Just one more full day here, and then we leave for the airport and the long trip home on Saturday! It’s been a very informative and productive trip, but I’m ready to return. The last few days have been easy – just interviews and paperwork in the main office. It is a bit confining though. It isn’t safe for us to wander the city on our own, so we go from hotel to office and back by work shuttle. You don’t see much of the city that way. There are also few restaurants, so all meals are taken in the hotel. I could now work here. I have memorized the menu, and know the entire process from start to finish for the waiters. The only thing I can’t figure out is why fettucine has green peppers in it. Maybe that’s the last question on the test before you are hired.
Tomorrow is the big exit presentation to the office, then back to the hotel to pack the suitcase, and get ready to depart on Saturday morning. We go from here, to Miami, to Chicago, and finally to Seattle. That was the “best we could do” according to our travel group. Seems like a lot of take-offs and landings, but I guess as long as take-offs and landings are equal, I’m OK with it.
As always, thank you for letting me share a bit about my adventures with you. Writing helps me remember as well months or years later!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
This morning we awoke to the sounds of farm animals in the lot behind the hotel. The day starts early on the island of La Gonave! After a wonderful breakfast, it was back to the boat, and the ride back to the mainland. There was quite the storm last night, and there was still quite a bit of wave action this morning. While I’m quite certain we were safe the whole time, there were a few times we seemed to get quite a bit of lift over the water, or seemed to tilt quite far to the left or right. In any event, it was a safe journey on the water. Probably safer than the truck ride from the boat back to the office in Port-au-Prince. I’ve been several places, and usually the organizations drivers are not the most aggressive on the road. The gentleman today was certainly not typical!
Otherwise, just a day of interviews, process reviews, and note taking. Boy doesn’t that sound like fun! So today, I’ll include a bit of general information.
In the city, water is delivered to homes in trucks. Picture the type of trucks that bring oil to homes in the US. The water is delivered from the truck to a cistern under the floor in the home, where it is then used for washing, bathing, etc. And here’s the funny part…. The water delivery vehicles play songs, just like the ice cream truck in the US. The “theme song” for the trucks is the theme song for the movie Titanic. Now I don’t know if anyone else finds this amusing, but I really get a kick out of it!
Otherwise, just a day of interviews, process reviews, and note taking. Boy doesn’t that sound like fun! So today, I’ll include a bit of general information.
In the city, water is delivered to homes in trucks. Picture the type of trucks that bring oil to homes in the US. The water is delivered from the truck to a cistern under the floor in the home, where it is then used for washing, bathing, etc. And here’s the funny part…. The water delivery vehicles play songs, just like the ice cream truck in the US. The “theme song” for the trucks is the theme song for the movie Titanic. Now I don’t know if anyone else finds this amusing, but I really get a kick out of it!
Greetings from La Gonave! La Gonave is an island off the coast of Haiti. We left the hotel at about 7:00 and experienced Port-au-Prince rush hour. People were everywhere, going ever direction on the roads. Police officers, UN troops, and other security forces were at most of the intersections directing traffic. I’m not sure if it was helping, but all those official people probably prevent something really bad from happening!
We finally got to the boat after about 2 hours of driving. As I know nothing about boats, I can’t tell you what kind, other than it was a motor boat. I ended up sitting in the front, which gets a little damp in the middle of the voyage. The waves between the coast of Haiti and the island are pretty good size. I don’t really remember the number of times I came out of my seat as we crested one wave and then crashed down, with the spray going over the front of the boat. Quite an experience.
The views from the water are beautiful, both of Haiti and of La Gonave. The water though is not as pretty. From the shore, it looks beautiful, but when you’re in the middle of it, you see all the trash and garbage that people have thrown into the water, or that has washed down from the hillsides. Cups, plates, Styrofoam containers, bottles, just about everything you can imagine if floating out there.
After arrival, we drove for over an hour over some very bumpy roads to the middle of the island. I’m not sure how many miles, but I’m guessing it was less than 15. The ride was so rough, I actually have bruises on the backs of my legs from being bounced around on the seat! There we saw a medical clinic first. The clinics on the island are staffed by intern doctors. These are people that have just graduated or are about to graduate from medical school. They serve a one year assignment here. At this point, they can’t get anyone else to serve here because it is so remote. Folks here suffer mainly from all the ailments related to unclean drinking water, plus respiratory infections, and malaria.
From there we went to a food distribution. There are several programs on the island run by aid groups to bring supplemental food (beans, corn-soybean blend, cooking oil, etc.) to families here. It is good to see, and seems to be making a big difference in malnutrition rates on the island. Then back down the bumpy road to the office to do other inventory management / supply chain work. I’m sure you would all find that incredibly exciting, but I’ll refrain from sharing all that stuff.
Now we’ve finished a wonderful dinner of cold vegetables, rice, chicken, plaintains, and fried okra, and back to the room to finish work and go to bed. While this hotel isn’t much to look at from the outside, the room has an air conditioner and a fan (bonus!), no bugs that I’ve found yet, and seems very clean. I’m not sure how much longer the A/C and fan will work though, as a storm is coming in, and the wind is picking up dramatically. Hope it’s not a really serious one, as we are right on the coast.
Tomorrow morning, back on the boat to Port-au-Prince, and then office work for the rest of our visit. While it’s very interesting to visit the more remote sites, sometimes, it’s nice to just be in one place for a few days in a row.
We finally got to the boat after about 2 hours of driving. As I know nothing about boats, I can’t tell you what kind, other than it was a motor boat. I ended up sitting in the front, which gets a little damp in the middle of the voyage. The waves between the coast of Haiti and the island are pretty good size. I don’t really remember the number of times I came out of my seat as we crested one wave and then crashed down, with the spray going over the front of the boat. Quite an experience.
The views from the water are beautiful, both of Haiti and of La Gonave. The water though is not as pretty. From the shore, it looks beautiful, but when you’re in the middle of it, you see all the trash and garbage that people have thrown into the water, or that has washed down from the hillsides. Cups, plates, Styrofoam containers, bottles, just about everything you can imagine if floating out there.
After arrival, we drove for over an hour over some very bumpy roads to the middle of the island. I’m not sure how many miles, but I’m guessing it was less than 15. The ride was so rough, I actually have bruises on the backs of my legs from being bounced around on the seat! There we saw a medical clinic first. The clinics on the island are staffed by intern doctors. These are people that have just graduated or are about to graduate from medical school. They serve a one year assignment here. At this point, they can’t get anyone else to serve here because it is so remote. Folks here suffer mainly from all the ailments related to unclean drinking water, plus respiratory infections, and malaria.
From there we went to a food distribution. There are several programs on the island run by aid groups to bring supplemental food (beans, corn-soybean blend, cooking oil, etc.) to families here. It is good to see, and seems to be making a big difference in malnutrition rates on the island. Then back down the bumpy road to the office to do other inventory management / supply chain work. I’m sure you would all find that incredibly exciting, but I’ll refrain from sharing all that stuff.
Now we’ve finished a wonderful dinner of cold vegetables, rice, chicken, plaintains, and fried okra, and back to the room to finish work and go to bed. While this hotel isn’t much to look at from the outside, the room has an air conditioner and a fan (bonus!), no bugs that I’ve found yet, and seems very clean. I’m not sure how much longer the A/C and fan will work though, as a storm is coming in, and the wind is picking up dramatically. Hope it’s not a really serious one, as we are right on the coast.
Tomorrow morning, back on the boat to Port-au-Prince, and then office work for the rest of our visit. While it’s very interesting to visit the more remote sites, sometimes, it’s nice to just be in one place for a few days in a row.
We’ve had a nice weekend. Today, we went to church service. The service is very international. In our group alone, we had people from the US, Canada, Kenya, Zambia, and Ghana. The church is probably about 50% locals, and the rest made up from people around the world serving in Haiti for the UN, missionaries, churches, pilots, and other groups. There is also a large population of orphans that attend this church. As we understand the story, a couple came to the Haiti several years ago, and ended up running an orphanage for street kids. I don’t have the full story, but the end result is the street kids were scooped up, placed in this orphanage, given schooling and medical care. Many have been adopted by Haitians and other countries. Currently, they have about 120 kids in the orphanage. They load them up in the back of a box truck, with windows and the back changed to bars. The drive isn’t far, and while the situation isn’t ideal, it seems to work for the kids and for the workers.
After church, we went to a “fast food” place for lunch. They did have food, but I’m uncertain where the “fast” part comes from. Anyway, one of the things they serve is crepes. I decided to have that, but was thinking fruit. Here, they make it with ham, cheese, and onions. Not exactly what I was expecting, but it was OK.
The last two days, we’ve spent time with our host’s family. They have two daughters living with them here, one is 12 and the other is 6. The older one has lived in Haiti before, and also in Africa. I’m amazed at how well both of them adapt to everything around them. If I had been brought to Haiti or DRC to live when I was that age, I don’t think I would have handled it very well. They seem to take everything in stride, and seem to really be enjoying themselves.
A few other general observations about our time here. We’ve noticed there are many soldiers and law enforcement officers here. There is obviously the local police, plus the United Nations soldiers. There are a few other groups too with different patches. At first, I thought they were part of the UN force, but I’m not sure. This morning leaving the hotel, I counted 12 soldiers with 4 different types of uniforms, all with machine guns sitting on the wall across from the hotel. Can’t decide if I’m in the safest, or most dangerous place in town! Guess it depends on how long all those folks with the guns get along.
Transit here is also interesting. There are some busses, generally school buses or 15 passenger vans. However, the primary public transit is pickup trucks. The drivers put awnings (brightly decorated) over the back of them and benches, and then cram as many people as possible into the truck. When they run out of room, people hang from the back or ride on the top with the luggage, chickens, bananas, and other items. I tried to count the number of people in one of them today, and came up with 20. Can you picture that in the back of a small Nissan pickup truck (think early 1990’s mini-pickup, not full-size). They also have the same thing in larger deliver trucks. Picture a U-haul truck with no sides, seats, and an awning over the top. I counted at least 40 in one of those today. Needless to say, if you combine this with the way folks drive here and the condition of the roads, injuries from auto accidents is a big issue. The vehicles are also multi-purpose. Today we passed a pickup truck with the word “Ambulance” painted on the tailgate. When we pulled up along side it, the doors were painted with an advertisement for a furniture delivery service.
Overall, a great weekend, and looking forward to the boat ride to La Gonave tomorrow.
After church, we went to a “fast food” place for lunch. They did have food, but I’m uncertain where the “fast” part comes from. Anyway, one of the things they serve is crepes. I decided to have that, but was thinking fruit. Here, they make it with ham, cheese, and onions. Not exactly what I was expecting, but it was OK.
The last two days, we’ve spent time with our host’s family. They have two daughters living with them here, one is 12 and the other is 6. The older one has lived in Haiti before, and also in Africa. I’m amazed at how well both of them adapt to everything around them. If I had been brought to Haiti or DRC to live when I was that age, I don’t think I would have handled it very well. They seem to take everything in stride, and seem to really be enjoying themselves.
A few other general observations about our time here. We’ve noticed there are many soldiers and law enforcement officers here. There is obviously the local police, plus the United Nations soldiers. There are a few other groups too with different patches. At first, I thought they were part of the UN force, but I’m not sure. This morning leaving the hotel, I counted 12 soldiers with 4 different types of uniforms, all with machine guns sitting on the wall across from the hotel. Can’t decide if I’m in the safest, or most dangerous place in town! Guess it depends on how long all those folks with the guns get along.
Transit here is also interesting. There are some busses, generally school buses or 15 passenger vans. However, the primary public transit is pickup trucks. The drivers put awnings (brightly decorated) over the back of them and benches, and then cram as many people as possible into the truck. When they run out of room, people hang from the back or ride on the top with the luggage, chickens, bananas, and other items. I tried to count the number of people in one of them today, and came up with 20. Can you picture that in the back of a small Nissan pickup truck (think early 1990’s mini-pickup, not full-size). They also have the same thing in larger deliver trucks. Picture a U-haul truck with no sides, seats, and an awning over the top. I counted at least 40 in one of those today. Needless to say, if you combine this with the way folks drive here and the condition of the roads, injuries from auto accidents is a big issue. The vehicles are also multi-purpose. Today we passed a pickup truck with the word “Ambulance” painted on the tailgate. When we pulled up along side it, the doors were painted with an advertisement for a furniture delivery service.
Overall, a great weekend, and looking forward to the boat ride to La Gonave tomorrow.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Visit to Hinche, Haiti
We arrived in Haiti on the 2nd, but this is the first time I’ve had a chance to write down any notes. What an interesting place! Just driving from the airport to the hotel and office on the first day was an experience. I’ve been several places where riding in a vehicle can be very exciting, but Haiti may take the prize. Streets are narrow in most places, barely two lanes wide. Those streets are shared by cars going both directions, motor bikes, people walking, ox drawn carts, donkeys, horses, and bicycles. You’d be amazed how many lanes you can put on a two lane road. There are no road markings, even at intersections. No stop signs; no yield signs. Basically, everyone moves into the intersection at once, and the most aggressive come out the other side first. Turn signal not required. In fact, turn signals, tail lights, and headlights appear to be optional. Now your horn on the other hand….. I think they may actually ticket you if that doesn’t work!
Our second day here, we took a small, 6 seat plan (including pilot) to an area called Hinche. This is in the Central Plateau area of Haiti. Flying over the country gives you a great appreciation for just how beautiful this country is. The scenery goes from the beach, to hills, to mountains, to this very large flat area north of Port-au-Prince. You also get an appreciation for the problems of Haiti. Years ago, the island was de-forested. From what I understand, many of the trees were cut down to provide building materials and fuel. Later, a commercial logging company came and removed the remaining commercially viable trees. Many years have now passed, and you’d think some organization would simply come in and replant. Unfortunately, too many years have gone by, and with nothing to hold the soil on the rocky slopes, all the top soil has washed away into the ocean. As you fly over, while it is green from grass and brush, you also see the soil is incredibly rocky. This is part of the reason why any tropical storm or hurricane is so devastating to the island.
Airstrips in remote parts of Haiti are a bit different than we’re used to. The landing strip in Hinche was a gravel and dirt path just off of the center of town. When not receiving planes, it’s used as a bicycle path, meeting point, and grazing area for the local animals. Air traffic control is a guy on the cell phone talking to someone back in Port-au-Prince to let them know the plane has arrived. There are two guys on bicycles that ride up the runway as the plane circles yelling at everyone to get off the strip. Apparently this works well sometimes, and not so good others. The good news is the pilots are very good at missing all wildlife and people remaining on the air strip. Even the dog that ran in front of the plane at the last minute (and the child that ran after it trying to catch it) survived just fine.
The first thing you notice about Hinche is that everyone has somewhere to go. I don’t know where they are all going, but it seems like the whole town is on the move. You generally don’t see people just sitting around. Everyone is either on the way to the well, on the way to the river to wash clothes or bathe, on the way to town to trade / sell items, or back after having done so. We saw several people with motor bikes, and many had donkeys or horses. While folks here clearly are below the poverty line, people obviously care about trying to make the most of what they have.
The hotel we stayed in was called the L’ermitage de Pandiassou, and is actually just a little outside of Hinche. This is a beautiful location, with very nice, beautiful buildings. It looks completely out of place compared to the rest of the city. The hotel is set back quite a bit from the road, and is totally quite. Electricity is provided by generator, and amazingly it has hot running water. We met the owner on Friday evening. He is a doctor in Port-au-Prince, and purchased the property in Pandiassou a little over two years ago. He and his wife thought it would be interesting to run a hotel. They built one building as the family home, and then decided to turn it into a restaurant for the hotel. While the setting is amazing, it was a bit disconcerting to share your room (and bed) with some very interesting bugs. The fans were helpful, but when the generator cuts out, it gets awfully hot in the rooms.
We also realized that speaking French would be real helpful when in remote areas, and neither of us speak a word. When we checked in, we were told we had to order dinner then (this is at 9am). We did so, but then we couldn’t get anyone to bring it to us. We finally got it figured out, but they decided only one of us ordered, so we split one meal between us. The next morning, no breakfast, because it turns out, you have to order that at dinner the night before. We got smart then, and ordered dinner, but somehow, they misplaced the order. It’s a good thing they figured that out while we were talking with the owner, or we would not have been given dinner that night either. On one hand, that’s good for the weight loss plan. On the other, you can only skip so many meals (or replace with granola bars) before you start to get a little light headed!
Overall, a great trip to Hinche, then back on the little airplane for the return to Port-au-Prince this morning. This afternoon, our hosts took us up to an area just outside of Port-au-Prince and we visited the Baptist Mission. I’m trying to translate the brochure we received, but in general, a couple from the US come here in 1943 and started this mission, providing education, medical support, and practical training to people in this area. To get to this mission, you drive basically straight up into the mountains. The roads are incredibly narrow, and built right into the side of the mountain. There is no margin for error when driving on this road, as there is no real wall between you and a straight down drop in some areas. People here build their cement homes right into the side of the cliff. I would hate to have to walk up to the main road from some of these places. Yet they do it, and are able to do it carrying heavy loads. Even the children.
Tonight, back at the Hotel Karibe. It’s great to visit the field, but I have to admit, air conditioning is really nice. I also like the fact I have no small, creeping visitors sharing the room with me. Well, there is the small lizard I saw run out of the closet and under the bed, but he seems content to sleep on the floor, so he can stay.
More tomorrow!
Our second day here, we took a small, 6 seat plan (including pilot) to an area called Hinche. This is in the Central Plateau area of Haiti. Flying over the country gives you a great appreciation for just how beautiful this country is. The scenery goes from the beach, to hills, to mountains, to this very large flat area north of Port-au-Prince. You also get an appreciation for the problems of Haiti. Years ago, the island was de-forested. From what I understand, many of the trees were cut down to provide building materials and fuel. Later, a commercial logging company came and removed the remaining commercially viable trees. Many years have now passed, and you’d think some organization would simply come in and replant. Unfortunately, too many years have gone by, and with nothing to hold the soil on the rocky slopes, all the top soil has washed away into the ocean. As you fly over, while it is green from grass and brush, you also see the soil is incredibly rocky. This is part of the reason why any tropical storm or hurricane is so devastating to the island.
Airstrips in remote parts of Haiti are a bit different than we’re used to. The landing strip in Hinche was a gravel and dirt path just off of the center of town. When not receiving planes, it’s used as a bicycle path, meeting point, and grazing area for the local animals. Air traffic control is a guy on the cell phone talking to someone back in Port-au-Prince to let them know the plane has arrived. There are two guys on bicycles that ride up the runway as the plane circles yelling at everyone to get off the strip. Apparently this works well sometimes, and not so good others. The good news is the pilots are very good at missing all wildlife and people remaining on the air strip. Even the dog that ran in front of the plane at the last minute (and the child that ran after it trying to catch it) survived just fine.
The first thing you notice about Hinche is that everyone has somewhere to go. I don’t know where they are all going, but it seems like the whole town is on the move. You generally don’t see people just sitting around. Everyone is either on the way to the well, on the way to the river to wash clothes or bathe, on the way to town to trade / sell items, or back after having done so. We saw several people with motor bikes, and many had donkeys or horses. While folks here clearly are below the poverty line, people obviously care about trying to make the most of what they have.
The hotel we stayed in was called the L’ermitage de Pandiassou, and is actually just a little outside of Hinche. This is a beautiful location, with very nice, beautiful buildings. It looks completely out of place compared to the rest of the city. The hotel is set back quite a bit from the road, and is totally quite. Electricity is provided by generator, and amazingly it has hot running water. We met the owner on Friday evening. He is a doctor in Port-au-Prince, and purchased the property in Pandiassou a little over two years ago. He and his wife thought it would be interesting to run a hotel. They built one building as the family home, and then decided to turn it into a restaurant for the hotel. While the setting is amazing, it was a bit disconcerting to share your room (and bed) with some very interesting bugs. The fans were helpful, but when the generator cuts out, it gets awfully hot in the rooms.
We also realized that speaking French would be real helpful when in remote areas, and neither of us speak a word. When we checked in, we were told we had to order dinner then (this is at 9am). We did so, but then we couldn’t get anyone to bring it to us. We finally got it figured out, but they decided only one of us ordered, so we split one meal between us. The next morning, no breakfast, because it turns out, you have to order that at dinner the night before. We got smart then, and ordered dinner, but somehow, they misplaced the order. It’s a good thing they figured that out while we were talking with the owner, or we would not have been given dinner that night either. On one hand, that’s good for the weight loss plan. On the other, you can only skip so many meals (or replace with granola bars) before you start to get a little light headed!
Overall, a great trip to Hinche, then back on the little airplane for the return to Port-au-Prince this morning. This afternoon, our hosts took us up to an area just outside of Port-au-Prince and we visited the Baptist Mission. I’m trying to translate the brochure we received, but in general, a couple from the US come here in 1943 and started this mission, providing education, medical support, and practical training to people in this area. To get to this mission, you drive basically straight up into the mountains. The roads are incredibly narrow, and built right into the side of the mountain. There is no margin for error when driving on this road, as there is no real wall between you and a straight down drop in some areas. People here build their cement homes right into the side of the cliff. I would hate to have to walk up to the main road from some of these places. Yet they do it, and are able to do it carrying heavy loads. Even the children.
Tonight, back at the Hotel Karibe. It’s great to visit the field, but I have to admit, air conditioning is really nice. I also like the fact I have no small, creeping visitors sharing the room with me. Well, there is the small lizard I saw run out of the closet and under the bed, but he seems content to sleep on the floor, so he can stay.
More tomorrow!
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