C'mon Patty BLOG! Gah! Yes, So, I know I was supposed to blog about November. So much to blog about- Cholera- Hurricane Thomas. Actually reverse that order. It should be Hurricane Thomas- THEN cholera. But now I have something else. Elections.
Let's start with that shall we?
Oh, chaos. I think we all knew that something would happen. I mean, have you ever been to a third world country where there isn't some protesting of some kind after elections? Yeah, I don't think so. Well, elections were held on the 28th of November. We had a no-fly time- as I had r&r schedule on until the 30th- but got an extra day. Things seemed surprisingly calm....until they revealed the results.
There is one candidate- Jude Celestin- that is backed by the current president- Preval. And he has a LOT of cash. Supposedly, he stuffed the ballot boxes thus putting him in 2nd place-for the run-off due to happen January 16th (I think). So, those who support Sweet Mickey- who came in 3rd- but again supposedly and kind of likely- really came in 2nd are angry because he isn't in the runoff. when things like this happen, people aren't happy. When people aren't happy- this isn't good.
So, we were thus on lockdown for 4 days as tires burned, people shot off guns, the airport was shut down and people showed their unhappiness.
The 4 days on lockdown proved to be quite boring. And i was also somewhat disappointed in lack of knowledge of what was happening. I do understand that the news probably doesn't show much- because no one cares about Haiti anymore- let's be honest- it's quite true. And I guess- that's why I figured out why I should blog more often- to be a source of information. But during this time, it was quite as I responded to e-mails acting as if nothing was really happening, because I was really thinking, "if you really knew what was happening or what life here consists of -considering i just celebrated my 10th month here 4 days ago) it would probably cause your Western mind to completely explode because you will never understand"- yet, I didn't say that- I refrain :).
On day 4 (or was it day 3) of lockdown- I got to go with some people down the street to get more chicken. It was eerily quiet. Not one Pap-a-dap (a huge bus) or tap-taps (trucks that take people places-similar to a kombi or a taxi- it's just a truck that has wooden boards on the back so many people can sit) in sight. we go down the road and you can see the remnants of burnt tires in the middle of the road. We come across a roadblock and we had to stop. At first they said they wouldn't let us pass- but they knew our people and as they moved the blocks- we said, "we'll be right back!". We go to get the chicken- and there's only a handful of people out and about. It was probably the oddest feeling that I had felt from being in Haiti. It was like everyone deserted the entire country.
I come back and call my staff to tell them no work and they tell me that shots were fired in Leogane (where we work) and where they live.
Certain airlines are finally starting to fly. Although we aren't sure if the demonstrations are going to start again tomorrow- because they don't want recounts- as that won't help if the ballots are stuffed.
I leave for vacation on Saturday to NYC! whoo hoo! I've never been- so state number 37 ( I think) is off the list and I get to visit one of my friends-personal tour of NYC- in the winter. Let's hope I don't freeze to death. Hopefully I'll make it through this week- cause mentally- I am definitely ready for vacation!
Peace in the middle east,
Pat-c (my ex-pat Haitian name)
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
i guess i should go back to october....
I must admit. i feel quite guilty. i haven't posted in months. each time something happens, i think about how i should post- and then just put it off- when i find myself in need of 4 or 5 blog posts. so, here we go, one major event at a time shall we? I guess one major thing that happened work wise is that we finished our 10,000th temporary shelter!
yeah! 10,000 families out of the rain. not too bad. we've been blessed with materials. so it's nice that other organizations are vamping up as we are slowing down.
so, in October- we had a couple of 3 day weekends. So, on Canadian Thanksgiving, a couple of friends and I decided to go to Dominican Republic and spend some time in Santo Domingo. We managed to get on the last UN plane (if UN employees don't fill the plane, they leave extra seats open for relief workers). and all 4 of us got on! It was my first UN plane ride, but it was so much nicer than riding a typical airplane. First, you just show up and get to avoid all the other stuff that seems to take up so much time. so, we get there and in line start talking to a guy that works for the UN. He's American and interested in our shelter program. So, I talk to him a bit about it and his family is coming to pick him up because he travels back and forth from the DR to Haiti. And he so kindly offers us a ride to where finding a cab will be much cheaper than from the airport. God Wink!
Then, we get to our hotel- in the middle of the Colonial Center in Santo Domingo, and it's beautiful! and they have the best coffee ever. Plus, they have a pool....on the roof! So, the first day was amazing. we went and saw probably every single thing that can be considered worth site seeing and even things that weren't. so, at one of our last stops, the ruins of San Francisco, we thought it was time to get creative....
and became probably my favourite picture ever. we hung out at night at the square, ate good food, and just had a BLAST. i have to say it was my favourite vacation ever too. our 2nd and last night, (we were all complaining about how much we DIDN"T want to go back) we ate at this cave.
okay- let me back up. Julie decided to come with this lonely planet for Haiti and the DR. the rest of us hated that stupid book- but i must say because of it, we ended up doing quite a lot in the book. so, "the book" as we came to call it recommended dinner in a cave and it was so cool as seen above. definitely worth it. but i guess something funny that happened was that on our way back, there was only one taxi. and he wanted to charge us something ridiculous. so we said no and kept on walking. the guy was trying to convince us that it was "dangerous". Dangerous? we said....please, we live in haiti. so we keep walking and Andrew is trying to flag down a taxi, while Julie is asking whether or not we should go back while I'm adamant about how we WILL NOT go back if we have to walk all the way back to our hotel. yet, the further we keep walking, we're thinking....hmmmm....we may never find a taxi- yet we can't go back. Literally....it was like something out of a movie.yet it was funny as about 4 minutes later we find another taxi for a reasonable price. so. yes. best. vacation. ever. with awesome people.
k. that is the update for most of october. hopefully november will come tomorrow
yeah! 10,000 families out of the rain. not too bad. we've been blessed with materials. so it's nice that other organizations are vamping up as we are slowing down.
so, in October- we had a couple of 3 day weekends. So, on Canadian Thanksgiving, a couple of friends and I decided to go to Dominican Republic and spend some time in Santo Domingo. We managed to get on the last UN plane (if UN employees don't fill the plane, they leave extra seats open for relief workers). and all 4 of us got on! It was my first UN plane ride, but it was so much nicer than riding a typical airplane. First, you just show up and get to avoid all the other stuff that seems to take up so much time. so, we get there and in line start talking to a guy that works for the UN. He's American and interested in our shelter program. So, I talk to him a bit about it and his family is coming to pick him up because he travels back and forth from the DR to Haiti. And he so kindly offers us a ride to where finding a cab will be much cheaper than from the airport. God Wink!
Then, we get to our hotel- in the middle of the Colonial Center in Santo Domingo, and it's beautiful! and they have the best coffee ever. Plus, they have a pool....on the roof! So, the first day was amazing. we went and saw probably every single thing that can be considered worth site seeing and even things that weren't. so, at one of our last stops, the ruins of San Francisco, we thought it was time to get creative....
and became probably my favourite picture ever. we hung out at night at the square, ate good food, and just had a BLAST. i have to say it was my favourite vacation ever too. our 2nd and last night, (we were all complaining about how much we DIDN"T want to go back) we ate at this cave.
okay- let me back up. Julie decided to come with this lonely planet for Haiti and the DR. the rest of us hated that stupid book- but i must say because of it, we ended up doing quite a lot in the book. so, "the book" as we came to call it recommended dinner in a cave and it was so cool as seen above. definitely worth it. but i guess something funny that happened was that on our way back, there was only one taxi. and he wanted to charge us something ridiculous. so we said no and kept on walking. the guy was trying to convince us that it was "dangerous". Dangerous? we said....please, we live in haiti. so we keep walking and Andrew is trying to flag down a taxi, while Julie is asking whether or not we should go back while I'm adamant about how we WILL NOT go back if we have to walk all the way back to our hotel. yet, the further we keep walking, we're thinking....hmmmm....we may never find a taxi- yet we can't go back. Literally....it was like something out of a movie.yet it was funny as about 4 minutes later we find another taxi for a reasonable price. so. yes. best. vacation. ever. with awesome people.
k. that is the update for most of october. hopefully november will come tomorrow
Saturday, September 11, 2010
7 months later...
Well, it's been quite a while since i've updated...i know a lot has happened, so let's try to remember it all shall we?
first, i celebrated my birthday here. for lots of reasons, i'm not a fan of celebrating my birthday, it's usually just a let down. this year i figured it would pretty much be the same. that night, they had made me a cake that said, "Happy Birthday Patty the Hut" along with a Korea cake because it was Korean independence day too. That was so awesome! Being Korean- Korean independence day means a lot to me. Cause without it- I guess I wouldn't have my mom :).I also got some Goldfish- as that's the best snack ever- and some cards and best of all- a new workout DVD- I love workout DVDs. It was probably the best cakes ever though as you can see below:
We also moved another community in. This made our 6th full community. I believe we have over 500 families moved into communities and over 7000 shelters that are already built between communities and through our partners who build on the land that beneficiaries already have. 7000 families out of the rain. so, at this specific community in Darbonne- where we were the first NGO to build, I get there and see this:
the community had put up balloons and streamers to celebrate the move in day!!! all by themselves! gosh i love that community.
And I guess in other news: We had tried to start a new site near this amazing site that I'm talking about. Well, that place is so desperate for shelter, that about 125 more people than were supposed to showed up and started a mini riot. Long story short, our security and the UN came out as our first site dealt with the angry people to protect us. So, fearing that the worst, I was trying to give out flashlights to security committee. And the UN kept waiting for me to leave. and then our security guy said, "we have to get a hold of Patty". and Monica replied, "Oh, no one can get a hold of Patty". That made me laugh.
so, the next day, we decided to go back to put up a community board in order to somewhat cooperate with the community. i ended up finding the president of the community and talking to him about his concerns. we ended up negotiating decided that we'll come back. that was nice.
i ended up going back to the first community too, just seeing if they had any problems. turns out they didn't. and now monica and i are "THEIR blancs" (blancs is a term for foreigner). and how THEY were the ones who protected us, which is so true.
but after talking to the community, i finally realised something. that the loud, annoying, typical haitian-i don't understand them or their warped way of thinking- the reasons i despise this country.....i understood a part of them. i almost cried. they were only yelling because they are an uneducated people, who have no idea how to tell me about how they really feel. they can try talking to me, but i can't speak their language. i felt like that moment was what i really needed to somewhat get them. to stop being frustrated with them. it only took me 7 months. :)
Love
p
first, i celebrated my birthday here. for lots of reasons, i'm not a fan of celebrating my birthday, it's usually just a let down. this year i figured it would pretty much be the same. that night, they had made me a cake that said, "Happy Birthday Patty the Hut" along with a Korea cake because it was Korean independence day too. That was so awesome! Being Korean- Korean independence day means a lot to me. Cause without it- I guess I wouldn't have my mom :).I also got some Goldfish- as that's the best snack ever- and some cards and best of all- a new workout DVD- I love workout DVDs. It was probably the best cakes ever though as you can see below:
We also moved another community in. This made our 6th full community. I believe we have over 500 families moved into communities and over 7000 shelters that are already built between communities and through our partners who build on the land that beneficiaries already have. 7000 families out of the rain. so, at this specific community in Darbonne- where we were the first NGO to build, I get there and see this:
the community had put up balloons and streamers to celebrate the move in day!!! all by themselves! gosh i love that community.
And I guess in other news: We had tried to start a new site near this amazing site that I'm talking about. Well, that place is so desperate for shelter, that about 125 more people than were supposed to showed up and started a mini riot. Long story short, our security and the UN came out as our first site dealt with the angry people to protect us. So, fearing that the worst, I was trying to give out flashlights to security committee. And the UN kept waiting for me to leave. and then our security guy said, "we have to get a hold of Patty". and Monica replied, "Oh, no one can get a hold of Patty". That made me laugh.
so, the next day, we decided to go back to put up a community board in order to somewhat cooperate with the community. i ended up finding the president of the community and talking to him about his concerns. we ended up negotiating decided that we'll come back. that was nice.
i ended up going back to the first community too, just seeing if they had any problems. turns out they didn't. and now monica and i are "THEIR blancs" (blancs is a term for foreigner). and how THEY were the ones who protected us, which is so true.
but after talking to the community, i finally realised something. that the loud, annoying, typical haitian-i don't understand them or their warped way of thinking- the reasons i despise this country.....i understood a part of them. i almost cried. they were only yelling because they are an uneducated people, who have no idea how to tell me about how they really feel. they can try talking to me, but i can't speak their language. i felt like that moment was what i really needed to somewhat get them. to stop being frustrated with them. it only took me 7 months. :)
Love
p
Thursday, August 26, 2010
silence is golden
the weirdest thing happened to me today. some people were sitting around talking and i was asked if i am an introvert. immediately, i got offended. what the heck? who are you? i wondered. i've never been asked that in my life. then, i became insecure. i tried not to show it, but oh, i did. i spent the next 10 minutes processing this in my head. i'm not an introvert!! all of these thoughts flew through my mind that "these people just don't know me", "these people are crazy, so of course i seem like an introvert"
then i got mad at myself for thinking this way. i know, i know, i'm in haiti, i'm supposed to be talking about the cool stuff i get to do all day long. but, while in haiti, i've done quite a bit of processing. as i get older, i realise that i HAVE become more of an introvert. is this bad?
but then i think of why. what has happened to me? i used to talk a lot. i guess i always felt like i had to- to make myself look better, or etc. kahil gibran once said, "you talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts". i think this is true. when i made the effort to stop interrupting people and to listen (which i had a major problem with) i realised that talking didn't really seem that important anymore. it's not that i stopped trying per se, but i realise i don't need to compete for whatever it was i may have been looking for before.
then, when i became comfortable in my own skin again, i could also be quiet and not mind. so, do i need to be offended because i'm looked at as an introvert? maybe it's a compliment, or maybe, i'm just growing up :)
~P
then i got mad at myself for thinking this way. i know, i know, i'm in haiti, i'm supposed to be talking about the cool stuff i get to do all day long. but, while in haiti, i've done quite a bit of processing. as i get older, i realise that i HAVE become more of an introvert. is this bad?
but then i think of why. what has happened to me? i used to talk a lot. i guess i always felt like i had to- to make myself look better, or etc. kahil gibran once said, "you talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts". i think this is true. when i made the effort to stop interrupting people and to listen (which i had a major problem with) i realised that talking didn't really seem that important anymore. it's not that i stopped trying per se, but i realise i don't need to compete for whatever it was i may have been looking for before.
then, when i became comfortable in my own skin again, i could also be quiet and not mind. so, do i need to be offended because i'm looked at as an introvert? maybe it's a compliment, or maybe, i'm just growing up :)
~P
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
back to life.....back to reality
why does so much happen in between blogs? oh, well. the fact that i'm not really bothered by it that much makes me feel better about it. well, i went home and surprised my dad for r&r for his birthday. we were changing our r&r policy from the last time he saw me, so he wasn't expecting me home until Christmas. it was fabulous. gosh, i love my parents. they really are great. my dad had such a good time that he said, "I should have a birthday every 3 months!" although we didn't really do much, we did. just having the opportunity of BEING with them, is the best thing I could ask for.
i am back in haiti now, and i must say, it feels pretty good. being at home, i love being with my family and it's nice to hang out with people, but as a relief worker, it's hard to find where you belong. when i go home, i realise how much of my life is NOT normal. you can't relate to people and it's just hard because I can relate to everyone else, but no one can relate to me, so it seems like they don't care, when i know that they know that they don't understand, so that's probably why they don't ask. it's kind of a hard place to be, but....this is my life and i love it.
so, back to work today and i was out in the rain for a while running through the mud trying to get places on time and tools dropped off. less disasters this time than when i went away last time which is a good sign. so, back to life, back to reality!!!
til next time,
-P
i am back in haiti now, and i must say, it feels pretty good. being at home, i love being with my family and it's nice to hang out with people, but as a relief worker, it's hard to find where you belong. when i go home, i realise how much of my life is NOT normal. you can't relate to people and it's just hard because I can relate to everyone else, but no one can relate to me, so it seems like they don't care, when i know that they know that they don't understand, so that's probably why they don't ask. it's kind of a hard place to be, but....this is my life and i love it.
so, back to work today and i was out in the rain for a while running through the mud trying to get places on time and tools dropped off. less disasters this time than when i went away last time which is a good sign. so, back to life, back to reality!!!
til next time,
-P
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
what can i even say....
This morning, it was hard to wake up. I woke up a little later than normal. So, I finally got myself out of bed about 6:40. It started as pretty much a normal morning. I was headed to the office to print off some papers before breakfast, when I noticed commotion. Our short term medical staff was running. They were looking for our head nurse. Something about an accident. Just up the driveway of our compound. Our staff had seen it happen and 4 of our national staff were actually in the accident. They ran down the road calling for us to come help quickly.
There aren't signs in Haiti, no stoplights, except in Port Au Prince and no lines really. So, they drive super crazy. Upon hearing there was an accident, we didn't know much about it. Then, we heard that it was really bad. The nurses and our rubble team had already gone to the accident. We say a quick prayer before we decide that since the ambulance hasn't come and since it will take forever, we would probably need to take people to the hospital. I hop in one of our trucks with Ruco and drive up the driveway. We decided that i would jump out and see if they needed more trucks. when i got out, it was like something out of a movie. It wasn't just an accident, it was a bus called a Pap-A-Dap with along with another bus type truck called a Tap Tap. They had collided head on. I had never seen mass casualties. When I got there people had been thrown from the truck all the way into a ditch. on the other side. It was good timing because right when we got there the first truck had just left for the hospital.
Our other staff were there too- looking at who was already dead from those who had a chance. We got our truck full of people, we laid as many as we could in the bed and went to MSF. i was somewhat flustered and forgot for a second where MSF was, so I pulled one of our workers in the truck with us and off we went.
As we came to Dufort, the city between us and what is officially Leogane, I remembered that it's Tuesday, market day. Oh, no, I thought, how are we going to maneuver in the market? Praise the Lord that it wasn't that bad. I managed to wave a couple of tap taps out of the way and I could hear the people in the street see the people in the back of the truck, some screamed and some would just moan. One person said, "the Good Samaritan's are taking care of them".
We made it to MSF and had to unload the other trucks first. MSF called all of their staff- but I think they only had one OR, and more than one person definitely needed surgery. We finally unload everyone and come back to base. We once again checked if there was anyone else, and there wasn't. The team had already respectfully covered those in the tap tap that didn't make it with a sheet. We came back and debriefed for the rest of the morning.
Our team pulled together though. Took 8 trucks to the hospital. But it made me realise how short life is. That this morning, those 18 people that lost their lives today didn't know that it would be their last day. Did they know God? I don't know. Were they people that crossed my path that I should have showed them God? I don't know.
I don't know why it happened, but I know that God was there. The fact that it happened in front of our compound, where they could get help quickly. The fact that had the accident occurred 20 minutes later, we would not have had 75% of the vehicles that we had on hand.
Lots of thoughts.
Quite the day.
-P
There aren't signs in Haiti, no stoplights, except in Port Au Prince and no lines really. So, they drive super crazy. Upon hearing there was an accident, we didn't know much about it. Then, we heard that it was really bad. The nurses and our rubble team had already gone to the accident. We say a quick prayer before we decide that since the ambulance hasn't come and since it will take forever, we would probably need to take people to the hospital. I hop in one of our trucks with Ruco and drive up the driveway. We decided that i would jump out and see if they needed more trucks. when i got out, it was like something out of a movie. It wasn't just an accident, it was a bus called a Pap-A-Dap with along with another bus type truck called a Tap Tap. They had collided head on. I had never seen mass casualties. When I got there people had been thrown from the truck all the way into a ditch. on the other side. It was good timing because right when we got there the first truck had just left for the hospital.
Our other staff were there too- looking at who was already dead from those who had a chance. We got our truck full of people, we laid as many as we could in the bed and went to MSF. i was somewhat flustered and forgot for a second where MSF was, so I pulled one of our workers in the truck with us and off we went.
As we came to Dufort, the city between us and what is officially Leogane, I remembered that it's Tuesday, market day. Oh, no, I thought, how are we going to maneuver in the market? Praise the Lord that it wasn't that bad. I managed to wave a couple of tap taps out of the way and I could hear the people in the street see the people in the back of the truck, some screamed and some would just moan. One person said, "the Good Samaritan's are taking care of them".
We made it to MSF and had to unload the other trucks first. MSF called all of their staff- but I think they only had one OR, and more than one person definitely needed surgery. We finally unload everyone and come back to base. We once again checked if there was anyone else, and there wasn't. The team had already respectfully covered those in the tap tap that didn't make it with a sheet. We came back and debriefed for the rest of the morning.
Our team pulled together though. Took 8 trucks to the hospital. But it made me realise how short life is. That this morning, those 18 people that lost their lives today didn't know that it would be their last day. Did they know God? I don't know. Were they people that crossed my path that I should have showed them God? I don't know.
I don't know why it happened, but I know that God was there. The fact that it happened in front of our compound, where they could get help quickly. The fact that had the accident occurred 20 minutes later, we would not have had 75% of the vehicles that we had on hand.
Lots of thoughts.
Quite the day.
-P
Saturday, July 10, 2010
singing songs of hope to me
First, should i wish everyone a happy 4th of july from me and my friend kristi from Jax Beach (oh and Happy Canada Day too). It was a fun time, we made red, white and blue cupcakes and a Canadian Flag and USA flag cake too. We invited some other NGOs, but the best thing ever....
was....the makeshift slip n' slide! Totally great times!
let's see, to say that i'm ready for r&r is definitely an understatement. but alas, it is not coming for awhile. i think i'm just stuck in a funk. it happens sometimes, this i know. but it just usually doesn't last this long.
this week has just been one of those weeks. where i just want a break and one is far away in sight, every day this week has felt like a monday in that there has been a fire of some sort to put out every day, and to top it off, i don't even really like this country. these people are getting on my nerves.
so, today, on my final work day of the week, i went to go somewhat calm down a situation at one of our potential sites. i met with the committee and we solved the problem. i only had to wait about another 30 minutes, so i sat in this corner, under these huge beautiful mango trees. when one kid came up to me....then another. one kid, his name is Schnaeder (pronounced Snyder) started singing me a song- "we are happy that you have come. you have come. we are happy to see you". first in kreyol, then somewhat in broken english. i doubt that he knows that that song currently brings me to tears. As he and his friends in that community sang to me- little did we both know that that's what i needed to feel like this week wasn't worthless. hmm.....from the mouth of babes. maybe one day, i can be like schnaeder too. see, God used that boy to wink at me. What's a God wink you ask?
it's a moment where God "winks" at you, because He says, "you know what Patty? I got you. I see you. I hear you. I have you. I'm still here...right next to you".
"Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven"- Matt 18:4
was....the makeshift slip n' slide! Totally great times!
let's see, to say that i'm ready for r&r is definitely an understatement. but alas, it is not coming for awhile. i think i'm just stuck in a funk. it happens sometimes, this i know. but it just usually doesn't last this long.
this week has just been one of those weeks. where i just want a break and one is far away in sight, every day this week has felt like a monday in that there has been a fire of some sort to put out every day, and to top it off, i don't even really like this country. these people are getting on my nerves.
so, today, on my final work day of the week, i went to go somewhat calm down a situation at one of our potential sites. i met with the committee and we solved the problem. i only had to wait about another 30 minutes, so i sat in this corner, under these huge beautiful mango trees. when one kid came up to me....then another. one kid, his name is Schnaeder (pronounced Snyder) started singing me a song- "we are happy that you have come. you have come. we are happy to see you". first in kreyol, then somewhat in broken english. i doubt that he knows that that song currently brings me to tears. As he and his friends in that community sang to me- little did we both know that that's what i needed to feel like this week wasn't worthless. hmm.....from the mouth of babes. maybe one day, i can be like schnaeder too. see, God used that boy to wink at me. What's a God wink you ask?
it's a moment where God "winks" at you, because He says, "you know what Patty? I got you. I see you. I hear you. I have you. I'm still here...right next to you".
"Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven"- Matt 18:4
Monday, June 28, 2010
i'm alive!
wow. I can't believe it's been 3 months since i've updated...blogger didn't even recognize me. it's also hard to believe that i have been in haiti for almost 5 months next week. so much has happened. in shelter, as a whole, we've gotten over 2,300 shelters up. 2300 families out of the rain. to be honest, it's had it's good days and it's rough days. working with the community is a blessing, but then it's equally difficult.
haitians are different from africans. extremely different. haiti is close to the states and thus have always had support come in country...and quite easily too. this is where it's difficult being a development worker. you see the people who come over for one week or two meaning well, but then haiti becomes the example of what happens when you have people who aren't development minded staying longer term.
so, the result is having beneficiaries who expect things to be handed to them. it's difficult to explain to them why we're trying to get them to dig their own latrines or to clear their own houses- cause other people have done it for them in the past. and because they receive so much, in relation to Africans, they just want more and more and more- just because that mentality is all they've ever known.
that's probably been the biggest challenge, but i'm definitely learning a lot and i'm surrounded by some really great people who are incredibly patient with me as they not only work alongside me but also live with me. going through frustrations and successes together as well.
well, next time i'll include some pictures, but alas, i am still alive. no worries.
til next time (which hopefully won't be as long).
patty
haitians are different from africans. extremely different. haiti is close to the states and thus have always had support come in country...and quite easily too. this is where it's difficult being a development worker. you see the people who come over for one week or two meaning well, but then haiti becomes the example of what happens when you have people who aren't development minded staying longer term.
so, the result is having beneficiaries who expect things to be handed to them. it's difficult to explain to them why we're trying to get them to dig their own latrines or to clear their own houses- cause other people have done it for them in the past. and because they receive so much, in relation to Africans, they just want more and more and more- just because that mentality is all they've ever known.
that's probably been the biggest challenge, but i'm definitely learning a lot and i'm surrounded by some really great people who are incredibly patient with me as they not only work alongside me but also live with me. going through frustrations and successes together as well.
well, next time i'll include some pictures, but alas, i am still alive. no worries.
til next time (which hopefully won't be as long).
patty
Friday, April 2, 2010
All of the Above
Happy Good Friday everyone. Oh, how awesome to celebrate Easter in Haiti. Let's see...it's been quite a while. A week I suppose. I've moved my assessment project to Leogane (the actual epicenter of the earthquake) which is about a 40 minute drive everyday. I have a new team there that I really enjoy working with. The trip there makes a longer day, but it's totally worth it. Just being in Leogane, about 2 1/2 hours west of PAP, makes me feel like I'm doing something. I would say that out of 10 buildings, only half of one still stands. I would say in Leogane, most of the buildings look like this:
okay, so honestly, i started the beginning of my blog on Good Friday, about 10 days ago. Man, a lot has happened since then. So, yes, I have moved my team to Leogane, i like it there. i like getting to know the people in the community of Leogane too. Leogane is the voodoo capital of Haiti, interestingly enough.
my roommate jordanne and i went to go visit a site in Leogane where we could distribute tarp. while talking with the pastor, he began to tell us a story. a story of a girl named cynthia... she's 20 years old and her dad was a man very high up in voodoo. he nominated her to be a queen in voodoo which is extremely high up there. he married her off to a spirit in the form of a snake-which you can only imagine what happens there. I can't even repeat everything that he told me that happened. Turns out, January 12th, she was supposed to get something input into her arm that would transfer her to the spiritual world. She didn't want to get this done. and on the 12th of January, the earthquake happened. The next day, she became a Christian. since then, she's been tormented by these spirits that her father has sent. More things happened that I can't explain, but Jordanne and I definitely had our hearts go out to her from hearing her story. After we get things set for tarp distribution, on our way out, Pastor pulls back this tarp and we see 3 ladies sitting on the floor. One of these ladies, is Cynthia herself. She's shy and quiet. And then Jordanne and I both have the opportunity to pray for her as she's continually attacked by these spirits. Wow. What an amazing opportunity it was. Definitely top of my list of coolest things i've had the opportunity to be a part of.
Last week was probably the most hectic i've ever had. I was covering for finance for a couple of days as our finance guy was on r&r, doing office stuff-as our office manager left and we won't get a new one til tomorrow, along with attempting to still do my assessments. it got a little busy, i'll admit. but, one of the coolest things i got to do was see the Cash For Work when we went to do payroll for them. can you imagine trying to come up with a way to pay 490 people on the same day? without a bank? yeah, it was a little crazy, but it worked. my good friend andrew is the project coordinator for CFW and so i got to go with him up to the mountains to pay those in the mountains. Those who worked in the mountains made a car road out of a goat path on the side of a mountain. It was amazing to be the first to drive down these roads they made! And to see how hard they worked. They work overtime even though they are only paid for certain hours. i can't even put into words how awesome this road was! pics to come in the future. Also, to see the older people when we gave them payroll. Such a beautiful moment. They would come forward when we called their names, with their backs bent from years of hard work, and just smile and say thank you-over and over again.
On the way back too, Andrew and I saw the most beautiful sunset i've ever seen in my life. Andrew literally pulled the truck over and said, let's just absorb this sunset". Neither one of us had our cameras, unfortunately, but it was perfect. We sat and stared in silence for a while- i was trying to burn the image in my mind forever. A background of the sun setting behind the mountain and above the ocean. Absolute perfection. It was definitely a God wink moment. Where it was as though God just showed who He is. Perfection. Utter Beauty. Anything awesome that I could ever possibly say- He is All of the Above.
please remember to pray for Cynthia and for Haiti and for SP if possible!!! it would be much appreciated!!
love,
Patty
okay, so honestly, i started the beginning of my blog on Good Friday, about 10 days ago. Man, a lot has happened since then. So, yes, I have moved my team to Leogane, i like it there. i like getting to know the people in the community of Leogane too. Leogane is the voodoo capital of Haiti, interestingly enough.
my roommate jordanne and i went to go visit a site in Leogane where we could distribute tarp. while talking with the pastor, he began to tell us a story. a story of a girl named cynthia... she's 20 years old and her dad was a man very high up in voodoo. he nominated her to be a queen in voodoo which is extremely high up there. he married her off to a spirit in the form of a snake-which you can only imagine what happens there. I can't even repeat everything that he told me that happened. Turns out, January 12th, she was supposed to get something input into her arm that would transfer her to the spiritual world. She didn't want to get this done. and on the 12th of January, the earthquake happened. The next day, she became a Christian. since then, she's been tormented by these spirits that her father has sent. More things happened that I can't explain, but Jordanne and I definitely had our hearts go out to her from hearing her story. After we get things set for tarp distribution, on our way out, Pastor pulls back this tarp and we see 3 ladies sitting on the floor. One of these ladies, is Cynthia herself. She's shy and quiet. And then Jordanne and I both have the opportunity to pray for her as she's continually attacked by these spirits. Wow. What an amazing opportunity it was. Definitely top of my list of coolest things i've had the opportunity to be a part of.
Last week was probably the most hectic i've ever had. I was covering for finance for a couple of days as our finance guy was on r&r, doing office stuff-as our office manager left and we won't get a new one til tomorrow, along with attempting to still do my assessments. it got a little busy, i'll admit. but, one of the coolest things i got to do was see the Cash For Work when we went to do payroll for them. can you imagine trying to come up with a way to pay 490 people on the same day? without a bank? yeah, it was a little crazy, but it worked. my good friend andrew is the project coordinator for CFW and so i got to go with him up to the mountains to pay those in the mountains. Those who worked in the mountains made a car road out of a goat path on the side of a mountain. It was amazing to be the first to drive down these roads they made! And to see how hard they worked. They work overtime even though they are only paid for certain hours. i can't even put into words how awesome this road was! pics to come in the future. Also, to see the older people when we gave them payroll. Such a beautiful moment. They would come forward when we called their names, with their backs bent from years of hard work, and just smile and say thank you-over and over again.
On the way back too, Andrew and I saw the most beautiful sunset i've ever seen in my life. Andrew literally pulled the truck over and said, let's just absorb this sunset". Neither one of us had our cameras, unfortunately, but it was perfect. We sat and stared in silence for a while- i was trying to burn the image in my mind forever. A background of the sun setting behind the mountain and above the ocean. Absolute perfection. It was definitely a God wink moment. Where it was as though God just showed who He is. Perfection. Utter Beauty. Anything awesome that I could ever possibly say- He is All of the Above.
please remember to pray for Cynthia and for Haiti and for SP if possible!!! it would be much appreciated!!
love,
Patty
Sunday, March 28, 2010
limbo and a bonfire
i've been back about 5 days now. been trying to get used to all the changes and there's a LOT of work to catch up on- so I've been stuck in the office since wednesday. but it hasn't been bad since it's been so busy getting stuff together. people started coming back from their R&Rs and will come back this week- so I'll finally get to see everyone that I worked with before that are still here.
Last night, we had a bonfire. But this was definitely the biggest bonfire i've ever been to. it was literally about 3 stories high. and apparently could be seen over the trees. that makes me laugh. so, it took a while to actually get close enough to roast marshmallows, cause it was so hot. but it was definitely fun. and then we got a game of limbo going. i was one of the top 4, but i lost pretty badly. i'm not as flexible as i thought i was. yes, i'm definitely going to have to continue with yoga. so i can win next time. one of our rubble removal guys, sam, is just the best person ever. he's always so happy- definitely southern- loves everyone and he's just so funny. and a grandpa of 3, going under the limbo stick he kept saying, "i got this, oh, my nose, it's touching, but it's not falling, no sir, i got this, you just gotta bend your knees this a way" the ENTIRE time making us all laugh like he always does.
surprisingly, i haven't felt a tremor since i've been back....until last night. that is odd- because before i left, we felt them every day-pretty much or at least every other day. so, it had been quite a while since i felt one, but this one woke us up at 2:10 a.m. it was somewhere around a 4.5 i'm guessing based on what we've felt before. so, i jump out bed and run to the door and usually it's just me and jordanne in the room and we sleep on the bottom beds. but since i've returned we got a new roommate gabby- who sleeps up top. so, since jordanne wasn't there and on r&r, i run to the door and get to the door and realise, oh no, "gabby!" so as I'm running, i'm in the middle of saying, "gabby, how are you going to get down" when she screams, "PATTY!" and JUMPS OFF the TOP bunk onto the floor and i just say, "okay...that works too" and open the door, but then it stops. we look at each other and just laugh hysterically. in the moment, you really don't know how long an earthquake is going to last...it's one of few natural disasters that you can't see coming and can't predict its intensity. so, we didn't know when it was going to end, which is why she jumped out of the top bunk. but oh, man. what a memory i'll never forget. hey, when you work here, you know God is keeping you safe, which is what lets you look back and just laugh.
-patty
Last night, we had a bonfire. But this was definitely the biggest bonfire i've ever been to. it was literally about 3 stories high. and apparently could be seen over the trees. that makes me laugh. so, it took a while to actually get close enough to roast marshmallows, cause it was so hot. but it was definitely fun. and then we got a game of limbo going. i was one of the top 4, but i lost pretty badly. i'm not as flexible as i thought i was. yes, i'm definitely going to have to continue with yoga. so i can win next time. one of our rubble removal guys, sam, is just the best person ever. he's always so happy- definitely southern- loves everyone and he's just so funny. and a grandpa of 3, going under the limbo stick he kept saying, "i got this, oh, my nose, it's touching, but it's not falling, no sir, i got this, you just gotta bend your knees this a way" the ENTIRE time making us all laugh like he always does.
surprisingly, i haven't felt a tremor since i've been back....until last night. that is odd- because before i left, we felt them every day-pretty much or at least every other day. so, it had been quite a while since i felt one, but this one woke us up at 2:10 a.m. it was somewhere around a 4.5 i'm guessing based on what we've felt before. so, i jump out bed and run to the door and usually it's just me and jordanne in the room and we sleep on the bottom beds. but since i've returned we got a new roommate gabby- who sleeps up top. so, since jordanne wasn't there and on r&r, i run to the door and get to the door and realise, oh no, "gabby!" so as I'm running, i'm in the middle of saying, "gabby, how are you going to get down" when she screams, "PATTY!" and JUMPS OFF the TOP bunk onto the floor and i just say, "okay...that works too" and open the door, but then it stops. we look at each other and just laugh hysterically. in the moment, you really don't know how long an earthquake is going to last...it's one of few natural disasters that you can't see coming and can't predict its intensity. so, we didn't know when it was going to end, which is why she jumped out of the top bunk. but oh, man. what a memory i'll never forget. hey, when you work here, you know God is keeping you safe, which is what lets you look back and just laugh.
-patty
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
guess who's back!
i'm back! it's good to be back. but it's been quite a while since my last post, so i have a lot to update on. well, my last night in Haiti ended with an epic failure of a round of chubby bunny with Elijah, but also teaching Jean Rene' one of or drivers how to SAY chubby bunny. oh that was funny.
i had a really good time at home. got to see my wonderful family and see people i haven't seen in a month- though that month definitely felt longer. got the word i was coming back and came back!
the flight in was definitely better than the flight going out. going out, the plane was delayed by 7 hours, (for no reason) thus making me miss all my connections. so by the time i make it to miami, there are no other flights, and american won't give a voucher- because it wasn't their fault- it was another airline's fault. on top of that- the miami airport, is the WORST to sleep in. i mean, i've slept in airports before, but this is the first one where every 15 minutes, a lady plays an alarm and then says what time it is. why do i need to know that it's 3 a.m.? so, after that i take my flight to dallas- turns out there are storms in dallas so we're re-routed to austin...then the storms move and we go back to dallas. but i'm quite sure i've missed my connecting flight to lawton by now. get off the ramp and see that my lawton flight was boarding in 4 minutes. i start sprinting....in the wrong direction. turn around and make it with time left to spare. yet, i made it home 22 hours AFTER i was scheduled to make it home....so, on that note- any flight would almost be better than that flight.
so, coming back in, i was headed to the bathroom in miami and heard someone call my name-it was richard- a guy that i met for a couple of days at our base that came to help with carpentry. he's headed back to work on my project. so, it was nice to not have to face Port Au Prince airport by myself.
we get to port au prince and i'm trying to beat all these people to immigration. when i'm stopped by hugh- who i worked with, but who was leaving. we chatted for a while about how things were going...and everyone and their mom passes me in line. so, i make it to immigration and to my baggage. well, the room is about 800 degrees C. it's SO hot and they just throw your luggage in the middle of a room and on an American flight- there's a ton of people. (might i add this was my first commercial flight into port au prince- i got spoiled on a charter plane last time). i'm sweating, richard is sweating, the guy that sat next to me on the plane is sweating, people i don't now are sweating and yelling which one is their bag. oh, it's chaos. so, we finally find my bag. and book it out.
well, then on the way to our compound near PAP (Port au prince) there is a big rig turned over blocking the road so we have to go through town and it takes forever. I go to the base there and see my old base manager - we talk and hang out- meet some new people and get ready for me to head out for my base the next day (today). while there, i saw a guy i'd met before, caught up on some stories- one about how food was taken from one of our trucks. well, mostly so. so, please remember to pray for security for our team as the US Army is pulling out. we definitely need it!
let's see. today- i got to take the helicopter over to the base i work at. it was my first helicopter ride ever and it was really neat. i came back and got to say hi to people i haven't seen in only 2 weeks but it had seemed like forever. i spent the day trying to catch up on all i had missed within my own project and will probably spend the rest of the week doing so.
so, i managed to talk to of the people i work with into doing yoga. i brought a yoga tape with me- so, julie and jeff and i did yoga. i was proud of jeff- he did so good!! but it was definitely funny and we were both sweating like it was our jobs. all in all, a good time so far!!!
patty
i had a really good time at home. got to see my wonderful family and see people i haven't seen in a month- though that month definitely felt longer. got the word i was coming back and came back!
the flight in was definitely better than the flight going out. going out, the plane was delayed by 7 hours, (for no reason) thus making me miss all my connections. so by the time i make it to miami, there are no other flights, and american won't give a voucher- because it wasn't their fault- it was another airline's fault. on top of that- the miami airport, is the WORST to sleep in. i mean, i've slept in airports before, but this is the first one where every 15 minutes, a lady plays an alarm and then says what time it is. why do i need to know that it's 3 a.m.? so, after that i take my flight to dallas- turns out there are storms in dallas so we're re-routed to austin...then the storms move and we go back to dallas. but i'm quite sure i've missed my connecting flight to lawton by now. get off the ramp and see that my lawton flight was boarding in 4 minutes. i start sprinting....in the wrong direction. turn around and make it with time left to spare. yet, i made it home 22 hours AFTER i was scheduled to make it home....so, on that note- any flight would almost be better than that flight.
so, coming back in, i was headed to the bathroom in miami and heard someone call my name-it was richard- a guy that i met for a couple of days at our base that came to help with carpentry. he's headed back to work on my project. so, it was nice to not have to face Port Au Prince airport by myself.
we get to port au prince and i'm trying to beat all these people to immigration. when i'm stopped by hugh- who i worked with, but who was leaving. we chatted for a while about how things were going...and everyone and their mom passes me in line. so, i make it to immigration and to my baggage. well, the room is about 800 degrees C. it's SO hot and they just throw your luggage in the middle of a room and on an American flight- there's a ton of people. (might i add this was my first commercial flight into port au prince- i got spoiled on a charter plane last time). i'm sweating, richard is sweating, the guy that sat next to me on the plane is sweating, people i don't now are sweating and yelling which one is their bag. oh, it's chaos. so, we finally find my bag. and book it out.
well, then on the way to our compound near PAP (Port au prince) there is a big rig turned over blocking the road so we have to go through town and it takes forever. I go to the base there and see my old base manager - we talk and hang out- meet some new people and get ready for me to head out for my base the next day (today). while there, i saw a guy i'd met before, caught up on some stories- one about how food was taken from one of our trucks. well, mostly so. so, please remember to pray for security for our team as the US Army is pulling out. we definitely need it!
let's see. today- i got to take the helicopter over to the base i work at. it was my first helicopter ride ever and it was really neat. i came back and got to say hi to people i haven't seen in only 2 weeks but it had seemed like forever. i spent the day trying to catch up on all i had missed within my own project and will probably spend the rest of the week doing so.
so, i managed to talk to of the people i work with into doing yoga. i brought a yoga tape with me- so, julie and jeff and i did yoga. i was proud of jeff- he did so good!! but it was definitely funny and we were both sweating like it was our jobs. all in all, a good time so far!!!
patty
Sunday, March 7, 2010
no title
my old bossman (that's what we call boss' in Liberia) from Liberia (well, of course) came down to visit Haiti. what a breath of fresh air! Kendell is definitely the best boss I think I've ever had. It's mostly because of him and his wife that I am here in Haiti- i feel like they taught me so much about development and just helped me to have the most amazing experience in Liberia, making me want to do what I do. (if you're reading this Bev, thanks mom).
it's been pretty chaotic here, and it just felt like kendell's presence brought some peace. it was so great to reminesce about old times in Liberia and even to talk to him about how much i feel like Haiti is so much like Liberia- to the point where my first day in the village i spoke to the kids in Liberian English. I forgot where i was!
my favourite thing though is when he came down to our base. we had another earthquake. it lasted a little longer than normal, so we started to get up to get out of the building before it stopped. it wasn't bad, but it was kendell's first earthquake here in Haiti. Well, as i was sharing my new earthquake I.Q. which has increased, i was mentioning how you can hear the earthquake coming, and i was doing such a good job of telling it, that we felt another super small aftershock, i freaked myself out and started to run and everyone else that was listening was running too- and everyone else in the other part of the room- was wondering what we were doing. they all blamed me- i agreed- it was cause i freaked myself out. it was actually really funny though.
yesterday, saturday, i was walking out to a couple of IDP camps that had asked me to come. i've been walking lots of places because of logistical issues- and so i'm becoming quite popular within Grand Goave. people come up to me and ask me to come to their camp. and i really do try to make time- i think it's really awesome that they'd ask me and it helps me to get an idea of future places we may be able to work. so, we go to one camp and on the way back, we see this man in the mountain, Adam, my translator knows him and i say- "what's he doing up there?" Adam doesn't know. "Can we go up there?" I ask. "sure" he says. It was Adam's pastor making a new place to live because as the waters come in the future, they will sweep away his temporary house". we talk for a little and climb back down. adam showed me where he was staying before the earthquake. although it's still standing, it's not safe to stay in. Adam is the same man who lost his fiance' in the earthquake. i flat out cried in front of him when we were talking about her and he just said, "i lost my heart". i don't really understand much about love, but i can't even explain yet what that statement did to me. i think i'm still processing what those 4 words mean. especially to adam.
patty
i drove myself and jordanne out on the ATV to the beach. we met the rest of the team out there and it was just really pretty. i really like the ATV. i feel like i have now lived my life.
it's been pretty chaotic here, and it just felt like kendell's presence brought some peace. it was so great to reminesce about old times in Liberia and even to talk to him about how much i feel like Haiti is so much like Liberia- to the point where my first day in the village i spoke to the kids in Liberian English. I forgot where i was!
my favourite thing though is when he came down to our base. we had another earthquake. it lasted a little longer than normal, so we started to get up to get out of the building before it stopped. it wasn't bad, but it was kendell's first earthquake here in Haiti. Well, as i was sharing my new earthquake I.Q. which has increased, i was mentioning how you can hear the earthquake coming, and i was doing such a good job of telling it, that we felt another super small aftershock, i freaked myself out and started to run and everyone else that was listening was running too- and everyone else in the other part of the room- was wondering what we were doing. they all blamed me- i agreed- it was cause i freaked myself out. it was actually really funny though.
yesterday, saturday, i was walking out to a couple of IDP camps that had asked me to come. i've been walking lots of places because of logistical issues- and so i'm becoming quite popular within Grand Goave. people come up to me and ask me to come to their camp. and i really do try to make time- i think it's really awesome that they'd ask me and it helps me to get an idea of future places we may be able to work. so, we go to one camp and on the way back, we see this man in the mountain, Adam, my translator knows him and i say- "what's he doing up there?" Adam doesn't know. "Can we go up there?" I ask. "sure" he says. It was Adam's pastor making a new place to live because as the waters come in the future, they will sweep away his temporary house". we talk for a little and climb back down. adam showed me where he was staying before the earthquake. although it's still standing, it's not safe to stay in. Adam is the same man who lost his fiance' in the earthquake. i flat out cried in front of him when we were talking about her and he just said, "i lost my heart". i don't really understand much about love, but i can't even explain yet what that statement did to me. i think i'm still processing what those 4 words mean. especially to adam.
patty
i drove myself and jordanne out on the ATV to the beach. we met the rest of the team out there and it was just really pretty. i really like the ATV. i feel like i have now lived my life.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
epicenter
it was about 5 a.m. and the ground starts shaking. you can usually hear it coming like a train. i was sleeping pretty hard and we've had aftershocks before, but this was unlike anything i've ever felt. i could feel my bed rock back and forth. my heart started racing- especially going from 0-about 200 in a split second. i couldn't find my glasses and it was quite the rush. with all of the other aftershocks- i could never manage to move. this was completely different for sure. i could hear the sound of the bricks pulling apart, and ran out of the door. by the time i made it out the door, it stopped shaking as hard. i ran into a co-worker and all I could do was just hug her and then climb back into bed right after it stopped. a couple of hours later at breakfast, someone found out that it was a 4.8 or something like that. we couldn't believe it because we've felt 4.8s before. turns out that we were the epicenter of the earthquake. that's never happened before. we found some new cracks in the walls that morning.
that happened a couple of days ago.
today, at lunch we had another small one. it was my first time experiencing an earthquake with haitians. all of them ran for the door as quickly as possible. my co-worker and i stayed sitting and some staff who have quickly become friends made fun of us- saying that we were crazy for staying seated. we, don't move as fast as the haitans.
we have also resorted to teaching some of our haitian staff american slang and lingo- like "read my lips", "ttyl" and i think my personal favourite, "talk to the hand".
oh, yes, and another first is that i have experienced my first real true sunburn. before, i've had moments where i felt somewhat warm, thinking maybe- it is a possibility that i am sun-warm. not this time. we went as a team for a couple of hours- and i put on one layer of sunscreen. everwhere except for my legs. i mean- do your legs really get sun? i didn't think so either. so we get back and one of the other girls in the other stalls says, "oh, i hate scrubbing when you have a sunburn". i recall saying, "oh, that sucks for you". right after i say that, i make the mistake of taking the loofah to my legs. and i start screaming, "what is this!?!?" it felt like i just got done dry shaving my legs and then i rubbed sandpaper on them. oh, it hurt so bad. my legs were a little pink. i didn't LOOK burnt, but yes, all, i think i burned myself. actually, i know so- because it still hurts today. getting better- but i do not enjoy this experience. so, i have learned my lesson on the sunscreen.
and to end on a really funny story for me that reminds me of where i am and what i do: we are learning kreole right now and we were going through this phrase book that has a bunch of different phrases in english, french and kreole. i'm getting pretty good if i say so myself. my national staff think so too. it's funny to hear them squeal with delight as i learn more and more words and phrases. so, we get to one phrase in this phrase book that says, "i have diarrhea". one guy i work with, caleb, says, "oh! i need to know that one, because i have it every day of my life". i haven't laughed that hard in a long time. yet another thing you learn after you've been on the field for about a week. :)
patty
that happened a couple of days ago.
today, at lunch we had another small one. it was my first time experiencing an earthquake with haitians. all of them ran for the door as quickly as possible. my co-worker and i stayed sitting and some staff who have quickly become friends made fun of us- saying that we were crazy for staying seated. we, don't move as fast as the haitans.
we have also resorted to teaching some of our haitian staff american slang and lingo- like "read my lips", "ttyl" and i think my personal favourite, "talk to the hand".
oh, yes, and another first is that i have experienced my first real true sunburn. before, i've had moments where i felt somewhat warm, thinking maybe- it is a possibility that i am sun-warm. not this time. we went as a team for a couple of hours- and i put on one layer of sunscreen. everwhere except for my legs. i mean- do your legs really get sun? i didn't think so either. so we get back and one of the other girls in the other stalls says, "oh, i hate scrubbing when you have a sunburn". i recall saying, "oh, that sucks for you". right after i say that, i make the mistake of taking the loofah to my legs. and i start screaming, "what is this!?!?" it felt like i just got done dry shaving my legs and then i rubbed sandpaper on them. oh, it hurt so bad. my legs were a little pink. i didn't LOOK burnt, but yes, all, i think i burned myself. actually, i know so- because it still hurts today. getting better- but i do not enjoy this experience. so, i have learned my lesson on the sunscreen.
and to end on a really funny story for me that reminds me of where i am and what i do: we are learning kreole right now and we were going through this phrase book that has a bunch of different phrases in english, french and kreole. i'm getting pretty good if i say so myself. my national staff think so too. it's funny to hear them squeal with delight as i learn more and more words and phrases. so, we get to one phrase in this phrase book that says, "i have diarrhea". one guy i work with, caleb, says, "oh! i need to know that one, because i have it every day of my life". i haven't laughed that hard in a long time. yet another thing you learn after you've been on the field for about a week. :)
patty
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
a child brings a moment of peace
on sunday we had a pretty cool beach day. we rented this boat but calling it a boat-is kind of a stretch. it was a long, wide lipped, rickety, tilted, wooden boat- that i'm pretty sure had a hole at the bottom because there was tarp at the bottom of the boat. we took it to the other side of haiti where there is a really nice beach. i took swimming lessons from one of my co-workers and floated! it's a lot easier to learn to swim in a calm ocean-and i am determined to learn.
when we came in, we bought some coconuts and began to hear stories from the people. they would complain about the government. they were telling us that the government is corrupt. that certain countries and agencies want to build shelters and help people, but the government will not let them do so because they will not get a kick back from it. you see this often. those who may have something charge other people for things that are supposed to be aid. you see bags that say, "not for re-sale" being sold for double the price and ships stuck in customs. it saddens me. today i got a little upset because one man has a well and is charging people for water. he kept saying, "can you fix my water? b/c he knew that it was not clean" i said, we cannot help you when you charge people. it just made me angry. righteously so i figure. unfortunately, there is a disaster tax, people profit off of disaster.it makes me realise that without Jesus, what we as humans are truly capable of.
what i really like about my job is that i get to go out in the community and see their problems. it's kind of a pro/con thing. unfortunately, i know i can't help everyone and everyone wants your help. sometimes it can be overwhelming. sometimes people are mad at you because you don't provide them with their every need. sometimes, people just like to flat out be angry with ex-pats just because they are tired of seeing them. so, no matter where you go, especially when you go out in the community, you get yelled at. a lot. especially by children. sometimes, you just want to be invisible- and i've never been one to enjoy lots of attention brought to me by other people.
i was coming back from a camp one day, walking back to base, when i saw a little boy walking next to me. this was kind of weird. the children here are like a lot of 3rd world kids- taught to scream, "white woman" or "hey you" with their hand outstretched maybe in hopes that they'll get something. so it was odd that i almost did not even notice this boy come next to me. i looked down at him and smiled. he looked up at me and smiled too. i stuck my hand out and he grabbed mine with his right hand as he held a container with cornmeal in his left. we walked in silence as i watched his feet walk without shoes next to mine. after a bit- he let go of my hand and went back to his family and as i passed other kids- i heard screaming resume once more.
if you haven't worked in development, i don't think you'll understand the depth of that story. why as i type it, it brings tears to my eyes. to me, that was probably one of the most beautiful moments i've had the opportunity to experience.
patty
when we came in, we bought some coconuts and began to hear stories from the people. they would complain about the government. they were telling us that the government is corrupt. that certain countries and agencies want to build shelters and help people, but the government will not let them do so because they will not get a kick back from it. you see this often. those who may have something charge other people for things that are supposed to be aid. you see bags that say, "not for re-sale" being sold for double the price and ships stuck in customs. it saddens me. today i got a little upset because one man has a well and is charging people for water. he kept saying, "can you fix my water? b/c he knew that it was not clean" i said, we cannot help you when you charge people. it just made me angry. righteously so i figure. unfortunately, there is a disaster tax, people profit off of disaster.it makes me realise that without Jesus, what we as humans are truly capable of.
what i really like about my job is that i get to go out in the community and see their problems. it's kind of a pro/con thing. unfortunately, i know i can't help everyone and everyone wants your help. sometimes it can be overwhelming. sometimes people are mad at you because you don't provide them with their every need. sometimes, people just like to flat out be angry with ex-pats just because they are tired of seeing them. so, no matter where you go, especially when you go out in the community, you get yelled at. a lot. especially by children. sometimes, you just want to be invisible- and i've never been one to enjoy lots of attention brought to me by other people.
i was coming back from a camp one day, walking back to base, when i saw a little boy walking next to me. this was kind of weird. the children here are like a lot of 3rd world kids- taught to scream, "white woman" or "hey you" with their hand outstretched maybe in hopes that they'll get something. so it was odd that i almost did not even notice this boy come next to me. i looked down at him and smiled. he looked up at me and smiled too. i stuck my hand out and he grabbed mine with his right hand as he held a container with cornmeal in his left. we walked in silence as i watched his feet walk without shoes next to mine. after a bit- he let go of my hand and went back to his family and as i passed other kids- i heard screaming resume once more.
if you haven't worked in development, i don't think you'll understand the depth of that story. why as i type it, it brings tears to my eyes. to me, that was probably one of the most beautiful moments i've had the opportunity to experience.
patty
Saturday, February 27, 2010
and the rains came down
i went back to an IDP camp that i had visited yesterday in order to get some coordinates. it felt cool today- we thought it was going to rain- but no according to the nationals, because it's not time yet. we get the coordinates and this one camp has a special place to me. i know these people need help. i see their beds, i see them cooking- i've held their babies and have played with their children. and most of them only had bedsheets as their protection.
later tonight, it rained really hard. there was so much commotion- apparently, it rained so hard that there were mudslides and people were running out of downtown Grand Goave. you just don't know what to do in cases like this. but pray. so, please remember them in the rainy season.
also, please remember Chile and the pacific. SP has sent a team to Chile. A good friend of mine is on that deployment team that was sent from Bolivia. we have much to do.
patty
later tonight, it rained really hard. there was so much commotion- apparently, it rained so hard that there were mudslides and people were running out of downtown Grand Goave. you just don't know what to do in cases like this. but pray. so, please remember them in the rainy season.
also, please remember Chile and the pacific. SP has sent a team to Chile. A good friend of mine is on that deployment team that was sent from Bolivia. we have much to do.
patty
Friday, February 26, 2010
mango hunting
so, it's been awhile since i've posted. i don't even remember where i left off. i've been here about 3 weeks, which makes me an expert- or something like that so we joke here.
so, i guess i haven't explained in depth what i'm doing. i lead the assessment team which means i go into certain IDP camps and do kind of a macro assessment of the camp. first, are they really living there or do they unfortunately just want resources- and form what we call ghost camps. where they just make flags vs. the people who are forced to truly live in certain camps. so, i have a team that i have do individual assessments of people in villages. before they go in though, i get to do a macro assessment of the entire camp.
so last week, i'm walking with my translator and we get to the highway and i was planning on going to the camp next to the market. on the way there, some guys come up and say, "sam-ar-e-tan! please come to our camp". i kind of felt bothered, thinking, can't you see that i'm on my way to another camp? but i told them that i would come back and see them.
i went back up to the market camp. and did indeed come back and see this other camp on my way back. they greeted me- and i gave them my "talk" of why i was there. how i can't make any promises- but how i am here to collect information. they showed me around in their shelters which consisted of sheets, which did not protect them from the rain- their beds which were made of concrete blocks from the rubble with a sheet over it. then at the end of my assessment, they told me- "you are a gift from God. we have been praying for you to come". i had to hold back tears as i thanked them for taking the time to show me around and for talking to me. i have done many assessments and none of them have hit me like that one did. they didn't have tarp, latrines, or water close, yet i was an answer to their prayer.
that kind of shook me up. in a good way though.
on a good note, i learned how to drive an ATV. i had to drop off some paper for my staff- and it was a short way and we didn't have any vehicles left, so a co-worker taught me how to drive in a short amount of time, but it was similar to a motorcycle, so i learned quickly. and now- my life is complete. it was so much fun! i drove me and chip back and i think the haitians freaked out. they aren't used to seeing a woman drive a man around. that day- wednesday, we also just decided to take a quick trip to the beach around 5- for a breather.
on the way back from the beach, we decided to go to the river where we wash the vehicles. we went the back way down this steep bank and i see a duck and some babies. elijah was about to run them over- so i yelled stop! don't run over the ducks! and i said, "i'm going to shoo them". they kept saying, "are you really?" so i got out and started to shoo them away before i realised...."i....am standing in a landfill". definitely grossed out. but i shooed the ducks away and saved their lives and returned to a truck full of laughing co-workers.
i am blessed to be in a place where i am surrounded by mango trees. i heart mangoes. well, at about 8 that night, i mentioned to my friend/co-worker andrew how much i wanted a mango- let's go mango hunting i said. a couple of days before, i had been craving a mango. i asked him then if he would get me a mango - "how am i going to get a mango at night? you can't tell which is ripe?" so, i gave up, but he surprised me and got me one anyway (how in the world do i get blessed with the most amazing friends? no clue). so, wed. night i ask him to teach me how to mango hunt. so, we take our headlamps and a huge pvc pipe and he starts knocking them down while i catch them. they turned out pretty good! and it made me really happy.
so, lots of firsts, lots of fun times too. more to come....
patty
so, i guess i haven't explained in depth what i'm doing. i lead the assessment team which means i go into certain IDP camps and do kind of a macro assessment of the camp. first, are they really living there or do they unfortunately just want resources- and form what we call ghost camps. where they just make flags vs. the people who are forced to truly live in certain camps. so, i have a team that i have do individual assessments of people in villages. before they go in though, i get to do a macro assessment of the entire camp.
so last week, i'm walking with my translator and we get to the highway and i was planning on going to the camp next to the market. on the way there, some guys come up and say, "sam-ar-e-tan! please come to our camp". i kind of felt bothered, thinking, can't you see that i'm on my way to another camp? but i told them that i would come back and see them.
i went back up to the market camp. and did indeed come back and see this other camp on my way back. they greeted me- and i gave them my "talk" of why i was there. how i can't make any promises- but how i am here to collect information. they showed me around in their shelters which consisted of sheets, which did not protect them from the rain- their beds which were made of concrete blocks from the rubble with a sheet over it. then at the end of my assessment, they told me- "you are a gift from God. we have been praying for you to come". i had to hold back tears as i thanked them for taking the time to show me around and for talking to me. i have done many assessments and none of them have hit me like that one did. they didn't have tarp, latrines, or water close, yet i was an answer to their prayer.
that kind of shook me up. in a good way though.
on a good note, i learned how to drive an ATV. i had to drop off some paper for my staff- and it was a short way and we didn't have any vehicles left, so a co-worker taught me how to drive in a short amount of time, but it was similar to a motorcycle, so i learned quickly. and now- my life is complete. it was so much fun! i drove me and chip back and i think the haitians freaked out. they aren't used to seeing a woman drive a man around. that day- wednesday, we also just decided to take a quick trip to the beach around 5- for a breather.
on the way back from the beach, we decided to go to the river where we wash the vehicles. we went the back way down this steep bank and i see a duck and some babies. elijah was about to run them over- so i yelled stop! don't run over the ducks! and i said, "i'm going to shoo them". they kept saying, "are you really?" so i got out and started to shoo them away before i realised...."i....am standing in a landfill". definitely grossed out. but i shooed the ducks away and saved their lives and returned to a truck full of laughing co-workers.
i am blessed to be in a place where i am surrounded by mango trees. i heart mangoes. well, at about 8 that night, i mentioned to my friend/co-worker andrew how much i wanted a mango- let's go mango hunting i said. a couple of days before, i had been craving a mango. i asked him then if he would get me a mango - "how am i going to get a mango at night? you can't tell which is ripe?" so, i gave up, but he surprised me and got me one anyway (how in the world do i get blessed with the most amazing friends? no clue). so, wed. night i ask him to teach me how to mango hunt. so, we take our headlamps and a huge pvc pipe and he starts knocking them down while i catch them. they turned out pretty good! and it made me really happy.
so, lots of firsts, lots of fun times too. more to come....
patty
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
shell searching on V-day
i can't believe i've been here ten days. it's odd- time goes by really fast, yet SO SO slow at the same time. last week, a co-worker and i went for a walk to visit some people she met- as she was leaving. we met this man, Pastor Luke and his family who live down the road from us. he showed us around his house- the damage and his rebuilding phrase. he was proud of how well it was rebuilding. and rightly so. we got to meet his wife, children and grandchildren. it was a really great experience.
i live in a place where we feel lots of tremors (aftershocks). my earthquake trivia has increased about 343% since i've been here. i've learned that it's good to have tremors after an earthquake- it gives the earth the opportunity to let out pressure, so that there won't be a greater shock in the future. well, 2 nights ago- we had the worst one any of us had felt yet and we feel about 2-3 a day. it rocked for a while. however, it was a lesson in earthquake management. some us of moved from secure places into open areas that may not have been as secure. i kind of just grabbed my mattress and had my eyes open really big- couldn't even scream or anything, much less move. we laughed about it shortly after- how we didn't move (although was a bigger tremor- it still wasn't THAT bad). however, the next day, i ran into julihomme. now, julihomme is one of my favourite nationals on the compound. he speaks english, french, creole (which is what they speak in haiti-TOTALLY different from French), spanish and korean. i speak 3 of those, so we definitely get along. i remember asking him that next morning, "how did you sleep julihomme?" "not well" was his answer. "why not?" i asked back. he replied, "the earth was moving. i could not sleep. i had to sleep on the porch". and my heart broke. yeah- it was maybe 2 seconds where i was a little scared, but i knew there would be tremors. in that moment- i could not imagine what he went through the day of the earthquake over a month ago now. please pray for peace for those who went through the quakes as they still are reminded of what happened that day everyday.
i'm getting to know the staff and hearing their stories- adam- who lost his fiance'-the woman he loved and wanted to spend the rest of his life with. pierre- who survived when 6 of those he loved did not make it. to see fear in their eyes when the ground moves. i can't even explain it. these aren't some people i watch on tv- these are people i talk to every day.
there was a day of mourning on one month anniversary of the quake- we stayed in and did office work- as there is always work to be done. there was also another 2 days of prayer and fasting that the gov't called for in the morning hours. wow!
sunday some of the staff took a much needed break to the beach on our only day off after church. i went walking for some shells with some co-workers and we ate some MREs and just sat on the beach, listening to the waves and talking, enjoying each others company.
last night, it rained for the first time since i've been here. i usually love the rain. there's something cleansing about the rain. but this time it was different. SP has been handing out tarp to people as shelter. we've been running low and having difficulty getting supplies off the barge. so, you see many people with sheets as their shelter. those people were the first people i thought of when it started raining. a co-worker looked at me and just said, 'uh oh. rainy season may be starting early'. and there are still so many people who still need shelter.
i guess to go off onto a better subject to end my this post on- some people have told me that they're praying for me. i really do appreciate it and wish i could tell you stories of how i KNOW that i'm being prayed for. moments where i was safe when i shouldn't be- moments where my members of my team were safe when they shouldn't have been. stories where things worked out that shouldn't have and things showed up when they shouldn't have either. so, know that i mean it when i say thank you, thank you! merci!
i guess that's all for now!
patty
i live in a place where we feel lots of tremors (aftershocks). my earthquake trivia has increased about 343% since i've been here. i've learned that it's good to have tremors after an earthquake- it gives the earth the opportunity to let out pressure, so that there won't be a greater shock in the future. well, 2 nights ago- we had the worst one any of us had felt yet and we feel about 2-3 a day. it rocked for a while. however, it was a lesson in earthquake management. some us of moved from secure places into open areas that may not have been as secure. i kind of just grabbed my mattress and had my eyes open really big- couldn't even scream or anything, much less move. we laughed about it shortly after- how we didn't move (although was a bigger tremor- it still wasn't THAT bad). however, the next day, i ran into julihomme. now, julihomme is one of my favourite nationals on the compound. he speaks english, french, creole (which is what they speak in haiti-TOTALLY different from French), spanish and korean. i speak 3 of those, so we definitely get along. i remember asking him that next morning, "how did you sleep julihomme?" "not well" was his answer. "why not?" i asked back. he replied, "the earth was moving. i could not sleep. i had to sleep on the porch". and my heart broke. yeah- it was maybe 2 seconds where i was a little scared, but i knew there would be tremors. in that moment- i could not imagine what he went through the day of the earthquake over a month ago now. please pray for peace for those who went through the quakes as they still are reminded of what happened that day everyday.
i'm getting to know the staff and hearing their stories- adam- who lost his fiance'-the woman he loved and wanted to spend the rest of his life with. pierre- who survived when 6 of those he loved did not make it. to see fear in their eyes when the ground moves. i can't even explain it. these aren't some people i watch on tv- these are people i talk to every day.
there was a day of mourning on one month anniversary of the quake- we stayed in and did office work- as there is always work to be done. there was also another 2 days of prayer and fasting that the gov't called for in the morning hours. wow!
sunday some of the staff took a much needed break to the beach on our only day off after church. i went walking for some shells with some co-workers and we ate some MREs and just sat on the beach, listening to the waves and talking, enjoying each others company.
last night, it rained for the first time since i've been here. i usually love the rain. there's something cleansing about the rain. but this time it was different. SP has been handing out tarp to people as shelter. we've been running low and having difficulty getting supplies off the barge. so, you see many people with sheets as their shelter. those people were the first people i thought of when it started raining. a co-worker looked at me and just said, 'uh oh. rainy season may be starting early'. and there are still so many people who still need shelter.
i guess to go off onto a better subject to end my this post on- some people have told me that they're praying for me. i really do appreciate it and wish i could tell you stories of how i KNOW that i'm being prayed for. moments where i was safe when i shouldn't be- moments where my members of my team were safe when they shouldn't have been. stories where things worked out that shouldn't have and things showed up when they shouldn't have either. so, know that i mean it when i say thank you, thank you! merci!
i guess that's all for now!
patty
Thursday, February 11, 2010
...hope doesn't disappoint
i have lived amongst poverty. i have seen people die from a lack of basic human services. but i haven't seen destruction of this level in my life. even the acting country director who has responded to all of the major disasters in the past 15 years says that this is the worst he has ever seen.
yesterday was the first day i drove out to a town called leogane. they say about 80% of it was devastated. it's true. nothing on TV could ever do it justice. i saw tall buildings made of concrete flattened on the ground. no one had a chance if they were there- there's no way. flat as pancakes. the camps that were set up- with just hundreds and hundreds of people- who had what little they had taken away from them. my heart broke as we drove past these buildings and onto our own compound. last night- i was talking with a co-worker, Flor who was just talking about how depressed she was when she saw that. her heart broke too- we both kind of got discouraged- feeling as though no matter what we did- wasn't going to be good enough.
today, i got to go back to leogane and another co-worker ian and i worked on building 2 latrines- 6 stalls each. i don't know what it is- but i love being in latrine pits- only when not filled of course- but some may find this quite odd. :) i also learned how to cut a coconut. but i don't think haitians are used to seeing a mid-20 something year old woman putting up latrines- it caused quite a crowd to form.
we ran into some logistical issues- but we got 12 total stalls done on our site and i think another 12 stalls done on another site. we're slowly getting things up and this village came out to see what was going on. it's nice that we can provide them something tangible in these camps where there are hundreds of people and no bathroom. the days are exhausting. we usually have about 12 hour days- starting at 6:30 and fully coming to an end after our team meeting about 7:30 every night.
we feel tremors sometimes and it can get kind of scary if you let it- but i'm a part of an awesome team that doesn't let it do so. and we were talking in devotions tonight (we have devotions every night) and we were talking about how sometimes we can get fearful if we let it and one guy mentioned Psalm 23 in the NLT which begins with "The Lord is my shepherd. I have all that I need". how is it that some Haitians who have been through disaster understand that better than I do?
in the midst of disaster, there are glimpses of beauty and of hope. in the midst of a collapsed building, there grows a beautiful flower. in the middle of an IDP camp full of hundreds of people, you hear children laughing. i truly, truly believe that haiti will grow to be better than it once was before. i think of romans 5:5-which says- hope does not disappoint.
i know that we as humans tend to live in a way- where if it's out of sight, out of mind. but please don't forget about haiti, the people, and those who are working here. we felt tremors last night and today they still come every other day if not daily- up here at the sub-base where we are. it is quite a weird feeling when you feel the earth move-especially when it triggers such bad memories for those who are still here, when fear runs through your mind that there is a possibility that something can happen. even during distributions our staff have faced many obstacles and safety concerns in an attempt to get food out to a people who are desperate for basic needs such as food and water- who can blame them?
so, yes, please continue to pray for the people of Haiti, those who lost their loved ones- which includes so many people, for continued strength and guidance for ALL relief workers here, not just SP and most importantly for a renewed sense of hope....in all of us.
love,
Patty
yesterday was the first day i drove out to a town called leogane. they say about 80% of it was devastated. it's true. nothing on TV could ever do it justice. i saw tall buildings made of concrete flattened on the ground. no one had a chance if they were there- there's no way. flat as pancakes. the camps that were set up- with just hundreds and hundreds of people- who had what little they had taken away from them. my heart broke as we drove past these buildings and onto our own compound. last night- i was talking with a co-worker, Flor who was just talking about how depressed she was when she saw that. her heart broke too- we both kind of got discouraged- feeling as though no matter what we did- wasn't going to be good enough.
today, i got to go back to leogane and another co-worker ian and i worked on building 2 latrines- 6 stalls each. i don't know what it is- but i love being in latrine pits- only when not filled of course- but some may find this quite odd. :) i also learned how to cut a coconut. but i don't think haitians are used to seeing a mid-20 something year old woman putting up latrines- it caused quite a crowd to form.
we ran into some logistical issues- but we got 12 total stalls done on our site and i think another 12 stalls done on another site. we're slowly getting things up and this village came out to see what was going on. it's nice that we can provide them something tangible in these camps where there are hundreds of people and no bathroom. the days are exhausting. we usually have about 12 hour days- starting at 6:30 and fully coming to an end after our team meeting about 7:30 every night.
we feel tremors sometimes and it can get kind of scary if you let it- but i'm a part of an awesome team that doesn't let it do so. and we were talking in devotions tonight (we have devotions every night) and we were talking about how sometimes we can get fearful if we let it and one guy mentioned Psalm 23 in the NLT which begins with "The Lord is my shepherd. I have all that I need". how is it that some Haitians who have been through disaster understand that better than I do?
in the midst of disaster, there are glimpses of beauty and of hope. in the midst of a collapsed building, there grows a beautiful flower. in the middle of an IDP camp full of hundreds of people, you hear children laughing. i truly, truly believe that haiti will grow to be better than it once was before. i think of romans 5:5-which says- hope does not disappoint.
i know that we as humans tend to live in a way- where if it's out of sight, out of mind. but please don't forget about haiti, the people, and those who are working here. we felt tremors last night and today they still come every other day if not daily- up here at the sub-base where we are. it is quite a weird feeling when you feel the earth move-especially when it triggers such bad memories for those who are still here, when fear runs through your mind that there is a possibility that something can happen. even during distributions our staff have faced many obstacles and safety concerns in an attempt to get food out to a people who are desperate for basic needs such as food and water- who can blame them?
so, yes, please continue to pray for the people of Haiti, those who lost their loved ones- which includes so many people, for continued strength and guidance for ALL relief workers here, not just SP and most importantly for a renewed sense of hope....in all of us.
love,
Patty
Monday, February 8, 2010
...and it begins
i made it into haiti today. we stopped in turks and corcas (sp?). a very beautiful island. we stayed there about an hour and made it into port au prince. coming in was kind of surreal. a lot of the flat out destruction has been cleaned up. though you do still see heaps of rubble on the side of the road and you don't know where it came from exactly.
coming out of the airport, it reminded me a lot of Liberia but a little more intense- it's really loud- people in a hurry to grab your bags so they can make money- but they are all competing, so they all want money. right when someone tried to grab our bags- melissa said, "and it starts" right when i said, "and so it begins". i think we were right. it turns out that working in an organization, it becomes a small world- there's a girl here who left Liberia about 6 weeks before I went- so i already felt like i know her and other friends of friends along with people i went to orientation with. it makes it an easier transition when that happens.
so, yesterday (when i actually started writing this) was quite the first day. we made it in and the compound is really a lot nicer than i thought it would be. except....for the bathroom. don't get me wrong, this is my 18th country, i've used latrines before, i've bush squated before (probably TMI) but i have never smelled anything like this. it was rancid mixed with asinine. so, my friend, flor and i decided that we were going to bleach these bathrooms. we find some bleach in logistics and go to town. literally, our eyes are burning and i'm yelling at flor that we have to get out and breathe. flor is salvadorian, which makes it hilariously funny. i tell her i'm going to get some paper towels and all she can say is, "please do. in case i die" and to explain how horrible this smell is- flor has also used latrines in sudan, myanmar, lots of places- so it wasn't just me. but oh, flor made me laugh- saying how it was impossible. so i said, "Flor, nothing is impossible with God" and flor said, "yes. God, please give us mercy" which made me laugh harder.
so, i guess onto something more serious, but you have to have some fun right? well, it's been interesting. we were supposed to leave for the sub-base where they really need our help today- but transportation issues happened, so we're leaving tomorrow. i'm excited to go. i've done some organizational stuff here in the past two days- which isn't bad. you need organization on the main base- but i am ready to be out there and stuff.
thanks to all for your prayers: please continue to do so. i know that with all people- it's kind of out of sight, out of mind, but please don't forget about the people of Haiti. people are just so desperate and rightly so. all they want is food but we have seen that despearation- and i can't go into all of the details- but just know that those who are doing distributions can use your prayers. the staff here quickly, quickly become family. you work with them, eat with them, sleep beside them, and laugh with them too- so, their safety means more than just, "O God, please be with the relief workers in Haiti".
also, when i leave tomorrow, we're going to a place that got hit pretty bad. supposedly, they still have tremors. people have become used to them. pray that we can be used to bring some relief to the pain that they have experienced while we're there.
love you all!
patty
coming out of the airport, it reminded me a lot of Liberia but a little more intense- it's really loud- people in a hurry to grab your bags so they can make money- but they are all competing, so they all want money. right when someone tried to grab our bags- melissa said, "and it starts" right when i said, "and so it begins". i think we were right. it turns out that working in an organization, it becomes a small world- there's a girl here who left Liberia about 6 weeks before I went- so i already felt like i know her and other friends of friends along with people i went to orientation with. it makes it an easier transition when that happens.
so, yesterday (when i actually started writing this) was quite the first day. we made it in and the compound is really a lot nicer than i thought it would be. except....for the bathroom. don't get me wrong, this is my 18th country, i've used latrines before, i've bush squated before (probably TMI) but i have never smelled anything like this. it was rancid mixed with asinine. so, my friend, flor and i decided that we were going to bleach these bathrooms. we find some bleach in logistics and go to town. literally, our eyes are burning and i'm yelling at flor that we have to get out and breathe. flor is salvadorian, which makes it hilariously funny. i tell her i'm going to get some paper towels and all she can say is, "please do. in case i die" and to explain how horrible this smell is- flor has also used latrines in sudan, myanmar, lots of places- so it wasn't just me. but oh, flor made me laugh- saying how it was impossible. so i said, "Flor, nothing is impossible with God" and flor said, "yes. God, please give us mercy" which made me laugh harder.
so, i guess onto something more serious, but you have to have some fun right? well, it's been interesting. we were supposed to leave for the sub-base where they really need our help today- but transportation issues happened, so we're leaving tomorrow. i'm excited to go. i've done some organizational stuff here in the past two days- which isn't bad. you need organization on the main base- but i am ready to be out there and stuff.
thanks to all for your prayers: please continue to do so. i know that with all people- it's kind of out of sight, out of mind, but please don't forget about the people of Haiti. people are just so desperate and rightly so. all they want is food but we have seen that despearation- and i can't go into all of the details- but just know that those who are doing distributions can use your prayers. the staff here quickly, quickly become family. you work with them, eat with them, sleep beside them, and laugh with them too- so, their safety means more than just, "O God, please be with the relief workers in Haiti".
also, when i leave tomorrow, we're going to a place that got hit pretty bad. supposedly, they still have tremors. people have become used to them. pray that we can be used to bring some relief to the pain that they have experienced while we're there.
love you all!
patty
Sunday, February 7, 2010
it's about to begin....
hello all! so, i guess, i can start this off by saying what i'm doing. i'm currently in florida, getting ready to leave for haiti tomorrow. i have the amazing opportunity to work with SP once again, doing logistics for a month as of now.
i really love this organization and am really blessed and so grateful to have this opportunity. tonight, the team had dinner and our team leader here, richard, read from acts 11:27-29. this is what it says.
27 During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.) 29 So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters[h] in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could.
what he said was so good. he said the believers in Antioch decided to "send relief" and each "gave to the best of his ability". that's what we're doing and what a word. sometimes, even if you have enough degrees or whatnot, when you're surrounded by amazing people, it is easy to feel inadequate and insecure. and Richard just simply stated, do what you can each to your ability. and that's the thing- we ALL can do something- each to the best of our ability.
well, i'm off to get ready for bed. i know this is exactly where i'm supposed to be and i'm ready to hit the ground running! stay tuned as the stories are sure to come.
patty
i really love this organization and am really blessed and so grateful to have this opportunity. tonight, the team had dinner and our team leader here, richard, read from acts 11:27-29. this is what it says.
27 During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.) 29 So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters[h] in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could.
what he said was so good. he said the believers in Antioch decided to "send relief" and each "gave to the best of his ability". that's what we're doing and what a word. sometimes, even if you have enough degrees or whatnot, when you're surrounded by amazing people, it is easy to feel inadequate and insecure. and Richard just simply stated, do what you can each to your ability. and that's the thing- we ALL can do something- each to the best of our ability.
well, i'm off to get ready for bed. i know this is exactly where i'm supposed to be and i'm ready to hit the ground running! stay tuned as the stories are sure to come.
patty
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