Bienvienue

Howdy All!

First blog coming swiftly to you from Haiti…only 1 week late.  Wow I need to get better at this.  So much to write it’s a little overwhelming (and probably gonna be a tad boring to read) so I’ll do my best to summarize in an interesting fashion.

Last week was orientation in Akron, PA.  For those of you who don’t know (which included me until last Wednesday) that’s near Lancaster, PA about an hour or so west of Philly in Amish country.  I had an amazing supposedly 2 week orientation crammed into 3 days and got to learn how wonderful MCC is throughout the world.  I also got to meet some amazinginly wonderful people.  Each one has incredible life stories, even the random driver who transports you around has a daughter just back from Bolivia and has stories of living in Africa that’ll make you poop your pants.  Two of my favorite peeps are pictured below.  Among these amazing things one that stood out was MCC’s Material Resource Center which basically is a gigantic recycle center that makes disaster relief aid items out of…you got it…recycled things.  These include using old torn up and illegible books to make recycled paper for school children, weaving used men’s ties and jeans into door mats, cutting up used t-shirts for rags that are sold to local oil changing companies in the US for money, maintain thrift stores scattered throughout the country, and the list goes on and on.  In addition to the recycling, locals in surrounding cities volunteer during the week to help built quilts to sell at auctions for money, comforters to send in disaster relief kits, and cloth bags with notebooks, colored pencils and pens for school children.  Coolest part….you can put together these school kits and comforters yourself and donate them to MCC if you can’t donate money or want to donate in an artistic way (and have some extra fabric lying around). Here’s the website. http://eastcoast.mcc.org/materialresourcescenter .  There are specific instructions on sewing comforters and school kits online or if you want I can put you in contact with Evette at the Center.  

Another incredible thing MCC has started is an organization called 10,000 villages.  I’m sure several of you have heard about this and there are stores on the west coast to shop at!  It’s an organization started by MCC but was so successful it now has its own name and set of workers to go with.  10,000 villages buys hand made crafts from all over the world at fair prices and ships them back to the US to be sold.  The artisans who’s work is sold are paid a fair wage for their product and actually get to decide the price of their product.  Shipping fees unfortunately play a major role but the work that is sold in these stores is absolutely incredible art.  The neatest thing for me was seeing how even these things are constructed out of recycled materials.  Third world countries definitely have us beat when it comes to reusing and recycling.  Here’s their website:  http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca/.  Check it out.  Awesome place for xmas gift shopping. 

After my three day intensive session and goodbyes to friends it was off to Haiti.  There is another couple that was traveling on the same flight as I was that are working in advocacy for MCC.  Super fun couple that both went to SPU in Seattle.  Kristen is from Eugene, OR and her husband Wawa is from Kenya.  They had been living in Egypt for the past 2 years where Wawa was getting his master’s degree and Kristen was working with Habitat for Humanity.  They have some great stories of Kenya and Egypt, none of which I can remember at this place and time, go fig.  

My first week has consisted of orientation which includes 3 hours a day of Creole lessons.  Our Creole instructor, Franz, succeeds mostly in teaching us English and not Creole, preaching the word of the Lord, and singing hymnals.  We think he teaches English for most of his day and gets a little confused when he comes to us.  We know he is studying to be a pastor which explains the rest.  Nice guy, awesome enthusiasm, just not for learning Creole.  I plan to plop myself down with the cooks next week where I think I’ll learn more in one day then I did with Franz all this week.  

There are so many funny/strange/peculiar things here that I see each and every day it’s hard to pin point and write about one specific event.  Perhaps we should start with my first day of driving in Haiti.  My second day in country I decided to just grow some balls and go for it, much to the surprise of my supervisor (who was going to be riding with me and most likely was fearing for her own life, not mine).  My first journey consisted of a 2 hour drive through downtown and out to the country to do some surveying.  I’ve found the way to master Haitian driving is to have an eye for spotting potholes.  Nothing else matters.  If you can do this, you can drive in Haiti.  Unlike in the US where a pothole is merely an uncomfortable and unpleasant jostle, in Haiti you can darn near lose your entire car (and life) in one.  Putting grates over catch basins in Haiti is kind of an afterthought especially since (sans grate) it makes a handy garbage disposal for locals who find sweeping trash and debris in the early morning a form of meditation.  

Haitians have got to be the most efficient travelers.  Everything and anything is tied, strapped or held out a window to be transported down the road.  Said items can include that evenings dinner (still alive.  Very smart since they don’t have refrigerators in lots of homes), an object so large in size it really should be placed on a semi and not on the top of a local tap tap (Toyota Tacoma with the snot beaten out of it) making the tap tap incredibly top heavy but quite entertaining to watch from behind (or quickly pass before they lose something that you will inevitably run over).  My favorite part about driving in Haiti; everyone and anyone regardless of age and if they’ve ever actually EVER driven a car will help you get around a tight corner, over a bridge etc.  As I was pulling onto a road with a drainage trench below me 5 men on motorcycles were on the same ramp/bridge-thing over the trench.  I gave them a confused look to say “guys, I don’t have room with you on the bridge. You’re gonna have to move”.  They returned my confused look with one of their own and vigorously started waving their hands for me to precede onward, all eyes on my wheels.  I drove across waiting expectantly for my back tire to fall into the ditch but alas “pa problem”.  I’ve decided I MUCH prefer driving in Haiti then the US.  People are just so much more competent.  If you’re passing three abreast on the freeway everyone finds their way and it’s so much more efficient!  And fun!  J  Getting used to using my horn all the time will be tough as Americans view this as rude.  Haitians expect to be notified when you’re driving up the road behind them, otherwise they cross.   Forget “Look both ways”.   

My "digs" in Akron, PA.  All the art, chairs, tables, etc. in my house (Africa house) was actually from Africa. 

The lovely ladies from the Latin/Caribbean MCC department

Hallway to my room in Akron

Building in Haiti.  You see this everywhere you drive around Haiti. 

My goodness, how I’ve babbled.  Too finish, as the week slowly comes to an end I look forward to the weekend which includes heading up to our office in the countryside (Desarmes) with several other folks for continuation of our orientation.  Next week I will be working with another organization that has a set of engineers doing the same things I will be doing here.  It’ll be nice to bounce ideas off eachother and really get a good grasp of construction over here.  Unlike the US, you can’t read about how to build from a book.  You just have to drive around and talk to people.    Until next week, I hope this blog finds you well.  Miss you all so very much and hugs and kisses to all.