Enok

Enok is very friendly. We pass one another on the street at least once a day – and he always pauses to say hello and shake hands with Eric and I. And, despite the frequency with which i talk with him, I know very little about his life. Here’s what I’ve learned so far:

* Enok lives in Source Chaudes.
* He is the nurse at the new clinic here. As is typical in rural Haiti, the nurse is the person with the most medical training at the clinic. The entire staff at the clinic consists of a nurse, a nurse assistant and an administrator. Compared to other clinics in the region, this is considered very well staffed.
* He thinks my name is Molly on some days (pronounced like Mary) and Maggie on others.
* One of his brothers works for the AMURT Bio-Sand water filter program and another is the pastor at the Baptist church in town.
* On one of my first days here, he stopped me to share one of his only English phrases – “Molly, you are nice.”
* He is very (very) thin.
* He asked to have this photo taken, and set up an appointment with me to stop by the clinic. I tried to explain that the photo was digital and that I can’t print it anywhere in Source Chaudes. He didn’t seem surprised at all – in fact receiving a copy of the photo didn’t seem to be his motivation in asking for it.
* This was the first day I’ve seen Enok in scrubs – and they looked brand new. He wore them with great pride.
* He has a great smile – and, at the same time, he carries himself with a distinct heaviness, a sadness.
* I really like Enok.