Humbling Experience-Oct2010

Haiti Journal – October 2010

“HUMBLING EXPERIENCE”

Julio and I spend many hours a day in the car travelling from place to place or just being stuck in traffic.  This has caused us quite the disruption in our eating habits! Buying and storing groceries is difficult due to the fact we constantly have power problems and we have no fridge!  When the city power is running, we can store food, as the freezer runs off the city power and not from our inverter.  That puts us pretty much into day-by-day mode.  On long days, it’s off to a restaurant we go.  It may seem like an expensive proposition, however groceries here are a crazy price so not much difference unless you eat at the side of the street.  Food poisoning once is enough so I don’t do that (much).  Anyway, on one particular occasion we found ourselves at a local pizza place called ‘The Pizza Garden’.  It’s filled with NGO’s and the local people with money (funny because we don’t have any)!  It’s outside here we met ‘Richard, a 14 year old who lives pretty much on the streets of PetionVille! 

We pulled up outside the Pizza Garden and were immediately directed into a parking stall (everyone here is a parking attendant) by Richard, rag in hand…

“Met lave machiné pou ou?” he said. (”Can I wash the car for you” )

Car washing in Haiti is huge, huge business (that’s what Richard’s father does), the equivalent of the ‘Show and Shine’ car shows!  Not sure why, as here the more they wash….the more evident the war wounds of the street become … “equivalent to the results of demolition derby”. 

We looked at Richard and immediately agreed that yes, there was entirely too much dust on the car and it was in dire need of cleaning.  Julio, teasing, told him to do an extra special job, or Richard would have to pay us.  So…inside for pizza we went while Richard tended to his business.  Couple of happy hour specials, fully bellys and left overs in hand (doesn’t cost much to order the next size larger pizza for sharing) we head out the door and back to our car. 

There is Richard, patiently waiting for us!  A careful inspection and the sign of approval by Julio, Richard was handed 150 gourdes and pizza.  A bit extra was given to reward a job well done!  When you see a young guy working instead of waiting for handouts, their efforts must be rewarded and supported.  Richard was much appreciative and went on his way. 

Apparently ‘HIS’ way was the same as ‘OUR’ way.  We met up with Richard at one of the local supermarkets shortly after giving him his pay.  We took notice as to what he was buying: chiclets, suckers, and other various candies.  We were a bit perplexed by this so asked him about his purchase. 

“I am starting a business so I can pay to go to school”, was his response. 

We were quite taken back and impressed at his initiative!  Many people here or Canada don’t save what they make so we were definitely impressed with this young man.   He never held out his hand asking for freebies!  He wanted to work.  On many occasions, since that day, Richard watches for our car and the common sight is seeing him running along side us to remind us he is around.  We always make it a practice to buy the chiclets in his basket, keep two, and give him back the rest, to replenish his inventory.  Richard has never asked us for money until one day!

Money!  Money! Money!  He had saved up enough money for his school supplies however, needed help to pay the school fees.  We were so impressed, however didn’t feel right just handing over money without doing some investigation into the schooling.  We asked Richard if he minded taking us to the school so we could talk to someone in charge and possibly make arrangements.  We scheduled the

following morning for our visit.

Next morning, as we rounded the corner to our designated meeting spot, there was Richard running along side!  He is like a phantom, always appearing out of no where!  We asked if he was sure about the school visit and although he seemed a bit more quiet than usual, Richard nodded and hopped into the car.  It took us a few attempts locating the school and we were beginning to question whether this was just a chase. 

“Did he really want to go to school, or had we called his bluff?”  Maybe he wanted the money directly!!

It turns out we should not have been skeptical!  We finally found the building where the school is located!  Locked in behind a huge metal door (metal doors are the artists impression in Haiti….incredibly beautiful!!)  We knocked and were motioned to step into the courtyard.  I wish we had pictures to share!  That is definitely not like me to not have my camera in hand, however this time was not the mission!  The school, ..just a concrete building in a ‘U’ shape with the concrete courtyard in the middle.  Not sure how many students but definitely many!  After a couple of questions, we were directed to ‘Madame’s’ office; a space at the top of the stairs and to the right.  A couple of chairs sat there, one of them occupied by a young girl and her baby!  Madame motioned for us to enter and Julio proceeded to inform her as to the purpose of our visit.  The question period began!  Most redirected to young Richard.

“Where is he from?” she asked.

“Richard is from the Petionville area and pretty much lives on the streets.  We are not sure where his house is.”

“Does he have parents?”

“Richard has no mother, but does have a father who washes cars on the streets for a living.  Not much of a living is it!!”

“What is the last grade he has completed?” 

OK….here is the clincher! 

Richard head down, spoke to the floor!

Richard has never been to school and he is 14 years old!

My eyes immediately filled with tears and I had to tilt my head to look at the floor, but not before I noticed Julio’s eyes filling too! 

We thought that Richard was asking for our help for the current year, not to get him started!  The entire time, Richard was quiet and responded a little submissively!  We both think he was embarrassed.  The questioning continued, then a piece of paper with a school name and contact number was passed to Julio.  Because of Richard’s age and the fact he has never been to school meant there was no place for him in that school, however the contact we were just provided would be able to help him out.  So….off we go to school number 2, all of us pretty quiet! 

Grey pants, a white shirt, school supplies and his tuition fee of 1500 ($35 US) gourdes was all he would need to get him started.  We would even be able to sign as his sponsor!  OK….let’s get started!! 

There’s a lull in this program……..

Richard disappeared for a while!!!  We didn’t see Richard until he surfaced at the Jimani border, between Dominican and Haiti.  Definitely not a place for him as it’s unsafe and he was on his own.  It really depressed us because we were willing to help. 

            But …… the phantom reappeared! There he was, running along side our car again and WE HAD A DIFFERENT CAR!

Richard is now back in Haiti after explaining to us that he was badly treated and he couldn’t speak Spanish very well!  He was so happy to see us!

What a relief!

So….the school plan is back on and in the mean time, he Has started up his chiclet business again.  Next fall is our target as long as he is still willing!  We are actually contemplating having him move into our little room off the patio!  We keep thinking he should stay with his dad, but ……he can’t really provide for him.  Perhaps a little more thought has to go into this. 

Anyway….it’s so nice to have him running along side our car again and to see his smile!

WHAT A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE  and we won’t give up on this intelligent young man!!!

Moving Day-Oct2010

Haiti Journal – October 29, 2010

Moving Day

Moving day!!!   Most people released from the hospital will jut go home and relax… RiGHT?  Wrong!  Before relaxing at the house, we had to move to the new house!  Yup….it was moving day!  “Let’s go pack boxes and move our things to our new place!!”  That’s not really what I said, but it had to be done so away we went to pack up our things.  Of course I really was not feeling well, but we did have some help and we don’t have many possessions here so all in all, the packing was pretty painless.   With our possessions loaded in our Suzuki we started our ½ hour ascent up the mountain to our new residence. 

The “pothole dodging” drive doesn’t usually seem to take half an hour because of the stunningly beautiful scenery.  The steep lush mountainside looks like a patchwork quilt of various textures and shades of green.  When I say steep, I really do mean steep!  We often wonder how the gardening can be done and how they garden without rolling down the hill.  It even mentions in a colouring book that we bought for my niece, farmers will tie themselves to trees while doing gardening because of the steep incline!  I mentioned to Julio that ‘cow tipping’ would be pretty easy on them there hills!!  I KNOW I KNOW…..but the thought just flashed through my mind.

Anyway, pretty much any vegetable you can think of is grown at the higher elevations. All the vegetables from home plus many that I’m not very familiar with. 

While admiring the beauty and ascending up the hill, a noticeable change in temperature could be felt.   We turned off the air conditioner in the car, unrolled the windows and breathed in the “fresh” mountain air.   “Fresh”  being a relative term as quite often it is polluted by the oil burning vehicle(s) in front!!   

On this “release from hospital day”, we were just driving in silence and enjoying the view both of us lost in thought.  When……SIRENS!  Really, is that sirens?  Yup!  Julio says, “well I guess I’d better pull over”.  Never in all of our time in Haiti have we had the police use their sirens to pull us over.  We have been flagged over during routine checks and after short duration, (or extensive talking about out how our scratch and win lottery works) are waved on by.   These cops were different!  They didn’t crack a smile and we didn’t understand why they took our vehicle papers.  Julio was instructed to ‘drop Madame off’ at our new place, then return to the police station.  I told him there is absolutely no way, I was going to let him go there without me because something didn’t feel right.  Julio told him, no problem!!  He’s just going to drop off our things, pick up his lawyer and return.  The police quickly said….”you don’t need a lawyer”, however Julio responded that he’s not from here and it would be best for him to bring one with him.

You are probably wondering why a lawyer! Well….driving a car in Haiti that has Dominican plates causes problems and certain authorization papers are required to drive the ‘foreign’ vehicle in Haiti.  We did have these papers and the police didn’t explain why Julio needed to go to the station!  So…our good friend is a lawyer in Haiti with connections to authority figures!  A very respectable, honest, well known person and perfect to be associated with!   

To continue….After Julio’s response, the police sped past us and flew up the road in front of us.  They had our papers with them and we weren’t even sure where they disappeared to.  We continued to our house, dropped off our belongings then headed back down the hill to Petionville to pick up our lawyer friend.  It was all so weird.  For a drive that was to take ½ an hour, to ……this inconvenience!!

We found ourselves making the ascent one more time, this time packed with our ammunition …… ‘our lawyer friend, Saturne’.  We approached the station and quickly spotted one of the officers standing at the entrance.  He didn’t really even acknowledge us as we made our way into the office: jail cells to the right and the chief on the left.  Good thing we were motioned to sit on the left!!  I wasn’t worried, just confused, tired and not feeling well…..I wanted my bed!  After a 10  minute conversation between Saturne, Julio and the Chief, it was translated to me that the officers were just doing a routine check. Saturne told him we are foreigners here to help Haiti and we shouldn’t be hassled!  The Chief said that it is foreigners who sometimes cause the problems and told him to be careful about what we promise.  Julio pointed out the police couldn’t be trusted either!  (perfect timing to slip that one in).  The chief actually agreed.  The entire time this conversation was going on, the chief was studying me. and as we were doing our dismissal handshakes, he shook mine longer than is normal, all the while staring into my face!  Julio noticed that as well and we both have our speculations as to why.

Our take on the whole thing: the police needed to make extra money and it would be easy to get if Julio was by himself!   The car was flagged over because it has Dominican plates and the local police didn’t know our car.  Each area has their own patrol and they get to know everyone.  (That is a good thing!)  The police don’t ask for money as they can lose their job over it, however they can hassle you so that you offer to pay!  (That’s what we have heard but have not experienced).  We wrecked their fun when we brought Saturne with us).  No money paid and we were dismissed with no problems and no ticket!  CRAZY!

Thank you Haiti police for extending our ½ hour drive!!!   However, we made it to our new residence and were finally able to relax!!!  Remember I mentioned the noticeable difference in air temperature?  We need to buy a quilt – not now….it’s been a lonnng day!   First things first…..

“GOOD NIGHT EVERYONE!”

(I’ll be dreaming about what the next adventure will bring)

Food Poisoning - Oct2010

Haiti Journal – October 29, 2010

Food Poisoning

I haven’t kept up with journals very well at all and this week, I decided it was time to capture on a weekly (if not daily) basis the details of our lives in Haiti.  It’s difficult to recount all the events, because every day in Haiti brings another adventure.  I’m not saying this in a bad way at all.  As a matter of fact, some people say that we create our own adventures, however, I feel that we are just presented with an opportunity that can’t be passed up, with some exceptions of course.  Today is one of those exceptions!  Perhaps I should rewind the week / past weeks events so you understand the impact of today’s episodes.

Haiti has hit the news again!  Cholera outbreak!!! How much does a country have to endure?  Julio and I were totally unaware of the outbreak until our buddy Max informed us.  Then the e-mails from home started coming.  We are in Petionville, which is where they are worried the epidemic may spread, however, so far the cholera outbreak has been pretty much contained to the north.  It’s pretty sad that cholera has to claim the lives of so many people especially when the cure is very simple!  We have not been too concerned about ourselves as we have been taking extra precautions to ensure we stay away from the areas and that we use lots of antibacterial hand wash!  We are fine!!!

 Well that’s what I thought anyway!   (Don’t worry ….. it’s not cholera!)

Our day started off just fine, which means “very busy”.   At the end of the day, we were both tired and stopped at a local restaurant to catch a bit to eat.  You know those days when nothing seems appealing but you know you need to eat something? Yup…it was one of those days.   For Julio and I, we laugh when go to the local establishments because what is on the menu is rarely available for ordering.  After a few attempts at ordering: ‘oh sorry, we don’t have that!”, I decided on just a chicken sandwich.  Well.  Apparently they didn’t have that either because they brought a ‘ham sandwich’.  I think my stomach was already starting to act up because I couldn’t bring myself to eat it.  Because it was their mistake, they took it upon themselves to bring me ‘acra’ which is a local dish typically served as an appetizer.  It is really good, however that day, I didn’t’ want anything deep fried.  I ate it anyway because they were kind enough to offer it to me.  Instead of boring you with petty details, I’ll just get to the point.  We left the restaurant with the cozy atmosphere (but no food) and found a different place where I ordered a burger.  It tasted really good and was the best ‘bigger than bun’ burger I have had in Haiti!  Hmmmm.

That’s what I thought anyway!!

Bed at 11:00.  Awakened at 12:00!  Whatever was in my stomach was not going to stay and it decided the best escape would be BOTH ENDS!  Hmmmm…Cholera???  NO!  I really didn’t believe that I had it, however while I was preoccupied talking to “JOHN”, Julio was looking up symptons on the internet!  I knew something wasn’t right plus…I knew I needed some help so Julio drove me straight to the hospital.  Wouldn’t you know it…..the hospital is Canadian run!  My diagnosis……”FOOD POISONING!!”   DAMN…..I really liked that burger and I’m still not convinced it was the beef that did it.  Anyway, I was totally impressed by the service at the hospital. They admitted me immediately and started an IV.  Julio stayed with me all night (thanks sweety!) and shared my hospital bed!  I’m lucky to have that man!!!

Finally after 14 hours after another followup checkup and after establishing the fact that we now have a really good doctor in Haiti, I was released.  The end of the story?  NO!!  It seems there is always more with Julio and I.  We pay our bill and are heading for the door.  Through the glass, we can see a mother holding a young boy…a very typical sight in Port-au-Prince.  Julio commented that they are ready and waiting for me, because I am a blonde foreigner who is there to hand out money.

That what we thought anyway!  WRONG!

We quickly realized the young boy had a problem and needed medical attention!  His mother removed the cloth that the boy was holding to his face to reveal his lip, split wide open!  Of course, he was not admitted to the hospital because his mother had no money to pay.  Isn’t Alberta Health Care wonderful!!!  Of course Julio and I could not leave them there like that, so one sick person in the front and the injured boy in the back; we drive to another hospital.  We found out it would cost 1500 gourdes which is the equivalent of $35 US.  We happened to have that in our wallet so paid for them and set out on our merry way!  The lady was in tears before but now just showed such appreciation.  All she said was, “God sent you to me”.  THANK YOU!

DID HE?  Funny that the first person she sees is us and the first person we see coming out is that little boy in need!  HMMMMMM!  Best hospital experience I have ever had!  I know Julio will attest to that!