we visited 7 schools, all but two private, of high level and discipline, and huge reception activities and speeches to welcome us. And gifts of all sorts, always beginning with looooong lines of "Namaste" and clapping greetings and being presented with off-white shawls, handsful of flower heads, and flower garlands around our necks. So marvelous. Cultural dances were often included.
Our jaunt into the country, Begnas Tal, was a great, contrasting experience. We stayed in a hostel-type place, which wasn't too clean, noisy, but with the nicest people. So all was well there also. We met with the sweetest adults and children in towm, gave each of them a (brandnew) book, many donated by Highlights For Children, and a new pencil. They were beyond delighted.
We visited a really poor school in the mountains and are considering sponsoring the kitchen that needs to be built, pots and pans and all, that will provide a free lunch for the poorest of the poorest mountain children. Part of our OneBigBoost© project. (One item per unit/not individuals, one place, one time ) That sounds like a good option to consider. We have some money left in the kitty due to generous donations at the end or after our departure, and with our sale-profit added, we should do well for the next stage!
We made a little friend, 12-yr old Ghatha, who spoke with more eloquence in English than her age-counterparts in the US. Amazing intelligence also. We'll keep watching that incredible girl, who said" I am so deeply saddened that you are leaving. You will remain embedded into my soul for the rest of my life." When we invited her and her 11 yo friend Nisa for dinner, and they preferred to order 'dry food'. To our surprise this meant Lays potato chips. Hmm. Another experience.
We saw musicians play primitive instruments, people dance spontaneously and in folkloristic dances. Hear different languages and dialects and, above all, saw the Himalayan mountains.
In the morning the hills and mountains surrounding us would be covered in fog, each layer above the other as the morning mist rose from each valley. Then, suddeny, a little white mountaintop would appear above it all, above the clouds. Just a triangle. Then more, and another one, and the top of a range. All shining white in the morning sun. As the fog disappated, the range of craggy mountains would rise majestically in the background. It was like seeing music. In the evening they would turn a fiery pink and orange in the setting sun, yet another experience. We were never in or close to them (no roads, only trekking paths) but it made no difference.
There was a water shortage in the valleys, because the water in the mountains were frozen. The snow doesn't start until February, so everyone was careful not to lose a drop. Ah: we did have a shower once. The rest were sponge-baths IF there was some water heated up.
It was, generally, almost unbearbly cold during the nights. We often slept with 3-4 layers of clothing on (make that 5). coat included. In Patan (Kathmandu suburbs) they brought us hot water bottles, after we asked for heat. That was utter bliss.
Beth loved the food, I did not, except for the yoghert (can't remember the exact spelling - senior moment), named King Curd, their fresh fruit. coffee and various ways of fixing chicken and curried vegetables and 'milk-coffee'. I ate very little, as I always do, so I wasn't 'starving'.

We bought, pre-planned, a large amount of beautiful items from our own 'seed money' that we had brought along. OK-so we went over the limit usin credit cards. But it was worth it. Besides a few family/friend gifts, we spent it all on beautiful crafts, to be sold at 'Nepal Parties', during which incredible deals can be had, with ALL profit going to a new OneBigBoost cause.
We have gorgeous, various weight and widths Pashmina (comes only from Himalayan mountain goats, and then only the wool from under the chin - no matter what they tell you in the store about "100% Pashmina) and Pashmina/silk mix shawls, wood carvings, lovely silver jewelry, some with gemstones. At the last minute we found a blue striped Yak, hand-spun and dyed, wool shawl!I have only one...!
An amazing amount of hand-made paper products such as note books, stationary, calendars and photo albums and heart garlands. A great variety of teas from black to herbal. Also a variety of "odd" objects such as lovely paintings, clay sugar or insense bowls, yak -bone items with brass and silver inlay, hand-cast miniature brass objects, a game, woven mini and larger baggies and purses, and more. It was SO much fun to be able to shop freely with the goal to sell it all. No guilt! We'll let you know (if you ask) when we have one of our 3 'home parties' at our homes or Philly at Tjitske' where you can hear music, watch slides and a video of our experiences, and buy one of the great deals we are passing on to you. IF you want to spend money. Be welcome either way! ALL of the profits go back to OneBigBoost!!! Come and see us: you won't be sorry. And you can come to just have (Nepali) tea. As I said: we had a blast.

I will try to post some of our pictures, but it may be a few days before I can get to them. I'm pretty tired still now and have been mainly occupied with Haiti stuff today. But I promised I'd write so here it finally is and all in one big bundle. Electricity is scarce and rare - internet even more so.
Love you all and thank you for thinking of us while we flew over Alaska, North Pole, Russia, China, Mongolia and into Hong Kong, traveled around and back again. What an unforgettable journey!
And mostly a BIG thanks to those who were able and chose to support the important project to that school, where some students had no shoes but walked to school anyway.
It does make me think of fancy Nikes and such socially needed paraphernalia our kids are forced into.
Thanks for trying to read the blog before, and thank you for doing so now.
Do good things, be kind and accepting (I'm learning!) and feel good about this world. It isn't as bad as we believe. There is ALWAYS hope and grumbling doesn't do anyone any good.
Marianne

Kathmandu-Begnas Tal-Butwal

2010-01-07T19:08:00.000-08:00

Yes-it has been very difficult to get online. Correction: it has been very hard to find a computer and nearly impossible to get one with internet...IF there is electricity! We don't know how we take lifew and all its small and large conveniences for granted.
At this moment I have VERY little time and am typing on an old-fashion Chinese script keyboard (no time for e\corrections) so please bear with me.

Nepal is wonderful and amazing and baffling and yseterious and...and...
I see similarities to Haiti, many, yet the sprit is so strong and positive. There is much poverty (no hunger at this time of year), terrible lack of education yet an enormous desire to do ANYTHING possible for parents to get their children to school. And of the many who succeed, their children can be found in the US, Australia, India, the UK..excellingat top universities. And now they need to come back. And that is the problem.
Roads, except for a fuw 2-lane (no markers) sure-highways, do not exist. There are half-finished houses everywhere and piles of rubble lining the roads. Garbage cans do not exist and throwing stuff out the wijdows is normal. No sewage to speak of.

The homes, small and one-room simple, as clean as a whistle. There are signs of deep religious belief and practice everywhere.
The old cars and taqxis have cloths neatly placed on the seats to keep vehicle and customers clean.
No shoes are worn in any home and slippers are waiting for you. The food is wonderful (although I have no hunger/appeite, as usuala) and the odor of spices permiates the air. Children walk long ways through rice paddies and u mountains, dressed to a 't' inn their uniforms,hair braided and tied up with red ribons.
Nature-indescribable. Beautiful hills/mountains - all is relative - with deep, deep valleys scethecd out with neat pencil lines into terraces. Colorful little houses are scattered throughout. The sky has a deep fog until the sun warms it up. And out up the upper layer of fog appear white, sunlit points, way high up in the sky. Way, way up. The fog clearws and as we watch, the mountains grow with unbeaqualled majesty.

We have to go to give a speach to chosen students of 5 area/mountain schools now about Interdependence and I have to run. Maybe there will be more internet later. They connected it for 4 days just for us@!

Love to all of you. Imagine those mountains, terraces smiling faces and I great you "Namaste' : I greet the Godlines ijn you.

Nepal edging (flying) closer

2009-12-19T20:31:00.000-08:00

Nepal.
Mountains higher than the sky...the mountains I pretended to see as a child, laying on my back in the cold, wet grass of the Dutch polderland, staring at the billowing clouds that could be my Himalayas.
I excitedly saw the people with funny hats and strange features, speaking mysterious languages, in my very favorite TinTin books. Kuifje by Herge. The one :"TinTin in Tibet", the one that has never left my desire to go there. The one that just came (in English!) from Amazon today, and brought all those mysterious desires for 'the far away' rushing back.
What do I expect when I get there? Is it easy-scary-fantastic (as in exploding fantasy)- amazing?
It is all such an enigma and I wish I had a wisp of an answer.

I keep thinking about the relativity of 'helping', of 'improving', of 'bringing a better world'. Is that what this is supposed to be? Should it? Why? Or perhaps: why not??
My firm(?) belief in Food, Healing, Education to lead on to Independence is rocked at times to the point that I am scared of myself, of what I hope to do. "Peace", non-combative existence, is such a big part of this. And then I ask myself what I think it means. And my answers are consistently contested by myself. I have no answers.
I do not (not!) believe in 'missionary' work of any kind. I will not bend other people's will according to what I believe. I do wish I had more time to spend so I can understand that they believe. That I feel to be useful for continuing to think about the reason of other people.
I do believe, however, in offering others what has been important in my life. Offering only. And that's where my battle begins.

Education of any kind is at the top of my list. It provides absolutely everything we could possibly need. Health, shelter, food, heat. Safety. Community of family, village, and radiating outward. Being able to share beyond survival. Creating more for many, each to be able to look beyond struggle lasting from life to death. Chances and choices. Especially choices. Choices become tools for the wealthy - and wealth has a different meaning.
Schools, books, teachers, universities, Healthy land, well-built structures and sane people making decisions in the name of others. People who are willing to be angerous in decisions for the sake of growth and exploration, from philosophical writing to science
And do I, even in some miniscule manner, have the right to judge another culture to need this?
As the man said to the visitor: "What is that? A camera. What do you need a camera for? To take pictures. Why? So I can have a picture of you. Why? So I can remember you. Why?

Do we need what we need, or only what we are told we do not have?

When I bring my "mission" of education, of 'being able to cope with the outside world', to be able to fit in (heck, neither Carl nor I ever did!) with development of technology, when I show the art of the rest of the world, the music, the computers, the t-shirts...have I done them a favor? Is it right?
Should people be left alone? What if another culture takes over, because they are, in innocense, vulnerable? Like the IK tribe in Africa? Watch them without intereference?

At this point I feel that they interfere far more with me than I with them. And that is good. Their interference (Haiti, Bulgaria, Kyrguzstan) has had such an explosive impact on me. I thank them all.
I hope it stays that way. I hope I can carry away a little wisdom, and that I have left a little. I hope I do not present myself as someone from anything-at-all better than they, whether advancement, size of country, experience, on and on. I hope I can just learn, and be there for them for what they wish to keep. But for now I find it difficult to understand the wisdom of it all.
I'll just let Hari and his people tell me when we get to Butwal. I pray we give more than we destroy, that we receive more than we understand.

prep for Nepal

2009-11-19T14:25:00.000-08:00

Namaste! ("Greeting the godliness in you")
Our trip to Nepal is taking shape. Beth and I are ready to leave tomorrow, if we could. The plans are many and my journal will be too small! I will be able to get to internet cafes and I intend to send blogs whenever I can.
We're leaving the 28th of December for Kennedy airport in NY and stay overnight at the hotel there. We have to be at the airport by 6am, so that makes more sense.
We expected to take empty suitcases with us, bring them back filled with the crafts we intend to buy to support our new OneBigBoost program to provide special equipment to various places. But now it is going to be filled, after all. About that later.

We will travel, via Hong Kong and Bangladesh, (daytime landings :-) ) to Kathmandu. K consists of a series of old and much older villages. The center is Thamel and we'll see that later. Our "home" will be at Pagoda House in Bhaktapur, from where we can reach the various craft workshops easily. (we hope). Also: Bhaktapur itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The entire town. Pictures will follow. You bet! From Kathmandu, eventually, to a little place in the mountains named Begnas Tal (lake). It is very quiet and peaceful. A place to walk, write, visit people and a school. The school needs books and that's where the no longer empty suitcases go! I'm also looking for word and language games. I found out that Shoots and Ladders is a Nepali game! Isn't that cool?
From a few days of quiet by the lake, and a daytrip to nearby Pokhara, we will move south to Butwal, which is the main purpose for our trip. Lots and lots of pictures, and lots and lots to talk about! From Butwal back to 2 days in Kathmandu, then home on the 14th, arrival the 15th.

Beth and are having a blast planning and learning. Sometimes communication with our Butwaleese friends is a bit difficult, but we're working it out! Some of it is a language issue. I just read in an article, for example, that they have an 'automated hospital'. I imagined people on stretchers, each getting different toppings like in a do-nut factory! I'm sure our Nepali will be far funnier that their English!

We are still looking for donations to buy a laptop for the high school there. They want to be able to move it from classroom to classroom, and expose all students to the opportunities it brings. If you can make a small donation, we would really appreciate it. So far we have $150...we need to do better! Pleeeeeeaase?

And oh yes: there is a village near Bhaktapur named Thimi. It is THE potters village. I am excited to go there. About 8000 potters, from roof tiles to artwork. Kilns are right on the road. Ashes are reused to conserve resources. And all the inhabitant's last names are "Potter'. Now, consider the fact that one of the most popular boys' names is Hari...

Money, honey?

2009-05-04T06:05:00.000-07:00

And Haiti moves on and up... yet does not change in some of its ways.

Two days ago we sent our monthly contributions to the orphanage in Deschapelles, and to Gladys and her 4 boys. Several hours after Gladys picked up the money from Western Union, she called me, sobbing hysterically: after WU she had gone to the market, and all her money was stolen. Considering the theft there, I was not really surprised. However: I was deeply annoyed that a street-wise young woman would have let this happened. We all discussed it here, and tried to figure out what to do. Then doubt started setting in. Given the mentality in Haiti, was this a true story, or an attempt at collecting more from the rich 'blan'?

We decided to send her a segment, because we all felt that they could not go hungry even if they had to give up school/tuition for the month. We discussed the amount.
Then I decided, just to be sure, to email our Canadian friend in Haiti, who has lived there many years. She wrote back immediately, saying NOT to send more money, in part because Gladys needed to know that she was expected to take better care ($150 is a great deal of money there) AND that she would not receive a replacement. And our friend quoted a story.

I set up the transfer, but before hitting "submit" I called Gladys. The money, miraculously (more than in one way) had been found again at the market. She was very grumpy and short about it. We were delighted that all these problems had come to a good ending. We also felt that all parties concerned had learned a lesson!

OK...not quite so somber

2009-01-03T05:42:00.000-08:00

We've been home for a month...oops, only 3.5 days...now (seems like an eternity) and already my good memories come back. I am never the less deeply saddened over the fact that so many very ill children do not have what is rightfully, and so easily, theirs. Can't shake that...but we'll see yet whether I can change it yet!
Then I look at Sander's photos, only a few from the last days, and I remember the other past of Haiti. The smiles that break out every time you say "bonju", "bonswa" or "kom en vwa ye?" (how are you?) - with the response "pa pi mal !" - not too bad.
The children who stare at you then break out in smiles and wave until you are too far down the road to see them. The pride when people invite you to their 'spic and span' little one or two-room houses, decorated with 3rd-hand doilies and plastic flowers. The metal, heavy doors that are pulled shut each night to protect themselves from serious crime. The joy of community: washing laundry at the well together, children frolicking in the river, throngs of children walking with full gallon jugs on their heads. Clusters of school children, donned in crispy-clean uniforms and heads covered in ribbons all giggling and oblivious of the rest of the world. Women taking their roosters to market and coming back with chickens...just like bringing your money to Saks and coming back with bags. An old woman on her donkey, going to the market..speaking on her cellphone. We're all the same: just little ants going back and forth on different paths. Men in smart suits, white shirts, ties and gleaming shoes on the dusty tap-tap on their way to work at the bank, or teach at a school. Or a man walking up a steep, dusty mountain path out in nowhere, carefully carrying his freshly dry-cleaned suit, wrapped in plastic. Or Carlo, who has turned an infertile valley (one day walking from edge to edge) into a valley filled with new trees, orchards and experimentl plants. None of it makes much sense. But I find all of it beautiful. I guess I feel that there is so much to be learned there and so much to be reminded of. Neither of our countires can buy security, safety or stability. But we can, each at our own level (through luck?) do what we can to stay healthy, keep our minds safe, our families together and our children educated. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. We're all the same ants...just a different ant hill.
So, people: please keep doing wehat you are doing. Some of you raise better quality food or inform themselves on a better life for others. Some are dedicated to education, whether in community care, health care or independent living in general. Others donate time or money to those in need both here and abroad. But when you think about it: we all do something that makes a difference and therewith we make a difference to ourself. Be proud of it: you deserve it!

Not such a happy ending for all

2008-12-31T08:34:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all: our children, family, friends near and far. We hope your holidays were warm, and filled with dreams for a brighter future for all.
We returned home last night after midnight. It was very cold, but the roads were dry and the night crisp so the drive home was fast. This morning we woke up to the snow we had been dreaming of. What treat!!! That silent softness, that super clean sensation never ceases to bring joy from my head to my toes.

Carl was on call on Christmas eve and all of Christmas day, had clinic the entire next day (with many very sick kids, including the worst malnourished child he had yet seen) and that finished it up. Both the medical director and a Haitian physician were able to go home because of Carl's presence. Although it was a bit rough on us (psychologically) that was good to know.
Sander had met a lovely young lady from Germany who spends her life in developing countries with community health issues. They had a blast and it was nice to see them enjoying the many (and some daring) adventures together. Alas....the world is a big place.
I was just upset. Neither the hospital personnel nor Carl had wanted to tell me that my October project (the PlumpyNut malnutrition program with UNICEF) had fallen flat on its face the beginning of December. The physician (barely out of school and very irresponsible) I stayed with - the same who took the credit for the program, let the contract expire and now there is NO PlumpyNut or any of the other four high-nutrition foods available. We're not just talking about the food, so critically needed, not being avilable, but also about costing the hospital well over $100 000 a year when they will eventually have to purchase it (equivalent) again. I am aghast. I am infuriated. I am deeply disturbed by the lack of commitment by so many there. It is really at the core of so many of the problems whether we are talking about medicine, education, government or job security. It all feels so hopeless. I never thought I would have a ball in my stomach at the thought of going back - but right now I do. It likely won't last...
For now I will try to create a storm with the Melon Grant Foundation so they know what should have been done - and the ball will be in their court. Sad and mad equally.

But our journey ended on beautiful tones and shades.
Carl and I went to Jacmel, an artist community on the south coast, for our 38th wedding anniversary. We stayed in little hotel right on the water (above it, really) which was situated on a beautiful cove. We swam and ate and had rhum and whatever else they added, swam, ate, slept, read...it was wonderful. It was only for 1.5 days and 2 nights, but felt like an eternity .
Sander had gone to spend some time with Mareila, in Port au Orince, but they decided to go to Jacmel as well (before we decided on it). We thought we'd all avoid each other. However...it turned out that they were staying on the edge of the same cove (14 km out of town) and within walking distance of our hotel. That was very funny. They came to have dinner with us and they led us, in the dark, to the unfinished house they were camping in. A beautiful, conch-shell studded place. The lady of the house, Polyanna, was waiting for us with wine, candles and a huge cake! It was so wonderful and special. Slightly tanned we are now home again, with stories of lost and returned dogs, snow to be shovveled and gifts from our children waiting for us under the tree.

It was another trip filled with special times and blessings, although a sour note near the end.
One that hurts.
All our love to all of you and with wishes for al the best in a very hopeful (USA) year to come and with everlasting thoughts of peace.
I'll ask Sander and Carl to post some of their WOW-DERFUL pictures laster this weekend.
Marianne

Another day

2008-12-26T08:16:00.000-08:00

Greetings,
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was WEIRD and LONESOME, although it was great to talk to each one of the kids, and nice that Jean, Gladys and the brothers (of Gladys) were here. But everyone just kind-of sat there. There was no music, no ornaments or anything jolly, the maids refused to go home to their families etc. JUST WEIRD. I will definitely be home for Christmas next year. And the next. And..etc
So, with these blues in mind, I sit here and count the days to come home. Most everyone in the hospital has been sent home and the ´crew´ is down to the absolute minimum. There is truly nothing to do and that is just not my style. Carl is working today and has clinic, but even there few have shown up. Sander went, to his delight, into the mountains (again) with the security guard whom he befriended. His name is Wilson (many people here have last names for first names, like DeLaRose) and he is one of the personal guards of Preval. He checks out all places (now the hospital) for security and Sander has had a great deal of fun going into the mountains with Wilson. Wilson totes two impressive-looking guns but I have grown accustomed to it.

For the five of us: Carl, Sander, Philip (another MD volunteer), Wilson and myself we have three or four maids. OK: I prefer ¨Femmes de Maison¨. Not so derogatory. They appear before sunup, around 5:30 am, and leave after dark at 6pm. They wash all the floors and all surfaces, do all our laundry by hand, cook 3 meals for us all, go to the market twice a day (5 min walk ), rearrange the furniture to perfection and kill the chickens. They are and function like a family. Laughter is everywhere and they yack like everyone else. I love them.
I look how busy they all are, and wonder why housewives in other countries, also raising their kids, running them around and often have a full-time job, do it. Weŕe totally NUTS. And we have 530 000 people out of work. We either should lead a more peaceful life or use more of our money to give others an honerable job.
The turnside is that I HATE having people around me all day long. In addition I am not alowed to do anything. It is a mix between them enjoying to spoil me (we get along very well and laugh much while they improve my Kreyol) and me being in their way in their territory. I understand that. But I am bored to pieces.

OK. Enough grumping. Just not used to it and my cough is not improving.
Can wait to get home and stay home for a while. It´s not so bad to need peace.
We´d like to go to a beach resort for 1 or 2 nights, but the all, so far, appear to be full. (Our anniversary). Sander is planning to go to Port au Prince, or even to Jacmel on the south coast, with a (very nice) girl from Germany he met here...
She works for Community Health in PaP and the Dominican Republic.

See you all soon: home the evening of the 30th and hoping for snow the following day!
Much love, Marianne

Pre-Christmas in Haiti

2008-12-24T06:31:00.000-08:00

Hello family and friends,
It is hard to imagine snow, warm fires, hot chocolate and packages under the tree. Itś nice to be here and the only justification to pick this particular time is that the hospitalś director and his wife are now able to spend Christmas with their family in Switzerland. This man deserves it! But not being home is tough today.

Carl was on call last night and had a strange experience. A woman went in labor and they had to do a c-section because things were not progressing. When they opened her up, they found a tumor almost the size (and shape) of a football! It was obstructing the baby and it had to be cut out first. The baby is ok, but it was close! Later that night a mother went into labor at 30 weeks. The baby died and everyone was upset and sad. Had the baby been born in the USA it would have been flown to the neonatal unit in Scranton and been fine. Here we just don´t have even the simplest equipment (ventilator, for example) and thatś it.
On the other hand healthy twins were born after that.
Many of these women come from the mountains when or slose to the time that they are in labor. They are strapped to a chair which is attached to two long poles and they are, on the shoulders of the father and another family member, carried down the mountains. These trips can take hours. Their offspring is their social security (not much more secure than what we have) and they have to protect it with all possible.

Sander went on a tough trip today. He is going out in a jeep with a driver, a pistoled guard, a doctor and an assistant, to the mountainous village Bastien. A bastion indeed it is. Almost impossible to get to, including for horses and donkeys, the men climb up the steep slope for about 2 hours. Everything is hand-carried since indeed no beasts can make it either up or down. It will be another great experience for him.
Last night he went to a ¨club"with one of his buddies here. When Carl and I go to the beach resort for our last 2 days, he is going to a friend in Port au Prince. He certainly spent his time well.

I am waiting for Gladys, her 3 brothers and my Jean to arrive. They are spending 2 days with us and we enjoyed getting some presents organised and meals planned. The house ladies are frowning a bit over it all...
Carl has carved two spoons for her as Christmas gifts. She is crazy about Sander, but especially about her ¨Papie¨. So good to add something to someoneś life...so many have to mine!

Ie been overly tired the last 2 days and ended up sleeping quite a lot. I really am missing home this time. Hearoing that Leonardo has run off, and not found back, is something I don´t even want to think about.

All our love to everyone and, if I don´t get to write: a marvelous Christmas eve and Christmas day.

Much love, Marianne

2008-12-22T07:27:00.000-08:00

Greetings, on this fine, sunny day. A bit on the warm side, which seems to have sprouted palm trees on every inch. Amazing. No snow or other pleasant things. I would never enjoy a world without seasons, as I had already discovered in New Orleans.

The chickens and rooster were above me in the trees again this morning. The chickens are after the bugs in the bromeliads and, well, the roosters are after the chickens.

Yesterday we slung the Christmas lights across the windows and took a taxi/moto ride out to the orphanage to borrow cookie sheets. Had a great visit!
When I was there a year ago, a girl, about 5 years old, had been left on the doorstep of the orphanage school at the busy time of 180 kids coming in. Nobody noticed her. She was propped up against a pillar and had, amazingly, not fallen over. She couldn´t focus, didn´t talk and had no muscle tone. They called her TiFi (little girl) and did´nt know what to do with this mysterious appearance. Abandoning was not an option: the community can do that, but not a ´blan´ There would be a riot and lives in danger.
So they kept her. Tifi had to be diapered, fed and there was seemingly no hope. I had a Christmas [picture of her last yea, sagging on a chair with a huge rag doll that had more posture than she did.
When I saw her yesterday I almost fainted. She is WALKING when holding a hand, (even up the steps) says Mama to Karen and gives endless hugs. What a little miracle! I know an orphanage in Port au Prince that specifically takes such children and I am going to find it back. Karen cannot keep TiFi - she takes too much attendtion they don´t have special services for her. In the mean time I am going to try and see whether we can´t find a physical therapy or art or music whatever therapy student who could come over there this summer as part of an internship or volunteer work. There is so much to be done and such a great and loving experience. My kids definitely have competition here from the children of Haiti when it comes to affectionate hugs!

Sander has climbed the water tower twice now, with the aid of a harness and carabiners. He has befriended a very nice young lady from Germany, who works in Port au Prince in Social Services. They had 2 really nice days together and she loved going up the watertower with Sander when he went up the second time.
Carl and I are making reservations for a wonderful beach resort here, Indigo Beach, where we will spend 2 nights (38th anniversary) before returning home. White sand, great drinks and dinners, snorkeling and all that stuff. Itś just about mid-point between here and PaP. Perfect.

Today Sander has gone around trying to take unposed pictures, which is almost impossible. In the first place you cannot take real candid shots because you have to ask everyone for permission (still much superstition), and in the 2nd place the people are ¨spoiled"by the fact that Sander had on-the-spot prints. Now everyone wants them. We have explained that 1) there are no more prints (not true) - maybe later (true) and 2) that pictures now have to be taken for the hospital book and has to show people working. So they make a great show of working. One guy practically danced as he painted the walls. Very funny.
Sander succeded in getting great shots of most departments.

Last night Carl and I went to the market to buy somew rhum. The price is rediculously low for some of the best in the world. Smoooooth...
I was short 500 goud (about 10$ Haitian = 1.20c US) and promised to bring it today (their suggestion to take the rhum anyway...it is pretty hard for us to run away...we sort of stand out in a crowd) This morning I did and with a glorious smile handed her the 500 bill, all dirty and crumbled as they all are. She looked at it carefully, straightened it out, looked again and handed it back to me. I thought that was very kind, but insisted that she keep it. She called in the troups, who explained to me it was fake money. Sure enough: it was a 500-whatever bill left from Kyrgyzstan! Another trip to the market will be made later today.

Gladys and the 4 boys will be coming Wednesday and spend Christmas with us. Yesterday, after much searching for the right ingredients, I made a run of 10 typical Milks Christmas loaves and they came out OK. Today I will make the 2nd batch and Carl can give them to his staff. I ordered a dozen eggs from the house lady (brought mayo and had 2 pkts of McD mustard) to make 24 deviled eggs. Also found a tiny piece of (old??) brie in PaP and brought crackers so the staff will have an extremely luxirious Christmas party at our Alumni House, with the wine we brought! The other options are rum or coke or rhum and coke or coke and rhum. We all look forward mto it!

OK. Enough. As you can see I don´t really have miuch to tell today.
Much love to everyone, thank you thone who wrote emails, thank you Jet and Bob for the party picture!
Hugs, Sander, Carl and Marianne

Saturday, December something, 2008 (I think)

2008-12-20T06:02:00.000-08:00

Good day, everyone.
Apologies for the errors yesterday but 1) this comp is, as mentioned, a dinausaur and 2) doesn like to share apostrophes, spare t-s or some numbers.
Rugs, for example., are priced from $150-$200, not starting at $10.

So. I am feeling so much better this morning, after a night where I tought I had given my last breath in a severe asthma attack. Good thing Carl was there. It seems like I got rid of most of what was plaguing me, so thatś a relief to all. Not much fun.

Sanderś climb was wonderful, and so were the pictures he brought back. The staff is delighted and some will undoubtedly be used for some sort of publication since is shows the hospital and some outlying buildings clearly. There are so many - and some huge - trees here that several buildings are completely hidden from view.
Sander had to use a harness and carabiners to get up the tower, and now Carl wants to go as well. More power to them! Jimmy, the head engineer, is a wonderful oddball (as I said yesterday: most here are) who told us that engineer and ingeneous come hand in hand here. If a car breaks down and cannot be repaired right there, a bunch of guys come, lift up the car and carry it back to the hospital. Most parts needed are just made from whatever materials lay around, or taken and reshaped from old vehicles. Nothing is thrown away and nothing is taken for granted. In the mean time the bouganville and hibiscus bloom overhead, reminding you that all takes time.
When we were on our way from the airport to the hospital, the tyerod of the car broke. We didn´t tumble into the river, so all was well. We waited for a van from the hospital to pick us up. By then it was completely dark. The driver broke off a bunch of branches and laid them on the road ahead of us, toward the oncoming traffic, with a big rock placed on them. (Not to keep the branches there, but to discourage drivers to run over them amnd staying on our path). An ingenious substitue for a flare. We were on the way left side of the road, right past a curve and no shoulder - just a ravine. It was still a bit worrysome, but not too much. We all waited in the dark until a new van came, which carried a crew to do the impossible and take us to the hospital. Less than an hour later they followed us home, car in perfect condition. You do what you have to. No waiting until Wednesday two weeks from now, as in the local garage in Honesdale or elsewhere.

I have two new jobs. One is to translate Dr. Maibach´s brochure from a Swiss supporting organization (BSHASH) into real English. I have fun with that. The other is a never-ending job of updating the thousands of charts in the admissions office, where useless papers are rarely removed from bulging charts. It can be decades before it is done. Many times patients are dead anyway- two sheets of paper is enough for that chart.
That work by itself will keep me busy whenever I am not working in the ward, which I will continue tomorrow.

This afternoon Sander, Carl and I are hiring the services of Margerite, our former house lady. She is the mother of Marigite, the girl whośe schooling is now supprted by Tina. She will take us on the taptap to Verrettes, otherwise a 2 hr walk each way. And taptaps, though dangerous, are so much fun. We are going to buy farine (flour), zufs (eggs), dley (milk power), kanel (cinnamon) and..??.. (nutmeg) there. And that great rum for the holidays, of course. Tomorrow I will bake at least 20 Christmas breads and distribute them to the nurses on Monday. Should be fun. Since we are staying at Alumni House, we are lucky enough to be able to do that. It is the only house that has an oven and 24 hr light and water. A treat: a real cold shower instead of the daily bucket.

OK. Thatś enough for today. I am sure there will be something of substance to say tomorrow, since are going to a 3hr voodoo event tonight. And meeting the priestess some time this afternoon. I am very excited and am glad I asked. Even Carl wants to go!

By the way: I cannot make corrections here because I cannot really see print or screen. So itś by luck if it all makes sense.

Tata.
Love, Marianne

Haiti revisited- December 2008

2008-12-19T05:53:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends,
Christmas time is distinctly differnet here, starting with little colored lights dangling from palmtrees and haphazardly slung across the hospital hallways. Balloons added, some items that have absolutely nothing to do with Christmas except for the festive atmosphere (paper chains) and there is a sense of expectation in the air in spite of the increase in certain diseases, as the time of year directs.

Itś good to be back here. One feels useful, yet enormously peaceful. People become friends so readily, especially when they find out that you don't hand out money. You are for real and they respect you. Itś not easy to do that with so much poverty.

The hospital itself is increasingly working like a smooth machine. What a difference with 3 years ago. The place is freshly painted. The guards at the entrance and exit do a precise job and are clearly proud of the fact they they, too are part of the machine. The Swiss director, a pediatrician, is tough and a stickler, and expects complete order and commitment from the most menial job to his own. There is a medical meeting every morning from 7am-8am and if you are 3 minutes late, you can get in and it is marked down. The presentations vary from medical/ patient information, technical issues (generator) to new regulations within a certain department. He is an elderly gentleman and reminds me of Albert Schweitzer himself. I like him very much. He is trying to find a replacement for him so he can go home and retire (his wife an anesthetic nurse, is here as well). But he wants someone better than he is, and preferably a Haitian.Quite a job!

Carl is in heaven doing what is he so good at. He has a translator with him at all times, a very friendly man who definitely speaks better Kreyol than English. But it works and he teaches Carl. Carl runs the out-patient pediatric clinic in the morning and works in the newborn nursery and peds the rest of the day. Which works at the typical peaceful speed with an hour + for lunch, little nap...etc.

Sander is having a blast. people are very excited to have him here, ex-patirates and Haitian alike. There is enormous cooperation and everyone knows that what he does is terribly important, especially the ¨guys up high¨. And he is good at what he does. He has made a ton of friends. These next days he is highlighting the technical parts of the hospital, the sides donors and other curious people never hear of. This morning he is going to the emptying of a well with the head engineer here. One huge guy will pull out the shaft and rapidly the crew takes over to pull out the rest. There is no equipment. No cranes, no tractors. It is done with stone and wood rollers, hard work, team work and ingenuity. And it works. Late afternoon he is going to climb the 60 ft water tower, to take pictures of the hospital and surrounding area when the light is lovely and the shadows are long. He is also going into the mountains later, which I have already done. I may go along, depending on how I feel.

Sander and I were reflecting upon the thought that the reason we love it here and feel we belong, is because everybody here, from medical staff to engineers and office technicians, are oddballs. Itś wonderful to be comfortable and have great conversations with people who don´t bat an eye at some outrageous way to solve a problem or present outlandish ideas. Because here they work. They need to.

It is cool now. People (Haitians) walk around with 2 sweaters on and complain. I am finally comfortable, although a blanket is definitely needed at night.
I came down with a flu-or-whatever before I left home (from Carl) and am sick and at times quite miserable. Nasty cough and hot/cold. So I have to stay away from the wards for now, particularly the malnutritian ward. I would make those kids, with their immune system so low, very sick. (And I could catch something we don want as well!) I was there the 1st day but became worse so now I have to sweat it out.
There is so much to do, however. With the Head of Nursing and another woman, we are wrapping over 500 packages with Christmas gifts for all the staff and the patients. Everyone receives on white towel, tightly rolled up, and a little ziplock baggy filled with colorful candies. Tie a little red ribbon around it and it looks cheerful and special. The other thing weŕe wrapping are more elaborate packages for the newborns and the littlest babies. They may contain little baby hats, receiving and other blankets, diapers and pins and at least one little outfit. Many of these itams came from Pennsylvania. Thank you, guys! It will make a gift they will always remember!
Yesterday I was VERY happy. There was an empty workshop for various arts here. I tried to get in 3 years a go but the woman who was the self-appointed boss would not let me. One elderly woman (A Mellon family member) took over (what could they say?)
2.5 years ago she bought a piece of land and hired people to plant cotton and harvest it. The new cotton was spun (each step required earning a certificate), the the cotton was dyed into wonderful colors and weaving looms (5) were imported to make rugs. They are wonderful. The price is $10 or $200 a piece, dependoing on the size and you can even request certain color combinations!
N4ext door is a woodworking shop. They scrounge the area for fallen oak and another native hardwood, which is further aged and turned into gorgeous furniture. The left-over pieces are used to make souvenirs (little boxes, for example). I had a problem with using the wood,, but felt better knowing that they never cut.
Next to the woodworking shop is the ceramics shop. They use (now) only molds and they make them themselves. The colors are lovely and there is a great variety of dishes. They sell very well. Weŕe talking about possible ways to decorate the dishes, to give them more of a Kreyol feeling.
That´s a summary of some of the things I have done. New things.

Tonight weŕe having dinner at the Maibachś house (med director) and I am bringing the wine. Am I ver glad I brought that big box over. Theyŕe delighted.
And sometime this weekend Sander and I, and I imagine Carl, will be taken to a 3 hr Voodoo ritual in the mountains by some of our new friends. Weŕe really excited about that.

OK-the machine here (a dinosaur) just informed me that this blog most likely will not be sent. That light just went out so off it goes. Having a great time here and feeling very, very useful.
Much love to you all, will write again when I have the chance.
Marianne
Emails and responses grate(ce)fully accepted.

Back and back again

2008-11-30T09:56:00.000-08:00

Haiti sticks to you in a beautiful way and our thoughts are there frequently.
On December 16 Sander, Carl and I will be heading out again, to return December 30 (spending our 38th anniversary at one of the lovely seaside resorts -- yes, they are there and fabulous) near Saint Marc before flying home.
Carl will be the pediatrician working with others, but mainly the one on call Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, in order for one of their peds to go home for the holiday. Carl is studying Kreyol whenever he can and I am sure he will do better than I. Sander is going with us because he is doing a photo shoot story of the hospital (gift to the Mellon Grant Foundation for fundraising). He will also do a story for Epson, who gave(!) him one of their new products: a portable, battery-operated printer. He will use that to give pictures to children and families. Many have never owned (or seen) a picture of themselves so this is a quite joyous occasion. All Epson wants in return is an article about his projet and the use of their equipment. Quite a gift!
Me? I don't know yet. I have been collecting "nonsense songs" (songs without real words) from different countries (such as tumba tumba etc, ) and hope to play with the kids in peds and in the village. And they love "head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes". The trick is to leave out the "and" or you get neezuntows, neezuntows" We , even in the wealthy US, do not have such body parts.
One of our lovely special persons, the mother of our triplet grand children who are not really our grandchildren, has provided the tuition for a lovely 8th grader who had to quit school (I know the family well). She wants to study music and theatre. Pretty unusual there. She playes trumpet well, has a voice like an angel, is beautiful and very motivated. Another great thing has been done.
My (our: Sander is godfather) Jean has discovered that there is such thing as books (with pictures!!) so we are inundating him with touch books and flip books and "find the puppy" type books that we actually found in Kreyol, English/Kreyol or French/Kreyol. Magical.

I/we will continue this blog after the 16th of December. Hope you will enjoy our new adventures!
Happy pre-holiday season to you all.

One more PS

2008-10-30T05:42:00.000-07:00

The van was going to pick me up at 4am so I was ready and waiting at 3:50am. Would you believe the van, for once, was on time? They arrived promptly at 5:16. On the nose! (Haitian time!)
And about the kids: when we picked up the next passenger, two girls, already in uniform, were sitting on their haunches outside the MD's cactus fence, studying by the light of his yard light. At 5:25 am. They were about 11, 12 years old. (School starts at 8)

On the plane I sat next to a really interesting French woman. She has worked in Haiti for 3x2 years now (different regions) and is the head for Haiti of Beyond Borders. She is the tree expert and also worked 30 years in various countries in Africa. She told me that the deforestation in the south is horrendous. The only place left in Haiti where they still have the BIG trees. She said "There is no hope any more in Haiti. Everything is to survive one-on-one, no longer caring what is rightfully theirs. They can't afford to. There is no infra-structure and there is no way this can change. There is an enormous shortage on political miracles in Haiti." I was so sad, but when she explained why Africa will win in their strive for normalcy, (in the non-upheaval countries) and Haiti wouldn't, it all made sense from what I have experienced myself. There is no denying it.

Still..."it makes a difference to this one!"

Goodbye my friends. Hope you had a good trip to Haiti.
Marianne

PS "one last time"

2008-10-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

When I get home I WILL post many of the pictures I took, incl of the incedible mountain landscapes.
PS more: Today I found that the little stream going through Deschapelles is clear as glass! What a wonderful sight!

One last time

2008-10-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day here. For this trip, anyway.
This morning was nice and I think the rest of the day will be as well.
My bugbites were limited to 5 last night, so that gave me a better night sleep as well, and the wolf spider just ran off and out my door. It's a good life.

Starry invited a couple (MD and MD - what else do we have here??) for dinner tonight, as a 'going away'. And I was asked to cook which is fun and a blessing. The cook's menu is limited to soups and Ragu spaghetti or canned mac and cheese. OK. Starry doesn't cook at all.
The menu:
for appetisers deviled eggs (as fresh as can be) and thin sliced mini breads with shredded grilled cheese on top.
For dinner Flemish Stew (beef, ale, spices and topped with mustard/cheese bread, baked nicely in the oven we hope will keep up the good work before supper is done), a salad and scalloped potatoes.
The maids, Nan and Tan, hang over my shoulder each time I cook and their menu has been much enriched in the past weeks. Really cute.
Starry asked me for a PB cookie recipe (BEST fresh PB here!) which she'll make for dessert.

To get much of that stuff we had to go to the market.
The local market is a daily affair, with truly poor people selling itsty-bitsy things of whatever they can get. Granted: there are some more stalls with fresh meat (some still bleating) and freshly caught fish and some farmers are clearly better off with a variety of fresh-looking produce. But those are only a few. And the market is quiet, which feels eerie.
We found someone who sold tomatoes! Very expensive for here: 5 for $1, but we bought them anyway (salad). We bought 7 potatoes, 3 shallots grown in you-know-what, two bottles of beer from the wall, a tiny bunch of parsley (all she had to sell) and TONS of grenadiens, a sour fruit related to oranges. Makes THE best juice, provided you have sugar. We bought freshly laid eggs ( chicken tied to the stall to prove it??) and two cokes. (Why?? Am I finally getting that rum and coke??)
The rest of the stalls would have 3 potatoes, 4 carrots, an onion and 2 eggs. Some maggi boullion cubes, sold individually, and perhaps two hair ribbons. And the forever present stick of sugar cane. A very muddy and smelly market, women and men dressed in the poorest of poor. What a difference with the bustling Verrettes market!

The MD here just came in to ask if I'd go and visit a local school with her. She promised to pay the tuition of a boy she knows (8th grade), but he told her that the school does not accept US checks (can be changed at the hosp here..) and does not have an account. So she asked me to come (for my "french") and limited Kreyol to speak to the principal. So off we shall go on the taptap.

Yesterday someone from the hospital made an official appt with me through Erlantz.
Listen to this. Have your gullibility hat on? I am learning!

He started building a house. married, 2 daughters. Borrowd $ from the hosp for each segment, paid it off, borrowed again. He works there - no problem. Done all the time.
Halfway through he relized that he will never build that house w/o some other plan.
So he called the L rm a classroom and asked me to furnish the building's funding.
Sure.
With a straight face (have bought one in Verrettes) I told him I would be delighted to if...
He has a clear plan, both financially, time line and building codes (haha)
Who was going to teach.
Which children he was going to have there. Oh...orphans and street children? So who is going to pay the bills then?
How does he enroll them, and how does he keep the street children in school, who have no discipline to return?
Was he going to offer lunch? How to pay for that?
Which teaching methods was he going to use?
What would the materials cost before opening?

To the street children issue he added that he was thinking recently about opening an orphanage, too.

The people I know who have done either don't do very well.
Many threats and lack of safety. The locals don't trust them.

I finally told him that IF he has a plan for the house, finishes the house, has at least two classrooms completely ready and teachers and lesson plans in place, he should definitely come and talk to me again. No promises. Because I could try and get some friends together and buy some permanent materials for each classroom.
OK my friends: is that a fair deal?

The sad thing is that I get requests about tuition or building things and other dreams every day (incl. requests for visas). And the answer is 'no' 98% of the time. Because the list is endless and you have to pick one cause you can be relatively sure of, and bring that to completion.
It makes me sad. When we can't afford private schools for our children, we send them to public school. Because they're good. And we can even home school Those are not options here. Private school or nothing. And there is no guarantee of the quality of the private school. Sad.

Anyway. We just went to visit one of those schools (since I wrote the above), a 7-room school house where the older students come later in the day so they can work daytime and not have to enlarge the school. It was what we'd call a shack. More like a small barn or cleaned-out chicken coop. The children didn't have desks, just little rickety benches. When they needed to write they'd kneel on the floor and put their work on the bench. The colors of the school were hard blue and white, by the way. When this lady and I were there (I had to speak French for her) the 1st graders were just reciting the x6 tables. The 4th graders were learning French verbs (hard for them) and the Philo -advanced 13th grade/college prep- were reading novels in French.

What are we doing wrong, I wonder? Do our children need chicken coops again? To share dog-eared books, and treasure a pencil? Do our homework by the light of the only streetlight in the village? Stay sparkling clean after a day on dirt floors?
I don't get it. The name of the school, by the way, is The Road To Jerusalem.

Thanks for listening. Be grateful. Share. Have a heart, and I really don't need two of everything.

Much love, Marianne

The end.

We're all pissed some times

2008-10-27T06:31:00.000-07:00

OK. I am sad. And pissed. Not so much mad because I can understand what happened.
Erlantz' involvement was to go to the meeting with UNICEF, at which I did the explaining and presenting of statistics, and of signing the papers with me at the final pick-up. And without that it may not have worked - I'll never know.
But this morning we finally had the presentation about the UNICEF project to the medical staff and he, as an 'a propos' , mentioned that I had helped him. That hurt. But it is about the project, I realize that. So. Now I feel better. It helps with his career, so so be it.

I am beginning to pack (haha) my empty suitcase. Starry suggested that I leave all my summer clothes here until December, which makes sense, but I need something to safeguard the 2 bottles of ***** rum in :D. One for Carl, one for Sander. (Well, try me on that one, Sander!)

I am going home with one visible suitcase, because the other two fit perfectly inside the others. And that's going to be a problem in Haiti.

You see, I have one US $50 bill left, a quarter and a dime. When you get to the airport, the suitcase is firmly taken from you (while being followed by a willing crowd who will gladly carry the other clearly invisible suitcase) and deposited 10 steps further at the airport entrance, where it is equally firmly taken over by inside carriers. And when you tell them to begin with that you don't have any money, they don't believe a word (ALL Americans have money, even missionaries!) and yell ferociously at you for not paying you 'several dollars' for their 'hard' work. Well...that's exactly how it is going to be. Nada. Rien. Pa agant! Niks. Nuttin'.
I wonder what will happen......
I can see the headlines" Stingy American Hung By Toes Until Bucks Fell Out! Let Go Alive Due To Lack Of Other Valuables!" Maybe I'll remember I'm still part Dutch!

I was going to the mountains, far into the mountains today, but I am soo pissed. In addition to that we're out of water until noon and cannot go w/o water. That would be stupid. Used my last to make Erlantz and myself a nice cup of coffee before the meeting....
Blurch. A trip can't be all joy and perfection.
Love y'all. One more day and hopefully a trip home without surprises Wednesday. But that remark refers to other stories.

Oh yes: about the payments here. The king here was paid in GOURDS, the big veggies. That's why the money is still named (gourds) gouds. There are 5 gouds to the dollar (haitian) and 7.68 H$ to the US$. easy, right?
Love to all.

PS to last blog

2008-10-26T10:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the errors.* However: the new rooms for Gladys are more than twice as big, not smaller.
And she's not getting a new bed - just sheets. The bed is fine.

* I, Marianne Kuiper Milks, have long, painted nails. Harder to type. No clipper, only a borrowed file and gross nailpolish the mothers in the hsop. insisted on decorating me with.

Few days' worth

2008-10-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Greetings, all.
It looks like yesterday's blog went blonkers. Too bad.
In short: The boy who was hit was11 and his siter 9 years old. She has a nasty heawound but her brother died. It's a life for a life here and the police has taken the driver to an undisclosed location. After serving his sentence, he'll never be able to come back here.

It was nice staying with Gladys and Jean. She now has a two-room place and each room is considerably smaller than the previous "house", which was a shack made of matts, stone and pieces of corrugated metal. Dangerous.
She went to the market after I gave her my left-over gouds (from 'gours" - the manner in which they had to pay the king in days of yore) and she bought many fresh vegetables, fish, sausage (imported and in one piece from the USA), spaghetti, rice and fruit. All good purchases. As flies to a pie all her friends came to dinner, which was funny. She and I shared her double bed and I think, judging by how torn it was, that she will have a new one for Christmas :-)
Jean was in the 'terrible twos' and no different from other kids world-wide. Like all other Haitian children he still poops on the floor, which I find difficult and gave it a good scrubbing after the mild clean-up it had been given.
An accident to report as well. Gladys has a great new boyfriend. All her friends are really bright, by the way and well educated. Amazing for someone who couldn't read or write. Her BF is the head of accounting for the largest security firm in Saint Marc. He came in and I scooted back to make space for him. I apparently pushed the shelving as well and the TV came tumbling down from a 4-5' height(on my wrist - it's ok now) and roll/bounced over the cement floor. It now has more channels and a clearer picture. It's a Japanese TV :D, inherited from her parents when they died.

Today I went to the Baptist church, because our maid-friend invited me to. I have arranged for her 3rd daughter to continue HS (the other 2 are resp. in med school and in teacher's college-parents analphabetic) so I was invited to come with them. I didn't know the service was 4 hours long, so I am grateful that I brought my water bottle.
It was SO interesting. The 1st pastor was the teacher, the 2nd one the preacher. The teacher taught the history of Christianity, from early Catholicism through Marting Luther and Calvin to present day "everyone is truly the same" in Protestantism. Then he asked a series of questions to the congregation.

The music and singing was great. There was a visiting pastor, who went to another church after 30 minutes, and a visiting men's choir from the Baptist Bible College (5 years). There was also a really good band with 2 electric guitars, one bass, keyboard and percussion. There was one problem. One of the members of the men's vocal quintet couldn't sing nor keep the beat. Granted - he was only about 4 -7 notes off, but he went to the left when everone else went to the right and then at a different speed. Kind of like when you hear two things ticking and one synchronizes for a few seconds, then runs ahead to be the opposite. NVTZ- Nuts (Mel Brooks)
There was a visiting women's choir and they were fabulous. I couldn't follow a word from the 2nd pastor, except some reference to "free" American education. I gues it all depends.
The best thing about the church (the one we went to with Dawn, Carl) is that they now have 8 (!!) fans and that made a huge difference. Especially after the first 30 minutes.
The funniest thing was an old woman who yelled "belle" (female beautiful) throughout the service. People started chuckling, but at one point whe pointed at the preacher and yelled "li belle, wie?" "he's beautiful, right?" and everyone cracked up and applauded. The preacher thanked her. I gues everyone has someone like that, somewhere.

Two more days. And what I wrote is only such a small part of the smells, sights, sounds and warm touches of life here. I will miss it, but I am really ready to go home now. Mission accomplished and that sure feels good. Although the poverty is immense, and hard to understand, you start seeing the beauty and resiliance above all else.
Erlantz and I decided that what Haiti needs (seriously) is a King or Queen. There was actually one, and it wouldn't be bad to find his offspring. The people need a symbol, something stable with the elected government below him or her. (Women are very important here)

Going: the water is running for 45 minutes and I need a shower instead of a bucket!
love to all (Hi, Sari!!!)

Jean and two days in a Haitian home.

2008-10-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

A death

2008-10-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

There was a tragic accident this afternoon. One of the Haitian drivers left the campus (they ALWAYS and all drive too fast), hit a 15 yo boy who was outside the hospital and a little later the boy died. Naturally the news traveled like wildfire and, although the driver is Haitian, there will be much anger and resentment among the local population.
In the mean time the staff is having a pool party to celebrate the birthday of the volunteer (1 yr) E.R. nurse. We don't think it's a good idea to do it now, but at home, all separated, we're not that much safer. Let's just hope nobody else gets hurt through all this. Not always good news.

PS

2008-10-23T08:49:00.000-07:00

Forgot something funny.
While Erlantz and the nurse were explaining how to count five drops of chlorine into a gallon of unpurified water to give to their children, of all things Jehova's Wittness (spelling?) walked out of the bush - into the fire :-)
They gave all the mothers (who cannot read) a pamphlet as well as one to a teenage girl, who read it rapidly, blabbered to the group and gave the paper back with a shrug. The JW next started 'preaching', at which point Erlantz quickly explained what he was doing there, that he was the doctor, followed by something hilarious (missed it) that made the women squeel, two babies cry and the JW turn around without another word. Funny scene.

Another day in intense heat.

2008-10-23T08:15:00.000-07:00

All is well here. After a long night without mosquitos but with nightmares (hate those things - they should be forbidden!) I woke up to a sweaty morning and fun "activities".
We went back into the mountains to the (one of) Ti Foyer, the "little hearth", where I went last week. Again the mothers were there with their 2 yo children and again the children sat on the center mat and were fed a variety of foods. And again there was not a grain of rice left. There were 7 mothers: one new and the other six had been there many times. Free food! The food is provided by an international food donations organization from, I believe Switzerland (they do an amazing amount!) They have strict rules, that sometimes do not quite meet the rules of other organizations, leaving some kids/adults hanging in between. At any moment an officer can walk in to check and if the rules aren't adhered to, the funds are withdrawn. Another enigma. Where does it leave the poor? Can it be run differently? Why no exceptions when a child is dying> So much is so great and so much makes no sense.
I took some more pictures of the really almost dead-looking baby. The mother didn't look better. I gave her one of Keri's really soft blankets and a pair of premie shorts. Two years old - a bit too big for him. I asked Erlantz why they were letting the baby die. He laughed and sad "THAT baby will be fine. He is skinny because he has not reached the oedema stage and is caught now, in time. That mother has been here with all her children. They are all malnourished but she just doesn't do what she is told. He will be fine." That is so sad to watch. And to understand. All the mothers received a soft blanket and something to go with it: a pair of baby socks, a rubber duckie, pacifiers- whatever. I feel bad acting like the benevolent white woman. But the light in their eyes showed that it didn't matter where it came from: someone cared and this was their day.
I always make sure that they know that the came from friends. More people who care.

Last night we all went swimming in the lovely pool, a left-over of great plantation days and the only thing the staff could not live without here. Everything else can go, but that luxury is needed. Two of my friends and I jumped in clothes on (since none of us remembered a swimsuit) when the med. director came to swim. He kindly told us that he didn't think it was hygienic. But we told him, truthfully, that we have reserved one pair of clothes for this activity. No way we give up that water when it starts cooling off!
The entire 'campus' used to be, as I said earlier, a huge coffee plantation. Yesterday I took an hour to walk around and see how far it had reached and what there was. I counted over 40 buildings and structures, including the oldest part of the hospital. There are walls everywhere, double walls about 2 feet high, that once held soil and lovely plants. Some are still there. It includes an extensive irrigation system to water everything- all of cemented field stone. Some of it can be kept up, but there is absolutely no money to pay workers to do the work needed.
Such a shame. It is also great to see how much Mrs. Mellon loved plants. There are very unusual plants and trees here, all gathered from around the country, in part to show the people the vareit of food and fruits available.

I had a long discussion with Erlantz last night about the (reasons for)poverty and lack of structure in Haiti. Erlantz comes from an "upper-class" family and has a better (?) view of the situation from a historical point of view. (The ? re..who really knows?)
He said that during the time of Papa/Baby Doc EVERYONE was working. Everyone had jobs to do and the country was as peaceful and stable as it ever was. haiti was the first - buy far - independent nation in the Caribean and its history is not always one of poverty and despair.
I asked him about the Ton-Ton-Macout, the Uncle's Army. He said that many of his family members lived out in the country and saw what happened there. Heis family also knows Edwige Danticat and says that her stories are great but, sadly, either untrue or too many written about a single event. That these stories (by the govt) were at times circulated to frighten people into work and fairness. That this was the only time that corruption among the lower govt. employees was at an all time low. (We can humpf about that...but look at us!!)
When I asked him about the involvement of the USA he said that the USA has done wrong things, but that their help and support has by far outweighed what they and other nations have done that harms Haiti.

I listen to all that, look at what he does with all his heart (excellent pediatrician and public health worker) and cannot understand the opposite poles of what one hears, sees, reads and discusses/
All I know is that each starfish saved is a saved starfish.
Love you all.

This baby is most ill.(Deceiving)

2008-10-22T12:26:00.001-07:00

Hi guys,
I hope the pictures finally came through. The system here is so slow and so frequently disconnected that more than one shot at a time was not possible. This darling girl had severe eodema, the red, falling out curky hair and the big belly. She has been on the program for 1,5 days now and looking like this we're all happier.
There's a lovely young woman named Erin, of Irish-American heritage, who has been workin g with this ward, in a variety of projects, this past year (since Jan). She's leaving this winter an d will start med school in Dublin! Lucky her!
OK guys-see you soon!

pictures

2008-10-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

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some of my kids

2008-10-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

2008-10-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

Here pictures of the old Grandmother with her infant hgrand daughter-the picture in Carl's office. Now returned with the granddaughter admitted for malnutrition.
A fat little boy who is not fat (oedema) . The children, therapy, are rubbed/massaged daily with a fine oil. Funny to see those glistening munchkins.
The little girl is just adorable. And still very sick.
The really skinny girl, age 6, has been admitted 6 times now. Not much hope.

The sep posted picture is of Gladys and part of Jean.

Never the same 3

2008-10-22T09:05:00.001-07:00

Too bad the old posts disappeared. Better written - too much in a ruch now. Sorry. The two sections described were clearly 2 parts of the trip home. I have been throwing up like crazy and want to go home but Carl wants me to wait. Hard - since nothing more is to be done unless I'm in the way. Feeling pretty negative today.
I'll try to add some pictures now. VERY slow and only 17 min left....

Never the same 1

2008-10-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

This section of the blog has now disapperared 3 times so I'll be short in hopes that I beat the disconnection.
The PlumpyNut and 3 other products (like MP5, not MP3, you dunce Marianne) were FINALLY acquired and 3 truck loads are on its way today. We have some of it. It was a fight and a chore, but it worked. Just a fight re a controlling woman, who tried everything to make life miserable for us.
We drove home in the dark, which was another experience: pitch black roads, people walking in sillence. One woman carried an eotire double bed, set up, on her head. Lookied easy. Our driver, Aysnel (not Esnel 1 or 2, Gesnel, Gasnel or Janel) is fast: the 5.3 hr ride back, squeeling through towns, in just under 2 hours! Typical Haitian style.
OK.
I will now try to add some pictures and hope it makes it home.
Love you!!
Mom/Marianne

Never the same 2

2008-10-22T08:29:00.000-07:00

Publishing trouble so I'll do it in sections.
Wanted to tell you about last night.
We drove the 5.3 hr ride, in pitch black, in a little under 2 hours. I hope I can describe as I did in what I presume is a lost blog.
Imagine driving through a dark city. No or few house lights, no or very few streetlights. The roads are full of holes and bumps, large rocks, trees and hills of building materials. (Everyone is ALWAYS building). Around the corner is suddenly an ocean of little lights. I was instantly transported into a novel by Charles Dickens. The market stalls lining all the roads and selling the oddest items, from chewing gum to inner tubes to hats, were more alive than during the day. Children were playing, old women, sitting on crates with their knees out wide in comfort, a grandchild leaning into her. Men bantering on corners, teen boys eyeing groups of beautiful teen girls, younger women in roaring, squeeling laughter. And every stall had one or two candles in a can, which resulted in an ocean of warm, yellow dots of lights winding, rolling as we left the city. I will never forget that.

Thanks, Haiti

2008-10-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday, the last of a 3-day holiday weekend. It was nice to have a few days without running around. Sander's comment on "Haitian time" is right on. You do get used to it. It becomes an issue only when you deal with other nationalities. When meeting a Frenchman, for example, you will meet the person perhaps 10 minutes after the decided time. When meeting a German you better be 5 min. early. Funny how we don't blend in.

Explain Kwasiorkor, Sander asked.
It's known in short as "Kwash" and is basically a child with malnutrtion. The child has started to loose hair, with the mohawk on top left, and the hair is often (not always) orange. Not all kids with orange hair have kwash, however. Severe malnutrition shows very fat, healthy kids. in fact: the fatter the more ill. This isn't fat but oedema, when the body retains too many fluids. When you punch the child's legs and feet, the dent may be 1 cm (about 1/2 inch) deep and stays. With other symptoms this is a +3 (highest) level kwash. When the dent is deep but goes away, it's a lvel +2. The children are treated with high protein etc levels of fluids (IV if needed) until the oedema goes away. It is the same with the "healty" babies with big bellies. When the eodema is gone, you have a very skinny, ill-looking child left. Some are close to comatose.
With the Medika Mamba or PlumpyNut, these +3 children can leave the hospital in 5 days or less. A miracle. The +2 children receive, instead, high protein etc milk, called MP3, which has the same effect. The +1 children are treated on an out-patient basis in their mountain villages.
So these two meds I have fought for and we're getting it FOR FREE, which saves many children and so much faster, while saving the hospital thousands and thousands of $ annually, to be used for other causes. One of those is the Ti Foyer, or "little hearth" in each village, where mothers are taught nutrition that is within reaach and within their means. Such as a food co-op.

Now I am on another project: a school for the hosp children ages 5-15 and for their running around siblings, run by volunteer spouses and students as available.
The proposal has been written, as is the list of items to be used (self-directed, Montesori style for all ages) and where it should take place. I am meeting with Dr. Maibach, hosp. med director, and Ian Mello of the Mellon Grant Foundation this week and I intend to get what I want. The fact that the Medika Mamba (med. peanutbutter) came through should help!
I am going to send some photos if I can. I'll do so separately, since I screwed up the last blog I wrote. Or maybe you'll get two. Should keep you off the street.
Thanks for your comments, Sander. Much appreciated. I don't always knowwhat people know or what should be explained.
Love to all. Another 10 days and I'll be home. I hope they'll be productive.
Love, Mom/Marianne

Disappointing

2008-10-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. Some days are up and then others are reality checks. Full of hope ad excitement, I rode a particularly painful ride to Port au Prince today. Five hours of the worst, with a bump against my back that left me with bruises. There were 11 people in the max 7 van, plus luggage. Add heat and it's not pretty. I mean a van organized like Tjitske's limo, with the benches on the side. Minus the champagne and beauty.
We had left HAS at 5 am and were in PaP by about 10:30 am. The driver dropped everyone off, then took me to UNICEF. That sounds simple. It isn't. Nothing is simple here. After waiting for over an hour (so did the driver) I was called in only to be told by a secretary that it "impozzible " (French lady) to get the PlumpyNut today. She needed three signed copies, and why didn't I know that (nobody emailed me that info, nor to Erlantz. Etc etc.) I was about in tears. Finally one of the two people in charge asked me to join an interesting meeting. And indeed it was. It lasted an hour and a half (couldn't find my driver to tell him) and was held by about 20 people from many nations. It was in French, but I could follow most of it, and easier as time went on. The organizations were Save the Children, Catholic Youth Services etc etc etc. Each wanted to coordinate efforts to help the children caught in the hunger and hurricane devastation (many go hand in hand). I had no intention to open my mouth, but when they asked I was surprised and proud how much I have learned these last 2 weeks (1 week??) and how many statistics I had correct. They were 'impressed' with the severity of our situation. Right now we have 19 severely malnourished children (ages 0-5), two intermediate and one critical.
For us the situation was just utterly frustrating: "but you need this form, and that paper, and this letter head, and such and such in triplicate..." It all made sense, but why hadn't they told us? I again stressed the need and severity. Now we need a specific letter and when we bring it next week (we're going Tue) we will get the PlumpyNut for the severe patients, and MP3, which is a highly enriched milk product, for the intermediate malnourished children. And that is more than we have now. MUCH more. Betsy: I'm using your money to transport the PlumpyNut. Thanks!!!!

After that we went 'bump' in the night, all the way home. My driver ended up patiently waiting until 4:30 PM and then took me - what all women in frustration apparently do: shopping!
I went to the international supermarket (Starry's request) and bought ham, Dutch cheese, tostido chips and salsa, wine, beer, whatever. A big box full and my gift to them for staying here. I hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday and was S-T-A-R-V-E-D.

Many funny things happened today on the way, but I am too exhausted to remember them now.
Except the 5 tiny goats butting and playing in the middle of the road. We were going 90 mph and the driver honked loudly. All the little goats jumped 1-2 feet into the air and then scattered. We all burst out laughing! Tomorrow more. I am taking a day OFF! (It's a holiday here)
My kreyol is really improving! I could speak a little and now, through all the confusion of languages, I know nothing. OK. Au whatever. Love you.

Going to school.

2008-10-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone. It's nice to see that the blog is being followed. Thanks!
Today is not/appears not to be so hot, for which I am grateful.
My first thing this morning was to hear that Erlantz and Starry (my hosts and friends) new German Shepherd (imported) puppy died during the night. They, maids included, were really distressed about it. Very sad.
At 8 am I had my first Kreyol private lesson. Wesley, professe, has written a book to learn Kreyol and it is excellent. i think I will finish book 1 before I go home so I will pass it on the Sander. Very logical-I like it. I bought one for you too, Carl, and already signed you up for lessons: 1 hr/day for the two weeks we're here.
After this I went to the malnutrition ward and established the manner in which infants need to be measured (if they're strong/old enough to stand up they can be measured by the scales.)
We measured all the children, some under immense protest with the mothers looking on with smiles: something imporrtant was being done by le 'blan' and it didn't hurt for a change.
I took a ton of pictures this morning and thank good ness for digital: they all had at least (the mothers) 2 shots each. I also took photos of the women washing clothes, mothers nursing babies with kwasiorkor, the measuring etc etc. In addition to that I visited an adorable kindergarten class with a ton of colorful pictures there as well. So much fun and a healthy contrast.
As I was walking down the hall, I saw a man all alone on a stretcher. I went to say hello to him, only to find that he was dead. That was a bit of a shock.
Our letter is going out in about 30 minutes and then I will set up the new protocol for the malnutrice ward. I don't know who I think I am or, for that matter, who they think I am, but Erlantz, the pediatrician has faith in me so I forge ahead and learn.
There is a very tall guy who waits for me everywhere and is "the village idiot" as Starry explained. He scares me a little. He actually speaks quite decent English but I can't get him away from me. I told him that I was married and he let out a long "ooooooh!", followed by "Can I take you for a walk on Saturday?" Oy. Better keep him at arms-length and on my good side.
The food is great, but a little hard to have only one meal (midday) per day. The maid figured out (how??) that I should eat something in the morning and she made me toast over the open fire and this was presented with a jar of the most delicious pineapple jam and...a jar of Prego spaghetti sauce. I had a little of both, of course.

OK. Enough. If Erlantz can help me unload my pictures, I will send a bunch to look at today or tomorrow. Love to all. Do not worry: I feel more safe here this time than any time before.
Mom/Marianne

ouch

2008-10-13T04:38:00.000-07:00

I am wearing anklets now. Courtesy of mosquitos.
I admire them all night long.
This morning another staff meeting, at which I still have nothing conclusive to present.
It takes time. Haitian time.
Hard to sift though the real and pretend numbers.
Erlantz and I are going to compose the letter to UNICEF this morning, which means that there is no mountain trip for me yet. I am disappointed, but this is a priority.
Miss you guys but also not. Too much to do to think about missing people.
The 'maids" (Hate that word) are so good with laundry that they turned my light blue and cream underwear into absolutely sparkling white. Nice to have something new.
Yesterday I gave their children some of Keri's beautiful clothes. They were as happy as I was to see their kids in those bright colors.
It's 6 :30 am. Short words. Much love.

First few days at HAS

2008-10-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

No pictures to show today, but tomorrow they will be here. Too much trouble with the computers and SoooooooooooSllllooooooooooooooow.

All is well here and the hospital is entirely different from my/our last visit. Last time everything at Hopital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) was in shambles. Not only did the left hand not know what the right one was doing: nobody KNEW there was a right hand. Nurses slept through the night and patients died which was discovered in the morning. No longer so. Dr. Rolf Maibach, an elderly gentleman from Switzerland is the new Medical Director. He looks like Schweitzer, has very kindly and patiently (in a hurry) turned everything around and the result is astonishing. There are only four employees left from the original, plus the administrator. The place is clean, obedient, responsible and works like a charm. The first time we were here patients were disappearing and no-one knew why. Now they have all returned and in large numbers.

My work is mainly in and with the malnutrition ward. At this moment there are about 18 children admitted, several severe cases. four year olds are really nine and babies all look like premies. It turns out that it is not only extreme poverty. There is a hirarchy in each family that runs from father to mother and down age-wise to the youngest when it comes to food. Therefore the youngest gets little to nothing. There are two excellent programs: one to teach nutrition according to what it available and secondly a co-op system where all contribute equal amounts of money and what is brought back from the often VERY far away market is distributed equally among all.

These outreach clinics are called Ti Foyer and is open a few days a week. Most are very far into the mountains and difficult to get to. On Monday I will have my first experience. That is to say: I am already up to my ears in work (in the fanned library :-) with statistics, creating a different system of recording information which was neatly recorded but inadequate. In addition I am figuring out overall percentages of weightloss/gain.

The problem is that only age was recorded, but not height AND age AND weight. UNICEF wants all three in order to have the PlumpyNut distributed. It makes perfect sense, when you think about it. A child who was born underweight and has failure to thrive will have different relative weight and height than one born healthy. So I am in the process of making new charts and guidelines. Fun and going well.

On the way here, from Port au Prince (PAP) to Deschapelles, I saw some of the lesser devastation. Water had come rushing down from the mountains and when it reached the ocean wiped away entire houses and villages. The holes in the roads are deeper and larger than ever.
It was good to see that, even in the dark of night, the American crews were working with large, shipped in equipment to repair the roads. Especially the sides were dangerous with 3 feet deep (1 meter) shoulders. In Saint Marc, where my Jean and mother Gladys live, roofs had blown off shanties and I was so happy to know that they now live in a real house. The park in the center of the city was locked because trees had fallen over. The last thing they need: losing more trees.
I don't know whether I will make it to Gonaive, the town on the coast north of Saint Marc.
That city was hit worse than any other place in Haiti. My (new) friend here, a very wonderful endocrinologist, told me that the city has been wiped away. She has visited twice but said that, without large equipment, many people and an amazing amount of money there is little that can be done. And disease is brewing.

On a more positive note: I am staying at the house of the brother of (:-) our friend Dr. Nathaelf Hyppolite. Erlantz (the brother) is almost married to Starry (is proposing Sunday night) and they have an adorable and beautiful 4 mo old daughter named Jasmine. They also have a new puppy, a German Shephard who pees as much as Jasmine and is equally loud at times. Both adorable, though and a good step away from it all.

The malnutrition ward is a bit hard to take. However: a volunteer over the summer convinced the nurses that cheerful music, activities and colorful pictures would change and improve the atmosphere. And indeed it makes a difference. This afternoon Erin, a college volunteer who took half a year off to do this work, and I will begin to distribute the colorful and soft sheets you all donated. And the little blankies. All have to be marked HAS with permanent markers or the mothers will become the sole owners. That isn't the idea.

Dede: thank you for your idea for a fund raiser. What they need most right now is scales to weigh the children as well as height-measuring sticks to take out to the Ti Foyer. I have thought of using the new digital suitcase weighing aparatus sold by the AAA. I bought one and they are extremely fast and accurate and hand-held. All I need to do is make some sort of heavy-duty sling/swing to attach to the bottome. They cost $14.95 if you are a AAA member. We need at least 10 of them, one for each Ti Foyer and for future expansion of that program. The measuring sticks are also VERY important (Sturdy tape measures if need be that can be mounted to the wall) so we can start/continue receiving FREE PlumpyNut from UNICEF. Now all children can receive it, rather than a control group. Needless to say much more is needed, but those are rather urgent items.

An additional idea was born. The parents will take the take-home food to the market to sell. It tastes great and they're all hungry. Solution: cut the tip off so it is open (can't spoil) to prevent selling. Let's hope it works.

Let's also hope that sending this blog works.
Sending you all my love. It seems like I have been in this so different world forever. There isn't a moment rest because everyone needs something or some help all day long. I am glad to be useful rather than spending my day twiddling my thumbs.

Tomorrow 'my boy" Jean-Marie and his mom Gladys are coming for an overnight visit. I look forward to snuggling him again! I'll take pictures of your godson, Sander!

Marianne

2008-10-07T15:03:00.000-07:00

Testing-testing..1-2-3... So far I have made it to Sander's in Brooklyn, where I'm spending the night before zooming off tomorrow, October 8.
Hopefully more soon.

2008-09-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

Haiti once again.
The country is in need beyond description . Roads between towns are still close, although a temporary bridge has been set up to bring some food from Port au Prince to Saint Marc,where our boy Jean (zjahn)-Marie lives, and onward to Deschapelles, the town with Albert Schweitzer Hospital (HAS) and Hands Across The Sea orphanage (HATS). Most is still coming by helicopter drops. The water is slowly receeding, which brings more dead bodies and more drowned livestock to pollute the country side. Especially in remote villages the people are immensely hungry. They have some money, there is food in the markets - even though a far cry fom what is normally available, but they just cannot get there and back. Children are starving.

I am leaving October 8, after Tjitske's wedding. Through some miracle of email connections one question was asked to UNICEF: "can we get PlumpyNut for the malnutrition wing at the hospital, and for the mountain villages?" My question was posed to someone whose job was related to...etc, etc..and within two hours I had an email from the director of UNICEF-Haiti that we could work it out. After a few days of getting hospital protocols and other paperwork in order, the project was accepted by UNICEF, and food and medicine is on its way from France. Whoever says that miracles don't exist can join me at JFK October 8. I'll show you miracles!
Once at Hopital Albert Schweitzer (HAS), I will be in charge of creating the statistics forms for our particular project (in Kreyol) to supply to UNICEF, in addition to eaching the staff and volunteers how to use them. And I'll wipe skinny bottoms, hug moms and stuff like that as well. No degrees or language needed. And I will go into the mountains, hoping to find new villages and hoping their children are alive.

Over Christmas Carl and I will go to HAS again so a pediatrician there can finally spend Christmas with her family. Carl will work in pediatrics and I'll see what will be next. Undoubtedly I'll spend time with my beautiful godson Jean-Marie (see before and after pictures below) and his young mom Gladys.

This is my 6th trip to Haiti, 4th this year, and it will be Carl's second. His presence has far more impact than mine, but every pair of hands helps. So if you're interested: let us know!
I will try, barring issues with electricity or internet, to write every day through October about my sad but also joyful and ALWAYS interesting time in Haiti.