1st Day in Jacmel

It's been almost 24 hours since my last blog and I have a lot to report.

We left for Jacmel several hours later than expected due to several unforseen circumstances (again, "this is Haiti" motto applies). While Adrian and I were trying to bring down heavy hockey bags to be loaded into the van so we would be ready to go, I made the unfortunate mis-step and had a fall that has resulted in a significant sprain to the ankle. I  stepped on a loose rock and went down backward on a very steep set of stairs and realized that the "pop" I heard was probably not a good thing but since my foot was still pointing in the right direction and not wanting to make a big deal out of it, I walked down the rest of the stairs and back up before a team member commented on how pale I looked. Long story short, I severly sprained my ankle and have had it wrapped since yesterday. I can weight-bear but am going up and down stairs one at a time and hobbling around. With much Ibruprophen on board and the shockingly hot weather today, it is starting to feel better but is very swollen and is bruising considerably. The team is taking good care of me and I am trying to not be a clutz for the rest of the trip. Karen tells me that there has to be one person on each trip that gets really sick or hurts themselves. Nobody has got sick yet, so I guess I've taken one for the team on this!

We arrived at Hotel Cyvadier at 8pm and they had arranged a lobster dinner for us. The rooms are modest and you still can't flush toilet paper, but it is beautiful and when I woke up the private cove and beach is breathtaking. After driving through the worst area of Port-au-Prince last night where even our driver locked the doors, I feel like I am in paradise. The food is amazing and this experience is very different from being in the city.

Today started with a visit to Pazapa, a day school for children with disabilities and is the only one of it's kind in Haiti. Because their building was so damaged in the earthquake, they have been relocated to a field that is outside in wooden structures and two tents. The children are very well cared for and are very happy. Their parents attend and are very eager to learn. I was overwhelmed by the heat today but most struck by an encounter I had with a young deaf man who arrived to school in the afternoon needing a nurse. He had a huge gash on his knee that was a result of falling off of his bike two days earlier. With the traffic being the way it is in Haiti, I can't help but wonder if he fell to save his own life because he couldn't hear a car coming. After I bandaged him up and told him I would be back on Friday and I wanted to see him he was very happy. I found his wound covered with a dirty, scrap of materal. A simple bandaid to stop the bleeding wasn't available so he used what he could and it could have potentially caused him to acquire a serious infection.

The kids today were amazing and just wanted to have their picture taken and played with. We are going to do home visits tomorrow which I am very happy about and then back to Pazapa on Friday.

After work, we went for a swim in the ocean. The water was like being in a warm bath and a perfect way to end a hot and sweaty day. Afterward, we went into Jacmel to do some shopping and were able to walk the streets with our driver close behind. It is so different being in Jacmel. We would never be able to walk the streets in Port-au-Prince, but in Jacmel, we were not swarmed and I felt very safe despite attracting attention. It is overwheming to look into a 10X10 foot tent and see that it has been turned into a home for a family. When we returned to the hotel and I was trying to get internet access, I asked the man behind the desk how his day was and he said "Not very good". When I asked him why he said it was because he had a headache and his chest was heavy. I asked him if he had a cough and established that he did not seem to have an infection but a common cold. I also asked if he had any medicine, and he said: "No, I just have to come to work". I have a ton of medicine that I could give him for the next 24 hours that would take his misery away, but if everyone else at the hotel finds out I have medicine, then they will also expect me to help. I had a very difficult time with this notion today.

Had lobster for dinner again and headed for an early night and an 8am start time tomorrow. I love it here and totally understand the love/hate relationship that you acquire with Haiti.

Clinic Day

Everyone was in bed quite early last night after an evening swim with a beer. Unfortunately, I did not sleep through the night. Just kept waking up on and off and wondered if it was my body's way of not letting me miss a minute of the time I have left in Haiti. The sounds at night are amazing, tropical birds, palm trees rustling in the wind and the distant music from the shanty town.

I got up early and got dressed to head out to the clinic with Fiona today. She workes for HH and helps to run a rehab clinic for SCI patients (spinal cord injury). I was able to work alongside a nurse and the doctor. They allowed me to do an assessment on a 31 year old woman named Martha. She was a masters of communications and marketing student on full scholorship at the time of the earthquake and was stuck under rubble for 16 hours. She was left with a partial spinal cord injury in her lumar region and walked into the clinic with the assistance of a walker. It almost brought me to tears that she had the physical strength and will to get herself to the clinic amid all of the rubble. She is currently living in a shelter which has many stairs so it is very difficult for her to get to and from her home. The doctor told Martha that he was concerned about her bladder management and told her that he wants her to do intermittent cathertizing every 4 hours to prevent UTI and other complications. Although he was speaking to her in Creole and I could only make out some of the conversation, you could see the sadness in her eyes that this was one more obstacle she would have to figure out each day. After a few moments, she said "lè nou kòmanse" which means When do we start? The doctor mentioned after her physio and she attacked her physio regime like no patient I have ever seen. She told me that sometimes she is afraid to go inside becuase she can't move quickly if there was another earthquake. Many people here are afraid to go indoors and sleeping inside after being through a magnitude 7.0 earthquake is unsettling.

Fiona showed me some wounds that they have healed that would have been challenging for physicians and nurses to heal with all of our fancy wound care products. They went back to basics, packing, betadine and hydrocolliod and have given back quality of life to so many requiring rehab services! I was very proud today to see what phenomonal work is going on at the clinic and made me think that spending 6 months here would be so amazing to follow someone through their complete recovery.

I spent 3 hours at the clinic before having to get picked up to head back to the guesthouse so that we could get a driver to take us to Jacmel. We will be doing some work at Pazapa Among the facilities destroyed in the earthquake is Pazapa (Creole for "Step by step"), a charity run from two buildings in downtown Jacmel, which helps disabled children. The charity's two rented buildings suffered condemning damage, just after the children left for the day. We will be working outside while here, so we are hoping for sunshine and great weather.

I have no new photos to post for this entry, but hope to have some soon from Jacmel. The shopping is apparently amazing and I hope to pick up some artwork for my next fundraiser.

Bon Bagay!

Maisons du Enfantes Handicapes (MEH)

I woke up early this morning despite being startled awake at 3am to gunfire that sounded very close. We asked Noel later in the day why there would be gunfire at that time and he stated it was probably due to a warning shot from the guard towards someone who got too close.  Karen got eaten alive last night and we all think it is because she didn't have enough alcohol in her system.

Karen, Bernice and I went off to MEH ( Maision du Enfantes Handicapes). We saw eight children and each took some time to do an assessment. Afterward, we gave out a few toys and played with the children before getting picked up and headed to the co-op for a quick shopping trip. The orphanage was located in downtown Port-au-Prince and it was the first time that I felt a bit uneasy in the van. When we were leaving we had to stand outside the gates for about 5 min waiting for Joel to pick us up. I truely showed my "vigin" colours when I walked out forgettng that my camera was still hanging from my shoulder and Karen noticed people staring at me. I put it away and then tried to stand with my back to the gate. It was the first time people were looking at us as "blancs" and it made me realize how much more careful I need to be.

We are a small group today. Carlie and Karen went to Cap-Haitian, Lynn and Delyn went to Il-a-Veche and and Todd (our new member who is a deaf IT engineer ........... and quite handsome) joined the group last night. Karen, Dee and Todd Ryan and Erin all headed out the the deaf camp today. It was a camp initiated to protect the deaf and their family from being robbed or taken advantage of.

Team meeting tonight, Ryan announced that he got a partnership with Habitat For Humanity that will begin in January 2011. This is a huge deal for EPHAS.

We had goat for dinner with creamed corn and vegetables and we topped up the Prestige beer. We will be staying home tonight as we have sent the drivers home and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot going. The music outside has started, I have a Prestige by my side and the warm air coming through the shutters on my back, life couldn't be more simple and perfect.

A few photos from today!

The Day After A Night Out

Last night was so much fun! We started at Montana's for drinks. This is was one of the most luxurious hotels in all of Haiti and where over 200 lost their life during the earthquake. Many Canadians perished here. It was very sad for the members of the team who knew The Montana before and saw what is left. The entire hotel is no longer standing but the pool, outside lounge and convention centre remains.

Mme Cheap

We moved on to Karmel, a dance bar in Petition-Ville (a more affluent part of Port-au-Prince). I had a great time and didn't get off the dance floor most of the night. I don't know how to describe the type of dancing we did, other than it's close, and, well. I'll just leave it at that. We met a table of NBC staffers covering the hurricane and talked about their experience in the country. I asked them what they thought about the Vancouver olympics and they stated that it was one of the best run olympics and that Vancouver sure knows how to party. We exchanged comments on how the Canadians beat the USA in both men and women's hockey.

We all woke up this morning feeling the after-effects of last night. We all seem to wake up by 6am without any alarm clocks, but after breakfast most of us were ready to go back to bed for a nap. It's going to be hard going back to my life and getting back on a routine. Lounging on our off days and napping in the afternoon is quite acceptable here and I'm going to miss this way of life. I got into the shower this morning and while trying to keep my mouth closed, I looked up and saw a little gecko hanging out in the shower with me. They are quite quick, so I haven't been able to take a picture of one yet.

A few of us took a walk off the property this morning and went around the corner to purchase some street art. We had 4 artisans that were invited onto the property to sell goods, so we got to do a little shopping on our own back door. I purchased a Veve. A Veve or Vévé  is a religious symbol commonly used in voodoo. It acts as a "beacon" for the loa (also spelled lwa) - a type of spirit, and will serve as a loa's representation during rituals.
Every Loa has his or her own unique veve, although regional differences have led to different veves for the same loa in some cases. Sacrifices and offerings are usually placed upon them, with food and drink being most commonly used in the West. It is covered in sequins and valued at several hundred dollars if you were to purchase it in an artisan shop. I paid 70 US dollars. We also met Elenor (aka "madame cheap") who also sold her wares and allowed me to take her picture when asked. She didn't like the first two I took so but she quite enjoyed the last photo which I will post. She gave me one of her bracelets to wear because she liked the picture I took.

It started to rain around 2pm and we are just waiting to go out to dinner tonight. The guesthouse was busy today. We had a full staff of ladies in the kitchen cooking and doing our laundry. Carlie and Karen are leaving for Cap-Haitian today and we won't see them until Sunday. Bernice, joined us 2 days ago and she has been working with Handicap International for the past 3 months and will now be doing some clinic work for HH.

I walked the entire property today and realized that we are on the back door of a shanty town and very poor part of Haiti. I decretely took a video to show the dicotomy between how we are living and the closeness of people living in tents. There is a cement wall surronding the property and literally on the other side, there is a tent village. So, while we're swimming in a pool and having people do our laundry and cook us food, there are people struggling to create a home of the few possessions they own only feet from us.

We went out for an amazing French restaurant in the mountains tonight. It is owned by Cyril's father. He also owns Tour Haiti and drives around the likes of Sean Penn and other celebrites donating time and money to Haiti. It had jazz music playing and I had a steak dinner for $15 US dollars. There were 8 of us at dinner and the bill came to $280 with taxes, tip and liquor included. The $20 I spent on a steak dinner would be close to what a Haitian would make as a month's salary. None of us remembered to pack a jacket and at the end of the night it had got so cold that you could see your breath in the air. Made me feel like I was at home.  When we arrived home, there was amazing music playing from the neighboring shanty town. I am looking forward to going to bed soon and falling asleep to the sound of Haitian music playing in the outdoor air.

Sodo Waterfall

Today started with a light breakfast and then a 2 hour van ride to Sodo waterfall. Each June, the biggest Voodo festival occurs here. We got to drive through parts of Port-au-Prince that we had not seen before and I was emotional observing the tenacity of people getting up everyday trying to remain a sense of "normal" while living in a tent surrounded by garbage and bacteria infested water.

As we traveled up the mountainside, I was overtaken by the beauty of the country. The absence of trees was evident and odd to see such vast spaces completely void of any trees in comparison to the lush forests of BC. We passed through several villages on our way and each one had it's own vibe. It was difficult to take many photo as we did not stop but I saw beautiful children on the roadside that always greeted us with smiles and waves as we passed by. Clothing is an option when your small in Haiti! After we traveled 2.5 hours we arrived at the most breaktaking falls.

We were greeted by several villagers who surrounded the van and were excited to see "blancs". Once we arrived, this is what greeted us at the base of a series of steps.

Initially, I was quite afraid to walk the rocks with help from the boys that were there to help, but I climbed a cliff to get some amazing shots of the team sitting in the middle of a waterfall. The waters are supposed to have healing powers so it was a different experience for each of us. After we had a chance to enjoy the waters, we got out and walked back up the steps to the van and paid a doller to each person that assisted us to safely cross the rocks. It only took us an hour to get back to the guesthouse. We have had dinner and hope to be headed out to dance the night away and I feel so content and in the right place for the first time in a long time. I have met facinating people along the way. Ryan and Erin are here doing a project where they teach photography to Haitians and leave them disposable cameras so that they can take photos of what life is like for them. After 24 hours they go back and retrive the pictures which I have seen a few of and they are very moving and inspirational. You can see the work they are doing at: ephas.org. It stands for "Every Person Has a Story".  The young boys (Raymond) in particular, were attached to his camera today and he allowed them to take pictures which was thrilling to watch and to see what amazing work so many other people are doing here in Haiti.

Driving home, we were able to experience some of the flooding that occurred overnight. Last night's rains were far worse than when Tomas passed by. The city power goes off each night around 5pm but the guesthouse has a generator so we were suprised when our power even went out for a short period during the night. I woke up around 4am to wind like I have never heard before and rains that sounded like they were going to come right through the roof. A few of us woke up to raindrops on our foreheads. I guess a form of Haitian torture, so beds were rearranged in the middle of the night to stay dry. The humidity is so high here, that nothing ever dries. Karen put her laundry in to be washed 3 days ago and her shorts are still hanging over a chair trying to dry. Today the sun came out se we all requested our laundry to be done and as we were driving, we noticed that it was laundry day for several Haitians. We had a full staff to take care of us today too. I think some of the ladies came to work to get away from their wet, and saturated homes/tents. I learned that when a house has a MPTPC on it in red it means that it is scheduled for teardown, when it is orange, the foundation is fine but the structure needs to be be destroyed and when it is green, it is safe to be inhabited.

We arrived home to a clean guesthouse with clean sheets and new towels. Despite the rustic setting, I feel like I am being treated like royalty and very well cared for. I miss everyone at home, but I think it's true, once you experience Haiti, it gets into your soul and makes you never want to leave. I already know that the most profound experience of this trip is going to be when we have to leave.

Post Tomas

The rains started  around 2pm and by 5pm the rain was falling quite heavy and the winds were picking up. We were unable to attend RAM and go dancing last night because of the rain so we hung out at the guesthouse, had a wonderful dinner and drank rum sours and Prestige most of the night. I fell asleep quickly listening to the rain and was awaken by the noise of the rain hitting the tin roof and the winds around 3am. Fortunately, they only lasted a few hours before the worst of it seemed to be over. Sadly, there were a few deaths and people missing due to Tomas.

After eating an amazing breakfast of fruit and pancakes, we headed out the the "mushroom". This is a structure on the HH property that houses all of the donations. Unfortunately, it hadn't been organized in a while so Karen, Karen, Adrian and I got in there for about 4 hours and cleaned up. You can now walk all the way through! The entire time we were looked over by two armed guards. Last night I gave away my new rain jacket to one of the guards, he didn't have proper rain gear and was drenched. I figured that he's outside keeping us safe, giving him my jacket was the least I could do! Today we found a few more rain ponchos, so we gave them to the guards and they were thrilled.

Just ate a quick lunch of Twizzlers and a Cliff bar and now going to apply my new Haitian perfume........ more bug spray. My hair is as big and frizzy as I've ever seen it! I showered this morning at 5:30am and it is still wet! The humidity is so severe that everything feels wet and I have started keeping my electronics in plastic bags.

Tomas seems to be over, drizzled all day today, rain has stopped for a few hours so we are hoping that the worst is over. Everyone who spent the night in tents, have been on my mind all day! The city power goes off every night around 5pm and then we are on generator after that at the guesthouse so another night of cards, Rumikube and lots of Prestige!

Bon Bagay!

Here comes Tomas

Another another amazing day at Wings! I am in love with many of the children and while we saw cockroaches and conditions that would be considered unacceptable by our standards, the kids are happy, cared for by people that care for the kids and overall get very good care! I got to do a bit of teaching to the nurse today, and gave positive feedback for her work.  The rain started just as we were leaving Wings today and I have been told that until there is a river flowing, these rains are quite typical of Haitian weather. We went to the Giant Market on our way home. This is the very North American market I talked about in previous emails. We took all the stock off the shelves of coffee and vanilla. Karen was an awesome leader and focused on the important things like the supplies that we would need to make rum sours for the next few days (rum, lemon juice, and lots of ice). The market was packed full of people trying to stock up on supplies for the storm.

I took some pictures which have been uploaded to Facebook. We are supposed to head out to Olaffson tonight to see RAM play and do some dancing. Karen said she is going to break out the sparkly shoes again and that I am going to learn how to Haitian dance but I'm not sure we are going to get out as the rain is coming down quite  a bit now. Amazing how comforting it is to be in a room full of amazing people, drinking rum sours and hearing the rain fall on a tin roof. I think I've found a little piece of heaven!

Bon Bagay! ( I think that is right)---- I'm trying!

First evening and full day

When we landed, there was a wonderful Trubador band playing and then we stepped outside and hit a "wall" of heat. It was in the high 90's and abut 100% humidity! The airport is an experience! First you have to get into a line to get a declaration form which you need to keep safe until the day you leave as you need to present it when you leave. Then, you have to get in a line to show your declaration form that you got on the plane and your passport, then (and this is where it gets exciting) it is each man for themselves. I can't describe the chaos of the baggage claim area except to say that you could easily lose luggage if you aren't quick enough to locate and retrieve your stuff.




We had to walk a fair distance from the airport arrivals to where the van was parked and along the way there were many young boys yelling: "Canadianne" to get your attention to ask for money. I also learned that you don't let anyone touch your luggage unless it is someone that the organization has hired. If they touch your bag, they will want money to return it. We got to ride in the new fan which has been nicknamed "Choo Choo" which loosely means cutie!



Getting in the van, we headed for the guesthouse and I was overwhelmed with both the beauty of the countryside as well as the amount of povery that is undescribable. The roads are off-roading and there are no traffic lights, stop signs or rules of the road other than you honk your horn when you are passing someone. The drivers know the vehicles and the space they consume down to the millimeter. I have learned not to look out the front window!



We arrived at the guesthouse and it is rustic but comfortable and were greated by Gracie, a cute lab mix that lives at the guesthouse. She is very friendly and likes to nip at your ankles! There are 6 girls staying in a room. You have your own single bed, covered by a bug net and a clothesline that runs down the centre of the room for you to hang your wet clothes. The bathroom has a flush toilet but this is the rule of the guesthouse. If it is yellow, let it mellow and if it's brown flush it down. No toilet paper gets flushed down the toilet, it all goes in a large plastic bucket. You don't leave the shower running, only cold water but you get wet, turn it off, wash your bits and then rinse. I slept very well the first night here. There is something comforting about having your bedroom open to the outdoors and being "cuccooned" in a mosquito net. The guesthouse is a few acres and has an in-ground pool and 2 guards (with large guns) that provide security 24 hours a day. I have never felt safer! The people here are so wonderful and have your safety always in mind and take very good care of the team. We need to always tell someone on the team when you are leaving the guesthouse and we understand that leaving the property alone is out of the question. There are UN officers everywhere so I have not yet felt that my safety has been in jeapordy. Last night, we went to a grocery store in Petition-Ville, a affluent part of Port-au-Prince. It had elevators and a large selection of many North American foods that we would purchase at home. It was very odd to be in such a modern grocery store. I have learned that a US dollar is equal to 40 gourdes. After dinner, we went to an outside venue to see a band called Zen Glen. They are a very popular Haitian band that was amazing. We were the only non-Haitians there of a few hundred people. We were ushered in and out via a back door (which also had armed security) and enjoyed a wonderful first night of music and Presige beer. Noel, our driver tried to teach me how to dance, but I need far more practice. Haitian men are very forward, they will just start dancing with you but lovely and are fabulous dancers. Coming home we all joked by saying: "Just for fun, why don't we wear out seatbelts". It was an amazing first night.

We're Here!!

I left Vancouver at 10:30pm yesterday and traveled overnight to Toronto. I was de-planing at the same time I was supposed to be boarding my next flight so it was a bit of a close call leaving Toronto for Montreal. I met the rest of the team in Montreal and we all traveled to Haiti. All bags arrived! Yeah!

We are safe and sound in Haiti and enjoying a Prestige beer. I don't know how to describe what I have seen already. I have taken some video which I will try to post tomorrow. I have learned that Haitians do not like to have their picture taken so you have to be quite discrete about how you take photos.

We got off the plane greeted by a trubador band and then a wall of heat and humidity. No signs of a hurricane in sight right now. Sun is shining and it is HOT. Did I mention how hot it is?

I'll explain more tomorrow........ headed out to purchase a few food items for dinner and then dancing tonight before going to Wings (an orphanage for children with physical and developmental disabilities) tomorrow.

Stay tuned........ I am very happy!

Today's thoughts

So for those of you who I have chatted with, the last 48 hours have been up and down. Due to Hurricane Tomas, our trip was called off on Sunday night at the 11th hour as it was headed straight for Haiti and was expected to turn into a Category 3 hurricane. Devistation can't describe my feelings when we had to make the decision not to travel due to safety of the team and that if we are unable to do the work that we are going to do there is little point in going. I decided not to finish packing on Sunday night and figured that maybe if I didn't pack, Murphy's Law would figure out a way to get us to Haiti. We all prayed to the voodoo gods and miraculously I got a call from Karen on Monday morning saying "the trip is back on". Tomas decided to lose power and turn into a tropical storm.

After frantically packing after work and shaking because I was so excited to be leaving for Haiti after 2 days of on again, off again I had this thought.........


Life is too short

to wake up in the morning with regrets. 

So love the people who treat you right,

forgive about the ones who don't

and believe that everything

happens for a reason.

If you get a chance, take it.

If it changes your life, let it.

Nobody said that it'd be easy,

they just promised

it would be worth it.