Peace Corps Haiti

I was discussing the malady that has afflicted Likensia, Ernante’s young cousin, when we got in an argument over how I put down Haitians and the country of Haiti in general. We had sent Likensia to see the doctor about the terrible rash on her hands several times with no results. So Ernante said that she heard her father say that he would take her to the local dispensary ran by a local nurse, and thus making her feel better about likensia’s condition. I, however, retorted saying what good will that do being that she had seen a Cuban doctor twice and he/she was unable to do anything for her. What she said before was that they would probably give her antibiotics at the dispensary. This statement is what ticked me off the most because I realized this is what these “village health workers” do for almost any problem they can’t understand or cure immediately. They have no lab to analyze anything so this is what they resort to. So I started explaining how these “VHWs” shouldn’t be treating people in this way and that they had very little education in diagnosing, treating and prescribing treatment for patients. This made her become defensive as her father used to work as a “VHW” and probably had even less education in medicine than the public health nurses working at the dispensaries now. A little later she said she thought that maybe the doctors at Haitian Health Foundation were better to which I responded, “Well they’re (the doctors) are Haitian but I don’t know where they were educated.” This meaning that if the doctors were educated in Haiti they are probably not as skilled as doctors that are educated in say, Cuba, the U.S., or Canada. Ernante, of course, took this as an insult on Haitians and their intelligence. So, I spent the 5-10 minutes trying to explain how porr the educational system is here. Ultimately, all I could say is that you’ll have to wait and see the difference because to the normal Haitian it is impossible to explain my point.

This brings me to another point. Haitians, I guess like most people, unwilling to relinquish their established beliefs. This particularly irks me because often individuals (Haitians) and Ernante’s family refute things I tell them, generally things relating to the U.S. For example, I told Ernante’s family how I believed that a great deal of Haitians upon their return to Haiti after many years in the States use credit or a great deal of their savings to spend lavishly and bring many gifts. But, of course, most Haitians believe that as soon as you arrive in the States somebody hands you a wad of money and gives you a job. I tried to explain that people have to work long hard hours often just to make ends meet. Ernante said how people that have jobs here complain about from 8 to 12 o’clock, this being too long to be at work. I said this is only a half day’s work in the States and often much less. It is impossible to explain to most Haitians though. They think, in general, that they know a lot more about things than they really do. This is one reason I have found it difficult to educate them on some subjects. Only on subjects that they have virtually no knowledge are they willing to accept what I say. Anyway, going back to what I was saying about the doctors and levels of education, I wanted to make a comparison of where Haitian education is now to where developed countries’ education is. I chose to estimate the standards of the schools in the States in the past with the standards of schools here in Haiti now. So I estimated that schools in present day Haiti have lower standards than schools in the States did 75 years ago. I would say you would have to go further back in U.S. history to find schools as poor as the ones here. I couldn’t tell Ernante this though because it would offend her and it’s really just not nice. She’ll get to see the difference when she arrives in the States.

Making this comparison reminded me of why the schools here are so incredibly poor. I believe it has to do with the on-going power struggle here. People that are in power want to remain in power. And these leaders know that you can stay in power more easily when the people you rule are uneducated.

I just re-realized something today and I wanted to write it down.

One thing I’ve noticed extensively during my time here especially those times sitting in meetings is the strong existence or recurring phrases or sayings.

Two examples commonly heard in meetings are, “Chita pa bay,” a proverb meaning ‘sitting doesn’t accomplish anything” and, “tet ansanm,” meaning ‘heads together.’ What I feel has happened with these sayings is that they’ve been said so much that they become words that are said but never heard. Now I know that all or most cultures, including mine, has these sorts of phrases. However, I feel that in my culture people tire of certain popular phrases and eventually they cease to be used. They are probably discontinued because people are afraid to be unstylish. I’m not sure if phrases change in this (Haitian) often because I am still hearing the same phrases and proverbs I was hearing two years ago. I cringe whenever I hear them now because I almost feel the people or groups physically retract their bodies and change their thoughts to something else.

Another thing that Ernante made me realize about Haitians is that they often lie to you about a certain unfortunate occurrence in order to make you feel worse about it. For example, a young girl was killed by a camion last week in Jeremie. Ernante was there and saw the girl lying a pool of blood, her head smashed and an eye ball hanging out. Now people are continuing to repeat the story that the girl was pregnant when there is actually very little proof of this. Another instance of this phenomenon is Haitians always telling how they finished school or how many languages a person can speak after that person goes insane. It never fails if you see a person wandering around on the street, people will tell you how that person knows how to speak 4 different languages.

I’M A LITTLE DISCOURAGE TODAY. I GOT IMPATIENT WAITING FRO Senator Lugar’s aide to try to change the date of Ernante’s interview (for her visa) so I called the consulate myself. They told me they did not change interview dates excepting for medical emergencies. So, I e-mailed my fater today and told him I wouldn’t call him again for reasons regarding the visa. I also said we would not be able to meet with everyone for vacation in Orlando on the 17th of November. Instead, we would try to get a plane ticket home as soon as it was possible (on the 28th) so long as they grant Ernante’s visa request. Thus, I have to stay in Haiti two weeks longer than what I really want to.
I have started working hard on m example garden again. We paid a group on Saturday to come and cut down all the weeds and small trees below what I had already done. Now, I’m laying out the contour lines with an A-frame level and planting vetiver grass along the lines. This I’m doing without making ramps. The going is tough though because much of the ground is stone or stones and its difficult to plant the vetiver. I am also plagued by a new set of itchy rashes or lumps every time after working in the garden. It seems that my body is allergic to most everything. I am just one huge itching mass right now. For the plantation (more of a plantation than a garden) I am carrying small trees from Nimewo De on my bike. Unfortunately, the sacks the trees are planted in are fairly large and I can only carry about 4 trees at a tiem in my backpack. So far I have bought 4 lime, 3 mandarin, 4 grafted lime and 5-7 grafted orange trees. I chose these qualities because they grow fairly quickly and they sell well in the markets.
Anyway, back to being discouraged. I’m just ready to go home. I’m sure I’ve said this before in previous entries but I’m tired of being itchy, hot, sweaty, uncomfortable and eating the same food all of the time. I need a change of pace and a break. I need to see some rainy and cold weather. I need to pass five minutes without itching or sweating. Voye m tounen lakay mwen Papa! (Send me back home!)

I wanted to write a journal entry today to describe a couple of incredibly beautiful things I saw the other day. Actually, I’m very happy I’m still enjoying my experience in Haiti by my recognition of extraordinary events or sights. My tendency is to stop enjoying a vacation or job or experience because I’ve started to pine for home or for another experience to begin. Fortunately, I believe I’ve achieved another level of patience. Even after being in Haiti for two years and feeling an extreme urge to return home, I am still allowing myself to relax and enjoy Haiti and my friends here. With that being said here is a description of two things I witnessed being so beautiful the other day.

Haiti has a magnificent variety of what we call a lightening bug or firefly. These “fireflies,” however are seen rather infrequently, perhaps because of the level of deforestation here. I have only seen one or two jetting through the dark under-canapy of trees in the evening previously. It was something like that of a bird or a bat but much smoother, probably indicating a much higher wing flap cycle frequency. It also seemed to move through the trees much faster than a typical bird, but that may be an illusion created by the darkness. What makes this firefly so eye-catching though is the luminescence of its glow. Its about the size of a normal flashlight bulb its glow is dull and undirected; more like a LED yet lime-green. Also, unlike a firefly in the States its glow was of a much longer duration and greater intensity.

Anyway, the “firefly” I observed the other night is not necessary of the same variety because I did not observe it in flight. It appeared on a nearby coconut tree. It looked a little something like this: (my attempt at drawing it)

I don’t remember the legs so I won’t attempt to draw them. Also, now that I remember the head was much smaller than I drew it.

It was dark so Meret found it with a flashlight. It’s back was very shiny and hard like a beetle’s. It was the color and texture of a Jelly Belly Mocha or Coffee jelly bean. Meret, when he first saw it said, “Look at its eyes.” He was indicating the yellow spots on his back. The “firefly” wasn’t doing much so I had to give it a poke with my finger to get him moving. When I touched it the two yellow spots illuminated in a fierce glow. I was incredibly amazed at how bright the glow was coming from these two little spots. When it illuminated it lit everything around it in a dull yellow glow. It fell off the tree and I picked it up and put it down in front of everyone to take a look but it took flight and I lost it. When it flew it glowed from where the wings were covering the body but nothing like what I described in the first paragraphs of this entry. However, it was still an incredible find and it is amazing how something like that has evolved. Truly incredible!

The other night (switched to another color pen because red is hard to see in the lamplight) it may have been the same night I saw the “firefly” I beheld another awesome sight. It was about 8:30pm and a full moon had risen in the eastern sky while I was listening to VOA (Voice of America) news on the porch. I was preparing to enter the hous ofr the night but decided to check the sky for signs of rain. A cloud had just passed over and I was wondering if I should put buckets out under the edges of the roof to catch rain if it came. I walked out into the yard where there are no trees present and looked to the west, where the weather usually originates. There were a few fluffy harmless clouds on the horizon but nothing promising rain. But when I looked to the northwest I saw an awe inspiring sight. The wave of clouds that had passed over had arrived and hovered over the mountain range to the northwest. The rising moon illuminated dimly the mountains while reflecting brightly from the clouds, the mountains almost reaching up and touching the tall band of clouds. What grasped me the most and held me still, staring at the scene, was that the clouds seemed so enormous, but yet I felt I could reach out with both arms and collect them and bring them to my chest. I was taken back at how something could be so large, like a huge snow covered mountain and yet appear small enough for me to hold in my arms. It was like sitting in the front row at a movie theater and watching the Dreamworks advertisement, which is a scene involving moonlight and clouds. It also reminded me of the painting which I believe is on the ceiling of the Cisteine Chapel – of God laying a bed of clouds. It was almost as if I was floating, drown in by the clouds. My elevation in relation to the clouds probably helped to create this sensation.

Anyway, I wanted to relay these two remarkable occurrences because they illustrate the amazing things that the earth can open up for us to see on rare occasion. Occasions that make you realize what a rare and intricate planet we are lucky enough to inhabit.

Had another experience that seems to typify my experience in Haiti. I had just ridden out to NImewo 2 on my bike to look into some lime trees that I wanted to buy for my example garden. On my return I passed by a group of teenage girls from Latiboliere, two of which I recognized. In passing I said, “bonswa.” In response, they repeatedly call me “blan mannan” which means poor white trash. I said nothing to them, only turning and giving them a confused look. Upon arriving at the Verrier’s I told them what had happened. I asked them not to say anything to them but tell me who it was in the group. I then proceeded to Lasous to get water and bathe. I returned and Ernante informed me that they had not yet passed by. I hadn’t eaten dinner yet but sat down at the Verrier’s to wait for them to pass. After waiting a few minutes, I gave them up, thinking they had taken another route. However, shortly after arriving at my house Ernante spotted them passing by. I immediately threw on a shirt and went down to ask for an explanation. At this pint the group had diminished to 4 girls. The two girls I knew denied that they had said anything while I know one of them for sure did. One of the other girls explained that she had a right to call me “blan mannan” because it was her country. She also professed not to know what “blan mannan” means. Anyway, she call me “blan mannan” again and went on her way.

I feel this typifies my experience here because I believe that there is no one else other than my family, the Verrier’s, that respect me. I feel that really all that they want is for me to provide money for projects. Reflecting on this it has been difficult for me to decide whether or not to ask for another volunteer for Latiboliere. I have a very strong urge to say fuck them all and recommend that one not be sent here. However, I truly figure that it is their ignorance that makes them so disagreeable and disrespectful. The only way to combat ignorance is education. So I have decided to continue to request a volunteer for Latiboliere as I hope the next volunteer will be able to educate the people in Latiboliere even if only in a small way.