Sunday afternoon I heard two loud "booms" outside my apartment which actually woke me from a pleasant nap. The power went off immediately, the smoke alarm started beeping, and then the general alarm started blaring. Shortly after that, the superintendent came on the PA system and said that there was a 'problem' with the transformer, and that there was no need to be alarmed. Now, in the 6 or 7 years I have lived here, no superintendent has ever come on to announce that there is no need to be alarmed, which actually tells me that there probably is. It turns out that we went without power for almost a full day and for a change I had to use candle power. It all seems so ironic somehow, having just come back from Haiti.

Where is Bob picture.

Find me in the Chicago Conservatory. (visiting friends over the weekend on my way back to YYZ).

My last night in Haiti and I am not sure what to end with. The month has gone quicker than I thought. Among other things I feel healthy which is a good thing, since people have been falling around me like tin soldiers. I still don't have a very good answer to the overwhelming nature of the earthquake and all that it has caused, and will continue to cause for a long time to come, but please at least accept this photo below of trees planted in our most recent project in the north of the country. These are less that 3 years old, and have been well cared for which is why they look so great.

On the way to the above site, as occasionally happens during field visits in hard to get to areas, one has times where one stumbles across women bathing in tropical mountain streams. Today was one such day, but my finely tuned cross cultural skills told me that it was not a good time to take a photo. Sorry.

Below find a photo of one of my favourite spots in Haiti, and where I am staying tonight, the Hotel Roi Christophe. Very historical, and where Henri Christophe one of the founding leaders of the country first worked as a baker. It was also a place where Napoleon's officers are supposed to have stayed. Very nice and oozing with history. If you ever visit, order the french toast for breakfast.

Finally, staying with this eclectic theme, I leave you with the lyrics of a song which have been running through my head the past few days, and seem at least marginally appropriate.

"Doctor, my eyes have seen the years

and the slow parade of fears without crying,

now I want to understand.

I have done all that I could

To see the evil and the good without hiding,

You must help me if you can.

Doctor: my eyes.

Tell me what is wrong,

Was I unwise to leave them open for so long?

As I have wandered through this world

And as each moment has unfurled

I've been waiting to awaken from this dream.

People go just where they will;

I never noticed them until I got this feeling

That it's later than it seems.

Doctor: my eyes.

Tell me what you see.

I hear their cries,

Just say if it's too late for me.

Doctor: my eyes.

I cannot see the sky.

Is this the price for having learned how not to cry?"

I think I may have become somehow an accidental rep for Coke. When I travel I tend to drink said beverage more often when home, and the past week or two here I've been going to a local vendor on the street just near our office. As I was returning the office with a freshly purchased bottle, I heard kid behind me saying, "blan, coca, blan coca". I interpreted this to either mean that I was continously buying the drink, or those two things were closely associated. I hope the company appreciates the free advertising.

Data entry is the activity of the moment. We have a team of 14 in the field interviewing households, and a team of 4 entering data. This is a somewhat repetitive task, but I'm excited to be getting the info we need to make some measurements on impact of our activities over the past 3 years in this particular area.

The Citadelle

I think I've been to the Citadelle at least 5 times, and each time I go I learn something new. It really is a marvel, and if you are ever in Haiti you should make a point of seeing it. In fact I would say you might want to come here just to see it. After Haiti gained independence, the ruler of the northern part of the country, Henri Christophe built this fortress perched on top of this mountain in case the French ever came back. They didn't and 200 years later, the structure still stands as a monument to independence. The photo shows the Citadelle from a distance, close to the town of Cap Haitian, and even from afar it is an intimidating sight.

Be careful what you wish for

A couple of weeks ago I was joking around with some visitors/program supporters about whether you would rather be the person that cut down the last tree in Haiti or ate the last sea turtle. Well, this poor fellow passed by me while I was having coffee on the patio of one of the nicer restaurants in Cap Haitian (the Roi Christophe--I think everyone should visit) and the fisherman in question was planning to sell to the kitchen. So, I guess you might be able to do both, possibly eating turtle soup off a table made of wood...

The past week I have been staying in our office in Acul du Nord, near Cap Haitien in the north. There are 5 of us, 2 sleeping in the existing beds, and 3 sleeping on the floor. If you know me at all, you know I pride myself on being able to do without, but there is a certain level of chaos associated with the lifestyle here that I just can't quite manage. Chaos, and a different sense of personal space and privacy. I like to be able to feel like I can have some control over my little corner of the world, and here I just can't quite get that. Still, I have nothing to complain about. I was thinking that last night with the rain beating down on the tin roof, and just imagining what it would be like to be crouched under a plastic tarp held up by wooden poles with mud running under foot.
Anyhow, it's not sleeping on the floor, or taking bucket showers that is the problem. In fact sometimes I sleep on the floor just because it's comfortable. Its more about the disorder of everyday living. This is a bit hard to explain and is better experienced. Maybe I'll elaborate in later posts. Sorry, still no way to upload pictures. Maybe this weekend.