More Visitors

There were only a few days between when the RWB left and when the first of the Sisters was to arrive. On the 14^th we brought one of the women, Grace, who cooks for the children up in Kenscoff for Pou Soley Leve, to the J/P HRO hospital because he thyroid was enlarged and she was having trouble breathing and could not eat. The doctors at J/P HRO did an assessment of her and realized they were not equipped to handle her case so she was referred to Medishare downtown. The hospital, along with all the other hospitals in the city and I’m sure in the country, was packed. There were people in beds next to each other with barley enough room for a doctor to squeeze in and talk to the patients. After an hour or s of waiting we finally found an ear-nose-throat doctor from NY who was down just for a few days. She was able to operate on Grace and relieve the pressure and we brought her back home a few days later. During these few days the mechanics were also working on the suburban and the mini bus. On the 18^th we got the mini bus working. We are still working on the suburban though. Every time I went to get mad at our mechanic, Pierre, for not having the cars running he would look at me and say “yes, madam?” How was I supposed to be mad after that? He is doing an amazing job and continues to use his own time to try to get the car running again.

Still on the 18^th Yvon brought be to a manifestation march for the return of former President Aristide. The middle of the day marching with a few thousand other supports dancing, singing and chanting. It was an experience. There were news crews filming the whole thing and press within the crowd taking pictures and interviewing people. When I looked online that day and the few days following, I could not find anything about it within the international press.  It was relatively short and peaceful so that may be why. If and when he comes back I can’t imagine the celebrations that are going to happen. I hope I will be here to witness it. The next day we went to pick up Sister Johnice and Michael. Sister J and Sister Judi had spent some time with Yvon last summer and were coming back to see how things were progressing. We all went to church on Sunday and in the afternoon we took a drive to Sodo which is about 2 hours again. There is a waterfall there and it was just a nice relaxing afternoon. We left around 5:30 to have enough time to get back home and eat and then go out for pre-carnival celebrations at 8. Sounded like a great plan. That was until we got a flat tire coming down the mountain. Now to get to Sodo it is very easy and the road for the most part is smooth until you turn onto the road that takes you up and over the mountain. That road- not so smooth. In fact it is just rock. It was a good thing we got a flat when we were almost down the mountain and not just starting to make the climb back over. After much help from the locals we were able to finally find a tire that fit. Just as they were struggling to get off that last luge nut (which they worked on for a good 45 minutes) the power went out so all of the men were holding up their cell phones to shed light on the tire. They were also changing the tire by hand with no tools whatsoever. By the time we finally go back on the road it was 10:30. Needless to say there was no pre-carnival celebration for us that day. The next few days were filled with showing the Sisters the different things that were now happening to the programs they were working with during their last visit, which included the deaf camp, Pou Soley Leve in Kenscoff, and talking with Catholic Relief Services on what they are doing. On Tuesday the 24^th the sisters left and Alex, Dr Bonnet’s son and one of my best friends, came down for a few days. On Friday at 8am we were supposed to hike up to Sarazin where Pou Soley Leve has another school program going. Eight in the morning was Haitian time of course and we didn’t end up starting the hike until 11am which by that time was much much hotter than it was at 8am. At least I got to work on my tan some more. The hike takes about 25 minutes, but it is not just a strolling walk. The beginning is the hardest climbing just up rocks while trying not to slip and fall. We can only take the car to the base of the mountain so when we dropped of the rice we got donated from J/P HRO the week before, the children had to make the hike while carrying the boxes. They are also building a school up there since no schools exist up there and because of this, children do not start going to school until they are around 10. Since there are no bricks at the top of the mountain the children have been bringing them up brick by brick. There are a few different drop-off points for the bricks so the children don’t have to carry them up the whole way each time. The school is nothing more than a long tent you would use for parties divided into 6 sections for the different classes. By the time we got up there the children were finishing school since they only go for half a day and then return home and help their families in the fields or with whatever work they need help with. That day for lunch they were eating the rice that J/P HRO donated. Sometimes that is the only real meal a day these children get.

The next day we headed to Jacmel which is about 2 and a half hours away because that is where the big Carnival celebration was last weekend. By the time we got there is was dark so we ate on the beach went out to see one of the oldest bands in Haiti perform. Sunday morning we headed straight to the beach in the morning and it was already packed. We stayed there most of the day and ate since we knew we would not be eating anything once Carnival began. We headed out a bit before four and we were already late. There were people everywhere and the parade was already going on. The Carnival in Jacmel is more of a traditional one whereas the one in Port-Au-Prince (this coming weekend) is more like an ongoing party and dancing. In Jacmel they make paper mâché animals and all sorts of other things. They made one of the collapsed Presidential Palace and homes that were collapsed by the earth quake. There were some people carrying a young boy on a stretcher with posters saying things along the lines of cholera kills. There were also many groups playing music, singing and dancing up the streets. I didn’t think the party would ever stop. Eventually it did and we headed back to Port-Au-Prince around 1030 pm. Alex left Monday afternoon and it was back to normal life again here until Friday when Dr Bonnet (JP), John (a guy who works with us back in Jersey) and Robert (a friend of John’s and pilot who is flying them all on a 4 passenger flight from Fort Lauderdale) arrive.

Marching past the Presidential Palace-the end of the march

The march begins

Spectators watching the march

One of the marchers

Playing music while marching

Holding pictures of Aristide

Signs showing support for the return of Aristide

Mass grave outside of Port-Au-Prince where people were buried after the earthquake

Chasing each other for the snacks the sisters brought to the deaf camp

Yvon at the deaf camp

One of the children at the deaf camp

Children climbing on the SanteBus at the deaf camp

One of the children at the deaf camp

Yvon with members of the deaf camp around the car

Radiologists without Borders Visit

Dr. Ron hanging out with some of the kids at Pou Soley Leve

Dr. Ron teaching the children about bones and joints

The rice donated from J/P HRO

RWB headed home

Rose and Dave

Me, Shelly, Rose, and Dave carrying donated rice

Shelly, Dave, Chris, Rose, Ron and I carrying boxes of rice

Chris and Dr. Ron carrying the donated rice

RWB and the children of Pou Soley Leve

Chris with his students at J/P HRO hospital

Chris teaching some x-ray techs at the J/P HRO hospital

Brian and Shelly talking before Shelly went to train some mid-wives at the J/P HRO hospital

Chris with his graduated students at J/P HRO hospital

Let me fill you in on the last two weeks...

On Wednesday the 9^th we picked up 5 members of Radiologists Without Borders (RWB) who included Dr. Ron Israelski, Christopher Moreno, Shelley Benson, Brian Wetzel, and Dave Kerr. On their first day here we took them to the General Hospital so they could distribute the lead vests for the x-ray techs they brought with them. After that it was starting to get dark so we headed home to eat and discuss the rest of the week. The next day we dropped off the crew at the hospital while Yvon, Greg and I went to J/P HRO to pick up 30 boxes of food they were donating to Pou Soley Leve. When we went to pick up the RWB they told us about a 14 year old boy who got caught in a fight and his forearm was now cut deeply and the nerves had been cut as well so he couldn’t move his wrist and hand. Friday morning we went to the General Hospital so Dr. Ron could try to do what he could for the boys arm and for the rest of the team to fix one of the x-ray machines that hadn’t been working. Around 11 am we took Chris, Brian and Shelly up to the J/P HRO hospital so they could train some of the x-ray techs up there and to train some of the mid-wives on how to use the ultra sound machines they have. Chris was training 3 of the x-ray techs on how to use on of their portable x-ray machine and Shelly went over to the maternity section to train them on the different things they could do with the ultra sound machine. Dr. Ron was able to complete the surgery on the young boy but will have to do some follow up surgery when he comes back in a few months. That night we had a dinner party for all of the people who helped the RWB while they were here. Some of the doctors and interns came and everyone talked and made plans for future visits and what can be done to improve the hospital. Before they left for the airport we went up to Gilbert to drop off the rice that we had received from J/P HRO a few days prior. After we helped the kids carry the boxes, Dr. Ron proceeded to give the kids a lesson on the leg bones and the arm bones. When he was demonstrating joints by moving his leg in circles the kids copied him and everyone started laughing. We could only stay for about 15 minutes because they had to catch a flight back home. They are planning to come back though this summer to train some more people and to bring more doctors back to the hospital. It was sad to see them go since they were here for such a short time but we have all made plans to continue the work we are doing back in the states and down here.

Let me paint you a picture..

I am awakened at 6:30 am either by the roosters downstairs or by the construction workers across the street. I doze in and out of sleep until about 7:15 when I hear the playful laughter of children on the way to school. As I wake up and get ready, I listen to the rest of the city already on their way to work. I begin to hear the honking of the cars as they warn pedestrians and other drivers to stay out of the way. Depending on what is going on for the day, I may go up to the J/P HRO camp to bring the mechanics up to work on the cars. If they find out they need a part then we head downtown to more of the industrial part of town passing the presidential palace which collapsed on itself. The sun reflects off the painted white, making it contrast that much more from the bright green of the lawn that it sits on. There are tents surrounding what once were parks all around the adjacent streets. Presidential candidate’s names are spray painted around the concrete perimeter while posters of the same candidate’s posters have been glued to the green wrought iron fences which line the lawn. People have taken up the sidewalk space selling everything from phone credit to used clothes to freshly cooked food. As we wind through the traffic, which at first glance seems to have no structure to it but upon further inspection there is a certain chaotic method of getting through the newly formed one way streets due to the dumping of rubble into the already broken and pot-holed filled roads, we have to make our way around the tap-taps which are basically trucks with a covering over the bed and benches for the customers to sit on. They are usually filled with people and have others hanging on in the back while blasting the latest hip-hop and rap songs. Driving through the streets of downtown a mixture of exhaust, rotting garbage, and food cooking overcome the area. As we drive by some women selling oranges and peeling them for their customers we may just get lucky enough to get a whiff of the citrus filling the air but only briefly as we pass by.  Dogs wander the streets usually limping along on three good legs either because of being hit by cars or any other numerous reasons.  On our way back from downtown we pass women walking around with live chickens held upside down who stop in from of each store window holding them up to entice a potential customer. Heading back up the hill in traffic and the mid-day sun the drink sellers walking alongside the cars seem to look more and more tempting as the minutes turn into an hour or two. By the time we get back up to the cars we started working on in the morning it is now turning into late afternoon so the mechanic packs up his tools and we make plans to finish the work the next morning. If I have learned one thing so far it is to not make plans because there is always something that comes up to change them so just go with it because there is nothing else you can do about it. As soon as the sun begins to sets, all of the sellers on the streets pack up and head to wherever they call home and the night street food sellers and tent bars begin to get ready for the evening customers. The sun sets very quickly and once it is gone the temperature drops rapidly. Not enough to feel a chill, but just enough to feel al of the heat from the day disperse only to come back in a few hours. Things begin to get quite on the streets around the house around 8 or 9 and after 10 there is hardly any traffic to be heard except for downtown off into the distance. The late night is the best time to get anything done since no one is using the internet and this time of night is the only quite I get throughout the day. Pretty soon my eyes will no longer be able to stay open and I will go off to sleep for a few hours only to do it all over again once I wake. 

Fixing the fleet

This past week started off on a good note. There is a boy, Jeff, who lives about an hour away from Port-Au-Prince who Dr. Bonnet (The doctor who started SantéBus, the program I am here with) met while he was here last year. Jeff is trying to obtain a visa to be allowed to study in New Jersey and stay with the Bonnet family. On Sunday, Jeff and his mother arrived in Port-Au-Prince to spend the night since they had a meeting at the embassy at 7:30am. We all went to the embassy Monday morning but Jeff was not allowed to have anyone accompany him since he was over 18 and under 79 so we waited in the car for 3 and a half hours until his interview was over. He would have been granted the visa but the school he is going to be attending put his name as Jeffery on the form and on his passport is says Jeff, so the school has to send a new letter down and then he go to the embassy and get his visa.

Monday afternoon I went to meet with one of the owners of the Hotel Montana, Nadine, Aleda, one of the co-founders of We Advance (http://weadvance.org/index.php), which is opening a clinic in Cite Soleil (one of the poorest and most dangerous cities in the western hemisphere), and Adam, the founder and president of Global DIRT (disaster immediate response team, http://www.globaldirt.org/) which specializes in emergency patient transfers by working with clinics and the General Hospital.

A brief history about Nadine and the Hotel Montana: The Hotel was built in 1946 and was a well-known 4-star tourist hotel with 146 rooms and a panoramic view of the city from the restaurant. On January 12^th 2010, an estimated 200 of 300 guests were missing. One of the people who was buried under the rubble was Nadine whose family owns the hotel. She was buried for 100 hours before she was found by a rescue team from Spain. Many of the rescue teams gave up looking for survivors after 72 hours, but Nadine’s son would not let them stop looking for her. When the Spanish team found her, they were overjoyed and amazed by her resilience. They became very close and in her honor they decided to donate ambulances to programs and NGOs (non-government organizations) that will be able to use them. They have already been able to bring in Nadine Uno into the country and are working hard to get Nadine Dos out of the port and are hoping to bring in at least four more.

Dr. Bonnet has stayed at the Hotel Montana in the past and had met Nadine a few times. As we were going through immigration he recognized her while she was in the line next to us. They talked briefly and it was during this that she mentioned the ambulances. Dr. Bonnet knew Aleda and she had expressed her need for medical transportation. We Advance has been working with Global DIRT for a while now to help them facilitate the transportation of their patients.

Back to the meeting…Nadine was very interested in bringing an ambulance over for Global DIRT and We Advance to use. They are going to find a way to easily get them out of the port and without paying a lot of money for customs. After that is completed hopefully they will be able to get them through without any problems. It sounds a lot easier than it is. Even if you have the correct paper work, the officials can always find something wrong.

On Tuesday, Yvon was off to find parts with Peter the mechanic for the SantéBus suburban that J/P HRO (Sean Penn’s NGO) had but was not working. I was on my way to the health cluster meeting alone. These meetings are held once a week in order to inform other health NGOs what is happening around the city. As the meeting started, everyone was introducing themselves and which organization they were with. At least this is what I am assuming since they were all speaking French and I only understand about 7 words of French. One of them is santé which means health in French and was the only word I could pick out. I stayed for a half hour before I asked the women next to me if the whole meeting was in French and she said that they used to have an interpreter but they haven’t for many weeks now. Next week Yvon said he would go with me so he could translate for me. The only notes I took down for the meeting were “Learn French”.

On Wednesday I went with Yvon and Peter to look for the missing parts. We went to two junk yards and the industrial part of town looking for all the parts and were still not able to find them all. The cars are American made and those are the parts that are most difficult to find here. There is a surplus of Japanese parts everywhere you look but no American. This is one of the reasons building a garage to service not just our vehicles, but the public as well, is one of our short term goals. We are looking into the cost of land not too far outside of the city and hopefully have something soon for when we bring more buses into the country. Thursday we tried to finish the car but each time we thought we had all the parts we needed, we realized there was a missing bolt or something small and we had to go back out and find one. On Friday all we needed were the keys to test the brakes that had been put on the day before. We were told a man had them but when we finally found him he didn’t know where he had put them and the people working in the office could not find them anywhere since they had moved a few times in the past few months. Needless to say, we were not able to get the car moving but the mechanic was able to hotwire it and it works. We are having 2 sets of keys made so things like this won’t happen again.

I see the ocean every day and it taunts me on these hot endless days so it was so relaxing to go swimming even if it was only for 2 hours yesterday. We had some freshly caught red snapper for dinner. I unfortunately swallowed two bones. They are just so small that I couldn’t get them all. Every Sunday there is a group that gets together to play football and sometimes soccer. Last week was football but this week because there were so many people, there was soccer and football. It is really nice to be able to get together with all different people doing all different things, Haitians and foreigners.

On Wednesday until Sunday of this week, there are 5 men coming from Radiologists Without Borders who are going to be working at the General Hospital fixing their x-ray machines that are not working. Hopefully they will be able to help us get our x-ray bus up and going in the next few months. There is also a dental unit and eye unit being put on a bus as well. The radiologists are also going to be bringing the corrected letter for Jeff so he will be able to get his visa and head to the frigid, winter wonderland of NJ.