Angeli in Haiti

A Chance to Help and Holiday Shop...

2007-11-06T11:17:00.000-05:00

Pwof Ansanm, the NGO I went to Haiti with two years ago, is running an online auction. The funds will support the organization's educational work, which includes teacher trainings and curriculum development, with a special focus on capacity building and cooperative efforts between Haitian and foreign educational institutions.

There are four ways that you can help:

1. Start your holiday shopping by bidding! Bidding started Sunday Nov. 5 and will run for two weeks. Please take a look at the auction website: www.pwofansanm.cmarket.com.

2. Even if you don't bid, consider registering. The more people who sign in, the more donationed items Pwof Ansanm will be able to collect in the future.

3. Donate an item to the auction. There's a link on the left side of the page.

4. Pass the word along to anyone you think might be interested in participating! Feel free to forward on this message, or there is a link on the website to refer friends.

(If you have questions, you can refer them to Raven Travillian at ravensar@myuw.net.)

You may also want to check out Pwof Ansanm's website: www.pwofansanm.org - they do really great work!

Lighting Africa Competition

2007-08-29T11:32:00.001-04:00

I love the World Bank's Development Marketplace Competition - what a great way to encourage innovation! This year's theme is Lighting Africa. Check it out, and if you know of anyone who might be interested in or good at this sort of thing, pass it along. And if there's some way I can help, let me know! The preminary proposal deadline is October 31.

Bridging the Digital Divide

2005-11-15T00:19:00.000-05:00

Three cheers for technology that advances international development!

Sub-$100 laptop design unveiled

One MIT professor Nicholas Negroponte has developed a laptop that costs less than $100. Why? Because children in developing countries can't afford them at current prices. And because many children even here can't afford them. The "digital divide" means faster and faster progress for those who have access to technology, while those with no access are left ever-further behind. So much for convergence theory-until now. Expected to come out in late 2006 or early 2007, these laptops will not be available for sale but will be distributed directly to schools through government programs, domestic and internationally.

The laptops are highly portable and will have a handcrank for locations without electricity. They will be enabled for "peer-to-peer" networking and wifi internet connectivity. The low price is possible because of technology developed to create a display that can be produced for $35-an incredible reduction. They are also designed to be adjusted for viewing in a range of lighting conditions.

You can check out the design plans here:One Laptop per Child

Final (?) Internet Participants

2005-11-11T12:30:00.000-05:00

To be able to continue to receive one free hour of education-related internet time each month, the teachers from the seminar have to send an email each month to report what they are researching and which websites they find. As of the (fuzzy) final cut-off for the first round (it was supposed to be one month, but numerous complications won out, extending the deadline to somewhere mid-October, with stragglers still allowed in) there are 26 participants.

Of the 26, one of these was a student who we ended up using as a computer teacher and have pulled out from the list of seminar participants (the official number of registrees is then 58). Two more are teachers who were not participants in the seminar but who were very helpful in the setting up and running of the seminar. 54 of the original 58 registrees graduated (I'll verify this number), and three of the graduates finished without an email address. So, 23 of 51 trainees with email addresses have joined the program by sending an email.

Not all of the internet program participants have managed to explain what they search for (though this is improving), and not one has listed a website found. The rules have been flexible in this so far. One possible reason for a lack of websites might be that they write as the first thing, before they've found any websites during that session.

Anecdotal Successes

2005-11-10T22:08:00.000-05:00

Throughout the training, and afterwards, Joy and I have worried that while the teachers found the course interesting, they wouldn't want or be able to apply any of it in their own classrooms.

But, just from keeping tabs on the emails teachers send in to Pwof Ansanm (which is itself a success!) I have a few "warm fuzzies" to report:

Teacher 21 wrote in October to say that he had been using the internet to look up information on distance for a lesson. To keep the students interested and to do something hands-on, during class he had them measure the dimensions of the classroom, their heights, etc. The active lesson was so popular that the students in other classes were begging their teachers to do the same. (I also have the feeling that this may have been the first time most of the students knew their own height.)

Teacher 21 wrote again this month to say he was using the internet to research space and vectors. He reports that he encouragess them to see what discoveries they can make on the internet.

Teacher 41 wrote this month that he along with Teacher 51 organized a debate with some of the students, reporting that it was quite interesting. The debate was one of the activities over the summer that was wrought with drama and complications, but it turned out to be so popular that people requested a second round.

The teachers have also organized themselves to have a two- or three-day seminar at one of the high schools to share what they've learned with the rest of the teachers at that school. If everything goes according to plan, it will take place in about a week. Joy will also be visiting at that time, so she will be able to observe the process. It is exciting to note that she is not the one organizing the seminar. The teachers really are doing it.

It's nice to see at least a few signs of progress. Change takes time, and it's hard to be patient, but as I had my English students there frequently repeat, "Rome wasn't built in a day!"

Biting the Bullet

2005-11-09T13:30:00.000-05:00

After spending half of my graduate school life (Okay, I exaggerate, but only a little.) in the Hurst Social Science (Statistical) Computer Lab, and after getting kicked out of the lab last Friday night because it was closing(sad, I know), I have finally decided to go ahead and purchase STATA, the statistical software that I use for everything. Haiti data, an empirical assignment this semester, my SRP (Substantial Research Paper, basically a thesis)...

Now, I'm trying to figure out why I didn't just go ahead and buy it last semester...

Data Coming Soon!

2005-11-07T23:37:00.000-05:00

I'm in the process of writing up the evaluation I went to Haiti to do, so I've been doing more intensive cleaning of the data. I will be posting some of the results soon!

One Day Left

2005-10-15T09:23:00.000-04:00

Today, October 15th, is the first internet deadline for the professors in the program. True to the original intentions, the teachers were told that Pwof Ansanm would pay for one hour of educational internet use a month at VDH (a youth center with a cybercafe and internet classes) if they would send an email once a month to pwofansanm@gmail.com to say which sites they were using most. This was almost two months ago, but the internet at VDH was down for nearly one month, so the deadline for the first email was pushed back.

As of a week or two ago, we had only heard from a handful out of the 55 professors who finished the training (all of whom said they wanted to participate in the internet program). As of last night, there were 20 who had written, plus two members of KAG (the teachers organization)- Waldinde, who has been helping teach the others, and another who helped run the training. I'm not sure what the policy will be about KAG members.

This has been another demonstration in the workings about Haiti. Really, just two weeks ago, we were sure that we would have ten responses at the most. Plus, there was no way for us to communicate with all the teachers to remind them. What were we going to do? Send them an email? In any case, faithful Waldinde has been contacting as many as possible, reminding them, and even offering to meet them there to help them remember how to write an email. Things get done in Haiti, usually, but only at the last minute.

I asked him about the women because we've only heard from the KAG member and Marie Mite, who was in the training, but we've technically counted her as a trainer, since she helped train the teachers in internet and computer use. Waldinde said he visited all the women personally, but they chose not to go. I'm really hoping that they're just procrastinating and will go in the next 12 hours... I wonder why they're not interested?

I wish I knew how many of the teachers actually received the information about this opportunity. Most things go out by word of mouth, so we're limited to their seeing each other and remembering or to Waldinde's efforts. I have no doubt that we've missed some of the teachers in the more remote towns.

At the same time, when I really think about it, 20 out of 55 may not be so bad. It could easily have been much lower.

And If There Weren't Already Enough Challenges

2005-10-11T21:30:00.000-04:00

Jacson's leaving Jeremie to study in PaP.

Jacson was the real force behind the intiation of this project. He contacted Joy, and thus Pwof Ansanm was born. I haven't heard yet what this will mean for the project. If other leaders will step forward, the show may go on. But if no one fills those big shoes... ?????

Will There Be a Training Next Year?

2005-10-08T12:20:00.000-04:00

I talked to Joy last night. She is tentatively planning to go back to Jeremie in early November, to prepare next summer's training. But not a lot seems to be happening on the Jeremie end. She has asked that KAG (the teachers' organization) and the other professors get together and take care a lot of the basic planning steps. This seems to be too much to ask, and she is considering threatening to call off the whole program. We're not really sure what the problem is, but here are some possibilities:

Haitians don't generally plan so far in advance (or even in advance at all, sometimes), so meetings NOW seem ridiculous.

Leadership there isn't delegating responsibilities, so either people don't feel involved, they have no idea what is going on and what needs to be going on, and they are generally underutilized.

Creative problem solving within administrative issues is not especially part of the Haitian infrastructure right now.

Something else?

There was so much enthusiasm when we left that we were optimistic about the professors joining KAG and becoming more involved in the planning process. Email communication is proving difficult, so we're not sure what to do or whom to contact specifically to pushing things along from here. Joy doesn't want to have them scrambling to organize a meeting AFTER she gets there, with good reason.

One hates to hand-hold, but we're thinking it might be necessary to create a checklist, with little check boxes and the works, of every task and subtask and how to perform each subtask, if it comes down to it. Yikes! Perhaps part of the mission of this program will end up being the building of organizational planning infrastructure, which could have some great externalities for Jeremie.

We're also trying to find more people on the international end, with expertise, materials, manpower, and donations, to help carry these trainings along. So if you know anyone...

Who'll Take Free Internet?

2005-10-08T11:56:00.000-04:00

When we left Jeremie, we announced to all the teachers that if they would sign onto the internet once a month and email us with a list of the websites they were accessing, they would get one hour of access free at VDH, one of the cybercafes. They all, without exception, put their names on a list to say they wanted to participate.

This has not gone as expected. First, the internet was down at VDH for a few weeks, precluding them from accessing the internet there. A few wrote from other locations to let us know, and now the service is back up. Joy extended the response deadline to October 15, to compensate for the delay.

As of today, only a handful have written, perhaps 10 of 55. We're not sure if the others aren't interested, can't make it to town to use the service, can't remember how to sign on, don't realize that VDH is up and running again, or what. Anyone who doesn't write by October 15 will be removed from the list. Joy sent out a final email to remind them of this and to encourage them to remind each other.

Finally, even those who have written haven't exactly followed instructions. They are supposed to use the access to find educational information and then tell us which sites. Not one has done this. Typical content is restricted to greetings, thank yous, requests for material, and the announcements that VDH internet was down. We're not sure what to make of this. Perhaps they didn't really understand how to do a search on google. It's also possible that they don't really read the emails we send for content, but simply take them as greetings. This could explain the lack of reply to our questions.

What to do?

The surveys

2005-10-02T17:02:00.000-04:00

I am still wading my way through surveys! All the once designed with multiple choice answers and just a few places to specify other information went very quickly. But one of the last questionnaires was completely open-ended, with questions like "What would help you share the information you've learned with other teachers?" and "Other than food or transportation money, what about the program would you change?" Monica, a true saint, has been helping me enter them and translate them into English, but we tend to finish only three or four an hour, when they're legible. After they've all been entered (for a record of original data), I'll try to code them to group similar responses. We're definitely seeing a lot of themes. They were glad to have done group work, lesson and unit plans, and internet, among others. There weren't very many negative comments; some felt limited in their ability to employ some of the techniques or pass them on without some additional resources.

But, the end is in sight, and I'll be able to finish the evaluation soon!

New Address

2005-09-13T10:29:00.000-04:00

I have established a new blog site: www.angelikirk.blogspot.com.

Photos

2005-09-10T01:57:00.000-04:00

I'm planning on putting this blog on hold for a while, partially to give myself a little while to settle back into school. I'm considering starting a DC blog, and then continuing here when I have more news and info.

In the meantime, if you're interesting in seeing photos from the summer, send me an email at angeli@american.edu, and I'll send you a link to the albums on Ofoto.

More information soon...

Reverse Culture Shock

2005-08-20T13:55:00.000-04:00

Last night was the first night I don't remember dreaming in Creole.

I will have been back in the States a week this evening. I always forget how hard it is to settle back in. It's not any one thing, really, but more of a general off-balanced feeling that comes from the collection of small details of life that change from one setting to another. Coming back, there's such a mix of things to process. For one thing, it takes time for those experiences to incorporate themselves into your concept of yourself. Your life away can be so different that it takes up its own little compartment in your mind, separate from your "real life."

And, there's something of a mourning process, too. There are all of the favorites things that you miss- the ocean, the spontaneous music, the rhythm of Creole chatter...and the friendships that you've built so quickly. Not only is it possible that you never go back or that many of your goodbyes are final but also, you know that if you do go back, it won't be the same as before; the faces would change (at least most of your international companions, anyway), and you could be starting over again.

So what's the solution? Staying busy for a while is generally my preference, which makes being on "vacation" a little difficult.
I'm getting to see a lot of my dearest friends, but other than eating, sleeping, and socializing, my activity has been minimal. Thankfully, I'll be getting into my own routine again soon, or I'd worry about feeling depressed. I forget how much stimulation is simply inherent in life abroad. Even when you maintain a seemingly mundane routine, you don't feel bored because the background is so different from what you know. The landscape, language, food, culture, etc. keep the mind active and engaged.

Anyway, I think I'll be here in Atlanta for a few more days, and then make the drive to DC on the 24th, stopping in Richmond for the night. I'll head to NYC for a long weekend, and classes start up again on the 29th.

Home Again

2005-08-15T12:01:00.000-04:00

After three flights, several delays, and a lot of pizza in Atlanta, I'm home again, and falling asleep any time I have a quiet (or semi-quiet) moment.

Last Hours

2005-08-12T09:40:00.000-04:00

In about 24 hours the van will pick me up to take me to the Jeremie landing strip. (We call it "the airport," but I don't want you to think it's more than it is.) It's very strange planning out the last activities. I'm not ready to go yet. There are still one hundred questions to ask, a bag to pack, pictures to take, gifts and thank-yous to send, and a lot of goodbyes that I hate to say. Tonight there will be a goodbye party at Marie's house. We haven't quite figured out how to rotate all the right people through to make sure I can see everyone without any uncomfortable mixes, but I think it'll be all right.

I woke up to the warm glow of the sky over the water, like every morning. It's still cool for a moment, and I'm thankful, knowing that the heat starts as early as 8 o'clock or even earlier on some days. I'm mulling over the mental checklist, trying to prioritize. I won't be able to fit in everything I'd like today. There are so many places I'd like to visit and activities I'd like to fit in one last time. And I won't be able to see everyone to say goodbye, but maybe it's easier that way.

It's strange how quickly my life and routine here has become so normal to me. I've forgotten the feeling of a night in an air-conditioned house. I'm afraid that I may not be able to re-adopt my normal walking pace and may never be ontime to school again. I'm trying to pretend I'll still be able to eat a perfect avocado every day and hit the beach each Sunday at 1:30. There won't be the or children carrying jugs of water tied together and perched on their heads, or the goats and pigs running around in the sewers. And there's the ocean in constant view, and the music and dancing that are as constant as the poverty and the heat. Even stranger, though, is how quickly I know I'll slip back into my American life.

A Day at the Library

2005-08-08T21:35:00.000-04:00

Today felt really good. I took two groups of teachers to the library. I had them look around for about 15 minutes, and then I set the brainstorming topics for groups of 5: What would we like to see in this library? and What can we do about it? I was really nervous that the list was going to be "We don't have, We don't have, We don't have..." and "The government should..." but we actually came up with a very positive and proactive list. The very first suggestion was "We should become members!" And there were suggestions about getting people in the community to contribute books, and to hold events like story times and debates there to encourage people to come. One group suggested showing educational films there to raise some money. Several groups suggested forming a committee of "support and supervision" for the library.

I was excited to see teachers excited. I try not to get my hopes up too high, though, because the early talk is much easier than the later follow-through. But, if nothing else, I'm excited about the fact that the teachers seem to feel empowered and motivated to create the changes they want to see.

Monday Morning Plans

2005-08-07T11:29:00.000-04:00

We don't have a second teacher planned for Monday, so during each session I will take a group to the "national" library. We went to visit it yesterday. The building is pretty nice. There's a large room and two smaller rooms to the side. The books only take up a small portion of the two smaller rooms, and the large room has a few tables. The books are mostly old (a few new childrens books in English, and the early 1980s seems to be the most recent of the books in French- The rest were from the 1930s-1960s.) The room with the childrens books and mysteries was locked with a sign that says "Employees Only."

So we're going to take a field trip with the professors, followed by a brainstorming about what can be done. There are plenty of resources available, if a group is willing to prove its interest and commitment. The challenge is that there's a cycle here. Not a lot of people think to read very often, so the demand for books stays low, so there's no build-up of books, so there's no enticement to start reading. And some of the best books end up disappearing into the homes of directors and members of the Ministry. I can't help but think, though, with the right personality running the library, or a group interested in improving the quality and quantity of resources and activities, the library could become a strong center of culture and research. We'll be having the brainstorming session at the library itself (No, there's no one there, so we won't be disturbing the other readers.), which may hopefully have the effect of inspiring the director, or maybe making him just nervous enough to take some initiative. Or, more likely, just make him nervous. Still, it would be nice to have a small enough project that the teachers could tackle and succeed with, to see that they are actually able to work to solve problems they see. We'll see what tomorrow produces.

One More Week

2005-08-05T14:47:00.000-04:00

I've had a hard time writing lately- maybe I'm a little burnt out, or maybe there's just a lot of mental baggage to unpack. Once I get home, I'm going to type up a lot of my notes and will include parts of them here.

It's interesting to see how the class has progressed over the last few weeks. We've finished three of four now. Some days it's really frustrating, and it seems like no one is making any progress. At the same time, the "cream of the crop" seems to be appearing at this point, and while progress is slow, there is a core group of professors that really seem bright and enthusiastic. I've been impressed with Joy's fortitude in everything.

We had to end our lunch-catering contract after they arrived an hour after the teachers left on Wednesday and then dared to bring the same fish that hadn't been eaten the day before- and the odor of which indicated that it had been sitting out for 24 hours. I wish they understood what that would have done to their business had they tried to pull that off in the US.

Eight more days. At this point, I know I will be sad to go. I've gotten into a semi-routine, and there are a lot of people I'll miss. I'm also looking forward to seeing everyone at home.

Home Soon

2005-07-31T10:23:00.000-04:00

I've started a number of drafts for the blog, but I've had a hard time finishing them. I'll work on that in the next couple of days. I'll be home two weeks from yesterday. I can't believe it.

Third, Thirsty, Three, Throw, These, Those, That

2005-07-27T23:16:00.000-04:00

I gave my second English lesson today. There were a lot more students today. I've decided to focus on pronunciation, as a lot of Haitians have studied for a number of years, but they don't have many native speakers with whom they can practice. In some ways, it's easier because the lessons can be very basic, and we can simply work on bringing their pronunciation closer to a natural pattern.

I start with TH. The aspirated sound in "third" generally becomes an f sound. So I tell them to stick out their tongues and relax their lower lips. They look at me like I'm crazy. I tell them to try it. Same reaction. So I lean forward and stick my tongue way out. I make the sound. They all laugh. Then I said, "Try it." This time they do- even if they mess up, they can't possibly seem more ridiculous than I. I take that as success. I still hear f, though. So I hold down my bottom lip. They try that. Almost perfect. We make it through a list of maybe 15 words before moving on to the th in that and this. And h, and r. Each time I try to make the sound I hear them make, followed by the correct one. When they hear them together, they seem to be able to catch the difference. If we go back and forth, my making a sound, their repeating it, and my making it again, back and forth, I can hear their sound approximating mine more and more closely. Haitians have an amazing capability for learning languages and accurate pronunciation once they have access to the correct sounds.

After warming up with sounds, we practice conversation. Many of them already know a lot, so I let them direct their own conversations in pairs at the front of the class. When I hear a grammar problem or something that doesn't sound natural, we talk about options for how to best express what it is that they want to say. We clap for everyone when they finish. There is often a lot of laughter, but I make it a point to have them laugh at me first, so the laughter ends up being fun rather than embarrassing.

To practice reading, we go over a few English sayings (strategically pertaining to things like punctuality and perserverance) and a passage I typed up about daily activities.

To finish, we sang a few rounds of "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes," and then I taught them the Hokey Pokey. For those of you who have had the distinct pain of hearing me sing, you can appreciate the graciousness of the Haitians who patiently listened long enough to catch on and rescue me by joining in.

And we'll do it all over again on Monday at 4pm!

Intellectual Infrastructure

2005-07-24T13:44:00.000-04:00

There are so many ingredients necessary for successful development: social capital, economic resources, participation, good governance and accountability, physical infrastructure... and now I'm getting an up-close and personal look at the importance of intellectual infrastructure. I'm not sure what the proper term is, but I use "intellectual infrastructure" or "intellectual capital" to mean the build-up of education, mental capability, and skills, and abilities, including things like problem solving, entrepreneurship, initiative, and the simple capacity to hear, comprehend, and follow instructions- that a society uses to improve and progress. I suppose these are a bit like good health- you take them for granted until you don't have them. And Haiti definitely suffers a deficit right now.

Where does the problem start? I've already mentioned that the percentage of the population that receives schooling is fairly small, and the percent that finishes high school is tiny. There aren't many venues for alternative education either. The quality and style of education creates its own challenges as well. An authoritarian method that requires rote memorization and allows no room for creative thinking creates a body of people who can recite masses of information but who do not ask questions or develop original work. To be "correct," a student must not only derive the same answer as the professor, she must solve it in the same way. Questions are a way of disrespecting authority, and it is not acceptable to question the Haitian hierarchies that are so strongly enforced. Additionally, the French basis for the educational system emphasizes abstraction over concrete practicality, so students can do high-level math or physics, but cannot apply them to solve the problems around them.

Of course, this is not universal, but I believe that variations from this pattern correspond quite highly with brain drain (the best-educated individuals tend to leaving the country for better opportunities elsewhere), which is another contributing factor in this infrastructural deficit.

Another factor is purely organic. Malnutrition has been a factor for so long that I'm constantly interacting with people of all ages who have simply had their intellectual capacity eroded from childhood. Extreme iodine deficiencies are estimated to be a problem for a third of the population, and incidents of parasites and worms cause anemia in males as well as females. Even in an ideal educational environment, these children will not be capable of learning until their nutritional needs are met.

How does a society overcome these obstacles?

Pwof Ansanm, the group providing the teacher training, is trying to make a dent in the educational style, to spread methods that encourage creativity and problem-solving. The work they're doing, however, has a difficult time counteracting the societal patterns and previous formations that lead so forcefully in the opposite direction....

Evaluator's Dilemma and Workouts

2005-07-21T21:58:00.000-04:00

I've been feeling rather tired since Monday, and I decided to skip the gym on Tuesday, and just did 35 minutes of cardio yesterday before going home. I've taken a nap two days in a row, and made it a point to drink more water. I felt a lot better this afternoon and was able to do a full workout and lead an abs class again. I think I've just needed a little time to adjust to the change in schedule and stress. The heat has also been a little worse the last few days. I had adjusted nicely, but the almost-August temperatures, especially around noon in the sun, are a challenge.

Today I committed myself to a few more teaching activities: English at 4pm on Mondays and Wednesdays for any interested professors (and anyone else, but I'm not advertising) and abdominal workouts at the gym at 6pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We'll see how this new schedule goes...

I've started writing up parts of my evaluation already, during the class sessions. One of the first issues I'm tackling is sustainability or possibility of expansion in light of the low local involvement we face. It's a real problem, and I'd like to address it as such, but even as I write, I realize that I don't want to be responsible for a donor not giving money to a project I think is very worthwhile. In fact, if it is handled well, the program may very well lead to increased involvement and participation, but it's not an obvious likelihood. We're dealing with a small program, in some ways an experiment, and the level of funding and other resources it requires are still pretty minimal. At this size, the potential losses or gains are fairly small. But if you're looking at a large program, with millions or billions of dollars, affecting huge numbers of people? If a project is successful, it's great to be able to measure that and recommend that it continue or expand. On the other side, though, who wants to be the one responsible for cutting a program that, while it may not be generally efficient, significantly impacts at least some people who really need it?

I guess the goal is to find ways to pinpoint the weaknesses in worthwhile programs that can be improved while emphasizing the overall value, so as not to discourage potential investment. When highlighting problems, though, you have to hope that opponents of decent projects don't grasp at the weaknesses as excuses to end the whole thing- a realistic concern. And if a program is cut in favor of another, you have to hope that more people will benefit more from the change. But it's a lot easier to make those decisions when you're not the one losing aid...

Roadblocks

2005-07-20T00:27:00.000-04:00

I watched "The Agronomist" tonight, a documentary by Jonathan Demme about Jean Dominique, a Haitian elite who spent four decades running a semi-independent radio station for the people, and who was assassinated in 2000. It was quite good, and it helped me with some of my Haitian history.

The entrance to Jeremie from the direction of PaP has now had a roadblock for about a week now. Because the government has officially declared no tolerance of the "bandits" (causing a few less-than-trustworthy sources here to call it civil war), there are fears that they will spread into the countryside, and into Jeremie. So far, a few weapons have been found, but it's not clear that the bearers have anything to do with the violence in PaP.

First Day Almost Done

2005-07-18T19:24:00.000-04:00

We have survived the first day of the course. In the end, I became responsible for registration- figuring out who was there, who could be a substitute, etc. I think I accidently signed in two too many social sciences profs, putting us at 58 total, but we were able to fit everyone, and we think the benefits of not turning people away is worth more than keeping the number right at the original goal of 56.

At the same time, I was trying to chase down everyone who hadn't completed their questionnaires, or who hadn't answered all the questions. I think I have questionnaires for everyone now, but the blanks are still mostly blank. I'm going to abandon that effort now, because the course has started, and I don't want to be mixing in the effects of partial treatment. That means some of my questions will be even smaller sample sizes, but it's what I have.

Tonight's homework for me will be to set up new rosters for taking attendance, and I'll start entering the questionnaire data. I'm also trying to track the changes in the participant list. I'm keeping everyone who has ever been on the list, because I still have some data for a lot of them, and it may (or may not) be interesting to compare the characteristics of the professors who have entered or exited the list of intended and then actual professors.

I'll also start writing up a general description of the proceedings of the program. Hopefully, the descriptive information will provide a basis from which to build the evaluation.

And right now, I have a strong case of what they call "tet chage" here- too much swimming around in my mind. I'm trying to figure out what will be the most effective use of time and energy- for the evaluation and the program. I'm also trying to understand just a little bit of the development issues here in Haiti- I can see so many of the problems, but the answers aren't so obvious. I've been engaging a lot of capable people in dialogue, trying to see what I can find and/or spark.

T minus 24 hours and counting

2005-07-17T10:49:00.000-04:00

In just less than 24 hours, we well be at the College de Professeurs Reunis setting up to welcome and register the 56 professors that are coming for training. We have the group almost balanced into two groups: math/science and social science/language. I think we're up to five women now, which could very well be 80% of all the women secondary schools in Jeremie. There are still maybe 15 professors who have not completed my pre-evaluation questionnaires (eek!), but I hope to be able to get them to do them as quickly as possible while everyone is setting up and signing in. I'm trying to decide how feasible it is to try to get everyone else to fill in the questions they skipped on the first round, and what potential ramifications that could have on the quantity, bias, and general quality of my data for that.

I'm really curious to see how everything turns out. For all the apparent chaos, Joy seems to feel confident that many more things are under control than for other programs in previous years, and I find her optimism in this quite comforting.

Coffee High, and French Education

2005-07-16T15:55:00.000-04:00

So after the gym today, I passed Joy and Carlo having coffee. I stopped and had three espresso-size cups. I'm having a hard time sitting still long enough to write this, and I think I'm vibrating....

It's great to have Carlo here, and it's generating a lot of discussion about the program and what Jeremie and Haiti need for education. Talk about extremely opposite approaches. Haiti's education system has come from the French one, very theory- and philosophy-based. And there is a gap when it comes to practical application of theory. AND, this is a problem for us, because we're trying to teach new approaches to teaching, so the theory may be embraced, but never implemented.

We've also be talking a lot about what contributions would be most useful here. It has been suggested that we need to find ways to apply our tools to the curriculum that the professors use. I'm not sure that I agree, for two reasons. First, this is a small program, without a lot of resources, and the "national curriculum" is nearly impossible to find in written form, so the efforts needed to attempt might not be a good use of what we have. Second, I think our applying of theory to the curriculum here would perpetuate the same problem, of Haitians not solving their own problems and creating their own path of development. If Haiti is really going to progress, Haitians have to do it. I believe the outside world can and should provide tools and support, but the actual process of taking development into their own hands is an essential part of building strong social, educational, political, (etc.)infrastructure.

I'm hoping by the end of four weeks, we can have professors talking together about what they'd like to see change and how, and for them to start working together to implement these plans. It would be a small start for building some social capital, but as the Haitian proverb says "Piti piti, zwazo fe nich."- "Little by little, a bird builds its nest."

Work picking up

2005-07-15T20:01:00.000-04:00

Joy, my director here, arrived safely yesterday evening with Carlo, who will do one week of training with us. She noted that my blog is one week out of date, so I decided it's time to check in. In brief:

-I now have less than one month left- I'll go home August 13. I can't believe it! It's going by so fast!
-I was cranky for a couple of days and didn't want to publish anything that I would regret...
-Emily is coming later than originally expected, and we won't really get anything more than a little rain in the wee hours of Saturday.
-Joy is here, we're working out all the little details, and we're sharing a room. She warned me that she snores, but I slept perfectly well and made it to the gym by 6 this morning.
-Michael, the other professor in the program, has decided not to come. Carlo will cover the internet training portion, but we're trying to figure out what else to do.
-I'm setting up my first Access database in ages. I've forgotten all the tricks, but it's lovely to be putting all the information together.
-We are coming to the end of mango season, which is a tragedy! Fortunately the avocados are in full force, and I eat one almost every day.
-I got a card today from Kang (THANKS!), and I have figured out that mail takes about a week to arrive, so not as bad as I thought. So, if you get the urge:

Angeli Kirk
Sant Lespwa (HHF)
Jeremie, Haiti

...Back to work!

the gym, and Dennis

2005-07-08T23:11:00.000-04:00

Well, my first intention was to write about my extended trip to the gym today. After doing normal cardio, I ended up teaching an abs class; I started to do a few crunches, but a group of women followed me, so we turned it into a full session. Then I took an impromptu salsa lesson- as I've somehow been convinced to performed a choreographed piece with the professor for a party Sunday to introduce the dance classes- Kristin, don't laugh). Two and a half hours later, I wandered home.

I'd end there, but I read that my dad didn't sleep for imagining what Dennis might be up to, so I'll add that things are fine and quiet here. There was a lot of water and some wind, but little damage where we are. I think some areas on the road to get to Jeremie are a bit messy right now, but real damage has been minimal compared to other hurricanes, which sometimes cause mudslides from the mountains.

Hurricane Dennis

2005-07-07T13:02:00.000-04:00

I’m waiting out Hurricane Dennis right now (I saw the name online- here they just refer to it as “the wind.”). The radar images show it passing over us (I’m near the tip of the southwestern peninsula), though the eye is passing farther to the west. There is a lot of wind and rain, but it’s not so frightening as a tornado, and we’re high enough on the hill to avoid flooding. I’m not sure what the people right on the water do. I’ll have to ask once everyone comes out again. I was stir-crazy in the apartment, and most things are closed, so I walked (that got quite a reaction) to the Haitian Health Foundation office where the other American girls work. Internet access in Haiti is satellite-dependent, so I’ll have to post this later, but the combination of generators (I assume) and solar energy stores allow us computer access (Jeremie has not had city-wide electricity for about two and a half weeks now- the problems in PaP make gas a scarce and expensive resource right now.),

Haitian Cuisine

2005-07-07T13:00:00.000-04:00

The food here has been very good, and NOTHING is low fat. We eat an incredible amount of carbs: RICE (diri), plaintain (banan), banana (fig), potato (patat), breadfruit (veritab), bread(pen), and a root they call yam, but I think it’s more like a cassava or something. There’s some corn (may), too. As for meat, we have FISH (pwason), goat (cabrit), beef (bef), chicken (poul), and pork (cochon) (but I told Marie Claude that I don’t really like pork, so she avoids it for me). Goat is definitely my favorite, with beef as a close second. I still have a hard time avoiding the bones in the fish, and I haven’t been able to bring myself to eat the eyes or the brain yet (I’m working on it), though they are considered to be the best part. Marie Claude generally removes the head for me. Fruit: mango, oranges (zoranj), limes (citwon), grapefruit, passion fruit, pineapple (anana), grenadine(?), jaka (which I don’t even know how to describe), and lots of avocados (zavocat) now that they’re in season.

There aren’t a lot of vegetables: cabbage (chu), carrots(carot), something they call spinach (espina) that is currently in season, onions (oinyon), hot peppers (piman), and tomatoes (tomat), which just went out of season, as far as I can tell. Eggs are very hard to find. For as many chickens as are running around everywhere, not many people eat them, and the eggs you do find are shipped in from Port au Prince (which may be why they are even scarcer lately). The bean sauce (sos pwa) is fantastic, and the peanut butter (manba) comes in sweet and spicy varieties. Most things seemed to be fried/cooked in oil or boiled, and there is always a lovely sauce. Preferred spices include sugar, salt, pepper, ginger, and Maggi bouillon cubes. When I actually ask what has been added, it’s hard to get anyone to list everything; they normally give the above list, and then say “epi”- spice.

Favorite drinks here include coffee, beer (Prestige is the fantastic Haitian brew, but there’s also a supply of others), juice, and soft drinks. I had hot chocolate in Dame Marie, made from locally-grown cacao, but it doesn’t resemble the hot chocolate we’re accustomed to in other places. Water doesn’t seem to be super popular, but you can find Aquafina, and a number of assorted treated varieties; I think the popularity is directly proportional to the ability to afford to need treated water.

Malaria

2005-07-06T01:04:00.000-04:00

I am in the tropics. Two of the four Americans I live near here have malaria. Funny, it doesn't seem like a big deal here. Nancy was tired for a week, and Nicole kept sweating on and off. They take a couple doses of chloroquine, which is the same exact medication I'm on to keep from getting it (I'm the only one taking it, but they're all here for more than a year.). And that's the end of it. At the maternity center here, it's a little more of a worry, because of potential birth complications. Then, at the same time, in the rural areas, where it's not diagnosed, or if it's diagnosed, it's not treated, and the result can often be permanent disability or death.

It all comes down to access and means. And we have them. Some people don't.

Product Review: Sunscreen

2005-07-05T03:03:00.000-04:00

It seems like the sun stays up forever here, and I am no longer Washington-white. To prevent skin cancer and incredible short-sleeves-and-a-skirt tan line, I have become quite religious about the use of sunscreen. Among my collection:

Banana Boat, SPF 15. A decent regular SPF 15, waterproof, and a great banana scent. My favorite tool for trying to even out the short-sleeves-and-a-skirt tan line without frying myself at the beach.

Neutrogena ACTIVE Breathable Sunblock, SPF 45, sweatproof, waterproof. When I first tried this one, I was ready to throw away all my products! Had I not seen the label, I would have assumed it was just (fantastic!) lotion. They’re not joking when they say non-greasy, and the smell is nice- you don’t smell like you’re headed to the beach. Unfortunately, my face broke out after just one use, so I wouldn’t recommend it for sensitive skin.

Banana Boat SPORT, SPF 30. This has become my staple. The stripe across the front says “Ultra Sweatproof,” and thank goodness! I’ve never sweat anyplace like I sweat here. It still smells like sunscreen while in the tube, but the scent could be worse seems to disappear once you apply it. I’ve also been excited about being able to use it on my face every day, without breaking out.

As though I weren’t sweating enough already…

2005-07-04T11:56:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July. I’m going to celebrate by joining Jeremie’s only real gym on its opening day. You’d think in a country with much of the population malnourished or undernourished, I’d have no need….but everyone blames the rice. With an inscription fee of about five dollars and a monthly fee of about ten, I figure it’s not the end of the world if I don’t go all the time. It could be quite a spectacle to have a “blan” (white) at the gym, but maybe it’ll increase enrollment- my gift to Rodrigue, the owner and a friend of mine.

The gym hours are 6-9am and 4:30-8, to avoid both work hours and the worst of the heat. I’ll brave the heat this afternoon, but I think I’ll try to go at six tomorrow. I don’t really have anything else to do at that time, and even on the days that I “sleep in,” I’m out of bed by 6:40 (and that’s when I force myself back to sleep). No, I didn’t expect to ever hear myself say that either, at least during my stint in grad school.

If everything were going smoothly, this wouldn’t be Haiti.

2005-07-04T07:00:00.000-04:00

A new little(?) glitch in the program. On 10 July, a number of teachers from Jeremie will go to Caray (sp?) to grade national exams. By mathematical chance, this means some of the teachers we have chosen for the program, and those teachers would have to miss at least one week of the four-week training, which starts on the 18th. But, of course, we don’t know who those teachers are, to be able to replace them. So, tomorrow I’ll take yet another trip to the Ministry of Education (at this point, I can’t tell if we’re starting to bond or if I’ve worn out my welcome), to compare my list of professors to the list of those going to Caray. Jacson has a number of teachers who have asked to be on a waiting list, and he will use those as replacements.

While it is essential that we have teachers who can attend the entire training, adding in another group further complicates my understanding of the targeting mechanism. I’m not sure if those teachers on a waiting list are those who applied originally but weren’t selected or if they’re just teachers who heard about it later and were interested; I’ll have to ask. In any case, they are teachers who are well-connected enough to have learned about the program; they represent a group that takes initiative and is particularly persistent, perhaps more than the general teacher population. Also, I don’t know how teachers are chosen to grade national exams. The characteristics of the group we’re losing may be significant.

We’ll see how it goes.

P.S. Joy, I hope this isn’t the first you’ve heard of this, but if it is, Surprise!

Addressing the Violence

2005-07-01T21:00:00.000-04:00

So you've probably heard at least a little about the violence in Haiti. Or, if you're my mother, you're scouring the State Department warnings and church newsletters for anything that could befall your baby, and you're personally keeping track of each kidnapping and murder- and emailing me all the details (sorry, Mom!).

So I ask around a lot, and here's what I understand of it. National elections are slated for November 13. Everywhere you turn, you see banners encouraging everyone to register to vote and have an identity card made. The elections are meant to find a legitimate replacement for Aristide, who was ousted by a revolt in February 2004 and temporarily replaced by a US appointment.

Elections and democracy sound good, right? Not everyone seems to think so. Violence has been escalating for a while now, apparently protesting the elections. Murders and kidnappings for ransom are becoming quite common, and the victims seem to be randomly chosen from all walks of life. People stay in at night, and they go out during the day not knowing if they'll come home. My Haitian friends here avoid business trips to PaP if they can, or they keep them as short as possible.

No one really agrees about who is committing the violence. The general consensus is that the violence probably started with Aristide's supporters who don't want a legitimate election to reduce his influence. Some still hold that this is the group responsible for everything. Others thinks that there is also a group being paid for the sake of keeping the current government in power. They are not likely to be able to hold their positions in the election, so there is a good deal of money and power at stake. A third theory blames either or both groups but also suggests that other random individuals are participating in the kidnappings, just for personal income. I don't think anyone really knows. In any case, it's hard to crack down on the perpetrators because many of them are police, so they are often tipped off before they can be captured.

So what does it look like here in Jeremie? Quiet and fairly somber. The only differences are the recent election banners and a growing number of cars as wealthier families move here to escape the violence, which is primarily in Port au Prince but also in a few other major cities. I like to ask "Do you think it'll come here?". The answer is always a resounding "no." When I ask why, I always get the same two answers. First, Jeremie is small, and peace-loving. Everyone knows everyone, so it's impossible to have the random violence that occurs in PaP, where you can remain anonymous and never really know your victim. Second, Jeremie is isolated. There are two (horrible) roads going in and out of the town, so one phone call to or from any of the towns on the way would alert everyone of any problems with hours lead time. The other options are a twelve-passenger plane, or a weekly barge. Basically, Jeremie just isn't worth the effort.

And will elections actually happen? It's hard to say. Haitians are registering to vote, though not in huge numbers. Some people are confident that international support and their own personal resolve are enough to see at least some form of an elections. Others think the violence will accomplish its purpose. I guess we'll find out in November.

Nightmares

2005-06-30T10:24:00.000-04:00

Maybe you already know this, but I tend to go through nightmare cycles. I go through a period where I'll have nightmares every night for maybe a week, and then I'll go maybe three without. Here in Haiti, though, there have only be couple of nights in which I can remember dreaming at all. It's been nice. Anyway, they were back last night; I woke up terrified in the middle of the night thinking there were people in my room.

Then this morning I woke up with my head where my feet always are. I'm not sure when that happened. I haven't done that since I was a kid. I really wish I could remember what I was dreaming all night!

Thank you, and new address

2005-06-29T21:01:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone who has sent me birthday greetings today. It's nice to hear from home! Thankfully, it's been a fairly quiet day. Marie Claude made me a chocolate cake and I'm doing a movie with friends tonight. This weekend we'll celebrate with a picnic at the beach. I think #25 is a success.

ALSO, my new address:

Angeli Kirk
Sant Lespwa (HHF)
Jeremie, Haiti

Missing the bottom

2005-06-29T20:06:00.000-04:00

In our Intro to International Development class, we find a sort of disdain for development workers who work in poor countries and communities but who find their friendship in the elite or professional classes. We assert that you can’t internalize the needs of your average Joe (or Jean, in Haiti) when your friends are nowhere near average. My expectations are starting to change. As much as I’d like to tell you that I’m forging deep friendships with the people in the slums and the orphans down the street, it’s simply not true.

I hope to further cultivate the few Haitian friendships I’ve managed (They’re the only reason I’ve survived a month here.), but I’m not worried about finding new ones. For a number of social and language reasons, it’s hard to meet women, and the process of weeding through sexually-aggressive males is quite taxing. Now that I’m staying at the Haitian Health Foundation, I’ve made a few American girlfriends, and I’m thrilled. We also spend some time with a number of Cuban doctors and a small team of dentists from Port au Prince working on an NYU study of the effect of malnutrition on oral health. My Haitian friends are all educated professionals- accountants, agronomists, translators, and teachers. And I work with professors.

In the beginning it really bothered me that I was primarily interacting with foreigners and professionals- the small middle class- but now I’m starting to think that you become friends with the people who understand you best, and with people with whom the level of need/dependence is able equal in both directions. It’s hard to form a strong connection with a person when the conversation consistently returns to the types of cadeaux (gifts) they feel I can provide (anything from five goudes to a computer or trip to the US) or my evident need of a Haitian boyfriend. I think the problem arises when you base your assumptions of the needs of the country and your loyalties primarily on your experience with those friends. I can think of plenty of times when this philosophy might not hold well, especially if your work targets the lowest socioeconomic groups, but for now I’m working on measuring teacher development, so this is how I’m managing.

Evaluation: the first questionnaires

2005-06-29T19:56:00.000-04:00

On June 19th we held an informational meeting for all the teachers who will be attending the seminar in July. Thirty of 60 invitees showed up; I was incredibly impressed. The meeting wasn’t called very far in advance (June 16th, I believe?), and we didn’t have a list of most addresses or phone numbers. Still, Waldinde (a teacher here who is working with us) managed to find or leave messages for the majority- in the span of a day and a half. (It takes me anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days to find any one person. I can’t imagine how he found them all.) Jacson (the coordinator here who helped initiate the seminar, and my good friend) shared all the logistical details, and then I handed out two questionnaires and a blank sheet of paper for each. The two questionnaires are something like “classroom management” and “content management.” With each questionnaire we have asked for a pseudonym that they will use for all questionnaires. This allows anonymity, but it allows us to track individuals as well. Then we ask some professor-specific information: education, number of years teaching, subjects, and schools. We also ask some school-specific questions: type of school (public/private, girls/boys/mixed, primary/secondary (They’re all secondary right now, except a few small schools that cover both.), and the class size. Then each questionnaire has about three pages of questions about how and what the teacher teaches. They are definitely long, and I am thankful for the captive audience. Maybe future questionnaires can be shorter, once I can see which questions give the most interesting/useful information.

On the blank paper, I asked the teachers to write some of their basic information- this time with their real names: best contact info, years of experience, and subjects. Then one more questionnaire, but I had Jacson simply read it aloud. It was about computer and internet knowledge and experience. For each of five areas, they labeled themselves as level 1, 2, or 3. This will help us put them into groups for the internet training, but we should also be able to monitor how their self-classification changes over time. The vast majority said they do not know how to use a computer, internet, or email. The entire group, however, expressed an earnest desire to receive as much training as possible.

As I have been entering the results of the questionnaires, I’m running into a consistent problem of unanswered questions. A handful answered every question, and a few more only missed a couple. This is a challenge of having participants fill them out on their own. I think some of the unanswered questions are probably the result of time constraints causing them to rush (missed lines here and there), but some may be an indication that a teacher didn’t understand the question, didn’t have an answer, didn’t think it was important, or perhaps felt that no answer was the same as choosing “never” or “no.” Because I have access to all the professors, I have marked the unanswered questions, and I think I will ask them to finish them at the beginning of the seminar. I’m fairly certain that those extra answers should be consistent with those already given, but I think I will keep two files, one of the original and one of the redone questionnaires. For each entry, I’m marking the date the questionnaire was done (and redone), as well as the number of questions that were skipped during the first completion. They may not be useful, but on the chance that timing or the personalities/abilities of teachers who didn’t fully finish is relevant, it’s nice to have the option of crossing out the possibility.

One question I didn’t ask and wish I had is gender. We only have three or four women teachers, but it would be nice to see if their answers vary noticeably from those of the men. Perhaps I can add the question on a future questionnaire.

We’re starting the process of tracking down the rest of the professors who didn’t make it to the first meeting. Hopefully I’ll be able to get all of them to finish the questionnaires before the first day of the seminar.

Sorry Dad

2005-06-28T23:38:00.000-04:00

This is my brief entry to apologize to my father for completely missing Fathers' Day. Sorry, Daddy, and Happy Fathers Day! I hope you and Mom had a lovely time in Australia and are enjoying Wisconsin. I love you!

Minor Success

2005-06-28T12:28:00.000-04:00

I will take a quick moment to celebrate my success yesterday:

1. I bought a small fan for 300 goud (about $8).
2. The fan works.
3. I bought a radio for Mary Claude (my housekeeper).
4. The radio works.
5. I had a one-hour conversation in Creole with my friend Emmanuel, slipping into English for maybe 20 words during that time.

I am thrilled. It doesn't take much.

And then the newness wears off...

2005-06-25T10:11:00.000-04:00

I've been here a month now. This was definitely the week when the newness wears off. Don't get me wrong. I don't regret being here at all. But I've reached the point where "exotic" turns into "bizarre" and cultural differences that were interesting or amusing before become frustrating. The frustrations mainly come in two varieties:

The first is simply my difficulty understanding the rules here. Sometimes if someone tells you a time, it actually means that time. More often, each minute seems to translate into somewhere between 90 and 180 seconds, but I don't really know how you know which applies in any given moment (Do be honest, I'm not convinced Haitians really know either, half the time).

The same applies for a number of social rules and courtesies. The rules never seem to be uniform; I know this probably just means I don't grasp the complexity, but I don't feel like I'm making progress figuring it out! Creole also falls in this category. I can communicate some things well enough, but there are a lot of things I can't understand or say, and it's incredibly irritating sometimes.

The other type of frustration are the differences that I link to the perpetuation of poverty here. Communication seems to be hit or miss: "I know I was supposed to come here yesterday, but..." You can fill in the blank there with any number of things, like someone's birthday, lack of gas, another missing item, holiday, etc- often things that aren't a surprise and could have been announced beforehand. It's also very common to hear "I didn't get that email" and later see that an email has been opened, or "Yes, I got your email a few weeks ago," with no explanation about why they never responded with any of the information you've requested.

Sexuality fits in here as well. It is quite open here, and I'm constantly surprised at the fact that no one seems to think twice about men around town having a wife and a few girlfriends. No matter how you feel about sex itself, the results here are destructive. It is not uncommon for women to have eight or nine children by any number of fathers. Birth control measures may be available (I'm not sure how available for everyone) but the advantage of having a man's baby is that he may be a little more likely to stick around for a little while. That logic doesn't seem to pan out so well, though, as many men still don't stick around, and the mother has another mouth to feed without support. And you can forget about school at that point. Sometimes I want to shout "What about a little self-control, or PLANNING?!!!" I wish there were more legally-enforceable paternal responsibility.

My aggravation in this is compounded by how aggressive the men are here with female foreigners. I can't count how many times a day I'm chased down and told I need a boyfriend here. It's very blunt: "It doesn't matter if you have another boyfriend," or, "I think you should have my baby." Tempting, but no. I've stopped feeling the need to be polite (surprising, I know). Each day I am consistently thankful for guy pals at home, and for a few respectful friends I've made here.

There are a number of other things as well. In each instance, I can see why and how a pattern may have developed, but it's hard to just sit back and accept behaviors that keep a society from progressing. Worse, I think a lot of behaviors would change if there were economic stimulation, but there's no promise of that in the near future, especially as the violence escalates in Port au Prince.

Creepy crawly things

2005-06-24T20:21:00.000-04:00

I've almost adapted to the ti bets here (bugs- literally "little beasts"). Two weeks in Dame Marie meant that my evening trips to the outhouse left me in the company of three-inch roaches and large spiders. It's been better here in my apartment in Jeremie, but Wednesday night I froze at the sight of a four-inch spider. It took me half an hour to chase it out of the apartment with a broom. I couldn't seem to kill it either...What a wimp!

The Roads

2005-06-24T19:45:00.000-04:00

Wednesday I joined a group of dentist working on a study of the effects of malnutrition on oral health. They went to a little town called Paroty. The roads I've been on have been incredibly bad thus far, but this trip takes the cake for what I've seen so far. The ruts from where the water rushes down with the rain can be a foot deep or more. Just a short distance can take hours to complete.

I tried my hand at driving today, on fairly a fairly decent road from Ans d'Hainault to Dame Marie. The rules that got me through it:
1. There is a pothole coming soon even if everything looks smooth. Try to spot it as early as possible.
2. No pothole or rut comes alone, and the first one you see is probably the smallest.
3. Watchout for runaway cows.
4....and goats.
5....and chickens.
6. Even if you honk and flash your lights, most people aren't paying attention and won't get out of your way.
7. You're probably driving on the left side (wrong side) of the road because it's smoother. That means there will be oncoming trucks, motorcycles, and bicycles. If you happen to be on the right side, this doesn't change... Fortunately, there aren't a lot of accidents when everyone is flying along at 10 miles an hour...

Jean Philipe Germaine

2005-06-17T19:14:00.003-04:00

Last week Bos Dejoie, my adoptive father for two weeks, took me on an expedition ann deo- to the countryside. After walking for a couple of hours and taking the cows up the hill for vaccinations, we stopped in on a little house. They explained that the tiny bundle I was watching in the middle of the bed was eight days old and that his mother had passed in the birth. This little boy was number 9, and it had been too much. That happens here, a lot. I didn't know what to say, so I just asked his name. He didn't have one, they said. And then they all began to stare at me; it took me a while to realize that they expected me to take care of the problem. And then it took me moment to catch my breath. All Haitian men have the name Jean, so that part was easy enough. I hope that Jean Philipe Germaine (his family name) won't mind the label I've given him. I left exhausted, holding back tears. The poverty here is so thorough that I still can't really process it. I wish I didn't have to.

Just a fan

2005-06-17T18:52:00.000-04:00

It's so much hotter in Jeremie. My legs resemble a full case of the chicken pox, but it's really hot under my mosquito net. So I've spend the last two days trying to procure a fan (I have solar power in my apartment.). Today I asked my old hostel how much they had paid for the ones they bought two weeks ago. A large standing fan came out to 1750 Gourdes -- about $44US. I went to the same place, and the lady said they were out of the large ones, but she'd sell me a small one for 400 Haitian dollars. It took me a minute to realize that was 2000 Gourdes. I said I would be back. But that's not true. I'll have a friend go, without me, to get a reasonable price.

I hate feeling so dependent here!

Back in Jeremie

2005-06-17T14:30:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning I woke up at 3:40 to be ready for Doudou to pick me up in his taptap (a truck with benches in the back). I was thankful for the priveleged seat up front. He actually picked me up around 4:30, and by 8am we had completed the 48 km trip. Yes, 3.5 hours for 48km, but that's how it is here. The the roads are amazing really.

I am now living in comparative luxury. I'm staying in an apartment owned by the Haitian Health Foundation, with electricity and running water and a beautiful view, and I have my own housekeeper. It's strange really, and so I've just asked that she leave enough fruit and bread for breakfast and dinner and only make lunch as a big meal. That way she can come when she'd like for laundry and the rest.

It's back to work now, too. There is a lot to get done before we have the seminars in a month. The chosen teachers don't even know who they are yet!

Safe and Sound

2005-06-01T14:43:00.000-04:00

I've received many messages and emails about safety after the State Department's latest warnings about travel to Haiti. It's true, Port-au-Prince is very volatile right now. Yesterday someone started a fire in the market, and there were fatalities. I, however, am in Jeremie, which is far from PaP (upwards of 8 hours by automobile), and quite isolated. Most travel to and from PaP occurs by plane because the roads are so bad. Jeremie is very quiet, and Dame Marie, where I will be for two weeks starting tomorrow, is even quieter. As for day to day safety, I am well taken care of here. There is always someone making sure I have everything I need.

Learning Patience

2005-05-30T14:15:00.000-04:00

I'm having to learn a new rhythm of things here. It takes the morning to have a few pages printed. The afternoon may be spending figuring out how, when, and at what cost I might make copies. Copies may or may not be achieved the next day. I keep a running list of people I need to talk to, because the one person you're looking for isn't in, and might be in PaP, or at home, or coming back soon, depending on whom you ask. So I move on to the next place, or, more often, I find someone else there who is also on my list, so I change tasks. I can count on finding the original person I wanted passing on a random street, or at a party, or anywhere else I'm not expecting. If one were to do things only in order, nothing would ever happen, I'm quite sure. I get the feeling that there's some order in the chaos, but I sure can't find it....

Travel Advice

2005-05-29T22:37:00.000-04:00

(The water is back on!)

Two rules of commute I've learned this weekend:

1. When hopping off of a motorcycle (most common form of taxi here) to the right, one ought to be QUITE careful. I have a lovely burn about the size of a kiwi on my calf... Fortunately, the proper way for a woman to ride (in a fitted skirt, anyway) is on the left side.

2. One ought not drink beer and get into a car. You're thinking, "No kidding! Drinking and driving is bad." But I mean don't drink and ride for any distance. The combination of a few kilometers to the beach and half a beer has the same effect as shaking a coke for the same duration. The roads here are truly an interesting phenomenon. Sometimes (every few km or so) you may find a paved section, but most of it doesn't even have potholes, as though they were partially paved. The water running through has created ruts and holes. I'm fairly sure that the chunks of cement in areas are the remnants of Duvalier's destruction...

The water is out

2005-05-27T12:31:00.000-04:00

The water went out yesterday. Apparently a line was cut during some road work. A nun told me that once the water was out for three months, but I hope that won't be the case this time. I've been lucky to have a shower and toilet at the Foyer, but I managed well enough with a bucket of water and the bottom of a water bottle. I'm amazed out clean and put-together everyone always. I'm pretty sure my hair is going to be in a rough ponytail or bun for two and a half months, because it's never going to dry clean and smooth...

M'ap aprann kreyol

2005-05-27T09:24:00.000-04:00

My language skills have been put to shame here. While I feel like I'm starting to remember more of the French I learned in school, and I can almost get around in Kreyol after four days, I can't tell you how many people I've met here who speak French, Kreyol, Spanish, and lovely English. Parts of the educational system may be quite weak, but there is definitely a well-educated group here in the city.

Evaluation

2005-05-26T09:55:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm experiencing in person all the theoretical difficulties in evaluation that we've discussed in class. We don't have a full list of program participants, to try to visit them. When we visit schools, the directors aren't in, and no one else knows of the program. I'm absolutely positive they're only letting me see the best teachers. My presence has made some professors nervous. I've been able to sit in on maybe eight classes, and tomorrow is the last day of class before exams. I am hoping that giving questionnaires to students and teachers will supplement our information.

Because we were really hoping to use the classroom observations to measure impact, perhaps I will have to create a control and treatment group when I visit again (?) in September. Only two of the five teachers from each program who have applied to attend the training are being selected, and while they are supposed to be the "best," I'm fairly certain that the criteria are rather arbitrary. We'll see?

Je suis arrivee

2005-05-24T19:27:00.000-04:00

Well, I've made it here, and it's been quite the two days. After an hour of sleep, I woke up at 3am yesterday, and my whole family took me to the airport (with a short detour by Kinko's- I'm sure the fellow was shocked to have me walk in at 4am wanting to make copies...). I made it into the line at the airport only an hour ahead of time, and there were 30 people in front of me, but the woman at the counter didn't seem to notice. Two short flights- to Miami and Port-au-Prince. Then a 12 passenger plane to Jeremie.

The Island

2005-05-24T16:47:00.000-04:00

Flying into Jeremie was a lovely introduction to the island. From the air, it looks as though most of the country were uninhabited, lush and green mountains, with cliffs plunging directly into the sea. To the right, we could see a storm coming, with the rain crashing against the water and creating a thick, white mist.

From the airport they take you by van to your destination. I'm not sure if the roads we were on were some of those destroyed by Duvalier when Jeremie fell out of favor, but I'm really surprised any vehicles survive such rough paths. We passed the time naming the plants we recognized: coconut, hibiscus, breadfruit, key limes, almonds, mango, and a few others. It seems that I have missed avacado season, but there are enough new interesting foods that I may not notice.

Contact Info

2005-05-22T22:05:00.000-04:00

I should be able to get mail for the summer at the place where I'm staying:
Angeli Kirk
Foyer Culturel
Jeremie, Republic of Haiti

Final Preparations

2005-05-21T21:35:00.000-04:00

I leave Monday, May 23 for Jeremie, Haiti, for another adventure. I will be there until August 13, doing an evaluation of a training for teachers, as well as a few other adventures. My cell phone and voicemail will be on hold from Sunday, May 22 until August 22. I will have email access (any of my addresses is fine) from time to time.

I've been running around like mad in the last few weeks, trying to get everything ready since school finished for the semester. Vaccines (typhoid, polio, tetanus, hep A and B) and chloroquinine for malaria. Insurance to get me out of the country and treated once I'm home. I now have a collection of skirts that fall past my knees (I'm a bit of a "creative" seamstress, my mother would now say) and shirts with sleeves, my uniform for the summer. A spare set of contacts and new glasses after I broke my old ones. Collecting sunscreen and bug repellent and mosquito netting to battle the elements. And on and on...

I'm still scrambling to finish a series of surveys that I'll administer in the schools, but we now have most of them in English and French. And what about Creole, you ask? Most Haitians speak Creole and only Creole. But very few read or write it, though this is changing. The literate population operates more often in French, so this is the language we will use in the secondary schools. Still, I hope to have all materials in Creole by the end of this project. AND, I hope to be speaking a bit of it by the time I come home!

Entry 1

2005-05-20T12:29:00.000-04:00

I'm headed to Haiti for the summer. Rather than bothering everyone with mass emails that end up being labeled as Junk Mail, I thought I'd try a blog. I'll update it as frequently as I can in a town with one internet cafe (even one seems like a miracle, considering how irregular the electricity is).