Peace Corps Haiti

Our immediate family is okay, just a little shaken up. We still have many friends and family in the capital that we have not heard from. Two of the RPCVs I served with that live in the capital have contacted our Haiti Yahoo Group and are okay (You may have seen one of them — Matt Marek — on CNN with Anderson Cooper last night). The capital is almost completely destroyed.

Please contact me if you would like information on how to help.
Mason

I recently began converting an old Peugot Monaco frame into a fixie. While very familiar with most aspects of bike repair, the old frame represented new challenges. Before I began buying a bunch of replacement parts (I found the frame without a seat and seatpost, wheels, brakes, chain. While also having a loose bottom bracket), I headed to Outdoors, Inc. Fortunately, I found Jason there and he demonstrated how to remove the bottom bracket and he set me up with some new bearings and a lockring tool (not something found commonly in stock at other shops). Jason also understood — without me saying directly — that I wanted to do the repairs myself. He removed the components of the bottom bracket and got me what I needed and threw it into a ziplock bag — ready for the work in my garage. The staff then helped me measure and order all of the components I needed to make the conversion. When the components came in I had some problems with the seatpost sizing, since the Peugot has an odd size seatpost. Mike (who also builds his own frames (Magnolia, if I remember correctly)) took the time to describe what I should do to shim a post in order to make it fit.

Furthermore, since I use bicycles as my primary form of transportation, Isaiah has been more than helpful and diligent in making sure that I was aware that parts I order were in and ready for pickup.

The bike repair staff at Outdoors, Inc. is knowledgeable, helpful and organized. With that being said, they need to make sure they continue to help bikers learn how to fix their rigs. After all, there aren’t bike repair schools readily available to teach repair techniques. And, if you hadn’t accommodated my needs for instruction, I would have gone elsewhere.

Outdoors, Inc. Midtown receives a 5 Broken Down Car rating. Cheers to you!

I will soon be adding journal entries and letters from my service in Peace Corps Haiti from 1999-2001. Some journal entries may be graphic so I advise caution in choosing to read them.

I recommend starting at the beginning and reading in chronological order. Click here to start at the beginning of my service. Read from the bottom of the page up.

Hello, one and all. Should by my final group e-mail assuming everything goes well.

Anyway, Ernante and I arrived in P-au-P this morning in the pouring rain – thanks to Michelle. Said goodbyes to everyone during the last three of four days. Had parties the last three nights. I think we’ll take a break tonight. Everyone cried a ton including my little brother Misses, he’s 23. I didn’t cry and Ernante only cried once. She is in much better spirits than I would have predicted. She’s joking and enjoying watching tv in the hotel now. I hope she’ll wash some clothes this afternoon too.

I’m at the office catching up with all of the staff. Going to try to get some money for my stay in P-au-P. Shouldn’t be a problem. I have plenty left from my service if they don’t give me any. We are going for Ernante’s visa interview on Thursday. I’m pretty nervous about the interview because if they don’t give her a visa I have no idea what we will do. I really don’t think we wil have a problem as I spoke to an interviewer in the consulate and he said whether or not it was him that will do the interview, we will be treated well. He also said that as long as the birth and marriage certificates apper to be legitimate, which they are, we won’t have a problem and will receive the visa the same day. We still can’t help but worry. Uncertainty is a killer.

So, I suppose if Ernante receives the visa this won’ be my last e-mail. Expect an e-mail on Friday. Until then, take care.

Mason

Well, only have 5 days until I go to P-au-P for the last as a PCV. I think it has passed the time when I needed to return to the States. I am thoroughly sick of this place. Although, I think it is good that I am leaving while I’m sick of it. That way I won’t feel like returning any time soon.

Anyway, on the 6th we will travel to P-au-P. On the 8th Ernante has her interview at the American consulate. Then we will just stay in P-au-P until the 16th, when we fly back to the States. We would come back if it wasn’t for me having to be in P-au-P on the 13th for three days of medical observations before I can COS. The long stay in P-au-P won’t be bad though. I think Kris will be coming in to visit with us and Mike and Wisline will be there too, since they are going back on the 16th too.

I just heard something that really ticked me off and provides evidence for a theory I hold about Haitian culture. Michelin was talking about Josh Bean’s (PCV) fiancé. She was saying how she and already passed the exam (the baccalaureate) at age 21. Well, supposedly, she (Fedya) composed with one of her cousins who told Michelin that Fedya wouldn’t let her copy off of her exam. So, Michelyne said Fedya was a selfish individual because she passed and didn’t let her cousin cheat of her so that she could pass too. The is a recurring idea throughout Haitian culture: “If you have something I don’t, then you should give me some so we can both have.” It’s like a system of unorganized communism. And it works only slightly worse than organized communism. I have never been more pro-capitalism than I am now.