Sunday is a good day for community service. Since I’ve been wanting to go to Haiti, I’ve been in communication with FRADES orphanage through Dr. Patricia Back. I decided today would be a good day to venture to Croix des Bouquets, about a 20 minute ride from the center of Port au Prince. I thought that maybe bringing some of the GAP kids with me would be awesome – introduce the teens to some service work. Junior, Joselyn, and Jean Woody decided to come along for the ride. Plus I have no idea how to take the tap taps and motos to get there. This is a very cool trip since it’s the first time I would be riding around Haiti without Matt (he’s feeling under the weather) and Steeve (our usual translator). Junior is familiar with the area since his family recently relocated to the area. The nice pastor, whose contact info was given to me by Dr. Back, met us in the center of Port-au-Prince with his motorcycle. The boys took a different motorcycle. As I was riding on the moto with the wind in my hair behind Joselyn and the sun shining down, I couldn’t think of a more perfect moment in Haiti. Here I was in the country I’ve fallen in love with accompanied by these amazing GAP kids that I’ve gotten so close to and they wanted to help out an orphanage my friends at USC and I have been trying to help. Since I’ve been traveling all day via tap taps and walking, I couldn’t bring all the supplies I wanted to. I did bring a second backpack of crayons, cholera coloring books, soap, and multivitamins.
When we arrive at FRADES, we see a group of about 20 kids sitting in a circle. They are mostly young kids, probably 7 years and younger. The orphans had no shoes, ragged clothing, and many had visible fungal infections on their scalp or runny noses. The pastor was nice enough to tour us around the house and I took a ton of photos to show my fellow USC students interested in working with FRADES and University of Cincinnati engineers wanting to help with electricity and water sanitation systems. FRADES was not originally an orphanage but quickly became one after the earthquake. The 18 orphans range in ages. The kids eat 2-3 meals a day that consist of rice and beans, void of meat and a balanced meal. The boys all sleep in bunked bed in one large room and the girls slept in a similar compound. Unfortunately, there are two 15 year old girls and since FRADES only recently started their primary school program, the teens are unable to be educated at secondary school level. I wonder if GAP would be able to get involved here too, the need in Haiti for secondary school education assistance is overwhelming.
Junior is the translator that explains what I say about the cholera images on the coloring pages. I designate Jean Woody, a natural artist, to hand out the crayons. Joselyn is in charge of handing out coloring books. The FRADES kids are so well behaved and immediately listen to Junior’s explanations. They then calmly color with the 4 packs of crayons I brought from LA. As I saw Joselyn, Jean Woody, and Junior lay on the floor an color with the orphans, I can’t help but get watery eyes. These kids were already so resilient after all the trauma they have been through and here they were willing to come with me on a Sunday to the orphanage. After coloring, we do a demonstration of hand washing. The very nice pastor opens a bar of soap we bring and fills a bucket of water for us. Junior and Jean Woody sing the hand washing song in Creole, I don’t understand the words but I think it’s something about washing your hands after using the bathroom. The whole experience was amazing. I’m determined to do what I can to help the orphanage. They are so obviously stretched for funds and lack things such as nutritious meals, books, shoes, electricity, etc. Joselyn and the boys tell me on our walk away from FRADES that they want to come back and help, perhaps regularly. I couldn’t have had a better Sunday.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
4/5/11 Life in Haiti
I’ve been in Haiti now for exactly 5 days. I think Matt said it best when he commented that the days pass by slowly and the weeks quickly. Sometimes I forget that all the activities in one day feel like 3 days. We still completely rely on Steeve, our translator and friend to pick us up from GRU and bring us everywhere. I’ve been dedicating all of my time so far to GAP and working with Matt to visit our existing sponsored kids to help them with chores and hopefully setting down a budget so that money can consistently flow. One night we take the kids to ice cream and they all ate a gigantic cup each of the dessert that’s expensive and out of reach to most in Haiti. The girls are cooking up meals and all of the kids make us feel so welcome. Jean Widson, the 6 year old, is so full of energy, so I take him out and play leap frog, jumping jacks, and sprinting races. Matt and I visited all of the kids’ different schools to settle tuition payments and to visit them all. We find that some of the kids don’t bring lunch. So later that day, Matt and I work with the kids to create a chore list. They all rotate days to make lunch and another chore to take care of Jean Widson so that he gets his energy out as well as learns to read at kindergarten level. We managed to bring 10 kids to Fonkoze where Dr. Nancy and Matt previously had an agreement that the kids would be able to open bank accounts if Matt cosigns even without their birth certificates that were lost in the earthquake. We show up really late to the bank branch and still need to get all the kids 2 photos at photo place that was quite a distance from the Fonkoze bank. Somehow Steeve must have told the bank manager setting up accounts about GAP’s mission because she asks Matt if he would consider sponsoring her two cousins that are teenagers and not in school. Because of this, she stays an extra hour after the bank closes and sets up an account for all 10 kids! What a generous and amazing favor all for the love of education. Matt and I rotate spending nights at the girl’s apartment and at GRU. I already don’t want to leave and am in love with everybody and everything here.
Besides the kids that met Matt and initiated the start of GAP, we have so many more requests. When I went to visit JPHRO, the IDP camp that Matt volunteered at last summer, we met so many teens that had no jobs and no secondary school opportunities. It was amazing to finally be there in the place that I heard so much about. I fell in love with Matt and his stories at J/P. There are still so many issues within the camp such as lack of sanitation, rape, water shortages, and shanty tarps housing large families. I work with Matt to enroll about 4 new kids. Some lost all of their family and try to make ends meet on their own. Another girl’s dad couldn’t afford the $15/month tuition. 4 new lives transformed and renewed hope shining in each of their eyes. Education is so valuable and so many of us have taken public education in the states for granted.
P.S. The street food and Haitian food in general is incredible! Lots of spiciness, rice, beans, and chicken :)
Besides the kids that met Matt and initiated the start of GAP, we have so many more requests. When I went to visit JPHRO, the IDP camp that Matt volunteered at last summer, we met so many teens that had no jobs and no secondary school opportunities. It was amazing to finally be there in the place that I heard so much about. I fell in love with Matt and his stories at J/P. There are still so many issues within the camp such as lack of sanitation, rape, water shortages, and shanty tarps housing large families. I work with Matt to enroll about 4 new kids. Some lost all of their family and try to make ends meet on their own. Another girl’s dad couldn’t afford the $15/month tuition. 4 new lives transformed and renewed hope shining in each of their eyes. Education is so valuable and so many of us have taken public education in the states for granted.
P.S. The street food and Haitian food in general is incredible! Lots of spiciness, rice, beans, and chicken :)
Bonjour Ayiti and Tet Kale – 4/4/11
My first impression of Haiti is that its not as horrendous as everyone makes it out to be. Of course this is a bit of time after the earthquake and post-cholera frenzy. Matt and I transport around Port-au-Prince via tap taps (covered pick-up trucks with bench seats enough to accommodate 12 people), motos (motorcycles), mini-buses, and regular buses. The currency is interesting. $1 USD = 8 Haitian dollars, but the currency is actually printed out in Gourdes. 1 Haitian dollar = 5 Gourdes so that means that within the country for conversion, $1 USD = 40 Gourdes. Haitians interchange the use of Gourdes and Haitian dollars when quoting prices and my simple math isn’t that great so I’m a little slow.
Port-au-Prince reminds me a lot of Guwahati, India and Nairobi, Kenya. They are all bustling urban areas in developing countries. The car exhaust pollution is unregulated. There is trash on the streets. Seat belts are nonexistent as are passenger limits in cars. The roads are shotty at best. All along the streets are mini businesses of women selling produce and snacks, cell phone kiosks, colorfully painted store front, and tons of pedestrians. The unique aspect of Haiti is the wide use of spray paint graffiti. The primary marketing of presidential election candidates is accomplished through spray painting. Jerry, a famous graffiti artists has abstract art depicting Haiti randomly throughout PaP. Matt is a huge fan of his work and photographs and prints out Jerry’s work.
We stay at GRU, Grass Roots United, a compound with a house, electricity, and space to pitch tents. The bathroom consists of an outdoor composting latrine (aka toilet into a bucket where you cover dirt over poop) and bucket showers that come from a faucet. It’s a pretty nice set- up and there is wireless internet too, although I’m barely there long enough to use it. The first day, Matt and I head out to meet the GAP kids at their apartment. We have a car only for today and ride up to Petionville, a nicer area of Port-au-Prince to see the 7 kids living in a 2 bedroom apartment that GAP funds to house these orphaned kids. I was immediately showered with hugs. The girls are more beautiful in person and all the kids are so sweet. I finally meet adorable Jean Widson, a 6 year old brother of the kids who lives with them. They immediately call me mom like the they called Dr. Nancy mom since we are GAP moms. The day is as incredible as I imagined it to be. I give them all small gifts and tokens of my travels.
I knew that today had the potential to be a volatile day as I warned by GRU via e-mail before departing. Haiti was going to announce its final president after their secondaries. There were some violent protests after the popular candidate amongst the people, Martelly, was removed from the ballet and instead replaced by a candidate endorsed by the wealthy and another endorsed by the corrupt government. Some riots and tire burning ensured in mid-December. All the protesting went to good use as the world was watching and the government was pressured to recast votes and must have done so fairly the second time around since Martelly was on the ballot and the government endorsed guy was ousted. As Matt and I are sitting with the kids, we hear a burst of joy coming from everywhere. We all run outside and there is marvelous cheering and dancing on the street outside the apartment. Men are jumping up and down running crazily and women are dancing and bouncing. Everyone shouts with glee “Martelly” and “Tet Kale!” It was a rare moment in Haitian history where a democratic election took place and the candidate supported by the majority had won. The other one that I know of is Aristide, he was a loved slum priest turned president before being kicked out of his second term by the U.S. army (for no particular good reason). Our driver picks us up as the celebrations start. On the drive home, there is cheering everywhere and everyone has flyers with Martelly and are shouting “Tet Kale!”. The celebrating goes into the night as we hear cheers and dancing from GRU. I have to say that I had the most amazing first day in Haiti, meeting the kids I knew and already loved, as well as witnessing this amazing and once in a lifetime political celebration.
Port-au-Prince reminds me a lot of Guwahati, India and Nairobi, Kenya. They are all bustling urban areas in developing countries. The car exhaust pollution is unregulated. There is trash on the streets. Seat belts are nonexistent as are passenger limits in cars. The roads are shotty at best. All along the streets are mini businesses of women selling produce and snacks, cell phone kiosks, colorfully painted store front, and tons of pedestrians. The unique aspect of Haiti is the wide use of spray paint graffiti. The primary marketing of presidential election candidates is accomplished through spray painting. Jerry, a famous graffiti artists has abstract art depicting Haiti randomly throughout PaP. Matt is a huge fan of his work and photographs and prints out Jerry’s work.
We stay at GRU, Grass Roots United, a compound with a house, electricity, and space to pitch tents. The bathroom consists of an outdoor composting latrine (aka toilet into a bucket where you cover dirt over poop) and bucket showers that come from a faucet. It’s a pretty nice set- up and there is wireless internet too, although I’m barely there long enough to use it. The first day, Matt and I head out to meet the GAP kids at their apartment. We have a car only for today and ride up to Petionville, a nicer area of Port-au-Prince to see the 7 kids living in a 2 bedroom apartment that GAP funds to house these orphaned kids. I was immediately showered with hugs. The girls are more beautiful in person and all the kids are so sweet. I finally meet adorable Jean Widson, a 6 year old brother of the kids who lives with them. They immediately call me mom like the they called Dr. Nancy mom since we are GAP moms. The day is as incredible as I imagined it to be. I give them all small gifts and tokens of my travels.
I knew that today had the potential to be a volatile day as I warned by GRU via e-mail before departing. Haiti was going to announce its final president after their secondaries. There were some violent protests after the popular candidate amongst the people, Martelly, was removed from the ballet and instead replaced by a candidate endorsed by the wealthy and another endorsed by the corrupt government. Some riots and tire burning ensured in mid-December. All the protesting went to good use as the world was watching and the government was pressured to recast votes and must have done so fairly the second time around since Martelly was on the ballot and the government endorsed guy was ousted. As Matt and I are sitting with the kids, we hear a burst of joy coming from everywhere. We all run outside and there is marvelous cheering and dancing on the street outside the apartment. Men are jumping up and down running crazily and women are dancing and bouncing. Everyone shouts with glee “Martelly” and “Tet Kale!” It was a rare moment in Haitian history where a democratic election took place and the candidate supported by the majority had won. The other one that I know of is Aristide, he was a loved slum priest turned president before being kicked out of his second term by the U.S. army (for no particular good reason). Our driver picks us up as the celebrations start. On the drive home, there is cheering everywhere and everyone has flyers with Martelly and are shouting “Tet Kale!”. The celebrating goes into the night as we hear cheers and dancing from GRU. I have to say that I had the most amazing first day in Haiti, meeting the kids I knew and already loved, as well as witnessing this amazing and once in a lifetime political celebration.
Synopsis of Haiti
Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. Unbeknownst to the majority of Americans, Haiti’s poverty largely stems from French and U.S. interference. When Haiti became the first free slave nation, France imposed a large debt that transcends to the already impoverished country owing an insurmountable amount of money. America has dipped their fingers in a number of ways. Coup d’etat are governmental shifts and takeovers. The U.S. military has orchestrated a number of these to put into power leaders they see fit despite the popular opinion of Haitian citizens. Our country has also imposed trade regulations, such as importing so much rice that it drove Haitian rice farmers out of business. When Haitians were fleeing from the bloody dictatorship years in the 1990’s, the U.S. army redirected the political asylum seekers back to Haiti to face sure death or torture; the luckier ones ended up in Guantanamo where they were guarded by the army, fed rotten food, tested for HIV and involuntarily injected with contraceptive shots.
Paul Farmer, a physician dedicated to public health work in Haiti, and most known through his biography “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” he has termed the injustices on the Haitian people as structural violence. In simple terms, structural violence is a sort of institutionally imposed actions that have a trickle down effect and ends up violating human rights. One example Farmer commonly cites is the intentional damming of a Haitian river to benefit a few wealthy people and having it cause a drought in the downstream regions which displaced the farmers and their families. Later, those families end up destitute and structural violence persists. A prime example would be the earthquake. The 7.0 magnitude claimed the lives of about 200,000-300,000 people and pancaked the entire city of Port-au-Prince. The 7.9 earthquake in Chile claimed less than 100 people. Had the Haitian government during the dictatorship years invested in infrastructure, the housing would not have been so flimsy and countless deaths occur.
Since after the earthquake, the mass media has covered Haiti less frequently, many may assume that the country is well on its way to reconstruction. It might make sense since billions were pledged to Haiti relief efforts. The truth is that not much progress has been made for the amount of money poured into the country. The billions were in fact donated or promised but a large chunk never reached Haiti due to possible corruption in organizations such as the Red Cross and Republicans opposed to releasing the U.S. aid money promised. Haitians that lost their home and were relocated to tent cities, the IDP camps, are still living there despite the instability and temporary nature of the “housing.” Rubble is being slowly removed by very few organizations. There are very few job opportunities for Haitians. Disturbingly, gang rapes occur regularly especially among women living in the unsecure tarps. It is not uncommon for families to be extremely malnourished from lack of food or jobs.
These issues, though grave, are not unfixable. Like any model aimed at alleviating poverty, a transdisciplinary approach must be taken. Education for the children, secure shelter or housing, creation of jobs, sanitation and other factors must all be addressed. If the many non-profits working in Haiti coordinated their resources and avoided duplicating similar efforts, more effective outcomes may result. Government involvement in social programs is almost necessary to have a nationwide impact. These steps would of course require buy-in from all stakeholders and a breakdown of the many existing barriers.
Paul Farmer, a physician dedicated to public health work in Haiti, and most known through his biography “Mountains Beyond Mountains,” he has termed the injustices on the Haitian people as structural violence. In simple terms, structural violence is a sort of institutionally imposed actions that have a trickle down effect and ends up violating human rights. One example Farmer commonly cites is the intentional damming of a Haitian river to benefit a few wealthy people and having it cause a drought in the downstream regions which displaced the farmers and their families. Later, those families end up destitute and structural violence persists. A prime example would be the earthquake. The 7.0 magnitude claimed the lives of about 200,000-300,000 people and pancaked the entire city of Port-au-Prince. The 7.9 earthquake in Chile claimed less than 100 people. Had the Haitian government during the dictatorship years invested in infrastructure, the housing would not have been so flimsy and countless deaths occur.
Since after the earthquake, the mass media has covered Haiti less frequently, many may assume that the country is well on its way to reconstruction. It might make sense since billions were pledged to Haiti relief efforts. The truth is that not much progress has been made for the amount of money poured into the country. The billions were in fact donated or promised but a large chunk never reached Haiti due to possible corruption in organizations such as the Red Cross and Republicans opposed to releasing the U.S. aid money promised. Haitians that lost their home and were relocated to tent cities, the IDP camps, are still living there despite the instability and temporary nature of the “housing.” Rubble is being slowly removed by very few organizations. There are very few job opportunities for Haitians. Disturbingly, gang rapes occur regularly especially among women living in the unsecure tarps. It is not uncommon for families to be extremely malnourished from lack of food or jobs.
These issues, though grave, are not unfixable. Like any model aimed at alleviating poverty, a transdisciplinary approach must be taken. Education for the children, secure shelter or housing, creation of jobs, sanitation and other factors must all be addressed. If the many non-profits working in Haiti coordinated their resources and avoided duplicating similar efforts, more effective outcomes may result. Government involvement in social programs is almost necessary to have a nationwide impact. These steps would of course require buy-in from all stakeholders and a breakdown of the many existing barriers.
Destination Haiti
As I board the plane from LAX bound for New York then Haiti, I feel a tinge of anticipation, both nervous and excited, as well as relief. About 10 minutes prior, I was scrambling to do a last minute packing of bags. Thank goodness for my roommate Jen who was kind enough to not only drop me off, but help me pack and lug a total of about 150 lbs. of luggage. I checked in 3 items. Good thing the person at the check in sees that I’m headed for Haiti and probably presumes service work since 2 of my bags weigh 51 pounds and I usually get in trouble for that. My third bag weighed 60 lbs, ugh, guess the scale at home was off. Reminiscent of my repacking on the way to Tanzania, I for the second time in a year, take out 10 pounds of crayons and redistribute it in my carryon. Carrying luggage 1.5 times my weight is well worth it. Nearly all of it is to be donated. I am lugging around 500 cholera coloring books, 360 packs of crayons, 2 large liquid soap bottles, 30 bars of soap, sports clothing for a secondary school from Russell Crowe, barbering tools for someone wanting to start a business in Haiti, snacks for Matt’s long stay, donated iPods, clothing for the kids and some of my stuff for camping.
It all seems too good to be true. I was so ready to go to Haiti about 3 months ago and had most of the supplies sitting in my apartment. It was the peak of the cholera outbreak and Haiti was in the midst of the first round of the presidential election, not the most stable of environments. One thing after another happened and I ended up not boarding the plane leaving for Port-au-Prince in the beginning of December. To say the least, I was disappointed, but firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. Ever since seeing the images of the IDP (internally displaced persons ) camp, orphanages and general need in Haiti when the earthquake hit on January 12, 2010, I had a strong urge to go. I even attempted to organize a trip during my spring break in the months after the earthquake but that proved to be challenging as well. So here I am, on my third earnest attempt to go to Haiti. It’s not that I feel like I can change the world or conditions in Haiti, but I can use the little skills I have to help in any way.
As a public health student, we are taught many important principles regarding global health aid work. The USC masters program transformed my way of thinking and my life. When we enter an underserved area as volunteers, it’s important to be conscientious of so many factors. The first and foremost would be respect of the local people and their culture. The second would be to avoid burdening the country or organization you work with. A cost-benefit analysis must be thought through: if you don’t speak the language, how useful will you be? Do you have a place to live and eat or are you expecting an organization to provide this? A third consideration is to work towards building a sustainable project for those you are helping. Traveling to a third world country and dropping off supplies is a one-time deal and can create reliance. Building educational programs or empowering the local people to help each other is more likely to go further into the future.
What am I going to Haiti for? I have a few projects that I hope to be involved with. I sit on the Board of Directors of the Global Adolescent Project (GAP) [www.globaladolescentproject.org]. GAP is dedicated to empower, educate, and encourage teens in Haiti through providing food, shelter, mental health services, secondary school tuition and a lot of love. My boyfriend and his partner, Dr. Nancy founded the organization a few months after the earthquake when they realized there was a gap in the provision of school and services to adolescents in Haiti since most organizations focus on the young kids. I feel as if I already know the kids: Josianne, Joselyn, Junior, Jean Woody, Best Friend (Eder), and Jean Widson. I typically spend more time communicating with the kids on Facebook chat or Skype calls than with my friends from the east coast. GAP has several initiatives for this Haiti trip. Dr. Nancy and Matt are already in Haiti and I will be meeting up with Matt. We need to secure forms of identification for the kids since they were lost in the rubble, look at new housing options, communicate with their schools and most importantly spend time with the kids that considers all of us in GAP their parents (many of them were orphaned after the quake).
I will also be working with Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) [www.apjnow.org]. The A-list celebrity board founded a free secondary school in the slums of Port-au-Prince. This is a huge investment in the future of Haiti since secondary schools are private and only the wealthy can afford it. They enrolled their first class of 6th graders last fall. I have been working with Dr. Reza Nabavian to create an evaluation survey which will ask a whole bunch of questions to determine whether the school has in fact improved the quality of life of these students. This trip, I will be testing the survey for logic and running some focus groups to see if I am missing any questions.
I also have semi-planned trips to FRADES, an orphanage in Croix-des-Bouquets. I have been working via e-mail with Dr. Patricia Back, a fantastic pediatrician from Cincinnati that regularly goes to Haiti. My friend Bryant, an environmental engineer from U Cincy, have been working with Patricia to see if we can build a latrine, running water and electricity in an orphanage. I have also been in contact with a Haitian American whose father runs a school about 40 minutes outside of PaP from his own limited funding. There are a plethora of NGOs on the ground in Haiti. I am staying at Grass Roots United, an awesome org that allows volunteers and other NGOs to camp on their secure site 1 mile away from the airport at $15/night including meals.
It all seems too good to be true. I was so ready to go to Haiti about 3 months ago and had most of the supplies sitting in my apartment. It was the peak of the cholera outbreak and Haiti was in the midst of the first round of the presidential election, not the most stable of environments. One thing after another happened and I ended up not boarding the plane leaving for Port-au-Prince in the beginning of December. To say the least, I was disappointed, but firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. Ever since seeing the images of the IDP (internally displaced persons ) camp, orphanages and general need in Haiti when the earthquake hit on January 12, 2010, I had a strong urge to go. I even attempted to organize a trip during my spring break in the months after the earthquake but that proved to be challenging as well. So here I am, on my third earnest attempt to go to Haiti. It’s not that I feel like I can change the world or conditions in Haiti, but I can use the little skills I have to help in any way.
As a public health student, we are taught many important principles regarding global health aid work. The USC masters program transformed my way of thinking and my life. When we enter an underserved area as volunteers, it’s important to be conscientious of so many factors. The first and foremost would be respect of the local people and their culture. The second would be to avoid burdening the country or organization you work with. A cost-benefit analysis must be thought through: if you don’t speak the language, how useful will you be? Do you have a place to live and eat or are you expecting an organization to provide this? A third consideration is to work towards building a sustainable project for those you are helping. Traveling to a third world country and dropping off supplies is a one-time deal and can create reliance. Building educational programs or empowering the local people to help each other is more likely to go further into the future.
What am I going to Haiti for? I have a few projects that I hope to be involved with. I sit on the Board of Directors of the Global Adolescent Project (GAP) [www.globaladolescentproject.org]. GAP is dedicated to empower, educate, and encourage teens in Haiti through providing food, shelter, mental health services, secondary school tuition and a lot of love. My boyfriend and his partner, Dr. Nancy founded the organization a few months after the earthquake when they realized there was a gap in the provision of school and services to adolescents in Haiti since most organizations focus on the young kids. I feel as if I already know the kids: Josianne, Joselyn, Junior, Jean Woody, Best Friend (Eder), and Jean Widson. I typically spend more time communicating with the kids on Facebook chat or Skype calls than with my friends from the east coast. GAP has several initiatives for this Haiti trip. Dr. Nancy and Matt are already in Haiti and I will be meeting up with Matt. We need to secure forms of identification for the kids since they were lost in the rubble, look at new housing options, communicate with their schools and most importantly spend time with the kids that considers all of us in GAP their parents (many of them were orphaned after the quake).
I will also be working with Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) [www.apjnow.org]. The A-list celebrity board founded a free secondary school in the slums of Port-au-Prince. This is a huge investment in the future of Haiti since secondary schools are private and only the wealthy can afford it. They enrolled their first class of 6th graders last fall. I have been working with Dr. Reza Nabavian to create an evaluation survey which will ask a whole bunch of questions to determine whether the school has in fact improved the quality of life of these students. This trip, I will be testing the survey for logic and running some focus groups to see if I am missing any questions.
I also have semi-planned trips to FRADES, an orphanage in Croix-des-Bouquets. I have been working via e-mail with Dr. Patricia Back, a fantastic pediatrician from Cincinnati that regularly goes to Haiti. My friend Bryant, an environmental engineer from U Cincy, have been working with Patricia to see if we can build a latrine, running water and electricity in an orphanage. I have also been in contact with a Haitian American whose father runs a school about 40 minutes outside of PaP from his own limited funding. There are a plethora of NGOs on the ground in Haiti. I am staying at Grass Roots United, an awesome org that allows volunteers and other NGOs to camp on their secure site 1 mile away from the airport at $15/night including meals.
2/25/11 – Conversation with a Monk
My mom’s friend wanted to show me around Buddhist temples in Thailand. I welcome the opportunity to see something new in Bangkok and to meet one of my mom’s old friends. We visit various temples that are beautifully decorated as they all are. I was thinking to myself that I must have seen a dozen temples during my trip already. The Thais are really devout Buddhists and superstitious when it came to good luck and blessings. E (aunt in Thai) is what I called her, it’s a common name given to family friends that are older than you are. The most memorable moment of the day’s escapade was when she took me to her personal Buddhist temple where she trained under a monk that travels around the world preaching Buddhism to westerners. Her mentor was not present at the time, but I walk around the compound. This particular temple housed the Lucky Buddha, a large gold enshrined Buddha that supposedly granted your wishes. It was legend that every woman unable to conceive would pray and touch the Lucky Buddha and be able to have children after that. All the temples sold amulets of Buddhas. I bought a few to be distributed to some friends interested in Buddhism back in the states. The tiny figurine of the Lucky Buddha is to be taken seriously, the thought of it touching the floor and not revered is a sign of disrespect and consequentially bad luck.
I then sit in the back of the room where a monk is also sitting. He begins to talk to me about Buddhist principles. The first one he mentions is awareness. You should always be aware of your surroundings and live in the present. When your mind wanders to the past or the future, you lose sight of what is in front of you. This particular message strikes a chord with me since I have a huge tendency to daydream or keep my attention span. When I was in 4th grade, my teacher mentioned to my parents during a parent-teacher conference that I was often daydreaming. As my mind was wandering to how I don’t pay attention and how I often even involuntarily fall asleep in class, I realize that I’m doing the opposite of what the monk was saying. He continues on about how every step you take and even when you are in traffic, try to clear your mind of thoughts and just be. I try for a split second to not have words scrambling all over my brain as thoughts. Its quite difficult. He then hands me a book to take home to the U.S. It’s title is about dealing with anger. I like this little book since I’ve been recently finding that inner peace is such an important thing to have and anger completely sours that. He gives me some more copies to hand out to friends. I felt completely inspired by our little chat and wondered how he knew to lecture on the right topics as they pertained to me. Over the next few days as I read the small anger management book, I find some of the ideas eccentric (since of course you have the factor in Thai culture) but also true that anger and rage lead to regrettable decisions and negative health consequences. There is a lot to learn from wise monks.
I then sit in the back of the room where a monk is also sitting. He begins to talk to me about Buddhist principles. The first one he mentions is awareness. You should always be aware of your surroundings and live in the present. When your mind wanders to the past or the future, you lose sight of what is in front of you. This particular message strikes a chord with me since I have a huge tendency to daydream or keep my attention span. When I was in 4th grade, my teacher mentioned to my parents during a parent-teacher conference that I was often daydreaming. As my mind was wandering to how I don’t pay attention and how I often even involuntarily fall asleep in class, I realize that I’m doing the opposite of what the monk was saying. He continues on about how every step you take and even when you are in traffic, try to clear your mind of thoughts and just be. I try for a split second to not have words scrambling all over my brain as thoughts. Its quite difficult. He then hands me a book to take home to the U.S. It’s title is about dealing with anger. I like this little book since I’ve been recently finding that inner peace is such an important thing to have and anger completely sours that. He gives me some more copies to hand out to friends. I felt completely inspired by our little chat and wondered how he knew to lecture on the right topics as they pertained to me. Over the next few days as I read the small anger management book, I find some of the ideas eccentric (since of course you have the factor in Thai culture) but also true that anger and rage lead to regrettable decisions and negative health consequences. There is a lot to learn from wise monks.
2/24/11 - Prostitutes in Pattaya
My Uncle Lek and his wife take my grandma and I to a really nice hotel in Pattaya beach. I’ve been really wanting to see the acclaimed shores of Thailand before I leave. There are gentle blue waves crashing on the sandy beaches and hills all around. We eat at this one restaurant where the entire back is open to the sea. We drove around, eating a ton of food as usual, and seeing the nearby attractions. I notice that there are many more falangs here than in Bangkok. Americans and Europeans lined the beaches and streets. Later that night, I walk with my aunt and uncle around the Pattaya main road. Its seriously like Cancun spring break. There are obnoxious and drunk Americans and some Russians.
Every few hundred feet, I see these pretty girls standing in club dresses with watches on and a clutch. At first I think the groups of girls are waiting for a ride to the bar. I then start realizing that they are prostitutes standing waiting to be picked up. Sure enough, you see some big white guys patronizing the girls. I’ve seen prostitutes before in modest amounts around the world and in LA, but there were so many in Thailand. This was just one beach and on one street. It makes me think about “Half the Sky”, the novel I refer to oftenly. Sex tourism is a large issue exacerbated also by local use of prostitutes. Sometimes women are sold into brothels, beaten and raped until they service clients ‘willingly’. These girls are sometimes sold from poor families, snatched from streets, and often come from impoverished countries or situations. I also think about the cycle of patriarchy. If men didn’t request for cheap paid sex, then the brutal brothel industries wouldn’t flourish in the touristy areas. When we walked back into the hotel, it was quite obvious that many of the young falangs were bringing back prostitutes to their hotel room as one is trying to check in a scantily clad girl with the reception desk.
Every few hundred feet, I see these pretty girls standing in club dresses with watches on and a clutch. At first I think the groups of girls are waiting for a ride to the bar. I then start realizing that they are prostitutes standing waiting to be picked up. Sure enough, you see some big white guys patronizing the girls. I’ve seen prostitutes before in modest amounts around the world and in LA, but there were so many in Thailand. This was just one beach and on one street. It makes me think about “Half the Sky”, the novel I refer to oftenly. Sex tourism is a large issue exacerbated also by local use of prostitutes. Sometimes women are sold into brothels, beaten and raped until they service clients ‘willingly’. These girls are sometimes sold from poor families, snatched from streets, and often come from impoverished countries or situations. I also think about the cycle of patriarchy. If men didn’t request for cheap paid sex, then the brutal brothel industries wouldn’t flourish in the touristy areas. When we walked back into the hotel, it was quite obvious that many of the young falangs were bringing back prostitutes to their hotel room as one is trying to check in a scantily clad girl with the reception desk.
2/18/11 – Burmese Housekeeper
During my stay in Bangkok, I unsuccessfully attempted to find some service work opportunities. I tried to call the Provena Foundation aimed at helping women and children and made a visit to their office, they didn’t have anything to really explain since the office was doing mainly administrative tasks. I guess I was hoping that they would be able to tour me around their work and I could learn something about service programs or development. I tried to look up a center that house children with HIV/AIDS and an online guide said they let visitors play with the children. Unfortunately, the phone number doesn’t work. A few weeks ago, when I knew that I was traveling to Thailand, I tried to set up a site visit with a refugee camp on the Thai-Burmese border recommended by my good Burmese friend, Claire. Claire was my TA in a global health class. She made a presentation explaining the health care system in Burma, an oppressed country run by a military dictatorship where she lived until the age of 14 and then managed to get a visa into the U.S. Through her cracking voice and explanation of the atrocities occurring in Burma as well as a heroic female figure, Aung San Suu Kyi, dedicated to peaceful democracy, I was moved. I was appalled by my ignorance of the current day issues surrounding Burma; this was the tip of the iceberg of many ongoing issues that I am ignorant about and that our U.S. media does not care to report significantly on. The refugee camp helps Burmese citizens with healthcare and other needs. I was bummed that the person who ran the camp was not in town when I was nearby and couldn’t host a visit.
Since living costs are much less in Thailand, my grandma and uncle have a housekeeper here. Since my family in NJ grew up middle class, we did not have maids but did have a nanny for a few years when I was a toddler. Not sure why, but I feel bad using the housekeeper here. She is a sweet woman named Dao that is constantly cooking, cleaning dishes, carrying luggage, sweeping floors, watching after grandpa, etc. I refuse to let her carry my heavy luggage up the 4 stories of stairs…afterall if I’m going to overpack, I should be the one carrying it. What bothers me moreso is that Dao carries herself with a subservient attitude never looking at anyone in the eye, hardly speaking up, and sits on the floor when talking to you on the couch even when invited to sit on the couch. I got sit outside and start showing Dao and my grandpa more pictures of my travels on my DSLR and Dao joins us. I learn that Dao is actually from Burma and her primary language is a Buremese dialect. India flashes by, then Tanzania. She smiles at the animals on the safari and the kids with cleft lip and palate from India. I then give her a few rupees from India as a souvenir and pieces of American candy intended for kid cousins in Thailand. After that point, every time I came to visit my Uncle Dum, Dao walks over to me, eager for a conversation. Its funny how much you can communicate with other human beings even with a large language barrier.
Since living costs are much less in Thailand, my grandma and uncle have a housekeeper here. Since my family in NJ grew up middle class, we did not have maids but did have a nanny for a few years when I was a toddler. Not sure why, but I feel bad using the housekeeper here. She is a sweet woman named Dao that is constantly cooking, cleaning dishes, carrying luggage, sweeping floors, watching after grandpa, etc. I refuse to let her carry my heavy luggage up the 4 stories of stairs…afterall if I’m going to overpack, I should be the one carrying it. What bothers me moreso is that Dao carries herself with a subservient attitude never looking at anyone in the eye, hardly speaking up, and sits on the floor when talking to you on the couch even when invited to sit on the couch. I got sit outside and start showing Dao and my grandpa more pictures of my travels on my DSLR and Dao joins us. I learn that Dao is actually from Burma and her primary language is a Buremese dialect. India flashes by, then Tanzania. She smiles at the animals on the safari and the kids with cleft lip and palate from India. I then give her a few rupees from India as a souvenir and pieces of American candy intended for kid cousins in Thailand. After that point, every time I came to visit my Uncle Dum, Dao walks over to me, eager for a conversation. Its funny how much you can communicate with other human beings even with a large language barrier.
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