New Blog

Hey everyone!

I've started a new blog for my 2010-2011 adventures in Haiti. Be part of my "following!"
Thank you all for your love and support. I couldn't do it without you!

-Andrea

LINK TO NEW BLOG: http://andreainhaiti.blogspot.com/

Pictures Online

http://picasaweb.google.com/107031682907817075033/HaitiSeptember2010?authkey=Gv1sRgCKSCuOOs08ak8QE#

Sunday: September 12...and on

Last day in Fond Parisien.

Betsy made pancakes with blueberry jelly this morning. Delicious. We spent a while reading and wasting time on the porch before we got off our rear ends and took down a couple tents. Roxanna had her tent dismantled and in the bag before Sarah and I could even pull out the rods. Sarah and I then went to see the babies at the Malnutrition clinic. I knew that my boredom had reached its peak when I suggested we go for a run around LAC. We ran around for about 30 minutes with the security guards cheering us on. When we got back to base, we pulled the playing cards out. Kirstin, Sarah, Dr. Scotty, and I played a game of Euchre, which was a lot of fun.

Betsy organized and supervised alfredo pasta with sundried tomato and salmon/tuna patties for dinner. Everyone laughed at my aversion to bugs. Fortunately I can laugh along right with them. To conclude the night, Luke read a couple stories out of "Sh*t My Dad Says" for my last book club.

I will definitely miss this. I have made a lot of great friends and have had a much more amazing experience than I could have ever asked for. Thank you to everyone who made my trip what it was...absolutely unforgettable(sauce). While it is really heartbreaking to say goodbye, I hold on to the fact that someday I will be back. I can't give a date or a time, but wherever life leads me, I will make another (if not many more) stops in Haiti. I love this country, I love the people, and I wish for everyone of you to be able to experience a mere piece of what I have.

Signing off for now.

Saturday: September 11

Today we woke up early to say goodbye to the team of nine. It feels unusual having this much free space and quiet time. We spent a little while working on PT charts in the air conditioning before a group of people from a nearby facility came to visit us. We took them down to Camp Hope and I was greeted by a very excited Tito. Come to find out, the little guy is quite the photographer. We also stopped by the artist's tent to get some souvenirs. It really is amazing work. Today, however, has been one of the hottest days here. I was definitely not "glistening," but out-right sweating!

Back at LAC, Dr. Scotty, Sarah, and I went to the malnutrition clinic to see the babies. One tiny, tiny little girl was in respiratory distress with a high fever and extremely distended stomach. After giving her some oxygen, they decided to take her to a hospital in Port-au-Prince (we recently found out that they turned her away, claiming they didn't have enough beds.) Sarah and I spent a little while playing with the little ones and dancing with Marie-Ange (a young burn patient waiting to go to the United States for surgery.)

Dr. Scotty, Sarah, Roxanna and I had a lot of fun with this new card game "Scrabble Slam!" We are getting quite good at it. We just took a break to have a delicious dinner of pork, pasta, and chili.

Tomorrow is my last day and I am sad to go. No worries...I'll be back.

Friday: September 10

Today I started out at the PT tent, but soon left to spend some time with Dr. Scotty in the medical clinic. I got a good picture of how healthcare operates here. It really makes us seem ridiculous for bitching about any sort of healthcare we get in the United States. A 25 year old woman came in with a heart problem (I got to hear the murmur myself) and was only being treated from some sort of stomach ulcers. Dr. Scotty tried to get a hold of the doctor she saw at Haiti General Hospital, but he was pretty useless and eventually hung up in frustration. She called a private cardiologist who asked for $150.00. Obviously, the reality is that the patient would not be able to pay that sum of money, and when Dr. Scotty asked for a discount to pay $50.00 out of her own pocket, he refused her offer. The surgery the patient needs cannot be done here anyway. The doctor coldly said that she had about 2 years to live without intervention. There is talk is that the current plan is to try to get her to the U.S. for cardiac surgery. The whole situation was both mind-blowing and eye-opening. Also, a baby came in identified as febrile and weak. Apparently he was stopped cold turkey from breast feeding 3 weeks ago and the mother didn’t understand that she was no longer producing milk. Whatever she was feeding him by bottle was not adequate. It was really great to see how Dr. Scotty is working to teach the nurses to be independent when HHI leaves in November.

When the med clinic ran out of patients, I headed back to the PT tent. I spent a while entertaining the kids with my newly learned Shakira dance. Also, I have found the cutest kid in the camp: Olsen (I will have plenty of pictures to come.) Lamy took a few of us to an artist in the camp. His work was really amazing. We then hung out by the church tent for a while before we were to play soccer. All of a sudden I became really sad about leaving. Since there is no therapy on the weekends, I will probably not see anyone before I leave. Last time I knew I was coming back, but who knows what the future will bring. A few tears rolled down my cheeks and little Tito (who was clinging to me like a monkey) began to cry as well. He figured out that I was leaving. Mwen ale Lundi.

Lamy helped us get a soccer game started (though not too many of "the guys" showed up.) When we were picking the teams, there was a girl standing to the side. When Sarah asked if she was going to play, Lamy answered: “I don’t think so. She is not ready for this.” It was hilarious, though I think he was mostly referring to the fact that she was wearing a skirt. The teams were a little uneven skill-wise, but we blancs still held our own. The final score was 17-15 (our loss,) two or three of those goals being mine. It was a lot of fun. After the game, I had to say goodbye. It was difficult, especially saying goodbye to Lamy who is definitely one of my favorite people I have met here on these two trips.

We had hilarious conversations around the dinner table (with eggs, bacon, and toasted Haitian bread made by the group of nine.) There was talk about being pirates and how difficult it would be to train a parrot. Josh informed us about the type of monkey he would like, and we observed the idiocy of june bugs who hit the fan and flew both into our faces and onto the table.

We are now waiting to begin book club, the book being “Sh*t My Father Says.” Every night is hilarious. Last night I tried to read, but was voted off when I couldn’t finish the first line without busting up. I’m thinking that the fact that I won’t be reading anything tonight will mean improvement.

It’s been a long, hot, dehydrated day and my eyelids are heavy. Hopefully we will able to get started soon.

Thursday: September 9

This morning Dan and Lee left. Sarah and I are sitting here saying we miss them already. The other night she, Dan, and I were sitting out on the porch being goofy and Dan laughed and said: "You guys are ridiculous!" Of course I followed with: "That's quite the understatement. But ridiculously awesome!" Good times. And we might just have to find a replacement for Lee's Canadian accent. We'll find oot.

The PT tent was hilarious today. We had deep philosophical conversations about our religious beliefs only to turn right around and teach Lamy the phrase "party pooper." We spent the morning trying to convince Lamy that he should date Joane, but he said he wasn't "ready for this." He didn't have any money and he didn't seem to believe us when we told him you don't need money for that. There weren't too many patients today so Sarah and I found the time to learn a Shakira dance in the supply tent with Esther. At the end of the day, Betsy taught a class about different gaits. They all lined up and followed the instructions on how they were supposed to walk and identify different problems. It was hilarious. At the end, they all got a certificate for having completed all these classes.

We're planning a big soccer game tomorrow with Lamy's "guys." Who these guys are is a mystery, but there are supposed to be about 8 of them. I'm guessing they are probably the other translators. We'll find oot. It should be a ton of fun.

I've been eaten alive and have been itching all day. I'm currently finding more and more bites as I type. I'm writing early today, so hopefully nothing extremely exciting, and needing reporting, happens before we turn in tonight.

Wednesday: September 8

Woke up early and itching. The bugs attacked me last night, preying on my laziness regarding the application of bug spray. The door began opening and closing very early this morning as well, so that didn’t help.

I went back to the PT tent and had a lot of fun as usual. The old nickname “big baby” (gwo bebe) came back to haunt me toward the end.

When we came back to LAC, Sarah, Rob, and I went to the malnutrition clinic while the others did a vacation bible school back at Camp Hope. I spent the time with little Fritz who I could only make smile a few times and who fell asleep on my lap.

While we were in the clinic, the wind picked up and the rain slowly picked up pace. We did our best to save the tents. We were out in the DUMPING rain and lightning retying knots and holding stakes in place. When the other group returned, we worked to prevent flooding on the porch…it was a close call, but we did a mighty fine job. We had an assembly line going, working bucket by bucketful of water. I’m worried about what the state of Camp Hope is. Piton told us his tent collapsed (through charades of course) so I’m guessing we will find a lot of the same.

I did laundry and hung it in a rain for a second wash. Rinse and wash cycles. It is absolutely baffling how white the Haitians can get their clothes. Mine are ridiculously disgusting.

Everyone else went to the orphanage to their church service. They have just returned and it is time to sign off.

Tuesday: September 7

Today was a really awesome day.

I was in the medical clinic again. When we arrived, a little girl was lying prone on the clinic floor and, after exam, was sent to LAC clinic for further analysis. As the day went on, we saw a lot of viral infections. One woman came in and spoke about the pain she was having (both emotional and physical) that came with losing her son in the earthquake. Just having someone to listen to her made her face light up. She spoke about how close they were and how good he was to his mother. It was terribly heart breaking. We finished relatively early and ran into Yayou Wootchina (who recently had a skin graft on her left wrist) who we took to the PT clinic. She is too cute for words. I held her hand as the doctors attempted to remove her stitches.

Sarah and I ran back to LAC (I will admit I did not make it without a few walking breaks) and when we arrived, we turned right back around to play soccer back at Camp Hope. It was a lot of fun...of course! Sarah and I also watched Betsy work with Kesia, Alan's daughter who has cerebral palsy. She was given braces and special shoes. She seems to be making great progress.

We just got back from a birthday party at Joane Anitus's tent at Camp Hope. It was definitely the best party I have ever been to. And the hottest party I have ever been to! We all smiled the entire time. We started off with each singing "Happy Birthday" in different animal noises (I meowed.) Different people sang and danced. We were served AMAZING food and coca cola. DJ Black Berry (Jeff Berry) provided the music. It was probably one of the most incredible moments in all my time in Haiti. Absolutely fantastic and unforgettable.

I finally showered! HazMat was about to come in and quarantine me. Even my soap yelled at me in disgust.

So long, fairwell. Goodnight! : )

Monday: September 6

Addition to last night: Piton taught us that donkeys don't speak Creole, but they understand it. HOWEVER, you can't speak to the free donkeys because they haven't gone to school yet. He also makes an awesome frog noise.

Today I spent the day in the medical clinic with Lee and Dan. They are both very,very nice and helpful. Dan speaks fluent Creole which is really amazing. The tent, however, was ten times hotter than the PT tent because the walls didn't roll down. We saw some skin conditions, abdominal pain, eye problems, and quite a few cases that were most likely psychosomatic.

Then I listened to Dan's meeting with surveyors (who included Thomas, Lewis, Serge, and Lamy.) I tried hard to listen to the Creole, but I am far from being able to komprann yet. Lee and I walked around to a few tents and were bombarded with little kids. I think we hit a record of how many kids could attach to a single person. While we were waiting for Josh and Lee, Dan and I waited by the car/jungle gym crawling with little ones. One little girl really concerned us with her MTV-style dance moves.

I recently sprayed some bug spray and my eye and it was decided that "idiot" in Creole is "Andrea." The group made bacon and pancakes for dinner, but I don't think my stomach can handle the grease. I think I'll cook myself up some soup and call it a meal.

Bon Lundi : )

Sunday: September 5

Today the whole gang headed down to Camp Hope for church. I played navigator for those who took the journey from LAC on foot. It was a very interesting experience in the red and white striped tent. The pastor was extremely animated and the translator gave up around half way through. There was no way he could keep up. The service lasted about 2.5 hours and my feet were burning. With a child strapped to my back, we took a short tour of Camp Hope toward the PT tent and then headed back to LAC.

While the group of nine went back to camp to do a vacation bible school, Sarah and I cleaned the bathroom and decided that we should have a karaoke night. I've spent most of the afternoon going through an awesome Haitian Creole/English dictionary and making a list of important words and phrases. The security guard, Piton, is helping me learn how to say "nice to meet you": "Mwen tre kontant rekontre ou!" I've also learned "weapons of mass destruction" and "floor the accelerator."

Mwen renmen bonon! (I like cookies!)

Mwen renmen ou (I Love you) <3

Saturday: September 4

Today we spent the morning going through charts...well, the PTs went through charts. My job was both DJ and making a list of OT patients.

Midday, Josh reported that there was a soccer game going on at Camp Hope, so Sarah and I headed down there only to find it had already finished up. Definitely a bummer! Instead, we headed toward the PT tent where Dan (an HHI doc) was doing karate with some of the kids. It was really awesome to see how much fun they were having (though I'm not sure if the kids or Dan had more fun.) Malachie was showing off his moves as usual. I had a few little monkeys hanging off me with their huge smiles and awesome hair. Mine, however, I pulled out this morning...it feels much better! We then followed Dr. Scotty and Lee as they did their rounds to patient tents. On our walk back to LAC we saw the cutest baby donkeys and Dr. Scotty conversed with some wandering cows.

When we headed back to camp, we started to set up tents for the group of nine arriving. It was slightly comical at first. I'm always saying "screw the directions!" How often does that turn out well? In the end, both tents are up and that is all that matters. They have all arrived and are getting settled in. It is crazy how much stuff they brought! I get to stay inside which is nice, though.

I just had my microwave dinner and am now enjoying a Haitian beer.

That's all for now : )

Friday: September 3

Slept like a baby...except I was cold again. Cold in Haiti? Madness!

Today we had a "party" for Junior in the PT tent. Betsy took him off for a little while to preoccupy him while we all pitched in to blow up balloons (that read "Now Leasing," "Approved," and "Happy Anniversery") and hang a giant paper chain. When he came back, everyone sang "Happy Birthday." Junior gave a short thank you speech and Betsy followed up with how much everyone appreciates his work.

I won arm wrestling contests with David and Malachie...right arm that is. When my left arm was put to the test, it hit the table relatively quickly. Malachie was hilarious! He is Mr. Karate. I now have about 20 pictures of him in various karate poses...and pictures of the inside of his mouth, his feet, his eyes (that's what happens when the camera is taken out of my hands.) With the near constant use by the kids, the "Battery exhausted" message came up about half way through the day, and the camera had to be retired to the ever-useful fannypack. (I've been saying for years that they have never gone out of style...and function!)

You know that hand clappy game? I don't know what you would call it. Well, I played that for about half an hour with the cutest little girls. We were sitting and clapping on the hard, rocky PT tent floor and this little girl, with her white sailor's dress, gets up all of a sudden, takes of her little Crocs and sits back down on them. I didn't really understand the game. All of a sudden, we would have to stop clapping and she would put her little finger up to her lips. Then I would put my hands together and she would slap them hard and repeatedly. I thought maybe I was supposed to be quiet during the finger period, but even when I was I got hit. I'm still confused.

I feel bad because I always end up with a group of kids around me, goofing off, and creating an annoyance in the tent. I was sitting in a chair when a few girls came over, pulled out my pony tail and started braiding. I didn't have the heart to stop them, but I didn't quite realize what I was getting myself into. Pulling, poking, dirty combs. And, in the end, I look absolutely ridiculous! Half my head is cornrowsed (how do you even spell that?) in this criss-cross pattern. I'M WHITE! Lamy was laughing at me and asking "why would you want to do that?"...and rightly so. Oh well, after all their hard work, I'll keep it in for the night...but it is coming out stat!

We updated dossiers and cranked up some tunes when we got back to LAC. I'm starting to feel droplets, so it is about time to sign off.

Another good day : )

Thursday: September 2

I am exhausted! Going on 28 hours of no sleep. If my writing seems a little off at times, I blame it on my fatigue. And I feel the mosquitoes biting as I type, so I'm doing a little squirmy dance. Picture that...it might make you chuckle : )

I left San Diego at 2:40pm yesterday (Sept. 1) and stopped over in Vegas for merely enough time to grab a sandwich and board the next plane to Fort Lauderdale. It was a pretty uneventful trip. The woman in the middle seat next to me did absolutely nothing the entire 4.5 hours. Nothing. Just sat and stared. At what, you ask? Honestly, you're guess is as good as mine. The woman in the window seat saw my book, "The Uses of Haiti," and asked me about it. I told her where I was going and she asked me a lot of questions and got all nervous. She told me (repeatedly) that I should go stay at her house and grab a couple hours of sleep before my next flight. Can anyone say "Stranger Danger!?!" Oh, and of course I was sick, snotty, and sneezy the whole time...every traveller's dream (or is that the person sitting next to the sicko?)

We arrived at Fort Lauderdale airport at around 12:15 EST and I got my bags. I soon realized that I was going to have to make my way to another terminal to get to Spirit Airlines departures. The sign said the shuttle ran from 8:00am-7:00pm. Just my luck! Fortunately, the parking lot shuttle driver was nice enough to give me a lift. Terminal four was (as my mother-dearest would say) "deadsville man!" There were a few deep in slumber in various uncomfortable looking positions and others, like me, trying to stay awake and tough it out for the night. I settled in to one of those prized plastic seats with the wretched arm rests that dig into your sides, popped a dvd into my laptop, and began my caffeine free all-nighter.

Finally, the time came when I was to head to gate H4 with my duffle and backpack and wait to board Spirit Airlines flight 951 service to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I met a documentarian who later ran up to me in the Port-au-Prince airport parking lot and gave me his business card. I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that, exactly. So, anyway, as I sat in the plane and looked out onto the mountainous island of Haiti, I grew excited! (And the anticipation builds.........)

I really love this place. Haiti may be a third world country. It may be the poorest and most corrupt country in the western hemisphere. It may be heart-breaking and devastating. But it is truly is an amazing place. Something about it just makes me want more the second I step foot onto Haitian soil.

When Frantz (the driver) and I were making our way to Love A Child, we got stopped by the Haitian police who sit on the side of the road with large guns. They had Frantz give him his paperwork and then asked for my passport. I handed it over. It was when he began to walk away from the car with my passport still in hand that I became slightly worried. I'm pretty sure that is something I might need. No worries. I got it back after the policeman exchanged a few brief words with Frantz and a quick question for me about our destination.

When I arrived at Love A Child, Betsy and Dr. Scotty were there in the eating area (newly air-conditioned, I might add.) After a moment of rest, Betsy and I headed down to Camp Hope. I was reunited with Lamy, Jeff, Junior, Thomas, and all my little Haitian kiddos. David (my little Spanish-speaking buddy) kept trying to convince me to buy him a Nintendo. He had all sorts of justifications and creative ways for me to get it for him. When Josh translated that I had taken 3 years of Spanish in school and had just forgotten most of it, he told me that he learned it in only one year in the Dominican Republic. Gotta love that little smart-mouth. They melt your heart with their smiles, though. What amazing people, all of them.

Currently I am sitting on an ant-covered bench, fending off bugs trying to get a little taste of the Andrea Factor, and enjoying the warm breeze sweeping across my face. The sun is going down and the yellow school to my left holds promise for the future. The mountains in front of me convey strength and resilience. The trees and greenery have almost a safari-like feel to them.

I think I will soon go make some dinner and will probably hit the cot pretty early tonight.

I'm glad I'm back.

Coming Soon

I will be arriving in Haiti tomorrow (Thursday, September 2) and will begin the documenation of my journey.
Looking forward to keeping you all posted!