Super Moon, gunshots and elections

Sunday mornings in Port au Prince start with Alleluiah! There were two different church services going on at 5:30 when I woke up, and they'll likely go on all day.

Today is election day in Haiti. The wait has been so long, yet when I ask around, many folks say they aren't going to vote- it's too violent at the polls. I think I read that voter turn-out at the first run-off was something like 27%- pretty low, but it seems like there is a lot of confusion in general over elections here.

Aristide arrived amidst cheering on Friday- and we had reports that the streets were 'chaud'- hot, hot. When the streets are chaud, it means that there is an underlying excitement, and things could turn one way or the other quickly, so we all layed low until we heard that things were calmer. We huddled around the television to watch Aristide's speech from the airport, and it was so interesting to hear our Haitian friends' excitement over his arrival. The very timing of his arrival, two days before the election, is timely. Aristide still holds a lot of influence in this country, as was evident from the many celebrations and hoop-la in the streets upon his arrival. I have heard that he does not support pop singer Martelly, so we'll see how that translates.

The gang, watching Aristide's speech on television.

There are reports this morning that Wyclef Jean, Haitian/American hip hop artist and Martelly supporter, was shot in the hand last night- whether it actually happened, or is related to the election, is a question mark at this point.

I had a chance to go back to lovely Kenscoff yesterday (in the mountains), but Jean Louis & I were working on the floor, and when we were done, we did our usual routine of sitting on the porch having a beer, and Jean Louis wanted to talk, so we spent a couple of hours sitting chatting. He is a very wise soul for such a young man. So, no lovely bamboo groves for me, but rather, a relaxing day here at the compound. Fair enough. I'm sitting on the porch of the straw house, sipping coffee, which gives me a bit of an 'away' from everyone.

We're not sure what will happen in the days following the election- will it be calm, or will there be action? The actual results won't be announced until later- initially I had read March 30, but this morning I read something like mid April, so I may be back home when we hear the results. I can't believe they're going to wait that long to announce the results- you'd think with international support they could get the count done, make the announcements, and move forward sooner! But, this is Haiti!

Last week we went on a bus trip to see an art exhibition. Jerry  Rosenbert is quite famous in Haiti, and has done a few things here at the camp, including the Bob Marley composting toilet. He was selling pieces of his art- they are quite beautiful, but even better than that, he created a piece on the wall, while someone played percussion- a multidisciplinary piece. It was awesome!

I quite love this one! So joyful!

Jerry painting to the rhythm of the drum!

The finished painting

I have gone to the market a couple of times with Joanne, our cook- it is quite an experience. Because I was with her, I'm sure I got more reasonable prices. Sometimes they give you a price, but more often than not, you tell them what you want to pay then, and there begins the decision of how many tomatoes to put into the bag, etc. Josh & I cooked dinner for the gang Thursday, which happened to be St. Patrick's day. We made currried veggies, rice, and barbecued chicken with a peanut glaze. It was gooooood!

I love the excitement of an outdoor market!

So colourful, so competitive!

Joanne & I went shopping at the market. I carried my bag of groceries home on my head along with her, and got some funny looks from people!

Apart from that, this week has been spent working a bit on the straw house (finish floors, lime wash coats) and consulting with the earthbag builders. We have to figure out what plaster to use on the building-it's pretty complicated, given that they used earth in the bags, yet we don't feel that an earthen plaster will survive on the exterior.

Nearing the end of the bag process.

We sat atop a shipping crate on the compound last night admiring the super moon- it was pretty special. From that same vantage point, a few days ago there was a random tire fire in someone's back yard. There is always something burning here.

Yet more air pollution, right next door.

The super moon was quite a contrast to this scene, for sure!

Just got back in from a walk down the road to get an egg sandwich, and it's safe to say, it's a really quiet day. This is the quietest I've ever seen the streets since I've been here- a nice change!

Natural building at GrassRoots: Ti Kay Pay & Earthbags

Jean Louis & I got the finish coat on the back room in the Ti Kay Pay yesterday- it looks great. So far, there are a few small shrinkage cracks, nothing to cry over. We ran out of river sand, and are short on clay (our clay had been stored in a large bin, and after we left, the GRU staff needed the bin back, so the clay got dumped...we salvaged what we could from that pile, and now we have had to salvage materials from other digging that has gone on here on the property). I tried samples using river sand, and using some of the limestone sand that is here on site, but both yielded way too much cracking, so now...the waiting game. Aaron ordered a load of sand today, which is needed to plaster the earth bag building, so we'll use some of it to get the last section of floor done. Jean Louis quite enjoyed trowelling on the finish floor.

Finish coat for the floor of the Ti Kay Pay 

I still haven't painted the butterfly that Andy sculpted onto the plastered wall, but have whitewashed the background. I forgot to look for coconut oil when I was at the grocery store today- what a dummy! I was distracted by looking for curry ingredients, as a couple of us are going to make dinner tomorrow night. We are going to attempt to use coconut oil as a hardening oil on the floor, possibly adding blood, as they would have done once upon a time. We'll see- apparently they slaughter a cow just down the laneway every Saturday, so if I can arrange to be there to get the blood...it could be added to the oil and rubbed into the floor.

Jean Louis applying the third coat of whitewash around the butterfly

I spent the afternoon helping shovel soil for the earthbag project. I am encouraging them to hurry up and get the bags all in place, so that we can hopefully get to some plastering before I have to leave.

Venting PVC pipes have been put in between rows of bags. Some of them are getting quite squished- there is a lot of weight in these bags!

Earthbag washroom facility coming along. We're wondering how those bags will stay up after the form for the arch is pulled away...

 Ideally, they were going to crush rubble for the bags, but the rubble that was ordered some time ago just showed up today, after the bags were past the half way point. So, we used the rubble to fill in the newly dug trenches coming from the outdoor showers. I had used some of the rubble in the rubble crusher when we were doing the plastering of the straw house, but haven't really spent time sifting through a pile of rubble. Today, as I shovelled rubble into the wheelbarrow, I had a few quite  moments as I came across purses, broken shoes, bras, letters, telephone chargers, and other broken bits of items in the pile, remembering that these rubble piles have been collected both from the streets, and from businesses and homes that were damaged in the earthquake. Small glimpses into people's personal belongings, which led me to wonder if these people had survived the quake. Sometimes, when you are here for awhile, the earthquake seems far away, as you get immersed in projects and community. Today, it was brought back for me in a sobering way.

Natural building in Haiti

In the two or so months I have been here, I certainly have seen or heard about a lot of natural building projects, from earth ships to compressed earth blocks to straw bale to super adobe (earthbag), and that's before we dabble in light clay/straw (planned for later this month). I thought I'd try to summarise all of these methods here.

Over the past couple of days, I have been helping out here at Grassroots United with a superadobe washroom facility. Super adobe involves using long plastic tubes, which you then fill with soil (can be stabilised with cement if you desire). You can build round or square, and in this case, we went round. Luke, Tim & Spud are here from New Leaf Initiatives (actually, Luke & Tim flew back yesterday, and Ben will be coming on Tuesday to continue with the project). New Leaf sounds like a really interesting organisation, from what Spud was telling me last night: http://newleafinitiative.org/community/meet-the-allies/#all. Essentially, if you have an idea to pitch to them, something you're passionate about, they will try to mentor you and hook you up with people who are experienced in that realm. So, Tim & Luke wanted to build with earth bags, Spud hooked them up with folks who are knowledgeable in the field, and voila, here they are in Haiti.

Luke & Tim experienced what most newcomers to Haiti experience, and that is frustration in the delays of materials arriving on time, and plans being changed last minute, but they also appreciated a deep, rich connection with a couple of Haitian volunteers who joined them. I haven't ever worked with earth tubes, so thought I would pitch in- that, and the fact that these guys are taking off, and I felt like someone needed to be able to take the torch and move the project along. They hadn't really thought about plaster types, so I will work with Ben when he gets here to share recipes, and figure out the best plaster for the exposed roof. The building will be a dome, with three flush toilets in it, taking greywater from the showers. Originally it was to be compost toilets, so with this last minute change, I hope I'm hoping that the appropriate leaching pits and pipes are all in plac

These bags came in a large roll. We cut them to 35' long, and then they get filled with soil (it is quite a heavy soil they have). They wanted to combine crushed rubble in the bags, but there isn't currently a lot of rubble on site. A run of barbed wire goes onto each course (sometimes two runs) to help the subsequent layer from slipping.

Filling these bags is pretty labour intensive, but once you get going, you streamline the process. We pushed as much of the bag as possible onto the bucket with a hole in it, and then we have two shovellers. Another person then pushes these shovels of soil along to the  eventual spot it will live, and yet one more person evens that out to make sure it is dense & tight up against the previous load. (Easier to do than explain!).

We made it to 7 rows high before the boys had to leave. I think we'll recommence either on Tues. or on Wed., once Ben is here.

In the meantime, I am continuing with little projects here at the Ti Kay Pay. There is an interior triangle above the bamboo ceiling that needs whitewashing, so I've done coat. In addition, Jean Louis & I are going to do the finish coat of earthen plaster on the floor. I'll do a couple of different recipes & test patches today, to see how it fares. We weren't sure what to do to seal the floor, since linseed isn't locally available (at least, not to our knowledge), but have been toying with the idea of trying coconut oil. Jean Louis said he can get some from a local market, so we'll try. I'm not sure if we'll heat it, or add any citrus thinner to it...it's kind of open ended at this point. The straw house has come a long way...from the earth bag foundation to the load bearing walls, to using the rubble crusher for some of the plaster (although we didn't find it successful) to the final plaster coats.

Andy, putting together trusses with sheet metal gussets.

The rubble crusher- an awesome rig, simple to operate, but labour intensive to make a lot of sand. Haiti has a lot of labour, however, considering the incredible unemployment.

Jean Louis & Annio, attaching hurricane X bracing to rebar.

Bamboo reinforcement goes down over the foundation, and up to the top plate. It is stitched through the wall. Compression bands starting to be tweaked in this load bearing building.

The inside is quite inviting. The bamboo separation wall isn't quite complete, as we are still waiting for more bamboo to arrive. Building with bamboo & bales in a rural setting would make it easier to obtain materials.

It is getting a lot of positive reviews- in part, it is still 'conventional' looking enough to fit the bill here, and in part, it is just plain beautiful. I love the simplicity of it- the size is quite adequate for one person! I am camped out inside the house right now (using tent to keep mosquitoes at bay), and the sound insulation has had a tremendous effect on getting a quiet's night sleep. Or, at least, quietER.  To date, the moisture meter readings (there are 29 probes in the walls) have had readings in the safe range, so I hope this trend continues. The bigger question is, how will the building handle intense rain in the rainy or hurricane season. We painted two coats of a glue wash onto the exterior walls to help protect them, given that siloxane doesn't seem to be readily available here, nor did we have time to experiment and make some on our own with local materials.

Ti Kay Pay, view from the rooftop at GRU- thanks, Andy, for the photo!

Protecting an earthen plaster  is a tough thing, because traditionally, people would remud or limewash their houses regularly, but as things move forward, people are looking for maintenance-free homes. That, and in a place like Haiti, where I often see regular maintenance lacking of either homes, machines, etc. (people have to focus on food and water moreso than on making the house look pretty- but homes are swept and cleaned quite regularly), it would be good to find a more durable solution. In a country with so few trees, we don't want to encourage the burning of fuels, which is what lime production would entail. Once upon a time, there were lots of lime kilns in the country. 

Some of the older wattle & daub homes in Haiti have been 'limewashed' with what they call 'carbure'- a by-product of welding. It looks like putty, and indeed, when we added water and lime juice to it, it made a decent looking limewash. The only problem is, without knowing its chemical properties, we were hesitant to use in on the interior of a building. However, perhaps it is a good solution for the exterior. And indeed, it is on the exterior that we have seen this finish in Haiti.

I was told this limewash was made with carbure. I have no idea how long it has been on- on some buildings, it was intact where it was protected by the overhang, and had eroded everywhere else (makes sense), so regular coating is necessary. The team in Deslandes suggested in areas where it is well protected, it can last as long as 5 years, and otherwise, one or two years. I'm not sure how readily available this 'waste' material is, either- that has to be researched as well.

The earthship, right next to the straw bale home, was started last year by Michael Reynolds and team. who worked with Haitian volunteers.

 Their team returned in January of this year to expand and complete the buildings, including water catchment and a self contained blackwater system. The mass in the walls definitely keep the interior cooler than outside, and it's a pretty funky looking building. It may take a bit longer to get Haitians to buy into this style of building, only because I noticed that if a level is sitting around on a jobsite, any visitors pick it up instantly to see how straight the walls are. I noticed this moreso at the earth block building, and those walls are pretty darned straight...but I think if the earthships are built in pods for communities, people will definitely appreciate them- you just have to change the mindset of having to have perfectly straight walls. We tried quite hard to get our walls straight, especially outside corners, and we succeeded in straightening them up considerably, but they aren't perfect, that's for sure. 

I thought I would also recap the compressed earth block building that has been going on in Deslandes. Tierra y Cal have partnered up with Centre d'Intervention Jeunesse, a Haitian organisation, and they began the first of three schools built out of compressed earth blocks. They are essentially operating as a natural building school, in which participants get training by working on the school. Before receiving a certificate, they have to go back to their own community, with some of the other students (and with supervision!) to build a new house for a family in need. I love their model, in that participants have to put their newly acquired skills into practise, and in so doing, expose their community to a new and accessible form of construction.  I am working with them to help plaster, develop their crew, and to develop curriculum, as they are interested in including other natural building methods. (And a reminder that we are collecting tools for the school- there is a shipping crate leaving Toronto at the end of April). They have a limited selection of tools at the school. 

Mixing cement for the poured floors happens entirely by hand in Deslandes, as does all of the plaster mixes. They sweep off this area of the courtyard, and mix everything there. Hard work in the heat of the day!

Most Haitian masons/plasterers I have met are more comfortable 'throwing' or harling mud onto the wall using a brick mason's pointed trowel, and then using a wooden float. This crew was also quite messy with this process, so I had to remind them of cleaning the thrown mud from the freshly plastered walls! They were using Jeff's fancy Italian finishing trowel as both a hawk, and also to scrape floors...yikes! Some of them eventually caught on to using the steel trowl to apply mud.

Not the earth block scaffolding frame...

Building one, of three, for the open air school in Deslandes

The larger question in reconstruction in Haiti, is what does it cost. We have preliminary numbers in for the straw house, and they're pretty high, but of course, this is a prototype, and there was problem solving involved, a lot more consultation time, and also, perhaps overpayment on materials given that we were new to Port au Prince. New buildings need to be sustainable, durable, and certainly, affordable, or they won't fly here.


When I go back to Deslandes, Ian Thomson (friend, firefighter fellow Canadian, and building whiz all bundled into one!) and I are going to build an 8 stall composting toilet facility (Lucci from an organisation called Give Love will come and teach the community how to build the actual toilets, and how to maintain them, and how to maintain the compost piles- education, and maintenance, are critical parts of introducing composting toilets to households or to a community), and we are going to use a light clay straw wall system, with larson trusses. Hopefully we'll use local bamboo for the roof trusses, and we are planning on fabricating larson trusses out of old wood pallets. There is an abundance of straw on the Artibonite Valley, and clay is readily accessible as well, so I'm hoping we can build an inexpensive building, and also, try another method of natural building here in Haiti. We have been consulting with some of our Canadian engineers, Tim Krahn and Kenny Cryer, about techniques and loads, etc., for this project. 


And in the meantime, these kinds of images remind us of why it is critical to have people here assisting with rebuilding. 

Walking into the camp, where Über Shelter have built their house. These tents are incredibly densely packed in, with little (or no!) privacy for people.

While plywood houses may not be ideal, or as permanent as some are claiming they are, they are raising people up off the ground, they're slightly larger than most tents, and they will keep out the rain. 

We visited a camp recently that houses 30,000 people, if you can imagine!  One section of tents are set in a bowl- the lowest point on that property, and when it rains, those people get completely flooded out of their tents. This camp is organised into 8 sectors, and each sector has a president to oversee that area, to raise concerns of the people, and to problem solve for the future. The presidents then get together once a week to discuss items of importance. One topic that remains at the top of the list is what will happen in the future- this land is partially government-owned, partially private, and there isn't any security in terms of knowing how long people will be allowed to stay there. They are working hard to ensure that people don't get booted out from there to....nowhere. 


There are a couple of fellows here at Grassroots who have come up with a really cool design for temporary shelter, especially appropriate for camps.

This shelter has a second storey, with a sheltered outdoor space underneath. It feels pretty well ventilated.

The jacks are great on these houses- it allows you to move in and get a structure up quickly, without necessarily levelling the ground, but rather, levelling each foot.

 They aren't claiming this is a permanent solution, nor are these shelters built for hurricane resistance. They are called Über Shelters, and I went along with Raphael the other day to see the first one that has been built in Haiti. (You can find a youtube flick of them building here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4tg_wudimw). It is in the aforementioned camp, and Genesis and his family are now living in it. These shelters are cool, in that they are modular, and can be built in many different configurations, depending on the available space. The entire packages packs up into a 4'x8' pile, about 2.5 feet high- quite compact. There is a light aluminum frame, corrugated cardboard walls, and plywood flooring. Remember, they're not built to withstand hurricane gales, but rather, to provide immediate temporary shelter. They have jacks on them to raise them up off the ground and keep residents dry (the legs or jacks are the base of stop signs- very clever). I'm going to go with Raphael and Armand later this week to put the steel roof on their second project in Haiti.


And in other natural building news, Bruce King from EBNet have won an international competition for the best new housing idea in Haiti. They are going to use bamboo, earthen plasters, and compressed earth block, and plastic bottles in Port au Prince: check this out: http://www.ecobuildnetwork.org/images/stories/ebnet_pdfs/%20%20ebnet%20haiti%20appeal.pdf. Looking forward to seeing that project move forward!


And so, amidst the rubble, the tents, the plywood houses, and the conflicting reports about NGO's not doing anything, there is a very active natural building world here in Haiti. Haitians are quite happy to see building projects that use local materials, and are built by Haitians, or at least, with some Haitian hands. Most builders I know who are here are aiming to train Haitian workers to be able to continue building using more sustainable and earthquake-resistant building methods. 

Carnaval

Back in Port au Prince at Grassroots United. As usual, lots going on! I arrived last Sunday, just in time to go out for Carnaval on Sunday night. Carnaval is a big deal in Haiti- it is a three day celebration, with schools and many businesses being closed Monday and Tuesday, and even Wednesday for students. From about 5pm onwards, the streets start to fill up with people in the Carnaval areas, and then the marching bands and large floats come out. Given that I play in a cajun band, but have never been to New Orleans, I had really been looking forward to seeing what Carnaval is like here. Last year, because Carnaval was so soon after the earthquake, no one wanted to celebrate, and it was cancelled right across the country.

Carnaval is celebrated in certain cities and towns in Haiti. Port au Prince has a really big one, but people dress up more in other places. A small group of us set out in a tap tap to find some Carnaval action, and indeed, soon enough, we were in a huge crowd of dancing, smiling, partying Haitians. Brass band after brass band marched by us, sometimes sweeping us along, sometimes going right on by. We were there around 7pm- and it was really crowded. You really had to work hard to stay with the group and not get lost.

I had never been to this part of the core of downtown before- and I haven't as much destruction as this in the areas I have been to thus far. There are beautiful old buildings with arched walkways that have really suffered damage. To get to Carnaval, we had to walk by a dispaced persons camp, and I have to say, I was feeling sickened already by the devastation of the crumbled buildings, but then to see the crowded camp there, it made it doubly hard to get into the spirit of Carnaval.

We did, though, as I mention, get into the centre of the dancing crowd. One of our group members had his wallet stolen, unfortunately. I caught 2 different people trying to pick my pockets. When one guy came back in for his second try, I very clearly told him to stop that in French, and he did. Imagine that!
When it was really crowded, and people were starting to push and shove, we decided to come back home.

Some of our crowd went out again the next two nights to celebrate Carnaval, but I didn't feel the need to go more than once. Apparently in Jacmal, where some of our volunteers were on Sunday night, the celebrations had a darker flavour to them. Some of them suggested voodoo- whether or not this is true, I don't know. Jean Baptiste seemed to suggest to me that sometimes spirits come out because they, too, want to celebrate Carnaval. I have so much to learn about this culture! Apparently there were spirits there to rid people of cholera also.

So, I didnt'

Teacher, teacher!

Deslandes, Haiti

March 3, 2011

One month left to go- yikes! Well, if the next month goes as slowly as the current one did, I’ll be okay!

Today was a most wonderful day. Finally, we set up a schedule so I could go visit the different classes, to introduce myself and to explain why I’m here. We also wanted to explain the earth block construction to the students, in an effort to have them be proud of the school, and to stop scratching into the earth plaster with graffiti. I had already introduced myself to a bunch of the students, but wanted to officially greet all of them, and be greeted by them too. It should have happened when I first arrived, of course, but then again, this is Haiti (or, TIH, as it’s more commonly known!).

So, the classroom visits went well- today I only went to three, and then I spent the rest of the day in between computer work and working on site. The crew is really ramping up to finish, with the hope of finishing the rest of the big grunt work by the end of the day. I’m going to have a slide show (with beer, if I can figure out how to get any without a hole in the wall!) to show them all of the photos I’ve been taking of the project, and to debrief this project.

When I visited the various classes today, I told the students that I would like to learn more creole, and if they wanted to join me on the playground to talk to me, they were more than welcome- so at recess today, what started with a small group soon turned into this huge gathering of students who encircled me. They asked me a few questions, and then wanted me to sing Frere Jacques to them (the other day, they had sung ‘Frere Jaques’ in creole, so I launched into English & French versions for them)…so, we sang in three languages. They asked me questions in creole, and slowly we pieced together what they were asking. I am making an effort, and I figure the more times I open my mouth to try to speak in creole, the better chance I’ll have of making progress.

One of the classes I visited 

I worked until about 5:30 at the jobsite- we were pouring steps, and then we put washed riverstones into the wet pour- they’ll be nice. A couple of kids came up to me to ask if we could sing another song I had taught them (with actions- left over from my French immersion teaching days!), so we started singing, and before I knew it, I had become the pied piper- I looked behind, and realised there was a whole group of kids following me, singing the song and doing the moves that go with it. That was definitely a highlight for me- that, and the fact that Dine (one of the little girls who lives beside me), came and sat on my knee, and came in for a most delicious cuddle. Oh, but that filled my heart!

My delightful friend, Dine

I also hung out with Benitta and the kitchen crew, and learned how to prepare fried plantain- the plantain gets deep fried twice- first, the bananas are cut into halves, and they are deep fried. After a few minutes, they come out, and get squished in a ‘pese banane’, which are two small cutting wooden cutting boards- you put the plantain in between the two boards, and squish them. Then, these pieces are dipped into salted water, with some kind of soup flavouring cube in it- and they’re deep fried again, until they’re nice & crispy. All of this is done in a pot of hot oil over the charcoal braiser, bien sur!

Our routine at night, is for the girls & I to retire to my room where they want to watch a ‘film’ (I keep telling them they are just photos on the computer, they’re not a film, but to them, it’s a film!)…they never tire of seeing the same photos over and over again. I hope I’m not jading them or anything!

And now, almost time to turn out my light. I’ll try to read a few pages first.

The first stair, with embedded stones

Food for thought

Deslandes, Haiti

le 2 mars 2011

Food for thought

I’m sure I’ve mentioned food before, but I thought I’d dedicate an entry to food. I feel like this experience in Deslandes and Verrettes is more true to what most people eat, than what I ate in Port au Prince at Grassroots. I am deeply appreciative of all of the wonderful cooks who have prepared meals for me.

Joanne, the cook at Grassroots United, cooking over a wood fire (unusual- most people use coal for cooking).

Sano, preparing a killer sauce for rice.

Mischla, part of the family next door to me, preparing her family's meal.

Benitta, proudly displaying the lobsters we were given in exchange for helping a neighbour.

We are in such a lush area- tonight’s dinner included freshly made papaya juice! We had fried potatoes, picklise (shredded cabbage, carrot, jalapeno, onion, lime juice & oil), some kind of breaded & fried sea critter, rice & pea sauce, and lobster with okra in a delicious tomato based sauce.

Tonight is the first night in a long while we haven’t had fried plantain- that is a common dinner ingredient. Rice seems to be common for dinner as well- so, although everything is on the table when we arrive, you start with the picklise & fried plantain, or potatoes, or whatever the fried thing is. Then, from there, onto the rice, and whatever sauce accompanies it- sometimes a pea sauce, other times, a red sauce (always very tasty) with tiny portions of meat.

Breakfast is a delight- fresh omelettes with chives, bread, and peanut butter (they grow a lot of peanuts here, so I’m guessing they make their own peanut butter), chopped fresh papaya, or mango, coffee (and I’m accustomed to drinking half a cup- there is only so much made every day), and freshly squeezed grapefruit juice. It’s amazing how much sugar my current Haitian clan put into the grapefruit juice- I drink it straight up. They also put a ton of sugar into their coffee, and St. Geste even put sugar into the papaya juice tonight- go figure! I suppose lots of people have a sweet tooth here- what with sugar cane growing all around you, and at recess, there is a woman sitting there every day with a bowl of candy for kids to buy. Weird that candy might be the first thing that some of them eat for the day- nevermind about cavities and such!

Lunch seems to vary between either a bouillie (like a soup- with carrots, potatoes, other weird root vegetables, and lako lako), and mayi (boiled corn with lako, tomato sauce). I had been thinking that it would be nice to have bread with the bouillie, and lo and behold! today, there was bread served with the soup.

This beats the Port au Prince spaghetti breakfast with hotdogs and salted fish, and the breaded deep fried sandwiches with hotdogs, but a long shot. We’re quite lucky to be in an area with such an abundance of fresh food. I’m still not quite sure how most people are surviving; I do know that people share, but I’ve also seen people abruptly turn people away who are hungry, so I’m still not really sure how it works.

This is a glorious meal that Benitta prepared for Jean Baptiste's birthday. 

The stoves and cooking centres really amaze me. Most everyone here cooks with charcoal- I have yet to see someone using wood. Yesterday’s entry showed the packed burn to make charcoal, and now I wanted to share some of my favourite cooking photos. As it turns out, people of all ages cook, as I saw when Da was making dinner for her family. From a very young age, kids are expected to pitch in with chores- and really, I mean a very, very young age. Benitta told me that they go through a bag of coal in about 4 or 5 days- the bags are feed bags, about 4’ tall, and 2.5’ in diameter or so- in any case, I was surprised how quickly they use it, but it is used for every meal, after all.

Different heights

A triple burner

Sano uses this little guy for quick heats for deep frying. This is the same type of coal bucket that the guys brought with hot coals on a truck to come solder the eavestroughing on the straw house in PaP.

Since writing this post, I have hung out with both Sano and Benitta as they were preparing meals, and they gave me some prep jobs. I got to ‘pese bananes’- that is to squish the plantain between the special tiny wooden boards (they look like miniature cutting boards!). And Sano prepared a most special meal for me Saturday night: fried plantain, potatoes, goat, and then a rice dish with an extremely flavourful  sauce. 

He pierced a green pepper with cloves, and set that in the sauce for extra flavour...miam, miam!

Mmmmm, fried goodness!

Musings

Verrettes, Haiti
February 28, 2011

After awhile, you stop paying attention to things like, hmmm, is that water they’re washing the vegetables with filtered, or just from the fountain? Did they wash their hands after going the washroom and before handling the food I’m about to eat? Was the rice cooked in filtered water? and so on.

Am I really riding helmetless in flip flops on a moto in town??? Am I really going to have some of the meat & vegetables that sat on the table overnight? Do I care that I am rotating through the same clothes all week- one dress, two tank tops, one pair of jeans, on pair of work pants?

The biggest things I care about is the lack of internet, but I’ll just have to get over it. This is how it is in this particular location. I’ll cherish my time with the kids, and with the construction crew, and wait for times when I can get in touch with the outside world.

I showed Sano the photos I had taken of him after I downloaded them onto computer- he realised that I had taken them from my camera to the computer, and was quite impressed. Another fellow (I am terrible with names-maybe Sanso?) came along and wanted me to take his photo- he was quite tickled with the process, especially when I dumped the photos onto the computer. He asked if he could have a copy, so I really must prioritise which photos I print before coming back to Verrettes. Of course, I can always mail them, but it would be better to think I’ll come back. I sense (and hope) that I will have a long relationship with this community.

Observations about my childless state

Today one of the guys at the jobsite told me I’m a very pretty woman, and the other fellows chimed in with agreement- I thanked them; it was sweet.

One thing I’ve noticed here is that when men meet me, a few sentences into our conversation they ask if I have kids. When I say no, they almost unanimously cry out, ‘Oh no, why not?!’. When I explain that I was with someone who didn’t want to have kids, they say Oh, you should have a child- do you want one? And then I explain that while I’d love to have a child, I don’t want to have one on my own, and so the next statement is usually… Oh, you’re not with someone? Why not? A beautiful young woman like you…why not? And so on. It is very sweet, that they are all so concerned about me not having kids. I’ve tried to explain that I borrow kids, and bond with kids everywhere I go, probably moreso because I don’t have kids of my own, but I don’t think they really understand or accept that. Cultural differences. Still, though, it’s nice that they are so concerned for me well being!

Dance, dance, dance!

Deslandes, Haiti

February 28

Breakfast is so relaxed around here- sometimes it’s ready at 8, other times 8:30…very casual, so hard to plan on really getting into any work, because you never know when it will be ready.

Last night there was an event at the outdoor community centre- they had a DJ who piped out a variety of konpa music and hip hop. I noticed that not as many people danced with hip hop. There was a group of kids from school there, and they really wanted me to dance with them, so I hopped onto the gravel dance floor and danced with them. Every time I started dancing, a group of teens and adults alike came in and encircled us, watching the blanc bust out her moves. One of the girls in particular took me under her wing, grabbed my hands and led me through some kompa moves. When she did the really sexy hip movements, everyone laughed at my attempts- myself included! People were so curious to see what I would do- they really check people out as they are dancing, and I don’t’ think there was a part of me that wasn’t examined by every single person in that circle!

What amazed me about this event was the fact that so many kids have amazing dance moves. I’ve experienced this in other cultures before- Cape Breton, Louisiana, where kids grow up with music, and traditional dancing is learned at a young age- just from experience, not necessarily from training. But to get back to these kids- a couple of girls were showing me how to dance (they were dancing as a couple), and I have noticed in dance clubs that men will at some point in a song tap their partner on her bum- again, in a rather sexual way. This girl did this bum tapping in a seductive way that almost could have made me blush, but didn’t quite. I laughed, they laughed, and we had a great time. I’m glad they didn’t seem to know the bend over bum spanking move that I saw at another dance club! One girl was standing there, though, and boy, could she do a bum shake- wow! This ol’ blanc has a long way to go in her hip shaking, but it was fun all the same.

I have noticed music being a really big part of life here in Haiti- whether people are singing, or listening to radios. Back at Grassroots, I remember one Haitian hanging up his laundry, dancing while he did it to whatever he was listening to on his mp3 player. Dance is definitely part of life for everyone here- if there is music playing, men, women and children alike will spontaneously bust into some moves.

Physical touch is interesting here, too. Sometimes someone will grab your hand if they want to you accompany them somewhere- and men will do that to men too. Last night I noticed a friend of St. Geste’s came by and he took St. Geste by the hand to take him over somewhere quieter to talk. It truly is a different culture- while I don’t see evidence of sexism, it seems that women do most of the cooking (although men know how to make the same dishes)- the traditional roles. When men are sitting in a circle talking, women don’t tend to join in- they sit in their own circles. And as I think I’ve mentioned in the past, Benitta doesn’t eat with us in the dining room after all the work she does preparing our meals- she eats out back. I asked Jean Baptiste about it, he gave me a rather vague and unsatisfactory answer, but I have to accept that this is how it is. So, when I can, I go back and chop things for her, squeeze grapefruit to make fresh juice, or do the dishes. I really do appreciate the time she spends preparing meals.

So, off I go to see if breakfast is ready- it feels odd, being served thus, but this is what they do when they have visitors. I’ll just have to suck it up!

8:30pm

I’m tucked into my room, and am listening to the two little girls in the room behind me giggle with their mom-it’s so nice to hear!

When we finished dinner, the men were talking politics in creole, in addition kompa music on the radio, and I was trying desperately to follow the conversation, but admit that I was distracted by some yelling and singing outdoors. I scooted out to go the washroom, and then heard the most beautiful singing- so I walked by starlight across the field, sat on the porch of the new school amid the construction debris with a couple of goats, and listened to the most magical singing. I think all of the music was religious, as there was a lot of ‘Amen’s’ after the songs, and applause. The first song was a call/response song, and then individuals took turns quietly singing. It was a really moving experience. I’m imagining they were going around the circle, as sometimes people would just talk, and then there would be an amen & applause at the end. A most magical way to end the night. And now, everyone is home in their rooms, and there is chatter back and forth. Ew, someone is smoking. Yuck!

Porch chatter

Verrettes, Haiti

February 27, 2011

It’s funny what you get used to. I’m drinking a very sweet coffee-like drink today, that Sano prepares for us every day. Despite waking up at 6 or 6:30 every morning, I never seem to be early enough to see him prepare the coffee, so I’m not sure what it is.

Yesterday, after another stint of e-mail (a short stint, because Jean Baptiste was waiting for me), we stopped at the gas station to get fuel, since we were completely out. We were second in line, and the guy at the pump said the pump wasn’t working, and he disappeared into the store. We stayed put (I’m never sure what is happening- I thought at that point we would leave and go find another source of fuel, since people sell fuel in front of their house), but however, we stayed…and more and more motorcycles came be to get fuel as well, in addition to a van. Pretty soon there were at least 15 motos there, all pointed in different directions, all converging on the pump. As I said, we were second in line. The gas attendant returned, and filled the guy in front of us, who was now completely surrounded by other bikes, and unable to leave. Someone who had arrived long after us had nosed his way in front of us, and was insisting on being served first, but he didn’t quite get his way. At this point, there’s all kinds of yelling and carrying on, and after a couple more people were served, we got our gas. However, then we had the same problem of being blocked in all directions to leave, and no one was budging to help us. Of course, too late I realised that would have been a terrific photo, but it was so hectic I wasn’t sure if it would have been a good  idea.

OK, this photo can't relay the motorcycle scene, but it can still give an idea of the craziness of traffic...I still haven't managed to capture a photo that truly encapsulates the craziness, but in this photo, we're passing traffic on this narrow road, while that tap tap is about to pull out ahead of us- but in this case, there isn't any oncoming traffic to compound the risk. You definitely hope that your driver has their wits about them!

Once we got home, Jean Baptiste brought the motorcycle into the courtyard, and closed the gate, so I knew we were in for the night. He was complaining of the heat inside this cement block house we’re living in, but it was fresher outside, so I suggested we sit outside, which we did- and it was cooler, indeed. We didn’t have any electricity, as their 30 watt panel just isn’t up to snuff- it can charge either a phone or a computer, but not both at the same time. Of course, the problem might be that the car battery isn’t quite sufficient. So we sat in the dark and talked, as so many people do here.

(as an aside: There is a generator sitting here at the house that needs servicing, and likewise, there’s a small Honda generator out in Deslandes that is missing a little ring on a valve- they’ve been ‘talking’ about fixing this for 6 months now. Jim from Tierra y Cal is coming at the end of March to use the new block making machine with the crew, and he absolutely needs a generator in working order, so one of my jobs while here is to nag and push people along to actually get a few things done.)

When we were sitting out on the porch last night, one of the topics that came up was vodoo ceremonies. I was reading a book on Haitian Voodouism before coming here, but didn’t finish it, and it seemed to bulky to bring. Jean Baptiste explained that there are different ceremonies for different spirits, and the madou (woman priest) or  organise ceremonies depending on the different times of year. One big ceremony in particular is called Guedé, and it occurs Nov. 1-3 every year. He said in some cities, the ceremonies take over the streets! The participants dress up, with lots of make-up and perfume. Some wear all black, some all white, some black and white, while still others wear mauve. The parade down the streets, dancing, singing, and drumming. (I have heard the drumming from my bed in Deslandes). At this ceremony, the manbo carries a ‘bak’ (wooden carved out bowl, or container) that is filled with food and offerings to the spirit Guedé,and they go to the river. When the spirit of Guedé enters someone (and it apparently often enters several people, but usually on this occasion, not the mambou, as she has to make sure that everything goes well), that person takes the bak and puts it into the river. He said it’s an amazing thing- it floats for a bit of time, and then when the spirit leaves the person, the bak suddenly floats. He has seen it several times. He mentioned that his grandmother is quite a wise woman, and could have been a really amazing mambou, but she didn’t want to. She has had spirits visit her, and is quite well known in that world. When she was younger, she had a spirit visit her in a dream, who told her she had to help with a childbirth. She said she had no idea what to do, and suddenly, in the dream, she saw herself preparing items that she needed, being competent, and she delivered that baby in her sleep. Ever since, she has been working  at the hospital as a very respected midwife, and also she is a caretaker at the hospital.

And so it seems that voodoism is still strong in this country. Jean Baptiste doesn’t practise, but he certainly believes. He mentioned that Ospri said he will take me to a ceremony when he returns to Deslandes- as long as my presence would be welcome by the participants, I would be delighted to go to one.

And so ended our quiet night on the porch- no beer, no music, no light…just interesting, animated conversation. And that, my friends, is how many many a night is spent in Haiti. It was exactly what I was craving.

I’m sitting here now waiting for Jean Baptiste to get back, and I can hear through the cinderblock fence, a man next door singing. You often hear people singing as they are working- beautiful melodies.