Adson.

A Place Called Trasayel.

Eric and I went with a group of AMURT folks to a village called Trasayel this past weekend. One of the AMURT staff members (Jayatii) has purchased some land there and is starting to build a house for AMURT. Her hope is that it will be a retreat / resting place for AMURT staff and volunteers to get away. The people of the town hope that AMURT’s presence there will mean some projects/programs for their community.

The trip to Trasayel was about 3 hours of driving – but its difficult to say what that meant in terms of KM, because some parts of trip were so rough. The last hour was barely a road, and it was heading straight up a mountain. I’ve never actually seen a car do that. We joked that it was like an all –terrain vehicle commercial. And it was.

The house itself is on the absolute top of a mountain – further north and west from Source Chaudes. And the community there makes rural Source Chaudes seem like a modern city. It was SO isolated, SO rural. The nearest village is about an hour down the mountain (by car) – but even there, supplies were limited. We stopped at a small road-side stand there (the only place to purchase things in the area) to buy some spaghetti. But, they certainly don’t have the resources to provide multiple communities with the supplies/food they need. And so people live with what they have. They eat what they can grow. They build everything they need. And, if and when they are unable, they go without.

Its so difficult to comprehend. Jayatii was telling me stories she’d heard – about the community having food during the harvesting season and starving during the other times of year. About sick people having absolutely no access to medical care. About people dying on their donkeys trying to get to a doctor.

Its hard for me to understand that places like this actually exist. Even after being there. Maybe, especially after being there. It is hard to imagine the depth of the struggle that exists there amidst the vastness of the beauty. It is hard to imagine life, day to day life, on the top of a mountain in rural Haiti. Its hard to imagine life in a place called Trasayel.

commUNITY.

As part of AMURT’s new Health program, they are running three clinics – one here in Source Chaudes, one in Coridon on the coast and one in La Gon (a very rural village up in the mountains). Over the past 6 months, they’ve renovated two of the clinics and have built the clinic in La Gon.

Each community has a health committee that AMURT is working on empowering to run the clinics. Ideally, the clinics will become entirely community managed and self-sufficient over time. The above photo is from an AMURT community meeting in Source Chaudes about the health committee here.

Sameeka.

From the first day I met her, Sameeka has been repeating the same question to me in quick, rolling Creole. The phrase always includes ‘etazini’ (the United States) – so I respond by explaining that “Yes, I live in the United States.” and “Yes, I am returning there on June 3rd” and “Yes, it is cold where I live” (the regular questions). But, she hasn’t ever seemed satisfied with my responses. And I always conclude that, despite my desire, I just don’t understand.

Sameeka just keeps holding my hand.
And persistently repeating her question.

Today, I understood the words.
And the question was exactly the one I feared it might be.


Would you take me to the United States with you?
Would you be my mom?


What could I possibly say in response that would feel okay? I held her hand a bit tighter, touched her cheek, and told her that we could be good friends here in Haiti, but that I could not take her to the United States with me. And I told her that I would talk with her again tomorrow.

I know the question is fairly common – not only in Haiti, but around the world. All the staff here have stories of being asked to adopt people’s children. When I was in South Africa, a woman with HIV (that I’d just met moments before) asked me to adopt her daughter. The common-ness of the request raises many questions for me – about love, about quality of life, about desperation.

But, today was different. When the question came from the child. When her persistence broke through. And when she asked so directly: “Molly, would you be my mom?”

No, beautiful little Sameeka. I cannot. But, I will talk with you again tomorrow.

Love.

One of my first days in Source Chaudes, I noticed a painting on the gate to a home here. It was an abstract, green painting of a person – and I LOVED it. I loved it for the art itself, and would hang it in my home in an instant. And, I loved the idea of it – the idea of this bit of creativity, beauty, talent in the midst of the poverty and struggle here.

While looking at it one day, I noticed more art in the back of the little house. A painting on the front door to the house, another on the outhouse door. All incredible. I started greeting the woman behind the gate as I walked by, in hopes that one day I would work up the courage and the Creole ability to talk with her about it.

And I did. With slow (and broken) Creole, I tried to compliment her on the paintings one afternoon on our way home for lunch. And she lit up. She told us that the paintings were done by her son who was in high school in Gonaives (2 hours away – and yet, the closest place for students to go to secondary school). Her pride was evident and in her words, in her glow.

Since then, we’ve slowly started to become friends with the family. We communicate as much as we can in Creole. Eric has taught the other kids (two boys and one girl) a “secret” handshake and plays games with them. And every day when we walk by, they run up to the fence to say hello. It’s pretty great.

Last weekend, the mother stopped me to tell me that her older son was home from school and asked me to wait while she went to get him. She proudly introduced me to her son – Love, the artist. My best guess is that Love is 14 or 15. He is well-mannered, confident, kind – and has a pretty incredible name. He took us around the yard to show us the paintings he’d done. We asked him about his painting – about whether anyone had taught him to paint or how he knows what to do. He looked a little bewildered at our question. “No, no … no one had taught him to paint.” He told us that he could just see the images in his mind and that he knew how to paint them. He offered to make another one for us to see, and we told him that if he made it on something for us that we’d buy it from him. His eyes widened and he quickly agreed. If we understood correctly, he’s working on saving money to buy some new tennis shoes.

Love found us in town later that day to show us the three paintings he’d made for us – on the back of corn flakes boxes. They’re beautiful and I can’t wait to display them proudly in my home in the US – as a constant reminder. A reminder of the great tragedy there is in knowing there are people like Love who have great talent that will most likely never be recognized or cultivated. And a reminder of the great beauty in knowing that with or without training or payment or recognition, artists around the world are painting on whatever surfaces they can find.

[Photos: Some of the art at love's house, the paintings he made for me, Love].

The View From Here

A few photos I took while sitting the porch of my house last week. I know, I know … its hard for me to believe (too) that I can see a pig from my porch.

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.

Disclaimer.

The Internet doesn’t work here sometimes. It’s all a bit of a mystery to me – the ebbs and flows of Satellite Internet function. But, I figure that it all boils down pretty simply to what I need to know – sometimes the Internet here works, and sometimes it doesn’t (for days!).

And so, I thank you for your patience during the periods of time that I’m unable to post updates or photos. Thank you for continuing to check back. And please know that a lack of new*ness here does not mean that I’m ignoring this little Ubuntu site. I love sharing my experience with you, as often as I am able.

From time to time, I get a blog comment or email from one of you – and I am so grateful to know that you’re here and reading. Its good to know the thoughts and stories I send out onto the vastness of the World Wide Web are actually reaching real people … real people that I know and love.

Thank you for being the people that keep checking back.

A Few Photos From Month One

Volunteer House

There are two main volunteer / staff houses – this is the smaller of the two. Right now, there are just three of us living here. Its simple, and is rented from a Source Chaudes family that lives on a second house on the property. The walls and floor of the house are made of cement – the roof is tin and wood.

The family that owns the property has many animals that we share the space with. We joke that it is a small, Haitian farm. A mother pig (& 7 piglets!!), countless roosters and chickens, 2 ducks and a rotating cast of goats parade in front of our door - and occasionally attempt to join us inside the house.

The other night, Eric was experimenting with night-time photography and took a gorgeous photo of the little house ... just lit by the moon, a moving flashlight and an oil-lamp on the porch. Its posted on his blog (www.ericgruen.blogspot.com) - and is definitely worth the click!

A Day in the Life

As you can imagine, its difficult to truly describe a typical day here. With the whirling of people and energy and projects and colors, each day is unexpected and unique. That being said, Eric and I are both getting into a bit of a routine. And, for those that know me well, you know how grateful I am for any bits of routine I can get my little hands on.

5:00am. The sun and the animals begin to wake. Because of the lack of electricity, the days here seem to truly start with the light. The roosters make sure every knows its time to get up, and the noise of people and animals beginning their day swirl around the little volunteer house.

6:15-30am. On good days, I join some of the AMURT staff at the village pool to start the day off with a swim. The village of Source Chaudes is named after the hot springs here. Over the years, these springs have been funneled into a number of pools, washing places, and gathering spaces. One of the pools (my favorite) is made of cement, with “I love you” painted in English on the bottom. It is a constant flow of beautiful, clear, warm water … and is a lovely way to start the day.

8:00am Breakfast. Eric and I eat breakfast with a number of AMURT medical staff at a house on the other side of the village. Our breakfast rotation is: corn meal with spices/spinach, boiled bananas and onions with sauce and spaghetti. We’re (surprisingly!) getting used to spaghetti for breakfast. Its quite delicious.

Sidenote: Thursdays and Saturdays are market days, so on both days we stop in the market on the way back from breakfast. The BIG market of the week is on Thursday. People begin traveling to Source Chaudes and setting up their sales area on Wednesday night. And then on Thursday, the people come from all around to buy and sell for the coming week. Official employment in Source Chaudes is nearly 0%. The majority of the money exhange that does exist happens between individuals and families on market day.

8:45am Work begins. The AMURT office used to be a big barn - it has cement brick walls, a metal roof and cement floors. One room is split into a storage space and a common eating space (with a kitchen), the other room is an office. The building has solar panels on the roof that provide for the only electricity access in the village. Work for Eric and I varies every day. Its looking like I will spend most of my time in the office, with occasional visits to project sites - my main tasks here are to develop basic org materials for AMURT (a brochure, a power-point, a newsletter template, a handbook describing the history and current program of each project – and to assist them in developing a formalized volunteer program. Truly right up my alley.

12pm (m, w, f) Creole – English Exchange. Three times a week, Eric and I meet with a group of Haitians to learn language together. We’re learning creole, while the group learns English. Typically, 8ish people attend - Eric and I have a general plan for the day, and we take it from there. Its fun, we’re getting to know people, learning Creole and (hopefully!) we’re helping to teach some English.

2pm. Lunch. Once again, Eric and I take a walk down the one road through the village to eat lunch. We bring along our little straw lunch bag with Tupperware inside – eat half the lunch and save the other half to eat for dinner. Lunch rotates between rice with beans, rice with lentils and corn meal with beans. I really like the lunches here.

The walk to and from lunch is hot - midday sun, not a lot of shade. On the especially hot days, we stop at the town store to have a coke. Some days, that coke is pure magic.

5-6pm. We stop working for the day. The time / line is blurry, because often people stay in the office area to hang out. Since it’s the only place with electricity, people stay to use the internet (when its working!), listen to music, watch videos, or just hang out.

7:30pm. Dinner. Eric and I head back to the volunteer house to eat our second lunch (dinner!). We sit on the stoop with a gas lamp lighting the porch - and eat our dinner together.

After that, evenings vary – we read, watch movies, talk, write, swim, and appreciate the (gorgeous!) stars. Everything is quiet in Source Chaudes by 9pm. The evenings are a peaceful and relaxed time here. I soak up the quiet, appreciate the extra time for sleeping and give thanks for this place ... for this day.

Laughing Cow

Today, Annette shared her cheese with me – and it felt like our relationship had just taken a giant stride forward.

Annette is a Doctor in one of the AMURT clinics. She lives in a house with a number of the AMURT medical staff. Eric and I have a meal plan to eat all of our meals with them. So, every day we leave AMURT at 8am and 2pm and walk to the other end of the village for our meals. Most Haitians eat two meals a day – and now, we do too.

When we first discussed our joining the meal plan with the medical staff, they were concerned that we would be high-maintenance. That, because we were from the US, we would be expecting them to make us special food for us every day. We reassured that no, no – we wanted to eat whatever they did. They agreed to have us join them, with a bit of evident apprehension.

But, over time, I think they’re starting to believe us that we’re truly quite happy with the food. It is simple – but good. Breakfasts rotate between boiled bananas and onions, corn meal with beans, and spaghetti (!!!). Yes – spaghetti for breakfast! Lunch is rice and beans, rice and peas/lentils, or corn meal with beans – all with meat and sauce on the side. The portions are huge, so we usually take some of our lunch home with us to eat mid-evening. It works out great.

Sometimes the medical staff eat at the same time as us. Annette is one of our most frequent meal companions. She’s been consistently polite, but seemingly slow to warm up. As we learn more and more Creole, we attempt to make conversation. But, I’m concerned that our broken Creole sometimes becomes tiresome to her. A week-or-so in, she told us that she speaks some English – and, since, has been helping us to learn a little Creole every day. We started talking about the basics – family, food, Haiti, the US. She wonders what we eat on Spaghetti in New York City. And whether we like it here. She tells us about her family. Her husband is a police officer in Port au Prince (6 to 7 hours of travel) and her two kids live with her family a few hours past that.

Annette had started warming up.

She began showing us pictures. And talking with us about things she likes that she thinks we may also know – Elton John, the Backstreet Boys, Jean Claude Van Damme, Steven Segall, and Denzel Washinton. And admitting that she worries that Eric and I are talking about them if we ever speak in English. I was able to share that the concern goes both ways. And, we reassured one another that was never the case. Jamais.

Today – she offered me cheese. Fromage. I wasn’t sure whether I understood what she was saying, and then she went to her room and brought back little packages of “Laughing Cow” cheese – with Creole on the label.

I very happily accepted – both the cheese and Annette’s kindness. Plus, in Source Chaudes, cheese is delicious on breakfast spaghetti.

the MUD

There is one hot spring in Source Chaudes that is particularly hot. It has been funneled into a pool called La Bou. If you dig down into the ground near the spring, the dirt is deep*deep*black. It is believed that the ground around this spring has many minerals in it – and that it is good, even healing, to put on your skin. We tried it out…







(We're pretending we're all squished into a tap-tap -- Haiti's most common form of public transportation!)

(Hello!)

AMURT

The more I learn about AMURT, the more impressed I am. They are doing incredible work in the NW of Haiti. The team of people working here are dynamic, passionate, smart, creative, interesting … and very busy. I will learn so much during these months of working for them. I’d encourage you to check out their website, if you haven’t yet: www.amurthaiti.org. Its very well done, and is a good synopsis of their programs. There’s also a slideshow on the homepage, with some great photos of NW Haiti and the people that live here.

The past couple of days, I’ve been helping AMURT to create their first brochure. Its been a fun, very collaborative, creative process. In the process of creating the brochure, I’ve gotten a better understanding of their projects. At one point, we had lists of projects in their different focus areas. I thought I’d share the lists, so you can get a sense of the work AMURT is doing in Source Chaudes and the surrounding villages. Pretty incredible.

WATER
- Training 8 communities to construct and install Bio-Sand Water Filters in homes, schools and clinics.
- Training and overseeing a network of community filter agents to lead hygiene education classes in more than 24 villages.

EDUCATION
- Training teachers and community leaders.
- Building and rehabilitating schools.
- Introducing integrated education methods
- Strengthening school management structures.
- Building a education training center.

ENVIRONMENT
- 8 school tree nurseries and vegetable gardens.
- Fuel-efficient stoves.
- Mangrove Rehabilitation Project.
- 9 community managed tree nurseries.
- Creation of Micro-Forests.
- Training of community leaders.
- Agriculture demonstration and training center.

FORMING COOPERATIVES
- Establishing a community owned and operated salt production cooperative.
- Setting up a model salt production facility.
- Facilitating additional community collaborative projects.

HEALTH
- Building and rehabilitating health clinics.
- Providing staff, medicines and supplies for three clinics.
- Recruiting training and overseeing 12 community health agents.

INFRASTRUCTURE
- Built a village water distribution system, a park, irrigation channels and washing facilities.
- Community resource in water systems.
- Helped to build 8.6 KM sections of new road.