My Return to Haiti...24 Days of Busy

I arrived November 1st, greeted at the airport by friendly Red Caps and security police alike as if I’d been gone years instead of months. Each and everyone of them asking about my family and if they are well. Its hard not to feel all warm and fuzzy with a welcome back like that.  Or is that just the heat and humidity that making me feel hot and sticky?  Actually, I think I adjust easier to heat than cold so I’m feeling quite comfortable so far. 

A much different feeling though as I return to stay in a hotel instead of the familiar guesthouse we’ve come to know and love over the years.  I have a nice suite- 2 rooms with a bathroom, a TV, air conditioning, small fridge and stove. There is a pool. Within a short period of time, I realized that it isn’t much different than the guesthouse after all, everytime the power goes out, I am not the one running to start the generator (thankfully, since the power is going off and on a half a dozen times a day. I’ve run out of water a few times but that happened often enough. the air conditioner only works on city power so teases me  throughout the day with slightly less warm room, the TV receives no signal but I’m not used to watching tv here anyway so don’t think about it much. 

Internet is in and  out along with city power but only within certain distance of router and no cement to block the signal. One has to be tricky and alert not to miss the opportunity. 

The pool was empty when I arrived but they soon filled it as they have swimming lessons for about 30 kids several mornings weekly. The hotel is adding a section to  the end of the hotel so construction signals the start of my day. ATV’s racing down the road have replaced the roosters at similarly odd times of night and day. Well, actually, they just drowned out the roosters crowing...they are still crowing. 

Since I’ve been back I’ve picked up a team from Canda, went to Indigo Beach, visited the new PIH University Hospital in Mirabalais, toured the construction site of new guesthouse- it will be nice when finished....hopefully by the 22nd, and a happy reunion

 with my colleagues in the clinic. A team from Utah arrived on the 7th for 9 days, and I took them on a tour of downtown followed by a trip to Boutllier for lunch and up to Baptiste Mission.  I walked down to the ‘zoo’, a desperate name for what it is- to see how it faired the earthquake. My first and only other visit was in March 2009. The angry monkey, alligator and iguana were gone. A friendly goat, a beautiful but ragged peacock and many, many happy rabbits were all that remained. I’m hoping that monkey found a happy place and that the alligator is not roaming the streets somewhere. 

Mrs. Turnbull- aka Madam Wally saw our group and asked me to join her for coffee. She and her husband started the Baptist Mission and have lived here for years since 1946. She is a bit dotty and forgetful but pleasant and full of questions- barely pausing for me to answer. 

Utah left on the 16th and a team from Canada arrived the same day. As Monday the 18th was a holiday we traveled to les Cayes, and spend the afternoon at a beach in Port Salut, about an hour north of Les Cayes.  A bit cloudy, lunch took 2 and 1/2 hours to prepare but it was nice to have some relaxing time. The team provided an educational workshop to 16 persons from Les Cayes and Port au Piment over the next 2 days. We headed back to Port au Prince to repeat the workshop in our clinic. A couple of late nights of dancing later and the team left this morning. 

Its been a busy, very productive 24 days back. 

Progress is being made at the guesthouse and I can’t wait to get back there. I’m missing my familiar staff (and my dog). 

Magical Place

Tomorrow morning I will not wake up to the honk of Canadian geese, a rooster crowing or the cows mooing. 

I won't wake up to the sun rising over the fields of alfalfa. 

Tonight I won't fall asleep to the howl and bark of the  coyotes as the run through the meadow above the house. This morning we woke up to no electricity, no water ad 3 cows in the field. At first I thought I was in Haiti, definitely not in the city. But all order restored after about an hour and we had our coffee and buttermilk pancakes.  As always it's a little sad to leave my childhood home and say goodbye to my mother and elderly relatives (my aunts are about 87 and my uncle 91). I never get enough time with my brother and my cousins. Quality time is important when on limited time and long distance. 
I did get a few days of river time which is a favorite way for me to relax. We attended two weddings and a baby shower. Dan saw a bear, Andy caught a fish, Erin cleared a trail up on jumbo mountain. We had fresh peaches. 

I met Nicki in 2009. She is a therapist and came to Haiti on a medical mission. She was the grooms cousin and part of the wedding party. She lives in Minnesota. Now of course we meet here in Kettle Falls. In this small corner of the world we talked about Haiti so far away. People were surprised to learn of our connection and wanted to hear about it of course. The point here though is that she made a toast saying she heard about this 'magical place' on the river for a number of years but being from Minnesota and land of lakes didn't put too much stock in it. But she and other family members had to admit in August, in the heat of summertime there is no more magical place to be. 

Until next time, as always I have the sweet memories.
And on the way out of town, we picked up a box of fresh peaches.    

Haiti vs Portland

Writing about my journey in Haiti is more difficult when I am not there to be inspired to write.  Since my journey brought me back home to Portland in May, it’s very much a different life style. As I wrote before, purging and organizing is still going on- I guess 30 years of collecting (and living a normal life)  will take a little longer to sort than I expected.  Also, living on a reduced salary limits some activities so no excuses for not doing the sorting and organizing I can’t exactly do a kitchen remodel however much I’d like it. 

Ideally, I would be watching the guest house building progressing, not feeling concern for the well-being of our staff and hosting volunteers however I’ve been given a summer, a teachers summer if you will to enjoy family, participate in life events of 3 weddings,  catch up with friends’ lives,  renew my enjoyment of cooking. As I write this the mouth-watering aroma of dinner is filling the house. Chicken with pesto is roasting to be accompanied by fresh garden veggies- tomatoes and cucumbers and corn on the cob from the farmers market will be roasted on the BBQ.  Sounds yummy, doesn’t it?  My favorite has been spinach salad with blueberries, goat cheese, pecans and strawberry  vinaigrette- the perfect accompaniment to honey thyme pork chops, creamy garlic pasta or parmesan tilapia.  The guesthouse cooks make good meals, the food –especially fruit and vegetables are fresh so the difference is that I’m doing the cooking.

 

It’s been a perfect time to be in Portland. After the initial week of cold weather with my feet in socks and a space heater 6 inches away from me, I’ve adjusted to the weather. Ha, of course it helps to acclimate when it is 80+ degrees and nothing but sunshine. The few mornings we’ve had marine air haven’t been uncomfortable.  Walking to the farmers market, to the store or other places, gives me a sense of freedom I haven’t felt in a long time.  Most of the time in Haiti, I am with someone and rarely walk any distance to places.  Walking in Haiti requires some logistical planning. Rarely am I alone or at a place that I can safely walk other than on the property.  

 The point is change is inevitable and to embrace the challenges that come from change.  That has been my challenge. Given the opportunity of living in two countries so very different yet not so different, accepting the differences, and appreciating the value of the experience. 

Four Weeks Since Haiti

I've been home for 4 weeks now. I can't say that it has been an emotional or easy transition. I'm still the crazy cleaning lady and its not finished- not by a long shot. I'm still dealing with the shock and sadness of my dog dying.  I've visited my dentist and doctor. I've walked and I've shivered, I've sat in sunshine and next to the fire place. I went to my daughter's Portland State graduation. I've been cooking- and made some pretty tasty meals.  I got my computer repaired but lost all of my photos, music and documents. I'm still working on  attitude adjustment.
Monday we will drive to Kettle Falls to visit with my mom for a few days. Weather forecast calls for rain. Hopefully, that will change too.

Leaving Haiti

It was an emotional couple of weeks. Closing up the guest house- packing all of the household items to move to storage, telling the staff goodbye, leaving my dog with Andy all left me exhausted and tearful. I wonder where this emotional stuff comes from. I will be back in a few months when the new guesthouse is finished. I'm sure that it is an accumulation of emotions- probably years actually. I've decided that a break will be good for me and I should take time to reflect and reenergize. I will take time to re-connect with family and friends and enjoy the time together that coming for a week or 2 vacation does not allow. And I still have to do some work.

Reintegrating and adjusting:  After being away for the better part of 4 years, my Portland house is more like what you'd imagine a bachelor pad to be like. So while much of the first week at home was cold, gray and rainy, I turned into a crazy person wanting to get everything clean and organized. It wasn't enough that I could flip a switch without thought that a light would shine, that I could step into the shower and it would be hot and soothing. It wasn't in me to sit back a watch a basketball playoff game and relax. I worked through the emotions by purging more tangible touchable stuff. I went through closets and dressers, filling paper bags with clothes and stuff to give away. There are all kinds of books about organizing and storing, heck there is a television show about hoarding...but I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to get 30 years of accumulated stuff sorted any faster or easier than 4 years of Haiti emotions or vise versa.

What Haiti Needs

With tongue in cheek, one night eating dinner we came up with a list of things Haiti needs. This came in response to hearing the Haiti on Ice had been postponed for the 4th time. Haiti on Ice is an ice skating show with International skaters scheduled to perform in the National Stadium. We wondered what kind of ice they would have that wouldn't melt almost immediately among other thoughts. We added a few other things- a goat cheese factory, a rain garden, more ice cream trucks that actually drove around, and few other absurb, silly things.

Its easy to list such things as infrastructure, electricity, education, improved medical facilities, better roads, more police and fire protection and the big one, housing. For about 300,000 people, this is a big one. Of course all of this is needed but actually all of this is existing to some extent. We've seen most of the streets in Petionville as well as around the city repaved. We seen new solar panel lights installed along the 3 major roads from Petionville to downtown. Police are being trained in many areas and more have been hired.  We see more people working though this isn't to say that wages are adequate for people to have even an average standard of living for the majority. We've also seen sidewalks being installed in different areas. or repaired- but still there is no ramped areas for w/chair users. Its more than difficult for people with disability to navigate in Port au Prince.

My friend Fiona is back in Haiti to continue a follow- up research study with people suffering a spinal cord injury 3 years after the earthquake. Here are a few of the stories she has heard this week.
A young woman in her 30's is living in a small cement room with her 2 children- one she was pregnant with when the earthquake struck and the other she shielded with her body for protection. Everyday she goes out to a different neighborhood to beg for money; once she has enough she will go to the street market to purchase food, then return home to prepare food for her children. She is fortunate that she can get people to help her into the taptaps when they stop. and help her out again.
Another woman lives up the side of a mountain in an 8x10 room with her 2 children. Because of the narrow steep walkway, she never leaves her home. She has a brother that occasionally brings her food, she mostly relies on the goodness of neighbors that might give her something for her and her children. Both of these woman live in w/chairs and are independent with there self care.
Another young man, a teacher, lives in a w/chair. He can not teach because he can not stand up to write on the black board. He did not go to a hospital after he was injured in the earthquake. He did not see or get treated by any of the international specialists that were here. Instead, he went to a 'traditional' medicine practitoner - a voudou doctor. At some point, an international therapist working with the community found him. He received a w/chair and had 2 therapy treatments before being "discharged".  When Fiona and David found him and began talking to him, asking him his story they discovered that he had no problems that affected his bowel and bladder. He had feeling in his legs and could even move them a bit. Fiona and David looked at each and at this young man and asked him if he could stand. Because we think you can walk. They helped him to stand and in fact he did take several steps. His weakened and bent body would only allow this with much assistance but suddenly he had hope that one day he could teach again. Arrangements were made to get him therapy.
Had he received treatment and therapy three years ago, he would be teaching today.

According to Foundation for Spinal Cord Injury, Prevention, Care and Cure (fsip.org) there are 12,000 new spinal cord injuries each year in the US. In 2008, it was estimated that there were 259,000 survivors of spinal cord injury.  Estimated life time costs range from $600,000 to 3 million dollars per person.

In Haiti, before the earthquake, we knew of very few SCI survivors. Minimal to no medical care given, no referrals to rehab.  The Haiti SCI Working Group now has over 300 patients listed in their data base to date. The number of survivors from the earthquake at 145.
The medical care from International professionals, education given to caregivers at the centers where these patients ended up and the hope of walking again has led us to these stories and more 3 plus years later.
What does Haiti need?
Imagine what could be done with $600,000?
Someone could have accessible housing. Someone could have a business. Someone would be teaching again. Wouldn't that be something?

Na we' pita...saying ' See You Later' is easier than Goodbye

Sometime progress makes a left turn. Sometimes the journey takes a right.  The twists and turns this week will affect a lot of people I work with, including myself.  We are closing the old guesthouse as of the end of May.  No longer will we have this old house with its old plumbing to provide us with memories.  Certainly, in the fall we will have a brand new house to welcome our volunteers, a place to meet new friends and a respite after a day of work under the hot Haitian sun.
The staff will have the summer off with their families and I too will return to Portland for the summer and work from there.  I'll miss seeing the rise of the walls as the work progresses and I'll beg Andy and Beth and Riche to send me photos to share.

Memories make up the chapters in the nearly 10 years we have been in this house. HHH started with a group of dedicated rehabilitation and support people that saw a vision of providing therapy to people with disability- stroke victims being one of the largest population of our services that stayed hidden in their homes. Little hope of recovery, let alone a semblance of normal life. Someone with a disability must be cursed, no longer seen in their community, no longer valued as a member of the community.
Just as the walls came tumbling down during the earthquake, we saw progress being made in the world of handicap persons in Haiti. Eyes that were closed as if blind to those 'being different' were suddenly opened. Everyone if not related to someone, knows someone now missing a limb. In less than a minute,  lives were changed forever and hopefully the chains that bound those with a crippling disease would be broken forever as well. Over the years of providing therapy, building a prosthetic leg or providing a brace, we had seen improvement on a very personal level.  More like 'telejol'- communication like the old 'telephone' game whispered in someones ear, people learned they could be helped.  It didn't come a government mandate of accessibility, it didn't come from medical referrals - few medical professionals knew about physical rehabilitation let alone recognized the value.
There is the story of the voudou priest whose wife suffered a stroke during childbirth. The voudou priest loved his wife enough to bring her to our clinic for alternative medicine when traditional medicine  had no effect. A few years later, a group of us were privileged to watch her dance with her daughters while her husband and sons drummed out a beat. Such joy on everyone's faces that day on the mountain in Furcy.
We saw children take tentative steps with their new braces wrapped around weakened legs, suddenly take off across the room in the new found freedom  of movement... like little George and Ti Jean.  The smiles on their faces reflecting the happiness of their mom seeing for the first time, a future for their child.
We saw the incredible increase of numbers of surviving spinal cord injury patients due to dedicated professionals sharing their knowledge.
These sound like stories of our clinic but they are the stories of the volunteers that have come to Haiti, the ones that gave up vacation time, that left their secure world of hot water, consistent electricity, their "safe"world for a week or 10 days or 2 weeks, sometimes longer to live in a house without those amenities, to sweat in tropical humidity, to travel on streets with seemingly no rules, to suffer mosquito bites and worry about malaria, to reassure family members who only hear the negative news about Haiti. These are the stories of people dedicated to their profession, dedicated to make the world a better place for those most vulnerable.

We had little option but to take this decision but it wasn't an easy one. It all come down to the financial viability. Fewer volunteers and guests throughout the hot summer months and struggling to get donations to operate the GH and clinic on a daily basis is constant and consistent organizational problem. We are obligated to people of Haiti and must make it work.

It will be a temporary good bye to staff and friends here, none  the less difficult.  Andy has said he would take care of Gracie if I choose to leave her here until I return. This may will be the most difficult goodbye of all.