I have several blog posts from Haiti to still upload (and in two cases even enter into the computer), but just wanted everyone to know we made it back safe and sound.
Matt Lundgren from SBU will be getting there today for about 10 days to keep the SBU presence alive. He took with him snips (to help disentangle rebar), fly paper, liquid hand soap, green scrubbies, and sponges from the Allegany Park and Shop.
Plus some more notebooks for the kids at the "Gutter bar" to continue their art work.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
I went to an art show...and liked it!
I am not a big fan of art shows. I am sure they are great. I am sure that many people enjoy them immensely and that they convey a side of human nature that I am missing. (Indeed maybe it is why I get people upset so much).
I think it is because I always have something that is in my mind more productive to do. Sitting and listening to music, or wandering around looking at pictures is a form of relaxation that I generally do not allow myself.
But today I went to a free art show that probably made the whole trip in and of itself.
It happened after a brutally hot day of rubble removal (the AM was possibly hottest it has been since we got here) in which we now have filled more than 4 large dump trucks of concrete rubble that has been painstakingly removed from the remnants of a house in which three people died in downtown Leogone.
The truth be told, in spite of the fact that it is somewhat fun to swing a sledge hammer, I am not a huge fan of doing rubble removal. Essentially it involves going to a site that previously had been someone's home or place of employment but is now a pile of large cement blocks and, by hand (remember there is no power and VERY little heavy equipment) systematically break the large chunks of cement into smaller cement chunks which can then be hauled off the site into a large pile to await removal by the UN or other contracted group.
In Haiti, you get all of that plus rubbling has the additional charms of being “one hundred and Haiti degrees”, dirty, dusty, and with an audience of interested bystanders, many of whom are all too glad to jump in and help in bare feet or sandals.
Consequentially we were all hot, tired, and looking for any solitude one can find in a small camp of 110 people as we loaded up the tap-tap and headed back to camp through the narrow (and exceedingly bumpy) streets of Leogone.
About a quarter mile from camp we pass what is affectionately known as the “Gutter Bar”. Typically there are a handful of volunteers whose jobs finisher up early at the bar as the tap-taps second trips are completed. Good-natured yelling typically occurs between those on the tap-tap and those on the two outside benches.
Today was different. Maybe it was because we were earlier than normal but in place of volunteers (I have never seen a local resident there), were the children of the bar owners-the very children we had played with and given notebooks, pencils, and crayons yesterday. I am not sure who saw whom first, but quickly they jumped up and down and held up their notebooks for the world (or at least one v ery small corner of it) to see.
After unpacking the tap-tap we headed down to see them. It was great. In addition to a cold bottle of “Limonade” the kids gave an art show of all of the many drawings they had done (interspersed with few repetitions of multiplication tables for good measure).
The show went on through each of their notebooks. Some of the drawings were in pencil, others in crayon. They showed pictures of flowers, cars, and even James Bond—OO7 himself and as they did they were each carefully say what it was in Creole to help teach some of their language to us.
Then suddenly the page turned and instead of saying anything, they just pointed and giggled. On the page was a colored picture of ….me. Adorned in my long blue pants and long sleeve yellow shirt that have become almost my trademark. Oh and they also gave me the honor of having a full head of hair.
After that the budding artists used my camera to take pictures (“foto foto” of each other) as well as of the volunteers who were by now coming in for anything cold (the camp has no refrigeration) prior to dinner. Additionally the artists' mom, dad, and grandmother came out and spoke for a bit thanking us for the supplies and getting into various photos.
It was one art show I would definitely not want to miss!
I think it is because I always have something that is in my mind more productive to do. Sitting and listening to music, or wandering around looking at pictures is a form of relaxation that I generally do not allow myself.
But today I went to a free art show that probably made the whole trip in and of itself.
It happened after a brutally hot day of rubble removal (the AM was possibly hottest it has been since we got here) in which we now have filled more than 4 large dump trucks of concrete rubble that has been painstakingly removed from the remnants of a house in which three people died in downtown Leogone.
The truth be told, in spite of the fact that it is somewhat fun to swing a sledge hammer, I am not a huge fan of doing rubble removal. Essentially it involves going to a site that previously had been someone's home or place of employment but is now a pile of large cement blocks and, by hand (remember there is no power and VERY little heavy equipment) systematically break the large chunks of cement into smaller cement chunks which can then be hauled off the site into a large pile to await removal by the UN or other contracted group.
In Haiti, you get all of that plus rubbling has the additional charms of being “one hundred and Haiti degrees”, dirty, dusty, and with an audience of interested bystanders, many of whom are all too glad to jump in and help in bare feet or sandals.
Consequentially we were all hot, tired, and looking for any solitude one can find in a small camp of 110 people as we loaded up the tap-tap and headed back to camp through the narrow (and exceedingly bumpy) streets of Leogone.
About a quarter mile from camp we pass what is affectionately known as the “Gutter Bar”. Typically there are a handful of volunteers whose jobs finisher up early at the bar as the tap-taps second trips are completed. Good-natured yelling typically occurs between those on the tap-tap and those on the two outside benches.
Today was different. Maybe it was because we were earlier than normal but in place of volunteers (I have never seen a local resident there), were the children of the bar owners-the very children we had played with and given notebooks, pencils, and crayons yesterday. I am not sure who saw whom first, but quickly they jumped up and down and held up their notebooks for the world (or at least one v ery small corner of it) to see.
After unpacking the tap-tap we headed down to see them. It was great. In addition to a cold bottle of “Limonade” the kids gave an art show of all of the many drawings they had done (interspersed with few repetitions of multiplication tables for good measure).
The show went on through each of their notebooks. Some of the drawings were in pencil, others in crayon. They showed pictures of flowers, cars, and even James Bond—OO7 himself and as they did they were each carefully say what it was in Creole to help teach some of their language to us.
Then suddenly the page turned and instead of saying anything, they just pointed and giggled. On the page was a colored picture of ….me. Adorned in my long blue pants and long sleeve yellow shirt that have become almost my trademark. Oh and they also gave me the honor of having a full head of hair.
After that the budding artists used my camera to take pictures (“foto foto” of each other) as well as of the volunteers who were by now coming in for anything cold (the camp has no refrigeration) prior to dinner. Additionally the artists' mom, dad, and grandmother came out and spoke for a bit thanking us for the supplies and getting into various photos.
It was one art show I would definitely not want to miss!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Sayings
I usually like cliches and trite sayings. They are a fast way to sum up much knowledge and understanding in a few short words or story.
I use them in class regularly. For instance when firms have less debt than financial models would suggest as optimal we often say they are saving for a rainy day.
There is one saying you hear regularly in the volunteer disaster response business that I am not particularly fond of: Paying it forward. It is particularly popular after disasters that occur in the Southeastern US is “Paying forward it.” I have never been fond of the saying as it implies one is doing good only so that if something bad happens to you in the future, you will receive help in return for helping others. (Sort of the reverse of an “eye for an eye.”)
That said there is undoubtedly truth to it, some volunteers, especially after a disaster but most likely even in everyday service do their good works more as a down payment for future help in the event of a disaster in their area or payoff (Karma, Heaven, etc).
This return on investment may very well be true, but it just strikes me as too much a tit for tat transaction.
I got thinking about it today when I heard the phrase mentioned. And realized that service also more earthly rewards too. And from that perspective, paying it forward is really just the “saving for a rainy day”.
For instance, much of my time on earth apparently results in making people upset. I often think that if I am good at anything, it is making people upset; from family and friends, to students and University administration my daily day is most generally equal parts apologizing (which are all true, I do not mean to upset people) and reangering.
This really is not a good character trait to have. It is time consuming and stressful. When in the regular daily grind I am convinced the single word I type or say more than any other word is “sorry”. From sorry I cannot make such and such event (family/friends), to sorry I am not able to help you (BonaResponds), to sorry I put the display where you did not want it (family/the stores).
Yoga and workouts are my drugs of choice to escape from this continual cycle. But often a more effective treatment is to mentally escape to a highpoint from a past event or trip where I made a positive difference and things seem much better.
So in this way of thinking, 'saving for a rainy day' and 'paying it forward' have a lot more in common than is apparent at first glance. And I may have to reconsider my prior aversion to the saying.
Today I made a deposit in that mental savings account that should help me get though
First with the work. That was good in and of itself, although by now rubble is rubble and the incremental impact of a single day of hauling may not be enough to get through oh say a faculty meeting.
I use them in class regularly. For instance when firms have less debt than financial models would suggest as optimal we often say they are saving for a rainy day.
There is one saying you hear regularly in the volunteer disaster response business that I am not particularly fond of: Paying it forward. It is particularly popular after disasters that occur in the Southeastern US is “Paying forward it.” I have never been fond of the saying as it implies one is doing good only so that if something bad happens to you in the future, you will receive help in return for helping others. (Sort of the reverse of an “eye for an eye.”)
That said there is undoubtedly truth to it, some volunteers, especially after a disaster but most likely even in everyday service do their good works more as a down payment for future help in the event of a disaster in their area or payoff (Karma, Heaven, etc).
This return on investment may very well be true, but it just strikes me as too much a tit for tat transaction.
I got thinking about it today when I heard the phrase mentioned. And realized that service also more earthly rewards too. And from that perspective, paying it forward is really just the “saving for a rainy day”.
For instance, much of my time on earth apparently results in making people upset. I often think that if I am good at anything, it is making people upset; from family and friends, to students and University administration my daily day is most generally equal parts apologizing (which are all true, I do not mean to upset people) and reangering.
This really is not a good character trait to have. It is time consuming and stressful. When in the regular daily grind I am convinced the single word I type or say more than any other word is “sorry”. From sorry I cannot make such and such event (family/friends), to sorry I am not able to help you (BonaResponds), to sorry I put the display where you did not want it (family/the stores).
Yoga and workouts are my drugs of choice to escape from this continual cycle. But often a more effective treatment is to mentally escape to a highpoint from a past event or trip where I made a positive difference and things seem much better.
So in this way of thinking, 'saving for a rainy day' and 'paying it forward' have a lot more in common than is apparent at first glance. And I may have to reconsider my prior aversion to the saying.
Today I made a deposit in that mental savings account that should help me get though
First with the work. That was good in and of itself, although by now rubble is rubble and the incremental impact of a single day of hauling may not be enough to get through oh say a faculty meeting.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Good and Bad
It is hard to describe Haiti in a few paragraphs. Indeed I think it is impossible to describe it. On one hand, Haiti is so poor that they do not have enough money to buy shoes or in many cases food, but at the same time, these are these same people will give you food or the shirts off their back to one in need.
It is a country of beautiful beaches and mountains that could rival Hawaii, but also of cities so dirty and grimey that they make the slums in many nations look like vacation get-aways.
We saw some of the worst and some of the best of Haiti today.
In the morning Lisa (a nurse from Iowa who is working at one of the many small hospitals that are trying to cope with the immense need for medical assistance that Haiti faces ), Carrie, and I ran out to the “beach” that is down some dirt “roads”. The beach was littered and dirty, the roads muddy, full of pot holes, motor cycles, wandering goats, pigs, and people busy fetching their daily water supply or headed into town. And yet the views from these roads would make into any travel magazine of fog at the bases of mountains after miles of green fields full of sugar cane.
The binary trend of good and bad continued during our workday. It was a new site and none of us, save for the team leader April, had any idea where it was. So when the tap-tap stopped in front of a huge pile that partially blocked the road we just assumed it was to let a motorcycle pass, but when the truck did not start moving again we were struck with the intimidating realization that we were in front of the job. “Uh, yikes” was the most proper response I can put on a family-rated blog.
The road was narrow and crowded with traffic of all manners of movement from animal carrying bananas to market, to gigantic UN dump trucks hauling away some of the massive debris piles that litter Haitian streets. In addition street vendors hawked their wares and long lines of school children walked to and from schools.
The building had been either two or three stories but it was flattened so completely that I am still not sure after spending all day working at it. Regardless of its number of stories, debris pile a thing of pure dread. From the front it sported a pointed roof that had previously adorned the front of the building. This peak held fallen and hung suspended over a three foot open sewer and jutted out at least a third of the way into the already tightly confined street. Under the pile were layers of thick concrete, cleeche, metal, remnants of its pre quake existence, and twisted metal with pointed edges to either cut or trip up the less than careful volunteer. Oh and to make matters worse there was no where that we could easily pile the debris. It was a nightmare job.
After taking stock of the enormity of the job and reminding each other of the dangers of the location (traffic and theft to say nothing of the fact that we would be swinging sledge hammers, pick forks, in close proximity and climbing over rubble with rebar),
But we jumped in. April correctly decided we had to clear the street before anything else could be done, so four of use took turns whacking away at the roof which proved much thicker and stronger than most. Others began to remove any loose rebar, some put plastic soda bottles over the exposed metal for safety, while others were on traffic detail.
So what was the good part? The family we were helping as well as neighbors, and sometimes just passers by often jumped into help. Robinson (a HODR volunteer from Haiti itself) arranged coconuts for us, we bought bananas, and many many people said hi and stood and watched for a time.
And slowly, inch by inch we began to make progress. It took much of the morning, but we eventually had the pile off the street and a new mountain of debris taking shape on a side street..
As the day wore on (and days of nearly constant sledge hammering and hauling do wear on), a glimmer of hope rose in all of the volunteers--”Maybe, just maybe, this can be surmounted”. “maybe we can do it.”
I hope the owners, neighbors, and passer-byes took home the same hope as they continued on their road of survival and recovery.
It is a country of beautiful beaches and mountains that could rival Hawaii, but also of cities so dirty and grimey that they make the slums in many nations look like vacation get-aways.
We saw some of the worst and some of the best of Haiti today.
In the morning Lisa (a nurse from Iowa who is working at one of the many small hospitals that are trying to cope with the immense need for medical assistance that Haiti faces ), Carrie, and I ran out to the “beach” that is down some dirt “roads”. The beach was littered and dirty, the roads muddy, full of pot holes, motor cycles, wandering goats, pigs, and people busy fetching their daily water supply or headed into town. And yet the views from these roads would make into any travel magazine of fog at the bases of mountains after miles of green fields full of sugar cane.
The binary trend of good and bad continued during our workday. It was a new site and none of us, save for the team leader April, had any idea where it was. So when the tap-tap stopped in front of a huge pile that partially blocked the road we just assumed it was to let a motorcycle pass, but when the truck did not start moving again we were struck with the intimidating realization that we were in front of the job. “Uh, yikes” was the most proper response I can put on a family-rated blog.
The road was narrow and crowded with traffic of all manners of movement from animal carrying bananas to market, to gigantic UN dump trucks hauling away some of the massive debris piles that litter Haitian streets. In addition street vendors hawked their wares and long lines of school children walked to and from schools.
The building had been either two or three stories but it was flattened so completely that I am still not sure after spending all day working at it. Regardless of its number of stories, debris pile a thing of pure dread. From the front it sported a pointed roof that had previously adorned the front of the building. This peak held fallen and hung suspended over a three foot open sewer and jutted out at least a third of the way into the already tightly confined street. Under the pile were layers of thick concrete, cleeche, metal, remnants of its pre quake existence, and twisted metal with pointed edges to either cut or trip up the less than careful volunteer. Oh and to make matters worse there was no where that we could easily pile the debris. It was a nightmare job.
After taking stock of the enormity of the job and reminding each other of the dangers of the location (traffic and theft to say nothing of the fact that we would be swinging sledge hammers, pick forks, in close proximity and climbing over rubble with rebar),
But we jumped in. April correctly decided we had to clear the street before anything else could be done, so four of use took turns whacking away at the roof which proved much thicker and stronger than most. Others began to remove any loose rebar, some put plastic soda bottles over the exposed metal for safety, while others were on traffic detail.
So what was the good part? The family we were helping as well as neighbors, and sometimes just passers by often jumped into help. Robinson (a HODR volunteer from Haiti itself) arranged coconuts for us, we bought bananas, and many many people said hi and stood and watched for a time.
And slowly, inch by inch we began to make progress. It took much of the morning, but we eventually had the pile off the street and a new mountain of debris taking shape on a side street..
As the day wore on (and days of nearly constant sledge hammering and hauling do wear on), a glimmer of hope rose in all of the volunteers--”Maybe, just maybe, this can be surmounted”. “maybe we can do it.”
I hope the owners, neighbors, and passer-byes took home the same hope as they continued on their road of survival and recovery.
Monday, May 24, 2010
One more slab cleared
Mission accomplished and great job by all as Rubbling at Desiree was completed two days ahead of original estimates. This was accomplished under the wonderful leadership of Weston and a solid hard working team whose nucleaus was Westin, Sam, Flynn, and Jerry.
“So what?” some might say, “so what...it is one house. Hundreds of thousands of buildings were destroyed and you cleared the rubble from one relatively small house. Big deal.”
And you know what? They would be right.
Oh sure, the strict pragmatist would likely note that physically we moved tons of rubble. That for about six days crews of about 12 people moved wheel barrels of cement at a rate of about a wheel barrel a minute for six hours a day. That each barrel load had between 23-30 shovels of debris (Sam-who undoubtedly made the most trips to and from the pile was on the high end of the range). Or that in the end we left a pile of rubble that was 84 feet long and 8 feet high at its peak. Based on these estimates we probably moved somewhere in the vicinity of 160 tons of rubble to the street and pushed several additional tons aside. Which is alot but the family now has a lot, and not a pile of debris on their lot.
But who cares? There are 280,000+ buildings you did one. It is like killing mosquitoes by hand. You work and work to solve one problem mosquito and there are thousands of others out there. But that does not stop anyone from killing the mosquito that is about to bite him/her.
I can tell you who cares that this job was accomplished: Wesley and his family care. They were so happy that they could barely speak when we finished clearing the slab and after Jerry and I gave them two tents to start them on their road to recovery. They cared so much that they (who had lost everything and could not afford shoes, invited the whole team to eat with them.
Of course we said no. We could not possibly take their food, but after many requests we yeilded only to have our ride arrive and we had to get to another job. This was when Wesley immediately insisted on bringing it to the base after we were done. And sure enough about 3 hours later he arrived with food for us all.
In the big picture we finished one lot today, but to Welsey and his mom, we finished the most important lot, their lot. And they can not start their comeback!
“So what?” some might say, “so what...it is one house. Hundreds of thousands of buildings were destroyed and you cleared the rubble from one relatively small house. Big deal.”
And you know what? They would be right.
Oh sure, the strict pragmatist would likely note that physically we moved tons of rubble. That for about six days crews of about 12 people moved wheel barrels of cement at a rate of about a wheel barrel a minute for six hours a day. That each barrel load had between 23-30 shovels of debris (Sam-who undoubtedly made the most trips to and from the pile was on the high end of the range). Or that in the end we left a pile of rubble that was 84 feet long and 8 feet high at its peak. Based on these estimates we probably moved somewhere in the vicinity of 160 tons of rubble to the street and pushed several additional tons aside. Which is alot but the family now has a lot, and not a pile of debris on their lot.
But who cares? There are 280,000+ buildings you did one. It is like killing mosquitoes by hand. You work and work to solve one problem mosquito and there are thousands of others out there. But that does not stop anyone from killing the mosquito that is about to bite him/her.
I can tell you who cares that this job was accomplished: Wesley and his family care. They were so happy that they could barely speak when we finished clearing the slab and after Jerry and I gave them two tents to start them on their road to recovery. They cared so much that they (who had lost everything and could not afford shoes, invited the whole team to eat with them.
Of course we said no. We could not possibly take their food, but after many requests we yeilded only to have our ride arrive and we had to get to another job. This was when Wesley immediately insisted on bringing it to the base after we were done. And sure enough about 3 hours later he arrived with food for us all.
In the big picture we finished one lot today, but to Welsey and his mom, we finished the most important lot, their lot. And they can not start their comeback!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Fast update from last night
Written night of Friday May 21, 2010
Short update
Short update
- Second highlight of the day today (the first being the trip to the two schools mentioned in the last blog post) was a story retold by Larry who was working on building a school. Classes are currently being taught in a tent right next to the new building. As Larry stopped to take a picture on his hi-tech disposable camera, one little girl was peaking through the fence. He asked her is that was going to be her new school. She responded very loudly, “YES THAT IS MY SCHOOL”. It made me smile.
- Our team made much progress on rubbling today.
- Of our group, Jerry and I are going back to the rubbling team and Larry is again building a new school. Carrie is gardening on the HODR site and playing with kids on site.
- The nightly meetings get long when there are so many volunteers. Today my phone went off. Given that only two people know the number I was really surprised and slightly embarrassed. Jerry knows the number and he was sitting next to me, and Wesley who bought the SIM card (but not yet the one needed for international?) and has been working with us clearing his house. He was calling to apologize that he had missed the afternoon's work and to share that his band (pre earthquake he was a college student and was paid occasionally to perform at local clubs). Partially at Kate's urging, the group had cut a new CD which he wants us to listen to.
- Thought we had the phone thing figured out, but not yet. (see above)
- Really bored at night. And night comes early here...gets dark at about 6:40...
- Very much untired. The combo of extra sleep and poor workouts have definitely countered the work and heat.
- Looking forward to a smoothie. I love beans and rice and probably not all that bad for you (could be worse). We often have salads but I am afraid to eat them.
- On our rubble crew today: a doctor to be from Texas, a chemistry professor (Jerry), a MBA (Carrie), a management grad from Texas A&M who just got admitted for an MBA at American University, two UNC students, a graduate from University of Florida, a history major from AZ, someone from South Africa, England, and Australia, oh and a FinanceProfessor.
- There should be signs everywhere in Haiti saying “It's the Economy Stupid” Jobs are the biggest need by several orders of magnitude. Without them, even if somehow all of the rubble somehow magically disappeared tomorrow, the majority of the people could still not afford to rebuild.
- Rained really hard tonight with more expected in the next few days.
Update: rain stopped sometime after midnight. Felt almost cool sleeping.
Longer run this AM. Running is not good here by any stretch. That said, today was the first day I had seen any other runners (besides Carrie). 4 or 5 Haitians ran by the camp.
These are the times that try one's soul
These are the times that try one's souls.
Thomas Paine wrote those words at the nadir of the American Revolution when hope was almost lost. I do not know who the Thomas Paine is of Haiti, but I do think he would write that “these are the days that tried our souls, and we passed that test.”
I can not explain how bad it is here. And please understand that nothing I write is meant to make light of the suffering that people in the Gulf Coast went through, but only to try to give some perspective how challenging life is here.
Try to imagine life after Katrina with hundreds of thousands of homes destroyed, infrastructure demolished, and many businesses forever put out of business with accompanying job losses and financial hardships. Once you get a mental picture of how bad that was, raise it to the tenth power and you have post Earthquake Haiti.
After Katrina it was horrible that people had to live in FEMA trailers; here the lucky ones have tents. After Katrina there were debris piles in the streets; here almost everyone burns their garbage in front of their tents. After Katrina it was months before some areas had electric; here there is no central electric in most cities and almost no one has a generator. After Katrina people had to use port-o-potties, here many go in the streets. After Katrina it was hot and many people had no air conditioning; here it is even hotter and people do not have refrigerators, fans, or running water. Add to that an unemployment rate which by some estimates is as high as seventy percent, and you have conditions that really can not be all that much worse.
So the Haitian people have every reason to be down and miserable. But you know what? They are not. They are upbeat and resilient.
Today's best example is from when Wesley (whose family house is where we have been rubbling) took Carrie, Jerry, and I to his former school to donate some pencils, crayons, and soccer balls. The school building was destroyed and classes are being held in open sided tents with a board at one end.
In the midst of a rudimentary English class, math lessons , and repeated reminders on the importance of education, pure and utter pandemonium broke out during recess as we ran, chanted, and Carrie led them in the Chicken Dance. I doubt I have ever seen so many kids laughing and jumping and high-fiving (ok, really pretty low-fiving as most were pretty small). If you had seen them you never would have guessed that their country is in ruins, their families economically ruined, and that many of them lost family members.
Yes, these are the times that try people's souls, and yes Haitians have passed that test.
Thomas Paine wrote those words at the nadir of the American Revolution when hope was almost lost. I do not know who the Thomas Paine is of Haiti, but I do think he would write that “these are the days that tried our souls, and we passed that test.”
I can not explain how bad it is here. And please understand that nothing I write is meant to make light of the suffering that people in the Gulf Coast went through, but only to try to give some perspective how challenging life is here.
Try to imagine life after Katrina with hundreds of thousands of homes destroyed, infrastructure demolished, and many businesses forever put out of business with accompanying job losses and financial hardships. Once you get a mental picture of how bad that was, raise it to the tenth power and you have post Earthquake Haiti.
After Katrina it was horrible that people had to live in FEMA trailers; here the lucky ones have tents. After Katrina there were debris piles in the streets; here almost everyone burns their garbage in front of their tents. After Katrina it was months before some areas had electric; here there is no central electric in most cities and almost no one has a generator. After Katrina people had to use port-o-potties, here many go in the streets. After Katrina it was hot and many people had no air conditioning; here it is even hotter and people do not have refrigerators, fans, or running water. Add to that an unemployment rate which by some estimates is as high as seventy percent, and you have conditions that really can not be all that much worse.
So the Haitian people have every reason to be down and miserable. But you know what? They are not. They are upbeat and resilient.
Today's best example is from when Wesley (whose family house is where we have been rubbling) took Carrie, Jerry, and I to his former school to donate some pencils, crayons, and soccer balls. The school building was destroyed and classes are being held in open sided tents with a board at one end.
In the midst of a rudimentary English class, math lessons , and repeated reminders on the importance of education, pure and utter pandemonium broke out during recess as we ran, chanted, and Carrie led them in the Chicken Dance. I doubt I have ever seen so many kids laughing and jumping and high-fiving (ok, really pretty low-fiving as most were pretty small). If you had seen them you never would have guessed that their country is in ruins, their families economically ruined, and that many of them lost family members.
Yes, these are the times that try people's souls, and yes Haitians have passed that test.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Back streets of Leogone
Recap:
Good day. Jerry and I went back to the same rubble site we were at yesterday while Carrie went to a different rubble site and Larry helped rebuild a school. All are good.
I have a small cut on the back of right leg were the pedal hit me when I layed the bike down today. It bled alot more than it hurt, but given the filthy conditions I really over cared for it. the rest of the group, other than Carrie's sunburn are tired but fine.
While I could write a while on the work, in all honesty, there is only so much you can say about breaking up large chunks of cement into smaller chunks which are then loaded into a wheel barrel and hauled about 65 yards and dumped into a pile. And yes the careful reader will note that 65 yards is 5 yards closer to the house than yesterday, which is a sign of progress.
So short version of work. It was REALLY hot in the AM. We were working flat out and would be taking water breaks every 20 minutes or so. We made great progress at our site (Ruble Desiree) but to anyone else on the street would say there is a VERY long ways to go. But baby steps.
Lunch time...Lunches are much longer due to the heat. They typically last about 2 hours. Today instead of eating Jerry and I got a tour of the city as we tried to buy Wesley new work boots and a SIM chip for our phones. It will no doubt be one of the most memorable times of the entire trip.
It started when the three of us were dropped off downtown and ran into an entire elementary class walking down the street accompanied by their teacher. After many "hey-yous" and high fives, I talked to the teacher and mentioned we had some soccer balls to donate if they would like. He loved the idea and invited us to come to his class tomorrow. So our rubble day will include a hour break to go speak with the class. Ironically, as we were not very close to his house, Wesley had had the same teacher when in elementary school and he will accompany us (and line up either a tap-tap (a taxi that is a pickup truck with everyone in the back, or a taxi (which is a motorcycle), act as translator, etc). I am really looking forward to it.
After leaving the teacher we went to track down a SIM card with very limited success, but we are getting closer. By the time we leave Haiti I am very confident Jerry, Larry, and I will have a phone that will work.
Then we went to the "market" looking for his boots. I was almost speechless (no small feat for me!). It was dirty with hundreds upon hundreds of small vendors selling their wares sometimes on a table, but very often laid out a blanket spread on the ground feet from mud, animal droppings, rotting food, and who knows what else.
We went to each of the maybe 10 shoe "stores" and I am convinced that the majority were selling donated shoes. We struck out on actual boots but at least got him a decent pair of heavy hiking shoes. (better not perfect...and still working on the boots--size 9 if anyone wants to donate to him).
We then took the back way to camp to try and catch lunch. Sad. Went by house after house that was collapsed on to itself with people living in tents in fields shared with goats, chicken, and an occasional cow. The people were all very nice with many smiles accompanied with "Hey you" from the children and "Bon Jour" from the adults. This as the temperature hovered near 100 degrees with a hot sun hanging seemingly directly overhead.
When we made it back to camp, lunch was done and no food left (we've run out for each of the first two lunches so I guess I better get to lunch sooner!) We then went to the famous street vendor (well famous in HODR circles) who goes by either the Egg Lady or Sandwich Lady depending on who you ask. Jerry and Wesley had a egg sandwich (think eggs, with spices, hot sauce, and even ketchup on a sub roll). I got back to camp and had a Zone Bar. So not exactly (or eggactly?) a filling meal.
When we got back to the work site we we met with a passing rain shower that was truly delightful and we all enjoyed immensely as it temporarily dropped temperatures and allowed us to work for about 45 minutes hard without a break.
***work details left out for time***
After work I went biking. This time I went in the opposite direction of yesterday. Fun as all the kids yell "hey you" as you ride by. Not the best workout however as WAY too crowded, WAY too bad of road.
On the way back as I was returning the calls of "hey you", I turned back to yell, and the next thing I knew I hit a ditch in the middle of the road and went over on my side. Nothing serious but the cut on my calf bled quite a bit. It should also be noted that as soon as I went down, I had about 15 Haitians come running to me aid. Very nice.
*Tonight there was a HODR talent show at Joe's a Local bar. I did not go as I have no talents, was sure there would be smokers, and just did not have time. It sounds (the bar is right next door) like they are having a good time AND with everyone over there the internet is a bit faster. So a WIN-WIN!
* not tired, but very hungry. going to try and find something before lights out.
more tomorrow...
Good day. Jerry and I went back to the same rubble site we were at yesterday while Carrie went to a different rubble site and Larry helped rebuild a school. All are good.
I have a small cut on the back of right leg were the pedal hit me when I layed the bike down today. It bled alot more than it hurt, but given the filthy conditions I really over cared for it. the rest of the group, other than Carrie's sunburn are tired but fine.
While I could write a while on the work, in all honesty, there is only so much you can say about breaking up large chunks of cement into smaller chunks which are then loaded into a wheel barrel and hauled about 65 yards and dumped into a pile. And yes the careful reader will note that 65 yards is 5 yards closer to the house than yesterday, which is a sign of progress.
So short version of work. It was REALLY hot in the AM. We were working flat out and would be taking water breaks every 20 minutes or so. We made great progress at our site (Ruble Desiree) but to anyone else on the street would say there is a VERY long ways to go. But baby steps.
Lunch time...Lunches are much longer due to the heat. They typically last about 2 hours. Today instead of eating Jerry and I got a tour of the city as we tried to buy Wesley new work boots and a SIM chip for our phones. It will no doubt be one of the most memorable times of the entire trip.
It started when the three of us were dropped off downtown and ran into an entire elementary class walking down the street accompanied by their teacher. After many "hey-yous" and high fives, I talked to the teacher and mentioned we had some soccer balls to donate if they would like. He loved the idea and invited us to come to his class tomorrow. So our rubble day will include a hour break to go speak with the class. Ironically, as we were not very close to his house, Wesley had had the same teacher when in elementary school and he will accompany us (and line up either a tap-tap (a taxi that is a pickup truck with everyone in the back, or a taxi (which is a motorcycle), act as translator, etc). I am really looking forward to it.
After leaving the teacher we went to track down a SIM card with very limited success, but we are getting closer. By the time we leave Haiti I am very confident Jerry, Larry, and I will have a phone that will work.
Then we went to the "market" looking for his boots. I was almost speechless (no small feat for me!). It was dirty with hundreds upon hundreds of small vendors selling their wares sometimes on a table, but very often laid out a blanket spread on the ground feet from mud, animal droppings, rotting food, and who knows what else.
We went to each of the maybe 10 shoe "stores" and I am convinced that the majority were selling donated shoes. We struck out on actual boots but at least got him a decent pair of heavy hiking shoes. (better not perfect...and still working on the boots--size 9 if anyone wants to donate to him).
We then took the back way to camp to try and catch lunch. Sad. Went by house after house that was collapsed on to itself with people living in tents in fields shared with goats, chicken, and an occasional cow. The people were all very nice with many smiles accompanied with "Hey you" from the children and "Bon Jour" from the adults. This as the temperature hovered near 100 degrees with a hot sun hanging seemingly directly overhead.
When we made it back to camp, lunch was done and no food left (we've run out for each of the first two lunches so I guess I better get to lunch sooner!) We then went to the famous street vendor (well famous in HODR circles) who goes by either the Egg Lady or Sandwich Lady depending on who you ask. Jerry and Wesley had a egg sandwich (think eggs, with spices, hot sauce, and even ketchup on a sub roll). I got back to camp and had a Zone Bar. So not exactly (or eggactly?) a filling meal.
When we got back to the work site we we met with a passing rain shower that was truly delightful and we all enjoyed immensely as it temporarily dropped temperatures and allowed us to work for about 45 minutes hard without a break.
***work details left out for time***
After work I went biking. This time I went in the opposite direction of yesterday. Fun as all the kids yell "hey you" as you ride by. Not the best workout however as WAY too crowded, WAY too bad of road.
On the way back as I was returning the calls of "hey you", I turned back to yell, and the next thing I knew I hit a ditch in the middle of the road and went over on my side. Nothing serious but the cut on my calf bled quite a bit. It should also be noted that as soon as I went down, I had about 15 Haitians come running to me aid. Very nice.
*Tonight there was a HODR talent show at Joe's a Local bar. I did not go as I have no talents, was sure there would be smokers, and just did not have time. It sounds (the bar is right next door) like they are having a good time AND with everyone over there the internet is a bit faster. So a WIN-WIN!
* not tired, but very hungry. going to try and find something before lights out.
more tomorrow...
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Leogane with HODR
* Made it to Haiti with no problems at all. Leaving the airport a couple of people wanted to help haul our bags etc, but very orderly and a very strong police presence....was really excited to be met by David Driscoll at Airport. He is volunteering with HODR for a week after many weeks in Port au Prince at the University Miami Hospital.
* After leaving the airport the trip got MUCH more interesting. Two drivers were needed to pick up Carrie, Larry, Jerry and I plus David and Caitlyn (a volunteer who arrived on the same plane as us. She is from Columbus Ohio). Jerry, David, and Larry went in one and the other three of us went in the second car. The two cars separated and agreed we'd see each other again at camp in less than two hours.
We got a fast tour of the Port au Prince. I really do not know how to describe it. The damage is clearly EVERYWHERE. From the palace to homes in the slums. So many homes and buildings were destroyed that the exact number will never be known (estimate is about 280,000 but there is little doubt this number is at loose estimate at best. )
That said, what we saw was much deeper than the earthquake. It was a people of great strength, but homed in a country with severe (and I can not stress severe strongly enough) economic troubles. Mile after mile of people living in tents at best and in conditions that are almost beyond the grasp of a resident of almost anywhere in the developed world in 2010: no running water, no electricity, no plumbing, and roads that can only be generously called in horrific condition.
While the amount of damage varied a little from neighborhood , what seemingly was always the same were the poor living conditions.
That said, it was almost as if the people did not care. While our car winded through the hills of West Port-au-Prince, we stopped twice for small parades in honor of Flag Day (a national Holiday that Hatians treat much more seriously than the same holiday in the US).
Then we hit beach traffic. As part of the national Holiday and incredible heat, beach going seems to be a popular thing to do on May 18th. As the day wore on, more and more people were coming back and the already bad roads were clogged to gridlock, about 20 miles of gridlock! A drive that google optimistically estimates to take about 40 minutes, took us (in the second car) seven (yes 7) hours!!! It was quite an experience. Seeing so many people walking,biking, motorcycling, and just sitting in cars. We definitely saw a side of Haiti that few get to see. (and all learned that " Alli Alli Alli" means Go GO GO.
Needless to say the others (at camp long ago--there drive took two hours), got worried. But we had no cell phones. After about 6 hours, the driver got a call from HODR making sure we were ok. And we were. I think we all fell asleep (bets are the driver too, but no one is saying) and lost about 10 pounds of water through perspiration and breathed enough CO and sulphur to last the rest of our lives, but we all arrived safe and sound at about 10:10.
Which is 10 minutes after curfew so no lights, no food, etc. Which made setting up a mosquito net on the top bunk all the more of a challenge. Needless to say sleep came easy.
______
Today Jerry and I cleaned around the base (w/ Erica) while Carrie and Larry went to a rubble clean up crew. The camp is kept pretty clean for over 100 volunteers. But another lesson learned: do not clean the camp after Flag Day (which was a day off for HODR as well).
Then in the Afternoon we joined the rubble crew. It was pretty hard and not nearly as fun as gutting. Mainly because we had to haul the debris about 70 yards down the road. That said everyone worked really hard under Jim (with Hair)'s (NOT ME) leadership.
Really enjoyed working with some local volunteers as well. Amazing stories and good to learn about Haiti. Wesley was one such volunteer (and about the first person I met who could carry on a full conversation in English!). He was out working in sandals. So at lunch tomorrow we are going to buy him new boots (size 9 if you were wondering).
I hate to single out any volunteer, but I do think Larry deserves special mention. On a day in the high 90s with a rumored heat index of over 110, Larry (a retired accounting professor from SBU) matched us all sledge hammer swing for sledge hammer swing. Really a remarkable performance.
------
Short takes:
More tomorrow
The
* After leaving the airport the trip got MUCH more interesting. Two drivers were needed to pick up Carrie, Larry, Jerry and I plus David and Caitlyn (a volunteer who arrived on the same plane as us. She is from Columbus Ohio). Jerry, David, and Larry went in one and the other three of us went in the second car. The two cars separated and agreed we'd see each other again at camp in less than two hours.
We got a fast tour of the Port au Prince. I really do not know how to describe it. The damage is clearly EVERYWHERE. From the palace to homes in the slums. So many homes and buildings were destroyed that the exact number will never be known (estimate is about 280,000 but there is little doubt this number is at loose estimate at best. )
That said, what we saw was much deeper than the earthquake. It was a people of great strength, but homed in a country with severe (and I can not stress severe strongly enough) economic troubles. Mile after mile of people living in tents at best and in conditions that are almost beyond the grasp of a resident of almost anywhere in the developed world in 2010: no running water, no electricity, no plumbing, and roads that can only be generously called in horrific condition.
While the amount of damage varied a little from neighborhood , what seemingly was always the same were the poor living conditions.
That said, it was almost as if the people did not care. While our car winded through the hills of West Port-au-Prince, we stopped twice for small parades in honor of Flag Day (a national Holiday that Hatians treat much more seriously than the same holiday in the US).
Then we hit beach traffic. As part of the national Holiday and incredible heat, beach going seems to be a popular thing to do on May 18th. As the day wore on, more and more people were coming back and the already bad roads were clogged to gridlock, about 20 miles of gridlock! A drive that google optimistically estimates to take about 40 minutes, took us (in the second car) seven (yes 7) hours!!! It was quite an experience. Seeing so many people walking,biking, motorcycling, and just sitting in cars. We definitely saw a side of Haiti that few get to see. (and all learned that " Alli Alli Alli" means Go GO GO.
Needless to say the others (at camp long ago--there drive took two hours), got worried. But we had no cell phones. After about 6 hours, the driver got a call from HODR making sure we were ok. And we were. I think we all fell asleep (bets are the driver too, but no one is saying) and lost about 10 pounds of water through perspiration and breathed enough CO and sulphur to last the rest of our lives, but we all arrived safe and sound at about 10:10.
Which is 10 minutes after curfew so no lights, no food, etc. Which made setting up a mosquito net on the top bunk all the more of a challenge. Needless to say sleep came easy.
______
Today Jerry and I cleaned around the base (w/ Erica) while Carrie and Larry went to a rubble clean up crew. The camp is kept pretty clean for over 100 volunteers. But another lesson learned: do not clean the camp after Flag Day (which was a day off for HODR as well).
Then in the Afternoon we joined the rubble crew. It was pretty hard and not nearly as fun as gutting. Mainly because we had to haul the debris about 70 yards down the road. That said everyone worked really hard under Jim (with Hair)'s (NOT ME) leadership.
Really enjoyed working with some local volunteers as well. Amazing stories and good to learn about Haiti. Wesley was one such volunteer (and about the first person I met who could carry on a full conversation in English!). He was out working in sandals. So at lunch tomorrow we are going to buy him new boots (size 9 if you were wondering).
I hate to single out any volunteer, but I do think Larry deserves special mention. On a day in the high 90s with a rumored heat index of over 110, Larry (a retired accounting professor from SBU) matched us all sledge hammer swing for sledge hammer swing. Really a remarkable performance.
------
Short takes:
- The big meal is at noon. It is cooked by Venus (a local that HODR pays to cook). Today I had rice with black beans and then rice with a red hot sauce with potatoes. While probably not Dr. Fuhrman approved (WAY TOO HIGH ON simple Carbs), both were very good.
- Toilet facilities are bad. You do not flush toilet paper AND a saying hung on the wall says much more that you want to know: " If it's yellow let it mellow, if its brown, flush it down."
- Recycling does not happen. Indeed garbage collection does not happen in most spots so everything seemingly gets burned.
- Pleasantly surprised by lack of mosquitoes (knock on wood)
- Everyone seems to get along really well. It is a veritable UN here (well except that we do not carry rifles when directing traffic that is not moving and yelling "Ali, ali, ali".
- Doubt I have ever drank more water in a single day (and that includes 100 mile rides in above 90 degree temperatures).
- I have been unsuccessful at getting a SIM Card. But still working on it.
- Went for a bike ride after work...it was not much (roads are muddy, crowded, and too dangerous for a real ride, but fun.
- Can't upload pictures. Will have to wait. But have been taking many
- Showers are "sponge baths"
More tomorrow
The
Monday, May 17, 2010
Packing etc for Haiti
Busy busy past week. With graduation events, trying to get ready for the trip, collecting shoes, computers etc for Haiti, dealing with normal school stuff (oh yeah and spilling gas in my car and a weird rash from working in Allegany State Park), have had zero time to prepare or pack, so today I will be running around like a chicken with my head chopped off.
Good talk with Andy Hartnett who was one of the original BonaResponders (Biloxi 2005) a leader on our big trip, and a great guy who just happened to be a finance major as well! He gave me a better idea of what to expect etc as he just left HODR a few days ago to come to SBU for his sister's graduation yesterday.
According to Andy, internet access is slow and spotty at the camp but I will update this blog as often as I can when there.
Good talk with Andy Hartnett who was one of the original BonaResponders (Biloxi 2005) a leader on our big trip, and a great guy who just happened to be a finance major as well! He gave me a better idea of what to expect etc as he just left HODR a few days ago to come to SBU for his sister's graduation yesterday.
According to Andy, internet access is slow and spotty at the camp but I will update this blog as often as I can when there.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Haiti contingent for May trip
Carrie, Jerry, Larry, and Jim will be going to Haiti to work with HODR. This blog will be the place to look for updates etc. Since it is not a SBU sanctioned trip (we learned our lesson last time!!!), no BonaResponds tools will go, no BonaResponds money will be used, and we will not use the BonaResponds website/blog for updates.
There will probably be another non sanctioned Haiti trip (not guaranteed yet) for the first week in August. Stay tuned.
There will probably be another non sanctioned Haiti trip (not guaranteed yet) for the first week in August. Stay tuned.
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