Sunday, June 16, 2013

THANK YOU

Some of the staff waiting for the rest to arrive.
Only a few days left before heading to the “other side,” as Haitians like to refer to the United States. I have been letting everyone down here that I know that I will be leaving this week. My friends and acquaintances ask, “forever?” No, I will always be coming back and that is the truth.

Marie and her 4mth old! She works on our mobile clinic.
Brittany has been doing a fabulous job taking all of the inherited roles and responsibilities in stride. We have been skipping between meetings, errands in town, and to the gritty details of the “how-to” of the daily and monthly routines. I remember how everything had been so new to me – the sights, the language, the people and customs. The experience of delving into a new culture and learning on-the-job is irreplaceable. I do believe that this year in Haiti has been the best year of my life yet in terms of growth and self-realization. I couldn’t have asked for a better organization, staff, and introduction to Haitian culture.

Posing with all but one of the mobile clinic staff.
So, now that it is time to pack up my bags, I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by the realization of going through another change... acclimating to life in the U.S. I am anticipating the transition, and so I plan to keep busy as soon as I arrive. Nothing like starting a new job to keep your mind preoccupied!

Eliot (cleaning lady), Solimen (cook), and Dieuny (cook). 
Today, Father's Day, I scheduled a staff party for the Midwives For Haiti in-country staff. MFH has parties every so often to celebrate the midwives, the students, etc. but never just the staff (at least not since I have been here)! So, I felt that it was important to recognize the people who do all of the behind-the-scenes work. The ones who aren't necessarily catching babies and attending to pregnant women, but the ones who make it all happen in between. I've included some pictures! The afternoon went very well (though we did start an hour and a half late). Here I am one year in Haiti, and I still expect people to come on time!

My good friend Mirline, one of our instructors.
She is a nurse midwife.
Just about all of our translators. They spend hours following
our midwives and nurses in hot and sticky hospitals
and clinics. 
How do I describe the wave of emotions while telling all of my colleagues how life-changing they have been to me? I did make it through my speech tear-free, but I so wanted to reach out to every one of my Haitian friends with open arms. Mwen genyen yon plac nan kè mwen pou chak moun. I have a place in my heart for each person. Thank you Midwives For Haiti. Thank you Haiti and to everyone that I mentioned today. Brittany, you will do a great job. I have no doubts. Thank you to my followers for your support. This is my last post. 






Monday, June 10, 2013

Patience is a virtue

The bedroom I am leaving (that is a mosquito
hanging above the bed). 
I am a naturally impatient person. That is not an excuse for anything, but it is simply something that I struggle with. I want to say I had one of my final tests (though Haiti has been one big test) on my patience tolerance.

One of the nursing students putting baby
packets together.
We need to buy a generator for our birth center halfway between Port-au-Prince and Hinche. Sounds simple, right? The 15kw generator has to be ordered at the Valerio Canez extension office (a wanna-be Lowe’s) in Hinche. I had no idea what kind of generator I was to expect for our needs, but what I did learn was that the bigger the object the more difficult the order became. I think I made three trips to the office in town before I finally got somewhere.

Our dining room in the Guesthouse.
How much I am looking forward to moving back to a more wireless world! The internet would have been nice to have had for the transaction. The office couldn’t process the credit card, or they didn’t have the bank account number ready for the transaction, or the costs for shipping and handling weren’t finalized. Let’s just say that there is no concept of customer service. Why should there be though? If a buyer really wants to purchase something, it is up to them to make it happen. No one caters to the other in a business deal such as this.




Our classroom.


The UNH nursing students with our Creole teacher, Kenel Pierre.
Aside from that mess, I had a good week with a group of nursing students from the University of New Hampshire and getting ready for Brittany’s arrival. She just got in on Saturday. The training has begun! She is excited to be here and eager to pick up where I am leaving off. I have full confidence in her! Though I will be sad to leave, I wouldn’t want her to miss out on the privilege of working for such a mission as MFH’s nor experiencing the hidden beauty of Haiti. I smile at the thought of her having this opportunity.  

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Getting the message

I’ve been reading this book called African Friends and Money Matters by David Maranz, an ethnographer who has lived on the continent for many years. The book addresses the systems, customs, and behaviors of Africans and how Westerners have misinterpreted them to the point of viewing African culture as not just different but “lesser” compared to their own culture.

Haiti is not Africa, but it does trace its roots to the Western shores of the continent when the slave trade began. I have found many similarities between the cultures and have found the text very helpful in viewing Haitian culture in a new light. 

So, as I am nearing my departure, I have a few mental notes that I want to take away from the culture illustrated in the book in the hopes that I will prevent unnecessary frustrations next I return.

One is that Haitians never give a frank “no” when disagreeing with or refusing something. For example, Haitians frequently ask each other (and Westerners) to borrow money. If someone cannot lend any money, their response to the inquirer may be, “How about you come tomorrow, and we can talk then?” or “If I hadn’t spent my money on my rent, I would happily give you some”. With these seemingly circuitous answers, the person denying the request shows respect and solidarity to the inquirer. The relationship is maintained and neither side leaves feeling embarrassed.

It has taken me until a few weeks ago (when I finally cracked open the book) to realize the importance of this form of “dialogue” rather than using the American form of “direct communication”.

Another take home message is one involving house calls. I frequently would get annoyed when staff or other unannounced visitors would show up at the house requesting a meeting. Sometimes, it would be 7:30am or 7:30pm. Not to be rude, I would stop what I was doing to meet with the visitor. But, I had been missing something about these house calls all along. In Africa and in Haiti, having a lot of friends or acquaintances gives one status and respect in his community and also is a sign of respect to the one visited. Visiting friends and employers, therefore, is important to developing or maintaining a social network on which the visitor can depend in times of need.

I was on the phone yesterday with one of our employees, and because she couldn’t hear everything that I was saying, she said she would just come to the house to talk about it. It would only take two minutes, but the employee made the effort to come out to meet me to discuss what I had to share.


It’s amazing to me how long I have spent in-country and was not able to pick-up on these cultural nuances. Well, now I know!