I am sorry I haven't written sooner, the internet didn't work well in Santo Domingo.
The Portuguese dinner was an overwhelming success. We had tuna salad to start off with and champagne sangria. Then- a creamy potato soup, catfish with potatoes and hard boiled eggs, and salad (safe salad is a rarity and tastes so good). For dessert we had moist brownies with a fresh mango mouse. The tenor in the house changed. It felt like a celebration. From the time we got there, we never saw Pat and Vivian relax. They seemed exhausted and overwhelmed. Dan and I wondered with all they do, who takes care of them? Vivian knows the names of all the kids in the camp- as well as 3 orphanages. She gets so personally invested and it shows. Sister Mary on the other hand seems invigorated, ready to tackle a challenge. But tonight, finally it was different. The problems all seemed to melt away with the rain beating down outside as we feasted with the caretakers and finally heard laughter among them.
After dinner, I showed Vivian the progress of the store room and how I arranged the art work. We talked about my last day there and how I helped her receive new art pieces. One piece- a wooden drummer- is identical to one Dan bought our last day. It's sister piece is now missing the arm that was outstretched in the air- ready to beat. It makes it even more special that we saw the piece come in, so Dan bought it, and I a gift for my niece. I think it helped to sell some art, and see the potential for it to be cleaned up. I hope she sets the store back up before her and Pat leave at the end of the month. The art shop is just as much her baby as the kids in the camp and I hope she gets to see it healthy again. Maybe I will come back sometime after she's gone and help Sister Mary organize the shop.
We sat talking around the table after we gave Pat, Viv, and Sister Mary the money we brought. They were in high spirits and we were getting sentimental about leaving. Dan and I tried to ask them questions about other things- their grandkids at home, their kids, and it seemed to help for a while.
Later, Vivian told me a story from right after the earthquake. Food was scarce, so she wanted to bring the hundred kids from camp- 4 or 5 at a time, into the house for peanut butter, bread, and juice she had. The kids all lined up in a straight line outside, but then started crying. An amputation had been performed on the kitchen table days earlier. The kids were sure- if they were getting food it would mean they would lose a leg as well. Vivian laughed at first but then stopped and very seriously said- but they all stayed. Wouldn't you run away if you thought someone would cut off your leg? The kids did what they were told. And all stood and waited in single file line.
That's the Haiti I know.
In the morning we got up at 6am, having spent another night in the pouring rain. That will be the norm now- torrential rains and mud. We hugged and kissed Pat and Vivian, then climbed into the van with Sister Mary. She spent an hour driving us around the heart of the city.
Some buildings have stacked up, like a resting accordion. Others look like they've gone soft, leaning or bending over. Some look like a grenade exploded inside- with holes missing. But what surprised me the most, were the many many buildings that are now just piles of rubble. Almost dust. I can't imagine how anyone survived.
But all around the piles of dust, life does go on for the living. In the plaza outside the presidential palace- it looks like a war zone. Tents in every open place and rows of porta potties. All around the country's greatest monuments and buildings, life is in suspense. People are just standing mostly, needing to be told what to do. There is so much money going in, but seemingly little organization of people on a large scale. Just hundreds of thousands of lives in waiting.
I hugged sister Mary 3 times before leaving. This year is her 60th jubilee- 60th year since entering the convent. And oh, what she's seen. Pat and Vivian end their 3 years in Haiti at the end of the month- and Matthew 25 will go on for the volunteers within it, and few thousand living next to it.
We're back now, but leaving a piece of ourselves at Delmas 33 with 3 year old Francois who held our hands when ever he saw us, Darline- the 20 year old med student who has seen too much in her short life, Mita- a little girl who lost her leg above her knee but who never stops smiling, Souvenir- using music to help his patients, the Portuguese medical team, the sanitation volunteers at SOIL, Pat, Viv, and 78 year old Sister Mary- the toughest woman I have ever met with a heart of gold.
Every night at Matthew 25 we sing a prayer in creole before dinner. We call it the manje song. It says- "this food you give to us oh father, it is the food of life." After holding hands and singing, we would bow our heads and Sister Mary would pray- giving thanks.
Not one night while we were in Haiti this trip did Sister Mary pray after the song. I will leave you to speculate why. Maybe they gave so much thanks to be alive after the quake, that they used it up for a while. Maybe it means nothing at all. Or maybe, for those living and struggling in Haiti- they haven't quite figured out what to say to God yet.
But outside in the camp Haitians raise their voice in song every morning and every night. Their pact isn't with the devil. They're just stronger than we will ever be.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
gummy bears
Today was a good day, despite the intense rain storms of last night. I didn't sleep much, so decided to sleep through breakfast. When I woke up I walked around until I found Daniel cleaning some plastic chairs. He had asked Eileen- the nurse in charge of the clinic- if we could watch. We brought the chairs over to the clinic and sat beside Darline, a 20 year old med student. Darline was doing intake alone, so she explained to us how to do everything. We even learned how to take blood pressure. She showed me a few times, then sent us around- I took blood pressure and temperatures and Dan would help me and write it all down. Darline checked my work at first until she was sure I was doing it correctly, but I still did everything 2 and 3 times to be sure.
A few people were hypertensive, but the majority in that area just needed someone to tell them nothing was wrong. I heard someone say that many in the camp seem to be depressed or have emotional trauma so they go to the Dr not really knowing what's wrong. I think sometimes it helps to just have the clumbsy blanc (white) fuss around on your arm and then assure you you're OK before the real Drs see them. While we did blood pressure, darline would ask about symptoms and the Elieen and another med student- Noze Souvenir- dressed bandages for the amputees and more seriously injured.
We worked all morning and I got good at blood pressure. We saw 40 patients. We then brought the staff some water and rested a bit. Then we tackled that back room again. Cleaning it out was a nightmare but really really useful. The room had been destroyed during the quake (I mean the contents a mess- not the structure) and no one had time to g through it. So cleaning it- we found all kinds of things that will be useful- reading classes and soap for the clinic- useable art work to sell in Matthew 25. I think cleaning the house is when it really began to hit us that we were there. Less than 2 months ago I was raiding Vivian's little art store. And now, the beautiful art lay in piles covered in dust under piles of junk. So we cleaned it up as best as we could and Sister Mary seems very pleased. She says it looks like a different house, and as modestly as possible I can tell you it does. I think with the shock finally wearing off- we stood on the roof for a while, in the place where our room had been.
After, we went back out to the tent city to see Souvenir do physical therapy. Souvenir speaks English well and told me his story: he was a good soccer player growing up and won a scholarship to go to school. That was necessary because his mother is a maid and there are 6 kids. Because of his schooling- he learned English and Spanish too. Because of his English, he was able to find the woman who ran the medical school. He was able to get her cell phone number and called and texted her every day for weeks until she agreed to see him. He went to the school the next day at 8 am but she didn't come out to see him until 3 pm. She then gave him a test and said he could come to school if he passed. He got an 80 percent and started med school. That was 3 years ago. He now has 2 years left ( a few months and then residency) but his mother's boss died in the earthquake so there is no more money for school. He won't be able to continue unless he can find someone to sponsor him the 100 dollars (US) a month until he finishes. Anyway. I got all his information incase anyone can think of a way to help. His classes resume next week, but as of right now, this 23 year old boy who volunteers every day in the tent city- won't be able to afford to go.
Souvenir called me over to the tent with the most injured. A little girl with a missing leg called me over ("K-tee K-tee!") I played with her and her friend a bit, then watched Souvenir lead a woman (missing one leg, and with only a half a foot on her remaining leg) around the basketball court. She hoped with the walker, on her own, the entire way. Talk about strength. Then Eileen walked us around the neighborhood and I gave out gummy bears I brought- one at a time. It's simply indescribable to see a child cherish a single gummy bear. They licked and sucked on them so long- and they'd smile with the bright colors between their teeth.
Tonight we give Matthew 25 the money we brought, hug our friends again, and prepare to leave in the morning.
But first- the Portuguese medical team has prepared us a traditional dinner.
Bon dormee, amies (sleep well, friends).
A few people were hypertensive, but the majority in that area just needed someone to tell them nothing was wrong. I heard someone say that many in the camp seem to be depressed or have emotional trauma so they go to the Dr not really knowing what's wrong. I think sometimes it helps to just have the clumbsy blanc (white) fuss around on your arm and then assure you you're OK before the real Drs see them. While we did blood pressure, darline would ask about symptoms and the Elieen and another med student- Noze Souvenir- dressed bandages for the amputees and more seriously injured.
We worked all morning and I got good at blood pressure. We saw 40 patients. We then brought the staff some water and rested a bit. Then we tackled that back room again. Cleaning it out was a nightmare but really really useful. The room had been destroyed during the quake (I mean the contents a mess- not the structure) and no one had time to g through it. So cleaning it- we found all kinds of things that will be useful- reading classes and soap for the clinic- useable art work to sell in Matthew 25. I think cleaning the house is when it really began to hit us that we were there. Less than 2 months ago I was raiding Vivian's little art store. And now, the beautiful art lay in piles covered in dust under piles of junk. So we cleaned it up as best as we could and Sister Mary seems very pleased. She says it looks like a different house, and as modestly as possible I can tell you it does. I think with the shock finally wearing off- we stood on the roof for a while, in the place where our room had been.
After, we went back out to the tent city to see Souvenir do physical therapy. Souvenir speaks English well and told me his story: he was a good soccer player growing up and won a scholarship to go to school. That was necessary because his mother is a maid and there are 6 kids. Because of his schooling- he learned English and Spanish too. Because of his English, he was able to find the woman who ran the medical school. He was able to get her cell phone number and called and texted her every day for weeks until she agreed to see him. He went to the school the next day at 8 am but she didn't come out to see him until 3 pm. She then gave him a test and said he could come to school if he passed. He got an 80 percent and started med school. That was 3 years ago. He now has 2 years left ( a few months and then residency) but his mother's boss died in the earthquake so there is no more money for school. He won't be able to continue unless he can find someone to sponsor him the 100 dollars (US) a month until he finishes. Anyway. I got all his information incase anyone can think of a way to help. His classes resume next week, but as of right now, this 23 year old boy who volunteers every day in the tent city- won't be able to afford to go.
Souvenir called me over to the tent with the most injured. A little girl with a missing leg called me over ("K-tee K-tee!") I played with her and her friend a bit, then watched Souvenir lead a woman (missing one leg, and with only a half a foot on her remaining leg) around the basketball court. She hoped with the walker, on her own, the entire way. Talk about strength. Then Eileen walked us around the neighborhood and I gave out gummy bears I brought- one at a time. It's simply indescribable to see a child cherish a single gummy bear. They licked and sucked on them so long- and they'd smile with the bright colors between their teeth.
Tonight we give Matthew 25 the money we brought, hug our friends again, and prepare to leave in the morning.
But first- the Portuguese medical team has prepared us a traditional dinner.
Bon dormee, amies (sleep well, friends).
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
a deep breath
There's already so much to say and my little thumbs can't type so quickly on my phone.
We'll start with the morning. Franz- the manager of our hotel in SD had told us to catch a taxi at 8am because buses to Port Au Prince left at 9am. But Franz wasn't there in the morning and we were running a bit behind. the important thing is that despite the traffic we purchased a couple of the last tickets- just 10 minutes before 9 am. With our boxes safe in the bottom of the bus, we settled in 2 seats in the air conditioned bus.
About 5 or 6 hours into the trip we made it to the border. All the Haitian passengers were given their passports (taken when you bought tickets) but they kept the foreign passports. No one could really explain what was happening, but it seemed as though we stopped on the Dominican side, reentered the bus to go through the heavily guarded gate, and then got re stamped on the Haitian side. Of course the Haitian side is immediately different- with 10 xs the amount of people selling at the side of the road. I dozed off for a while and when I woke began to see flattened buildings and cities made of tents. We made a good canadian friend named Roger on the bus- he informed us the bus was actually going to Petionville, not Port Au Prince. We didn't really know how to tell Pat and Viv to come get us- so in broken french, we got a taxi, and were on our way to our street- delmas 33.
The driver brought along an english speaking friend. We may hire them again to take us around the city. The english speaker- jude- asked us if we thought haiti would be different after the earthquake. Dan smiled and said "well, life goes on doesn't it?" Jude said "for some, not for others. I lost my wife, my home, and now sleep in the streets."
We got gas and continued to drive by piles of rubble. We rounded one corner just absolutely filled with a mob of kids- sort of lined up, sort of yelling. There was a man in uniform who seemed to be giving some plates of food. But I can't imagine they were all fed.
We made it safely within the gates of Matthew 25- boxes and all. I ran inside and saw Patrick and gave him a big hug. Next I hugged Viv and whispered to her that I brought chocolate and she gave out a little Cape Code squeal of appreciation. Next in line was Sister Mary who said, "well look who the cat dragged in, at least we know all the dishes will get done." And I hugged her too- those good long hugs that seem most genuine after lengths of time apart. Vivian was making dinner for the hospital tent next door with Eileen- the sort of overseer of the medical efforts there and a nurse. After dinner she went out to dress more wounds.
We set up our tent before it became too dark. We are near the place where our friend Ellie made a little marker to a leg she buried there.
The upstairs where we slept before is destroyed, and Pat said it manually was brought down, piece by piece for fear the remaining structure would topple on to the tent city in the soccer field below. Viv's art gallery is filled with boxes, tents, and at the moment- some Portuguese aid workers who are working with the UN and who gave me the best mango I have ever tasted. They are interviewing this amazing young man who makes little health videos, complete with song- about hand washing and malnutrition.
After I finished the dinner dishes I went into the tent city to watch a showing of the hand washing video. Hundreds of kids were huddled around the make shift projector screen in the dark- singing along. It was an amazing sight.
I guess what I want to say most of all, is that I am not overwhelmed. It just all seems about right. I don't want that to feel crass and of course most things aren't alright here, but I mean more our place in it. It just feels like when I heard about the earthquake I had the wind knocked out of me, and I have been waiting to take a deep breath. But being here, it just feels like even if I am just smiling at the kids who are watching the video and chasing the stupid dog, I don't feel useless anymore and I can breathe. And it's beautiful to see this little community taking care of eachother. If you think of all of Haiti it seems unbearable, but when you think of this neighborhood, coming together and taking care of eachother it seems bearable that life goes on. And coming in and out of this community are french, bulgarians, Portuguese, Americans, and Canadians, bartering with each other to help the community at large. And even if is just in those 3 boxes- Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, San Diego, and Seattle has sent us love and money to make our own tiny impact. And it really does help if even to lighten the spirits of the real heros living here and doing the real work. I feel strangely at home and happy. I am so happy to just wash the dishes and listen to the kids singing outside and drink my 7up in a bottle.
Sister Mary was delighted with everything we brought. She immediately hid the dish soap and shampoo- with so many people coming in and out to help, it's hard to keep track of things. She said it felt like christmas- looking over the old bed sheets and tooth brushes we brought, and I never had quite so much joy in giving anything I don't think. But instantly you think of all the things you didn't bring. I mean- anything would help.
Our few days here won't be long enough, but believe it or not, despite the manual and emotional work we will endure- I think we will finally breathe easy and leave with a renewed faith in humanity.
We'll start with the morning. Franz- the manager of our hotel in SD had told us to catch a taxi at 8am because buses to Port Au Prince left at 9am. But Franz wasn't there in the morning and we were running a bit behind. the important thing is that despite the traffic we purchased a couple of the last tickets- just 10 minutes before 9 am. With our boxes safe in the bottom of the bus, we settled in 2 seats in the air conditioned bus.
About 5 or 6 hours into the trip we made it to the border. All the Haitian passengers were given their passports (taken when you bought tickets) but they kept the foreign passports. No one could really explain what was happening, but it seemed as though we stopped on the Dominican side, reentered the bus to go through the heavily guarded gate, and then got re stamped on the Haitian side. Of course the Haitian side is immediately different- with 10 xs the amount of people selling at the side of the road. I dozed off for a while and when I woke began to see flattened buildings and cities made of tents. We made a good canadian friend named Roger on the bus- he informed us the bus was actually going to Petionville, not Port Au Prince. We didn't really know how to tell Pat and Viv to come get us- so in broken french, we got a taxi, and were on our way to our street- delmas 33.
The driver brought along an english speaking friend. We may hire them again to take us around the city. The english speaker- jude- asked us if we thought haiti would be different after the earthquake. Dan smiled and said "well, life goes on doesn't it?" Jude said "for some, not for others. I lost my wife, my home, and now sleep in the streets."
We got gas and continued to drive by piles of rubble. We rounded one corner just absolutely filled with a mob of kids- sort of lined up, sort of yelling. There was a man in uniform who seemed to be giving some plates of food. But I can't imagine they were all fed.
We made it safely within the gates of Matthew 25- boxes and all. I ran inside and saw Patrick and gave him a big hug. Next I hugged Viv and whispered to her that I brought chocolate and she gave out a little Cape Code squeal of appreciation. Next in line was Sister Mary who said, "well look who the cat dragged in, at least we know all the dishes will get done." And I hugged her too- those good long hugs that seem most genuine after lengths of time apart. Vivian was making dinner for the hospital tent next door with Eileen- the sort of overseer of the medical efforts there and a nurse. After dinner she went out to dress more wounds.
We set up our tent before it became too dark. We are near the place where our friend Ellie made a little marker to a leg she buried there.
The upstairs where we slept before is destroyed, and Pat said it manually was brought down, piece by piece for fear the remaining structure would topple on to the tent city in the soccer field below. Viv's art gallery is filled with boxes, tents, and at the moment- some Portuguese aid workers who are working with the UN and who gave me the best mango I have ever tasted. They are interviewing this amazing young man who makes little health videos, complete with song- about hand washing and malnutrition.
After I finished the dinner dishes I went into the tent city to watch a showing of the hand washing video. Hundreds of kids were huddled around the make shift projector screen in the dark- singing along. It was an amazing sight.
I guess what I want to say most of all, is that I am not overwhelmed. It just all seems about right. I don't want that to feel crass and of course most things aren't alright here, but I mean more our place in it. It just feels like when I heard about the earthquake I had the wind knocked out of me, and I have been waiting to take a deep breath. But being here, it just feels like even if I am just smiling at the kids who are watching the video and chasing the stupid dog, I don't feel useless anymore and I can breathe. And it's beautiful to see this little community taking care of eachother. If you think of all of Haiti it seems unbearable, but when you think of this neighborhood, coming together and taking care of eachother it seems bearable that life goes on. And coming in and out of this community are french, bulgarians, Portuguese, Americans, and Canadians, bartering with each other to help the community at large. And even if is just in those 3 boxes- Santa Clara, Santa Rosa, San Diego, and Seattle has sent us love and money to make our own tiny impact. And it really does help if even to lighten the spirits of the real heros living here and doing the real work. I feel strangely at home and happy. I am so happy to just wash the dishes and listen to the kids singing outside and drink my 7up in a bottle.
Sister Mary was delighted with everything we brought. She immediately hid the dish soap and shampoo- with so many people coming in and out to help, it's hard to keep track of things. She said it felt like christmas- looking over the old bed sheets and tooth brushes we brought, and I never had quite so much joy in giving anything I don't think. But instantly you think of all the things you didn't bring. I mean- anything would help.
Our few days here won't be long enough, but believe it or not, despite the manual and emotional work we will endure- I think we will finally breathe easy and leave with a renewed faith in humanity.
bus to PAP
On safely at 9 am. The bus is very nice and air conditioned. No birds on my lap this time.
Will write more in Haiti!
Will write more in Haiti!
Monday, March 1, 2010
santo domingo
We arrived late last night and slept through buses leaving for Haiti this morning, so now we have a day to rest which we are grateful for. But let me back up a bit.
I can't really believe we've traveled all this way with 3 50 lb boxes. This is only made possible by the kindness we've met all along the way. It sorta reaffirms to me that we're supposed to be on this journey- because strangers seem to be making it possible.
In the San Francisco airport, we tried to check in outside with our ridiculous boxes, but couldn't because we were traveling internationally. But we were close to the 45 minute before flight-time cut-off. Some this man called his friend inside on this cell phone- they grabbed our passports and checked us in- bypassing everyone. They then stood and helped us weigh and redistribute weight in our boxes and tape them up.
Then again in Santo Domingo- people everywhere are helping us carry our boxes- in the airport, to the taxi, in the hotel.
Our layover in Miami was long so we cabbed into South Beach. What a scene. It's like Jersey Shore geriatrics. But we got to see the Sharks part 2 beat the USA hockey team. And pay 20 dollars for drinks that were bigger than we wanted.
Our little hotel has hot water and air conditioning. It's heaven. It will be quite a change tomorrow!
Now we sit at a restaurant outside in the city center. We're in a square with an old cathedral (dan says chris columbus's son layed the first brick in 1514- Sr Francis Drake destroyed the inside in 1580-something), pigeons, ancient trees with giant trunks, art, and musicians. It would be the perfect picture if it weren't for the hundreds of European tourists. It's insane. They're everywhere.
That's something else that will change tomorrow.
Til then.
I can't really believe we've traveled all this way with 3 50 lb boxes. This is only made possible by the kindness we've met all along the way. It sorta reaffirms to me that we're supposed to be on this journey- because strangers seem to be making it possible.
In the San Francisco airport, we tried to check in outside with our ridiculous boxes, but couldn't because we were traveling internationally. But we were close to the 45 minute before flight-time cut-off. Some this man called his friend inside on this cell phone- they grabbed our passports and checked us in- bypassing everyone. They then stood and helped us weigh and redistribute weight in our boxes and tape them up.
Then again in Santo Domingo- people everywhere are helping us carry our boxes- in the airport, to the taxi, in the hotel.
Our layover in Miami was long so we cabbed into South Beach. What a scene. It's like Jersey Shore geriatrics. But we got to see the Sharks part 2 beat the USA hockey team. And pay 20 dollars for drinks that were bigger than we wanted.
Our little hotel has hot water and air conditioning. It's heaven. It will be quite a change tomorrow!
Now we sit at a restaurant outside in the city center. We're in a square with an old cathedral (dan says chris columbus's son layed the first brick in 1514- Sr Francis Drake destroyed the inside in 1580-something), pigeons, ancient trees with giant trunks, art, and musicians. It would be the perfect picture if it weren't for the hundreds of European tourists. It's insane. They're everywhere.
That's something else that will change tomorrow.
Til then.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
when you're awake at 4 am...
You look around on the road and wonder why the heck any one else is awake. What could possibly be so important? Well for us- it's at 6:30 am flight to the Dominican Republic. It's go time.
We packed 3 huge cardboard boxes with supplies until midnight or later. We have t get there early to figure out what to do with them. They may be too heavy. My Dad is taking us- and particularly chipper. He'll end up with the left over pounds for Good Will. Our first adventure, I am sure.
I hope we catch the hockey game during our layover!
We packed 3 huge cardboard boxes with supplies until midnight or later. We have t get there early to figure out what to do with them. They may be too heavy. My Dad is taking us- and particularly chipper. He'll end up with the left over pounds for Good Will. Our first adventure, I am sure.
I hope we catch the hockey game during our layover!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
the fare's been paid
Back to Port Au Prince for Spring break.
We fly into Santo Domingo, and bus over. The countdown has begun.
We fly into Santo Domingo, and bus over. The countdown has begun.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
new update from Matthew 25
CURRENT SITUATION AT MATTHEW 25 HOUSE
MATTHEW 25 HOUSE EXPERIENCED MODERATE DAMAGE DURING THE EARTHQUAKE. THE SECOND FLOOR IS UNUSABLE. THE FIRST FLOOR APPEARS PRETTY STABLE AND WE ARE TRYING TO GET IT AN ASSESSMENT BY AN ENGINEER. WE WERE ALL INSIDE AT THE TIME AND ALL ESCAPED INJURY
WE ARE ALL SLEEPING OUTSIDE DUE TO MANY AFTERSHOCKS, 54 OF WHICH WERE 5.0 OR HIGHER ; AND THE FEAR THAT THE TOP FLOOR COULD COLLAPSE. ALL STAFF ARE SLEEPING IN TENTS IN THE BACKYARD, AND WE ARE REQUIRING ALL VISITORS TO BRING TENTS AND SLEEPING BAGS, AND FOOD. WE ARE ABLE TO PURCHASE ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED OUR GUESTS AND STAFF. WATER IS NOT A PROBLEM AT THE HOUSE.
WE HAVE ADEQUATE MEDICAL SUPPLIES AS THEY HAVE STARTED TO COME THROUGH, FINALLY. IN FACT, WE ARE ABLE TO GIVE SOME TO OTHER FACILITIES THAT ARE LACKING.
WE ARE OPERATING A FIELD HOSPITAL IN THE ADJACENT SOCCER FIELD AS WELL AS A TENT CITY ORGANIZED BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS. THERE ARE ABOUT 1300 SLEEPING IN THE FIELD AND ANOTHER FIELD TWO HOUSES AWAY.
FOUR SURGERIES WERE DONE ON OUR KITCHEN TABLE WITH MINIMUM ANESTHESIA, INCLUDING AN AMPUTATION.
WE THOUGHT THINGS WERE SLOWING AND THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE DOING WOUND CARE, FOLLOW UP, AND POST OP, BUT THEY KEEP COMING, PROBABLY BECAUSE WORD HAS GOTTEN OUT THAT THERE IS GOOD CARE HERE.
MANY PHYSICIANS, NURSES, DISASTER RELIEF PERSONNEL, U.S. JOURNALISTS, COORDINATORS, ETC., ARE PASSING THROUGH OUR HOUSE, SOME STAYING TO HELP IN OUR FIELD HOSPITAL, SOME TO USE OUR INTERNET FACILITIES. WE ARE ONE OF THE FEW GUEST HOUSES FUNCTIONING, AND WE HAVE POWER (GENERATOR) AND A FUEL SUPPLY. WE SPENT MUCH OF OUR DAY FERRYING PATIENTS FROM OUR FIELD HOSPITAL TO LOCAL FIELD HOSPITALS SET UP BY THE FRENCH, ISRAELIS, BRAZILIANS, RUSSIANS, BELGIANS, ETC., AS SOME HAVE X RAY, SOME NEUROSURGEONS, SOME ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS, ETC.
TO ALL THOSE THAT HAVE EMAILED AND CALLED WITH PRAYERS, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, SUPPLIES, OFFERS OF HELP, A GREAT BIG THANK YOU! OUR VOLUNTEER DOCTORS ALONG WITH OUR HAITIAN DOCTORS FROM THE COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITY LEADERS SUPERVISED BY OUR EMPLOYEE AND LOYAL FRIEND THEIL HAVE MADE A TREMENDOUS POSITIVE IMPACT ON THIS COMMUNITY. LIVES HAVE BEEN SAVED, AND IMMEASURABLE SUFFERING RELEIVED, IN A TIME WHEN ALL OF THE PEOPLE OF HAITI HAVE ENDURED SO MUCH ANGUISH AND PAIN. EVERYONE WE TALK TO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES AND FRIENDS. MAY YOU CONTINUE TO BE A GREAT FRIEND OF HAITI, DOING GOD'S WORK HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT TO DO IT.
THANK YOU,
PATRICK
MATTHEW 25 HOUSE STAFF
STAY TUNED
MATTHEW 25 HOUSE EXPERIENCED MODERATE DAMAGE DURING THE EARTHQUAKE. THE SECOND FLOOR IS UNUSABLE. THE FIRST FLOOR APPEARS PRETTY STABLE AND WE ARE TRYING TO GET IT AN ASSESSMENT BY AN ENGINEER. WE WERE ALL INSIDE AT THE TIME AND ALL ESCAPED INJURY
WE ARE ALL SLEEPING OUTSIDE DUE TO MANY AFTERSHOCKS, 54 OF WHICH WERE 5.0 OR HIGHER ; AND THE FEAR THAT THE TOP FLOOR COULD COLLAPSE. ALL STAFF ARE SLEEPING IN TENTS IN THE BACKYARD, AND WE ARE REQUIRING ALL VISITORS TO BRING TENTS AND SLEEPING BAGS, AND FOOD. WE ARE ABLE TO PURCHASE ENOUGH FOOD TO FEED OUR GUESTS AND STAFF. WATER IS NOT A PROBLEM AT THE HOUSE.
WE HAVE ADEQUATE MEDICAL SUPPLIES AS THEY HAVE STARTED TO COME THROUGH, FINALLY. IN FACT, WE ARE ABLE TO GIVE SOME TO OTHER FACILITIES THAT ARE LACKING.
WE ARE OPERATING A FIELD HOSPITAL IN THE ADJACENT SOCCER FIELD AS WELL AS A TENT CITY ORGANIZED BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD LEADERS. THERE ARE ABOUT 1300 SLEEPING IN THE FIELD AND ANOTHER FIELD TWO HOUSES AWAY.
FOUR SURGERIES WERE DONE ON OUR KITCHEN TABLE WITH MINIMUM ANESTHESIA, INCLUDING AN AMPUTATION.
WE THOUGHT THINGS WERE SLOWING AND THAT WE WERE GOING TO BE DOING WOUND CARE, FOLLOW UP, AND POST OP, BUT THEY KEEP COMING, PROBABLY BECAUSE WORD HAS GOTTEN OUT THAT THERE IS GOOD CARE HERE.
MANY PHYSICIANS, NURSES, DISASTER RELIEF PERSONNEL, U.S. JOURNALISTS, COORDINATORS, ETC., ARE PASSING THROUGH OUR HOUSE, SOME STAYING TO HELP IN OUR FIELD HOSPITAL, SOME TO USE OUR INTERNET FACILITIES. WE ARE ONE OF THE FEW GUEST HOUSES FUNCTIONING, AND WE HAVE POWER (GENERATOR) AND A FUEL SUPPLY. WE SPENT MUCH OF OUR DAY FERRYING PATIENTS FROM OUR FIELD HOSPITAL TO LOCAL FIELD HOSPITALS SET UP BY THE FRENCH, ISRAELIS, BRAZILIANS, RUSSIANS, BELGIANS, ETC., AS SOME HAVE X RAY, SOME NEUROSURGEONS, SOME ORTHOPEDIC SURGEONS, ETC.
TO ALL THOSE THAT HAVE EMAILED AND CALLED WITH PRAYERS, FINANCIAL SUPPORT, SUPPLIES, OFFERS OF HELP, A GREAT BIG THANK YOU! OUR VOLUNTEER DOCTORS ALONG WITH OUR HAITIAN DOCTORS FROM THE COMMUNITY AND COMMUNITY LEADERS SUPERVISED BY OUR EMPLOYEE AND LOYAL FRIEND THEIL HAVE MADE A TREMENDOUS POSITIVE IMPACT ON THIS COMMUNITY. LIVES HAVE BEEN SAVED, AND IMMEASURABLE SUFFERING RELEIVED, IN A TIME WHEN ALL OF THE PEOPLE OF HAITI HAVE ENDURED SO MUCH ANGUISH AND PAIN. EVERYONE WE TALK TO HAVE LOST LOVED ONES AND FRIENDS. MAY YOU CONTINUE TO BE A GREAT FRIEND OF HAITI, DOING GOD'S WORK HOWEVER YOU SEE FIT TO DO IT.
THANK YOU,
PATRICK
MATTHEW 25 HOUSE STAFF
STAY TUNED
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Don't believe Haiti is marked by violence...
This is written by Sasha Kramer - she
is the co-founder of SOIL (www.oursoil.org) - a group based out of Cap
Haitian whose normal mission is protecting soil resources, empowering
communities and transforming wastes into resources in Haiti.
She and several staff members have
taken supplies down to Port au Prince and are trying to put their
working vehicle to good use in the devastated city.
Subject: Kouraj cherie: Update from Port au Prince
January 19, 2010
This afternoon, feeling helpless, we decided to take a van down to
Champs Mars (the area around the palace) to look for people needing
medical care to bring to Matthew 25, the guesthouse where we are
staying which has been transformed into a field hospital. Since we
arrived in Port au Prince everyone has told us that you cannot go into
the area around the palace because of violence and insecurity. I was
in awe as we walked into downtown, among the flattened buildings , in
the shadow of the fallen palace, amongst the swarms of displaced
people there was calm and solidarity. We wound our way through the
camp asking for injured people who needed to get to the hospital.
Despite everyone telling us that as soon as we did this we would be
mobbed by people, I was amazed as we approached each tent people
gently pointed us towards their neighbors, guiding us to those who
were suffering the most. We picked up 5 badly injured people and
drove towards an area where Ellie and Berto had passed a woman
earlier. When they saw her she was lying on the side of the road with
a broken leg screaming for help, as they were on foot they could not
help her at the time so we went back to try to find her. Incredibly
we found her relatively quickly at the top of a hill of shattered
houses. The sun was setting and the community helped to carry her
down the hill on a refrigerator door, tough looking guys smiled in our
direction calling out “bonswa Cherie” and “kouraj”.
When we got back to Matthew 25 it was dark and we carried the patients
back into the soccer field/tent village/hospital where the team of
doctors had been working tirelessly all day. Although they had
officially closed down for the evening, they agreed to see the
patients we had brought. Once our patients were settled in we came
back into the house to find the doctors amputating a foot on the
dining room table. The patient lay calmly, awake but far away under
the fog of ketamine. Half way through the surgery we heard a clamor
outside and ran out to see what it was. A large yellow truck was
parked in front of the gate and rapidly unloading hundreds of bags of
food over our fence, the hungry crowd had already begun to gather and
in the dark it was hard to decide how to best distribute the food.
Knowing that we could not sleep in the house with all of this food and
so many starving people in the neighborhood, our friend Amber (who is
experienced in food distribution) snapped into action and began to get
everyone in the crowd into a line that stretched down the road. We
braced ourselves for the fighting that we had heard would come but in
a miraculous display of restraint and compassion people lined up to
get the food and one by one the bags were handed out without a single
serious incident.
During the food distribution the doctors called to see if anyone could
help to bury the amputated leg in the backyard. As I have no
experience with food distribution I offered to help with the leg. I
went into the back with Ellie and Berto and we dug a hole and placed
the leg in it, covering it with soil and cement rubble. By the time
we got back into the house the food had all been distributed and the
patient Anderson was waking up. The doctors asked for a translator so
I went and sat by his stretcher explaining to him that the surgery had
gone well and he was going to live. His family had gone home so he
was alone so Ellie and I took turns sitting with him as he came out
from under the drugs. I sat and talked to Anderson for hours as he
drifted in and out of consciousness. At one point one of the Haitian
men working at the hospital came in and leaned over Anderson and said
to him in kreyol “listen man even if your family could not be here
tonight we want you to know that everyone here loves you, we are all
your brothers and sisters”. Cat and I have barely shed a tear through
all of this, the sky could fall and we would not bat an eye, but when
I told her this story this morning the tears just began rolling down
her face, as they are mine as I am writing this. Sometimes it is the
kindness and not the horror that can break the numbness that we are
all lost in right now.
So, don’t believe Anderson Cooper when he says that Haiti is a hotbed
for violence and riots, it is just not the case. In the darkest of
times, Haiti has proven to be a country of brave, resilient and kind
people and it is that behavior that is far more prevalent than the
isolated incidents of violence. Please pass this on to as many people
as you can so that they can see the light of Haiti, cutting through
the darkness, the light that will heal this nation.
We are safe. We love you all and I will write again when I can.
Thank you for your generosity and compassion.
With love from Port au Prince,
Sasha
is the co-founder of SOIL (www.oursoil.org) - a group based out of Cap
Haitian whose normal mission is protecting soil resources, empowering
communities and transforming wastes into resources in Haiti.
She and several staff members have
taken supplies down to Port au Prince and are trying to put their
working vehicle to good use in the devastated city.
Subject: Kouraj cherie: Update from Port au Prince
January 19, 2010
This afternoon, feeling helpless, we decided to take a van down to
Champs Mars (the area around the palace) to look for people needing
medical care to bring to Matthew 25, the guesthouse where we are
staying which has been transformed into a field hospital. Since we
arrived in Port au Prince everyone has told us that you cannot go into
the area around the palace because of violence and insecurity. I was
in awe as we walked into downtown, among the flattened buildings , in
the shadow of the fallen palace, amongst the swarms of displaced
people there was calm and solidarity. We wound our way through the
camp asking for injured people who needed to get to the hospital.
Despite everyone telling us that as soon as we did this we would be
mobbed by people, I was amazed as we approached each tent people
gently pointed us towards their neighbors, guiding us to those who
were suffering the most. We picked up 5 badly injured people and
drove towards an area where Ellie and Berto had passed a woman
earlier. When they saw her she was lying on the side of the road with
a broken leg screaming for help, as they were on foot they could not
help her at the time so we went back to try to find her. Incredibly
we found her relatively quickly at the top of a hill of shattered
houses. The sun was setting and the community helped to carry her
down the hill on a refrigerator door, tough looking guys smiled in our
direction calling out “bonswa Cherie” and “kouraj”.
When we got back to Matthew 25 it was dark and we carried the patients
back into the soccer field/tent village/hospital where the team of
doctors had been working tirelessly all day. Although they had
officially closed down for the evening, they agreed to see the
patients we had brought. Once our patients were settled in we came
back into the house to find the doctors amputating a foot on the
dining room table. The patient lay calmly, awake but far away under
the fog of ketamine. Half way through the surgery we heard a clamor
outside and ran out to see what it was. A large yellow truck was
parked in front of the gate and rapidly unloading hundreds of bags of
food over our fence, the hungry crowd had already begun to gather and
in the dark it was hard to decide how to best distribute the food.
Knowing that we could not sleep in the house with all of this food and
so many starving people in the neighborhood, our friend Amber (who is
experienced in food distribution) snapped into action and began to get
everyone in the crowd into a line that stretched down the road. We
braced ourselves for the fighting that we had heard would come but in
a miraculous display of restraint and compassion people lined up to
get the food and one by one the bags were handed out without a single
serious incident.
During the food distribution the doctors called to see if anyone could
help to bury the amputated leg in the backyard. As I have no
experience with food distribution I offered to help with the leg. I
went into the back with Ellie and Berto and we dug a hole and placed
the leg in it, covering it with soil and cement rubble. By the time
we got back into the house the food had all been distributed and the
patient Anderson was waking up. The doctors asked for a translator so
I went and sat by his stretcher explaining to him that the surgery had
gone well and he was going to live. His family had gone home so he
was alone so Ellie and I took turns sitting with him as he came out
from under the drugs. I sat and talked to Anderson for hours as he
drifted in and out of consciousness. At one point one of the Haitian
men working at the hospital came in and leaned over Anderson and said
to him in kreyol “listen man even if your family could not be here
tonight we want you to know that everyone here loves you, we are all
your brothers and sisters”. Cat and I have barely shed a tear through
all of this, the sky could fall and we would not bat an eye, but when
I told her this story this morning the tears just began rolling down
her face, as they are mine as I am writing this. Sometimes it is the
kindness and not the horror that can break the numbness that we are
all lost in right now.
So, don’t believe Anderson Cooper when he says that Haiti is a hotbed
for violence and riots, it is just not the case. In the darkest of
times, Haiti has proven to be a country of brave, resilient and kind
people and it is that behavior that is far more prevalent than the
isolated incidents of violence. Please pass this on to as many people
as you can so that they can see the light of Haiti, cutting through
the darkness, the light that will heal this nation.
We are safe. We love you all and I will write again when I can.
Thank you for your generosity and compassion.
With love from Port au Prince,
Sasha
Monday, January 18, 2010
More Updates from Sister Mary- courtesy of her niece
Sent: Friday, January 15, 2010 5:05 AM
Subject: Re: call
I heard planes coming and going through the night. Our main problem outside of all the human suffering is getting fuel for the generator and car. Our inverters are good but as there is no electricity we need the diesel. We had another tremor last night. I don't even have to feel it because the more than 1300 peolpe living in our soccer field sing out to God, asking a blessing on them...so Haitian and so heartbreaking. We got a new supply of basic meds and I think will be a staging center for a Mash like team of MDs. We are in such need of surgeons and our strongest meds for pain is Ibuprohen! Jo money is really the best as I am spending a lot buying meds,food and supplies. You can ask people to make the checks out to Matthew 25 House and I sent the address to one of the family. Prayers for all of us for strngth sure helps. I am holding my own, despite the frequent wet kisses of our "guard dog" as I slept on outside. I have a body guard of young men who make sure my hand is held as I go in out and around the soccer field. These young men have done a phenomenal job in organizing the help we at MH25 are giving to this area.
IContribute to groups collecting clothes another need but a big group effort to send them would be necessary because of the fuel and truck problems.
There will probably be folks saying they or someone they know can get to us, but it could well be a scam as so many buildings are gone and no business is happening. Love you all and all you are doing for me
Sent: Sun, January 17, 2010 12:07:34 PM
Subject: Sister Mary Speaks Out!
Hi All,
This is an e-mail I just received from my Aunt, Sister Mary Finnick, who is a missionary in Haiti, she lives a few miles from the airport in POP, 33 Del mas. I know we have many Washington faces in the Commonwealth this weekend, please feel free to share her thoughts with them.
Bill just tell anyone you know how frustratingly angry your aunt is knowing supplies are at the airport but because of the inept coordination of the UN and US, there has been no one to tell the gas station operators to give out gas so folks can get out of the city. I have read the most foolish reasons for this and many are so untrue as I do believe the reason for this is to make the Haitian people look as awful as possible because so little has arrived. I know it sounds like a conspiracy but I honestly don't know why MDs from Belgian arrived and started to work days ago and none from the States. The lack of coordination has and continues to be awful. Despite having supplies at the airport it was closed so Hilary could visit, If the US Army could do that why can't they get supplies to us???? Please let as many folks as you know of the courage of the Haitian people despite this contd . promise of help. Tell them what it is like to give a 7 year old children's Motrin for a broken jaw and deep leg lacerations and Motrin 200 mg to a woman who leg has been amputated from the knee down and then ask me how we can fight wars in other parts of the world but can't find a way to help a country 2 hours away. No wonder Osamab is still walking around.
What would have happened if on 9/11, if we waited to plan coordination and refused to let supplies into NYC because there was too much rubble. The Americans who have arrived many through the DR have been wonderful but they had to fight to find a way. Nothing has been done to make help accessible. I know it is there from the emails but as a Naval Officer is quoted as saying the terrain is difficult. There is an ocean out there and no fuel can get in???? Give me a break I love you all and have to go. As the UNPres. said "lack of aid is making the Haitian people restive" So you have one very restive aunt!!!!!!!!!!!!
Subject: Re: call
I heard planes coming and going through the night. Our main problem outside of all the human suffering is getting fuel for the generator and car. Our inverters are good but as there is no electricity we need the diesel. We had another tremor last night. I don't even have to feel it because the more than 1300 peolpe living in our soccer field sing out to God, asking a blessing on them...so Haitian and so heartbreaking. We got a new supply of basic meds and I think will be a staging center for a Mash like team of MDs. We are in such need of surgeons and our strongest meds for pain is Ibuprohen! Jo money is really the best as I am spending a lot buying meds,food and supplies. You can ask people to make the checks out to Matthew 25 House and I sent the address to one of the family. Prayers for all of us for strngth sure helps. I am holding my own, despite the frequent wet kisses of our "guard dog" as I slept on outside. I have a body guard of young men who make sure my hand is held as I go in out and around the soccer field. These young men have done a phenomenal job in organizing the help we at MH25 are giving to this area.
IContribute to groups collecting clothes another need but a big group effort to send them would be necessary because of the fuel and truck problems.
There will probably be folks saying they or someone they know can get to us, but it could well be a scam as so many buildings are gone and no business is happening. Love you all and all you are doing for me
Sent: Sun, January 17, 2010 12:07:34 PM
Subject: Sister Mary Speaks Out!
Hi All,
This is an e-mail I just received from my Aunt, Sister Mary Finnick, who is a missionary in Haiti, she lives a few miles from the airport in POP, 33 Del mas. I know we have many Washington faces in the Commonwealth this weekend, please feel free to share her thoughts with them.
Bill just tell anyone you know how frustratingly angry your aunt is knowing supplies are at the airport but because of the inept coordination of the UN and US, there has been no one to tell the gas station operators to give out gas so folks can get out of the city. I have read the most foolish reasons for this and many are so untrue as I do believe the reason for this is to make the Haitian people look as awful as possible because so little has arrived. I know it sounds like a conspiracy but I honestly don't know why MDs from Belgian arrived and started to work days ago and none from the States. The lack of coordination has and continues to be awful. Despite having supplies at the airport it was closed so Hilary could visit, If the US Army could do that why can't they get supplies to us???? Please let as many folks as you know of the courage of the Haitian people despite this contd . promise of help. Tell them what it is like to give a 7 year old children's Motrin for a broken jaw and deep leg lacerations and Motrin 200 mg to a woman who leg has been amputated from the knee down and then ask me how we can fight wars in other parts of the world but can't find a way to help a country 2 hours away. No wonder Osamab is still walking around.
What would have happened if on 9/11, if we waited to plan coordination and refused to let supplies into NYC because there was too much rubble. The Americans who have arrived many through the DR have been wonderful but they had to fight to find a way. Nothing has been done to make help accessible. I know it is there from the emails but as a Naval Officer is quoted as saying the terrain is difficult. There is an ocean out there and no fuel can get in???? Give me a break I love you all and have to go. As the UNPres. said "lack of aid is making the Haitian people restive" So you have one very restive aunt!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, January 15, 2010
US Policy in Haiti Over Decades “Lays the Foundation for Why Impact of Natural Disaster Is So Severe”
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/1/14/us_policy_in_haiti_over_decades
Democracy Now interviews Brian Concannon, human rights lawyer who is largely responsible for our trip to Haiti.
Democracy Now interviews Brian Concannon, human rights lawyer who is largely responsible for our trip to Haiti.
From a good friend..
A College Professor wrote the following:
"As CNN, ABC and every other major corporate media outlet will be quick to point out, Haiti is the poorest country in the entire Western hemisphere. But not a single word is uttered as to why Haiti is poor. Poverty, unlike earthquakes, is no natural disaster.
The answer lies in more than two centuries of U.S. hostility to the island nation, whose hard-won independence from the French was only the beginning of its struggle for liberation.
... See More
In 1804, what had begun as a slave uprising more than a decade earlier culminated in freedom from the grips of French colonialism, making Haiti the first Latin American colony to win its independence and the world's first Black republic. Prior to the victory of the Haitian people, George Washington and then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson had supported France out of fear that Haiti would inspire uprisings among the U.S. slave population. The U.S. slave-owning aristocracy was horrified at Haiti’s newly earned freedom.
U.S. interference became an integral part of Haitian history, culminating in a direct military occupation from 1915 to 1934. Through economic and military intervention, Haiti was subjugated as U.S. capital developed a railroad and acquired plantations. In a gesture of colonial arrogance, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was the assistant secretary of the Navy at the time, drafted a constitution for Haiti which, among other things, allowed foreigners to own land. U.S. officials would later find an accommodation with the dictator François “Papa Doc” Duvalier, and then his son Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, as Haiti suffered under their brutal repressive policies.
In the 1980s and 1990s, U.S. policy toward Haiti sought the reorganization of the Haitian economy to better serve the interests of foreign capital. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was instrumental in shifting Haitian agriculture away from grain production, paving the way for dependence on food imports. Ruined Haitian farmers flocked to the cities in search of a livelihood, resulting in the swelling of the precarious shantytowns found in Port-au-Prince and other urban centers.
Who has benefited from these policies? U.S. food producers profited from increased exports to Haitian markets. Foreign corporations that had set up shop in Haitian cities benefitted from the super-exploitation of cheap labor flowing from the countryside. But for the people of Haiti, there was only greater misery and destitution.
Washington orchestrated the overthrow of the democratically elected Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide—not once, but twice, in 1991 and 2004. Haiti has been under a U.S.-backed U.N. occupation for nearly six years. Aristide did not earn the animosity of U.S. leaders for his moderate reforms; he earned it when he garnered support among Haiti's poor, which crystallized into a mass popular movement. Two hundred years on, U.S. officials are still horrified by the prospect of a truly independent Haiti".
"As CNN, ABC and every other major corporate media outlet will be quick to point out, Haiti is the poorest country in the entire Western hemisphere. But not a single word is uttered as to why Haiti is poor. Poverty, unlike earthquakes, is no natural disaster.
The answer lies in more than two centuries of U.S. hostility to the island nation, whose hard-won independence from the French was only the beginning of its struggle for liberation.
... See More
In 1804, what had begun as a slave uprising more than a decade earlier culminated in freedom from the grips of French colonialism, making Haiti the first Latin American colony to win its independence and the world's first Black republic. Prior to the victory of the Haitian people, George Washington and then-Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson had supported France out of fear that Haiti would inspire uprisings among the U.S. slave population. The U.S. slave-owning aristocracy was horrified at Haiti’s newly earned freedom.
U.S. interference became an integral part of Haitian history, culminating in a direct military occupation from 1915 to 1934. Through economic and military intervention, Haiti was subjugated as U.S. capital developed a railroad and acquired plantations. In a gesture of colonial arrogance, Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was the assistant secretary of the Navy at the time, drafted a constitution for Haiti which, among other things, allowed foreigners to own land. U.S. officials would later find an accommodation with the dictator François “Papa Doc” Duvalier, and then his son Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, as Haiti suffered under their brutal repressive policies.
In the 1980s and 1990s, U.S. policy toward Haiti sought the reorganization of the Haitian economy to better serve the interests of foreign capital. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was instrumental in shifting Haitian agriculture away from grain production, paving the way for dependence on food imports. Ruined Haitian farmers flocked to the cities in search of a livelihood, resulting in the swelling of the precarious shantytowns found in Port-au-Prince and other urban centers.
Who has benefited from these policies? U.S. food producers profited from increased exports to Haitian markets. Foreign corporations that had set up shop in Haitian cities benefitted from the super-exploitation of cheap labor flowing from the countryside. But for the people of Haiti, there was only greater misery and destitution.
Washington orchestrated the overthrow of the democratically elected Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide—not once, but twice, in 1991 and 2004. Haiti has been under a U.S.-backed U.N. occupation for nearly six years. Aristide did not earn the animosity of U.S. leaders for his moderate reforms; he earned it when he garnered support among Haiti's poor, which crystallized into a mass popular movement. Two hundred years on, U.S. officials are still horrified by the prospect of a truly independent Haiti".
Refugees
From an email I received from a friend and "Catholics United"
For the past two days, we have watched in horror as the people of Haiti suffer a great deal. The fact that Haiti was already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere makes this week's earthquake all the more painful. Tens of millions of dollars are pouring into worthy charities. Governments appear to be mobilizing. Hopefully it is soon enough.
One issue that still needs immediate attention is the status of Haitians in the United States. Already, the White House has "paused" deportations of Haitian refugees. The next step is to grant Haitians the immigration protections offered to victims of war or disaster - what is known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
Will you take just one moment to sign our Emergency Petition to President Obama for Haitian Refugees? To sign the petition, click go here:
http://www.catholics-united.org/haiti-petition?id=N&cs=53e19f944f4a547c7524ca5dbb717402_1263499603_168&cid=99873
TPS is granted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to refugees who cannot safely return to their home country because of armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.
This policy change has taken place before - in El Salvador, Honduras, Somalia, and Sudan. And unlike so many other issues, the president can do it himself. President Obama should instruct the Department of Homeland Security to grant Temporary Protected Status to undocumented Haitians in the United States. This will protect them from forcible deportation back to Haiti, allow them to work legally, and start the process of rebuilding and healing.
For the past two days, we have watched in horror as the people of Haiti suffer a great deal. The fact that Haiti was already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere makes this week's earthquake all the more painful. Tens of millions of dollars are pouring into worthy charities. Governments appear to be mobilizing. Hopefully it is soon enough.
One issue that still needs immediate attention is the status of Haitians in the United States. Already, the White House has "paused" deportations of Haitian refugees. The next step is to grant Haitians the immigration protections offered to victims of war or disaster - what is known as Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
Will you take just one moment to sign our Emergency Petition to President Obama for Haitian Refugees? To sign the petition, click go here:
http://www.catholics-united.org/haiti-petition?id=N&cs=53e19f944f4a547c7524ca5dbb717402_1263499603_168&cid=99873
TPS is granted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to refugees who cannot safely return to their home country because of armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.
This policy change has taken place before - in El Salvador, Honduras, Somalia, and Sudan. And unlike so many other issues, the president can do it himself. President Obama should instruct the Department of Homeland Security to grant Temporary Protected Status to undocumented Haitians in the United States. This will protect them from forcible deportation back to Haiti, allow them to work legally, and start the process of rebuilding and healing.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
photos have been moved and pat robertson talks to the devil?
The photographer that I met, Daniel Morel, no longer has pictures on twitter. I've seen them all over the news, so I'm guessing he moved them for copyright purposes.
He has photos at http://www.corbisimages.com.
Search: Daniel Morel.
Also, an issue I'm couching for later: my complete anger/disgust/disappointment at Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson. I used to consider myself a journalist. The media will run/play what sells. Please please please. Start IGNORING these people so that they stop getting air time. Look them up on youtube or something, fine. But don't watch them on TV or else they'll continue to get advertisers/ continue to get paid. Haiti needs our money. I can think of a few things that Pat Robinson deserves...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ti-MzHRgDE
(In response, my dad said "Well, Pat Robertson says he talks to God pretty regularly. I asked her and she said she didn't know who the f#$% he was... apparently, he talks to the devil too.")
He has photos at http://www.corbisimages.com.
Search: Daniel Morel.
Also, an issue I'm couching for later: my complete anger/disgust/disappointment at Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson. I used to consider myself a journalist. The media will run/play what sells. Please please please. Start IGNORING these people so that they stop getting air time. Look them up on youtube or something, fine. But don't watch them on TV or else they'll continue to get advertisers/ continue to get paid. Haiti needs our money. I can think of a few things that Pat Robinson deserves...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ti-MzHRgDE
(In response, my dad said "Well, Pat Robertson says he talks to God pretty regularly. I asked her and she said she didn't know who the f#$% he was... apparently, he talks to the devil too.")
A new commitment
Today’s been hard.
I drove my Dad to the airport early in the morning, and upon my return found the newspaper at my front door.
“Helpless”- the headline reads. The pictures are worse.
“Useless” is the headline I feel like is hanging over my head.
We still haven’t heard from our interpreter, Daniel, from Mario, or any one else that we interviewed on our trip. The little we have heard has been cryptic and pessimistic.
A friend, Willy, who lives in Jacmel on the coast, finally updated his facebook page. He writes that he is alive, but that Jacmel is dead.
From our driver and friend, Vladimir:
Thanks my friends Haiti is down. Completely down, It's very difficult to walk in Port au Prince without seeing a dead. I am using Internet at olofson hotel [sic]on a I touch I can not send pictures to you but you will see them soon, I hope. Peace and may God bless Haiti.
I’ve been feeling like I’m walking around in a daze, going through the motions, and feeling incredibly useless if I let myself think about it. I feel guilty for the times I was overwhelmed by Haiti and wanted to be home and a sense of longing for the people, art, music, and heartache I left behind. I’m struggling to find meaning to my last semester of law school and trying my best not to add strain to the relationships around me.
I’m a writer, a story-teller by nature, so I suppose all I can do is continue to write here, both about what I saw in Haiti and how I think people can best help. I need your help to wake up and feel like in the very least I’m doing something- by telling people what they need to hear about Haiti. We need to talk about the hard truths of a nation we owe a lot, and also, what our response says about our own country.
I never really considered myself a blogger, but comments and emails from strangers who have found my blog are beginning to convince me otherwise.
I think Saul Williams said it best…. “WE OWE HAITI.”
So in the very least, let’s try not to move onto the next scandal and let’s continue to talk about, pray about, sing about Haiti.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Real Pictures
The night before we left a met a professional photographer who has seen a lot in Haiti. He's able to update photos to his twitter page...
http://twitter.com/photomorel
what we've heard
We have received word from Matthew 25- they have satellite internet- and also from our driver Vlad. We still haven't heard from Daniel Tilias, Mario Joseph, or anyone else we met on the trip.
I'll continue to use this to post what I hear.
FROM SR. MARY FINNICK IN PORT-AU-PRINCE:
We are all OK physically at the house. We were home when it hit. The downstairs part of the house stood up well, does not appear to be any serious structural damage. But, there has been some considerable damage upstairs. Matthew 25 cooked up 4 big pots of soup for the people coming for treatment, and we served as a triage and treatment center. We were able to climb over the fallen bookcases and shelves and retrieve a lot of meds and supplies we had in our depot.
Sr Mary, Vivian and our 6 guests performed superbly in treating many injured. Eventually, 3 Haitian doctors showed up, I think when they heard we had supplies. Worked til about one in the morning. We were also one of the few houses to have power with our inverters and batteries, so we set up 3 or 4 lights on the soccer field to help with the treatment. The hospitals are either badly damaged or destroyed and have stopped taking patients as they are overwhelmed.
Pray for our sisters and brothers.
Pat, Viv, Sr. Mary
It is morning and I can give you a better assessment of the house. The first floor is covered with all the things that came out of the closets but there isn't any big structural problem. The divider between the depot and the store fell in as did most of the other book cases in the office and in my room. The 2nd floor is different The side facing the soccer field has more damage and the cement walls and some of the boards have been knocked around. The 3rd floor stairs are just hanging there. The cement in front of the bathroom is badly damaged. On the other side the bathroom wall on the outside is damaged but there doesn't seem to be as much structural problems. The wall between us and the neighbor has quite a large hole. I don't know yet what to tell folks about coming but I don't think we can use the rooms upstairs. I've been trying to answer and reassure folks we are ok.
We used everything I had as I triaged along with 3 MD's and our guests. Vivian and Pat had the important job of getting to our supplies as that whole area is under debris; making pots of soup etc. We finally cut up pillow cases for bandages. I think planes are flying out today but I haven't heard from the folks who are in country and supposed to return to PAP. Our electricity continues but the container holding 12 of the batteries is damaged. All the cars survived.
Domond just came over and said his house is not safe because of the damage upstairs. He did ask to have you contact any medical groups planning to come to see if they still planned to and then ask if they would stay in PAP as this the most needy place right now. We can use the soccer field and out back for sleeping area and the kitchen for cooking in the back is OK. But there is a great need for medical supplies, suturing, betadine, analgesics...everything... and personnel to bring it.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Mermaids
Today we meet with Mario, and I need to get to gear up so I am going to talk about some of the hard stuff I have been trying to avoid.
Haiti isn't dangerous. Haiti is hard.
Maybe the State Department doesn't want people to come to see what a royal job we've done of screwing this place up. This beautiful place rich with history, music, art, and culture.
I have heard stories of people eating mud in the slums to survive. An estimate 1 in 10 children is sold as a slave either in country or abroad. The pollution is terrible, the roads are worse, schools are nonexistent in some places, the water filthy, trash in the street,& smell of burning plastic.
The US has assisted in ousting democratically elected Aristide- twice. When people gathered to protest in the streets- Military shot into the crowds. Then the UN was sent in- not to help the people, but to support the military. There are even more stories of the Brazilian UN soldiers killing people arbitrarily. The US embassy is a joke and as far as I can tell, we are most interested in privatizing water and having a vantage point close to cuba. We don't care about these people. These strong people- the first nation where slaves liberated themselves are now oppressed by us, their government, and immense poverty.
How can we even begin to talk to them about "justice" and the "rule of law." Justice in Haiti is not retribution. Justice in Haiti is to allow them the democratic freedoms we ourselves enjoy. Justice in Haiti is clean water, decent roads, schools, and food other than dirt. There is no justice for a woman who's husband was found shot dead in the sea, while she starves and her home is washed away by the hurricanes.
The story goes in Haiti that the slaves who jumped overboard on their way became mermaids and mermen. It's amazing that there aren't more of them in the waters off Raboto now, because often the future looks just as bleak.
Haiti isn't dangerous. Haiti is hard.
Maybe the State Department doesn't want people to come to see what a royal job we've done of screwing this place up. This beautiful place rich with history, music, art, and culture.
I have heard stories of people eating mud in the slums to survive. An estimate 1 in 10 children is sold as a slave either in country or abroad. The pollution is terrible, the roads are worse, schools are nonexistent in some places, the water filthy, trash in the street,& smell of burning plastic.
The US has assisted in ousting democratically elected Aristide- twice. When people gathered to protest in the streets- Military shot into the crowds. Then the UN was sent in- not to help the people, but to support the military. There are even more stories of the Brazilian UN soldiers killing people arbitrarily. The US embassy is a joke and as far as I can tell, we are most interested in privatizing water and having a vantage point close to cuba. We don't care about these people. These strong people- the first nation where slaves liberated themselves are now oppressed by us, their government, and immense poverty.
How can we even begin to talk to them about "justice" and the "rule of law." Justice in Haiti is not retribution. Justice in Haiti is to allow them the democratic freedoms we ourselves enjoy. Justice in Haiti is clean water, decent roads, schools, and food other than dirt. There is no justice for a woman who's husband was found shot dead in the sea, while she starves and her home is washed away by the hurricanes.
The story goes in Haiti that the slaves who jumped overboard on their way became mermaids and mermen. It's amazing that there aren't more of them in the waters off Raboto now, because often the future looks just as bleak.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
tap tap
We finally made it back to Matthew 25 after a very stressful day of trying to travel.
Parts of Jacmel were so beautiful, so it was worth it. I forgot to mention that out back of our hotel was a courtyard with and old tree that had completely been taken over with vines of orchids.
Yesterday we hopped on the back of a motorcycle (so us and the driver on one bike) to go to a nice hotel we'd heard about. They had a little alcove beach that was truly something from a story book. So we ate there and hung out all day. By the time we were ready to leave it was raining. It stopped just long enough for us to hop on a motorcycle back to town. It was dark and the bike was tiny but the driver went slowly for us. My muscles were so tired from gripping Daniel's knees so tight the whole time.
I took my malaria pills yesterday and they make me feel sick. I had horrible night terrors last night- so bad I am thinking about not taking the pills anymore. The air pollution here is so bad but my asthma is just now bothering me. They burn all their garbage so you can just constantly feel plastic in your lungs and black smoke from the back of the pickup trucks they use as taxis.
I was so ready to be back this morning, but it turned out Vlad couldn't drive us. Time for an adventure. Willie (who worked at our hotel) drove us to the bus station in the rain and we jammed into a tap tap with at least 30 other people. I am certain it was the most miserable experience of my life to date, but an experience nonetheless. Daniel was shoved up against the open window, second from the back, with me next to him. We both had our huge bags on our laps. There's not really much of an aisle and what there was of one was filled with a sketchy dude carrying a bird he had tied up that he kept resting on my knee. He eventually fell asleep on me, as did the girl behind me. It was raining so weird smelly water was dripping on us which made the bus extra hot and muggy. Dan got spit on at one point and when I finally got out a bag of potatoes was thrown from one of the many passengers on top of the bus into the dirty street/sewer water below, splashing all over me.
Our local phone ran out of minutes when we got into PAP after hours of winding mountain roads, so we had to find someone who would sell us minutes. Then we walked to the palace of justice in the middle of town to wait for the matthew 25 driver because the station is too crazy/hectic/dangerous to be standing around. But the walk itself was insane. Here we are- two white kids with giant backpacks- walking through the downtown area. A guardian angel found us- a kid who had studied in the US and spoke english walked us there and our ride was there within minutes.
I kissed Sister Mary and offered to scrub the floors and wash the pots because I was so happy to see here. After a cold shower, it has started to rain and I am anxious for dinner.
Just a day in the life in Haiti.
There's a saying here in Haiti- "how many people fit in a tap tap?"
"Always one more."
Well, that's fine and good, but I won't be getting on one again. If we make it up to Cap Haitian to do more interviews we will fly.
We're learning so much. But Friday couldn't come fast enough.
Parts of Jacmel were so beautiful, so it was worth it. I forgot to mention that out back of our hotel was a courtyard with and old tree that had completely been taken over with vines of orchids.
Yesterday we hopped on the back of a motorcycle (so us and the driver on one bike) to go to a nice hotel we'd heard about. They had a little alcove beach that was truly something from a story book. So we ate there and hung out all day. By the time we were ready to leave it was raining. It stopped just long enough for us to hop on a motorcycle back to town. It was dark and the bike was tiny but the driver went slowly for us. My muscles were so tired from gripping Daniel's knees so tight the whole time.
I took my malaria pills yesterday and they make me feel sick. I had horrible night terrors last night- so bad I am thinking about not taking the pills anymore. The air pollution here is so bad but my asthma is just now bothering me. They burn all their garbage so you can just constantly feel plastic in your lungs and black smoke from the back of the pickup trucks they use as taxis.
I was so ready to be back this morning, but it turned out Vlad couldn't drive us. Time for an adventure. Willie (who worked at our hotel) drove us to the bus station in the rain and we jammed into a tap tap with at least 30 other people. I am certain it was the most miserable experience of my life to date, but an experience nonetheless. Daniel was shoved up against the open window, second from the back, with me next to him. We both had our huge bags on our laps. There's not really much of an aisle and what there was of one was filled with a sketchy dude carrying a bird he had tied up that he kept resting on my knee. He eventually fell asleep on me, as did the girl behind me. It was raining so weird smelly water was dripping on us which made the bus extra hot and muggy. Dan got spit on at one point and when I finally got out a bag of potatoes was thrown from one of the many passengers on top of the bus into the dirty street/sewer water below, splashing all over me.
Our local phone ran out of minutes when we got into PAP after hours of winding mountain roads, so we had to find someone who would sell us minutes. Then we walked to the palace of justice in the middle of town to wait for the matthew 25 driver because the station is too crazy/hectic/dangerous to be standing around. But the walk itself was insane. Here we are- two white kids with giant backpacks- walking through the downtown area. A guardian angel found us- a kid who had studied in the US and spoke english walked us there and our ride was there within minutes.
I kissed Sister Mary and offered to scrub the floors and wash the pots because I was so happy to see here. After a cold shower, it has started to rain and I am anxious for dinner.
Just a day in the life in Haiti.
There's a saying here in Haiti- "how many people fit in a tap tap?"
"Always one more."
Well, that's fine and good, but I won't be getting on one again. If we make it up to Cap Haitian to do more interviews we will fly.
We're learning so much. But Friday couldn't come fast enough.
Friday, January 1, 2010
jacmel and this, our new year
Sorry it's been so long. But I am not even quite sure who's checking.
We're really hitting our stride now, made friends we can trust, learned how to get around (sorta) and the food we like to eat.
I am sitting in a building that looks like it belongs on Burbon Street. An old converted mansion in the beach town, Jacmel. Vines grow out of aged brick and the palm tree in the center grows through the open roof. Something of a full moon- but it looks like rain. 80 degrees- stagnant air and rain. We came to Jacmel last Wednesday. Snuck in the back of an old house and watched a voodoo ceremony, saw huge paper mache masks and the beginnings of Carnival.
Turned on some Michael here and had our own countdown after having our minds blown while wading through a market at night looking for fish to eat. A market lit only by candle light. Our old driver Vlad picked us up and took us out. Now we read law review articles and prepare to meet Mario Joseph, the lawyer who inspired this journey.
Today is independence day- you eat Jamos- pumpkin soup.
Bon anne. Happy New Year.
We're really hitting our stride now, made friends we can trust, learned how to get around (sorta) and the food we like to eat.
I am sitting in a building that looks like it belongs on Burbon Street. An old converted mansion in the beach town, Jacmel. Vines grow out of aged brick and the palm tree in the center grows through the open roof. Something of a full moon- but it looks like rain. 80 degrees- stagnant air and rain. We came to Jacmel last Wednesday. Snuck in the back of an old house and watched a voodoo ceremony, saw huge paper mache masks and the beginnings of Carnival.
Turned on some Michael here and had our own countdown after having our minds blown while wading through a market at night looking for fish to eat. A market lit only by candle light. Our old driver Vlad picked us up and took us out. Now we read law review articles and prepare to meet Mario Joseph, the lawyer who inspired this journey.
Today is independence day- you eat Jamos- pumpkin soup.
Bon anne. Happy New Year.
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