First of all I want to say that I’m typing right now ON MY COMPUTER! It was hand delivered last night along with a lovely photo album, work gloves, and more sunscreen – thanks Mom!
My Sunday goal had been to get to the beach. It didn’t happen. But what did happen was pretty interesting – a bit of an adventure. After lounging around base for a while I decided I desperately needed to escape the heat via a large body of water. After much discussion I ended up setting off with another volunteer named Jeanine. We left base in search of a moto-taxi to take us to a beach called Ballisimo (sp?). None of the motorcycle guys seemed to know where we were trying to go but finally we found one that seemed willing to, at the very least, take us somewhere that might be right. 20-some minutes later it became clear we had not gone the right direction at all. We pulled off to the side of the road and spoke with a local guy. After much talk (some in English, some French, some Creole) the guy on the side of the road said we could pay the driver $20 US and he’d wait for us to swim (at this beach we were at that WASN’T Ballisimo). Considering that it was about $19 more than we’d initially agreed on AND we didn’t have US dollars we told him to take us back to town. We returned to base slightly disheartened – although the ride had taken us into a lovely area in the mountains. Vowing to find water the two of us set off again – this time looking for a beach that was supposedly a ten-minute walk away. No big deal, right? Well as we were leaving base we saw one of the local volunteers and after a brief discussion he offered to take us to the beach. About an hour of hiking later we told him we had to turn around. In flip-flops I trekked through farmland, through woods, and never even made it to the beach. I got back to base a while later, admitting defeat. I sat around for a bit longer then was rounded up in a group to go get dinner. I’ve probably mentioned this before but, again, we don’t get fed on Sunday’s so we’re responsible for getting our own meals. So anyways a group of us walked over to a place called Massaje for the meal of a lifetime (relatively speaking). Just know that I ended the night with a cheeseburger, fries, milkshake, and coke in my stomach.
So because I’m still letting my sore back rest a bit more I decided to do the orphanage sort. This entailed sorting box after box of donations to take to the local orphanage(s). This huge shipment of stuff was pretty impressive. It was mostly stuff from Gymboree – apparently they decided to send a bunch of last season’s stuff to Haiti! It was really quite amazing things – all brand new. Some of the clothes donated were as much as $80 per garment. A lot of these clothes are going to help a lot of kids out. One funny note – a lot of the clothes sent were winter clothes. We’re talking down jackets, tons of sweaters, wool caps. So all of the clothes may not get used (or maybe they will and they’ll be tons of Haitian children running around in snow gear). Overall the workday went well – I got a chance to stay around base, taking it relatively easy while still accomplishing something. We’ve been given a roster of the children at one of the orphanages so the next step is to make a bag for each individual kid.
So now I’m in the office, blogging away with the music from the bar next door blasting away. As a little side note I want to say that the bar – nay – the entire country of Haiti plays one playlist ad nauseam. It’s a few mainstream American rap songs, a few Haitian rap songs, and a few “best of Bob Marley” songs. So anyways we don’t have work tomorrow as it’s Flag Day in Haiti! It’s apparently a pretty major holiday and everyone takes off work to celebrate. I’m not totally sure what tomorrow entails for me but I do know that (as of now) I and some other HODR volunteers will be heading over to the Sri Lankan UN base and challenging them to a game of basketball! I’m very much looking forward to representing my country in the name of basketball. My scouting report indicates that the UN team will be pretty short BUT in extremely good shape so it should be an interesting matchup. Assuming the game goes through as planned I’ll have a full report tomorrow and will have a friend take pictures which you can all see when I get home.
I’ve got to run – No Woman No Cry is playing!
Love,
Daniel
P.S. I had goat for lunch today which was DELICIOUS.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sunday
So it's a Sunday which means it's my day off. I wish that meant I could spend lots of time on the computer but since I'm using the HODR computer my time is limited. BUT tomorrow (!) I will be getting my Mac hand delivered to me from Chapel Hill. A women who volunteers here with me happened to be going to Chapel Hill for a wedding for the weekend and she agreed to bring my computer back! That means I should be able to update my blog and email more frequently.
This week went pretty well. I finished a rubble site with my group and we moved on to a new one early in the week. The new site, Lourde, was different than any of the sites I had been to before. The other sites had simply been the ceiling pancaking directly onto the flood. This one had a significant portion of the roof at an upward angle which made the job much more tactical and dangerous. We had a guy who is good at demolition come by and level the structure some. I worked on the same site for a couple days. Thursday I went hardcore on the sledging and hurt my back. I didn't quite realize I had hurt it until late that night when I went to go a calisthenics class on the roof. I slept and woke up Friday feeling much better so I went back to the site. After about five sledges I pretty much became immobile. It really sucked having to sit out. I rested a bit in the afternoon and decided I'm going to take a couple days to do other activities aside from rubbling to give my back a rest. I'd rather rest a few days now and be able to return to work than be out for a month down the road because I didn't rest.
Saturday we had a BBQ on base which meant we also got the afternoon of work. Well most people got the afternoon off, at least. I volunteered to help cook for the BBQ. In the morning I went to the market to pick up some supplies. The market here is pretty insane. Lots of people in a confined space, low ceilings, motorcycles driving around, heat, and bad smells which is all to be expected. I made it out alright and spent the rest of the morning preping. Our menu included BBQ chicken, potato salad, green salad, fruit salad, and fried dough. In the afternoon I took over cooking the chicken along with another guy. The rest of the afternoon and evening (until at least 7 p.m.) was spent grilling. It was a lot of work but everybody loved the food so it was totally worth the work.
Today I took a moto-taxi with a few other people to this gas station not far away. They sell a lot of stuff that's very hard to find - FROZEN snickers, awesome cold drinks, pringles, etc. AMAZING! The rest of today has been spent vegging. I'm probably going to head to the beach in a little while and have a quick swim.
When I get my computer I will start posting more frequently and can have more details and it will be better overall. It's hard trying to quickly write what I did in a whole week!
Hope everyone is well.
Love,
Daniel
P.S. I just got an email from my mom telling my I got accepted to UNC-Asheville for the fall!!!
This week went pretty well. I finished a rubble site with my group and we moved on to a new one early in the week. The new site, Lourde, was different than any of the sites I had been to before. The other sites had simply been the ceiling pancaking directly onto the flood. This one had a significant portion of the roof at an upward angle which made the job much more tactical and dangerous. We had a guy who is good at demolition come by and level the structure some. I worked on the same site for a couple days. Thursday I went hardcore on the sledging and hurt my back. I didn't quite realize I had hurt it until late that night when I went to go a calisthenics class on the roof. I slept and woke up Friday feeling much better so I went back to the site. After about five sledges I pretty much became immobile. It really sucked having to sit out. I rested a bit in the afternoon and decided I'm going to take a couple days to do other activities aside from rubbling to give my back a rest. I'd rather rest a few days now and be able to return to work than be out for a month down the road because I didn't rest.
Saturday we had a BBQ on base which meant we also got the afternoon of work. Well most people got the afternoon off, at least. I volunteered to help cook for the BBQ. In the morning I went to the market to pick up some supplies. The market here is pretty insane. Lots of people in a confined space, low ceilings, motorcycles driving around, heat, and bad smells which is all to be expected. I made it out alright and spent the rest of the morning preping. Our menu included BBQ chicken, potato salad, green salad, fruit salad, and fried dough. In the afternoon I took over cooking the chicken along with another guy. The rest of the afternoon and evening (until at least 7 p.m.) was spent grilling. It was a lot of work but everybody loved the food so it was totally worth the work.
Today I took a moto-taxi with a few other people to this gas station not far away. They sell a lot of stuff that's very hard to find - FROZEN snickers, awesome cold drinks, pringles, etc. AMAZING! The rest of today has been spent vegging. I'm probably going to head to the beach in a little while and have a quick swim.
When I get my computer I will start posting more frequently and can have more details and it will be better overall. It's hard trying to quickly write what I did in a whole week!
Hope everyone is well.
Love,
Daniel
P.S. I just got an email from my mom telling my I got accepted to UNC-Asheville for the fall!!!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
"Hey You"!
So I've got to keep this post short because the power will be cutting off in about 20 minutes or so. Its been raining pretty heavily tonight which is nice because that will provide a little cooler temperature tonight!
Monday morning we had pancakes (with M&Ms no less). I went to work at a new rubble site - Excelsior I'm calling it although I know that's not the proper name. A lot of sledging and shoveling went on which is always a good time. Today I went to this hospital orientation in the morning - something that is required in order to work at the hospital. It was just an hourish and was a tour of the hospital and such. There are pretty much a few main areas - a building which houses the pharmacy, the extra medical supplies, and the radiology department (which consists of one X-Ray machine operated by the Japanese Red Cross). Across the way there is a bunch of makeshift, outdoor clinics/triage centers. Haitians will line up early in the morning and wait for hours to see a doctor. There is also a main hospital unit which is basically a huge series of tents - this area is includes the ER, the surgery room, the supply room, and a few other rooms various NGOs do various medically related things in. This hospital area has air conditioning from about 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. I can not stress how nice it was to be in AC. Amazing. So after the orientation I started working as a runner. Essentially running errands/helping the doctors and nurses in whatever capacity they need help. I did get my own walkie-talkie which will make anyone feel important. I did a bunch of stuff - moved patients, grabbed meds, moved heavy equipment, etc. Me and three others had to carry this guy with terrible abdominal pain (who was also throwing up a very unusual looking substance) to radiology. We got there but the patient couldn't sit up for an X-Ray so they had to take it with him laying down. We carried him back to the hospital only to be told the X-Ray we had was useless. By this time, radiology was closed for the day. We tried to get the Japanese Red Cross to open back up for this guy but someone had taken their generator for the day. So the poor guy is going to have to stay at the hospital all night. I just hope they've done something about his pain.
I went to lunch and did lunch dishes. If you sign up for a chore you get first choice for what you want to do and since I wanted to do the hospital orientation and then work in the hospital, I signed up to guarantee me a spot. I returned to the hospital for the remainder of the afternoon. I spent a lot of time in the supply room familiarizing myself with where stuff is so I can be more efficient next time I go. This supply room has a lot of stuff in a pretty small space - everything from syringes to gowns, vitamins to ketamine.
I came back and had dinner (pasta)! We also had this hot chocolate that was nice and spicy (I know my sister Emily would have loved it). I decided to take it easy tonight so I was playing cards for a while and now here I am!
Oh and the post title "Hey You" is in reference to what all the Haitian kids say. I'm serious. All the kids say it. It's like the only phrase most of them know. I have no explanation for it.
Tomorrow it's back to rubbling!
Back soon.
Love,
Daniel
Monday morning we had pancakes (with M&Ms no less). I went to work at a new rubble site - Excelsior I'm calling it although I know that's not the proper name. A lot of sledging and shoveling went on which is always a good time. Today I went to this hospital orientation in the morning - something that is required in order to work at the hospital. It was just an hourish and was a tour of the hospital and such. There are pretty much a few main areas - a building which houses the pharmacy, the extra medical supplies, and the radiology department (which consists of one X-Ray machine operated by the Japanese Red Cross). Across the way there is a bunch of makeshift, outdoor clinics/triage centers. Haitians will line up early in the morning and wait for hours to see a doctor. There is also a main hospital unit which is basically a huge series of tents - this area is includes the ER, the surgery room, the supply room, and a few other rooms various NGOs do various medically related things in. This hospital area has air conditioning from about 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. I can not stress how nice it was to be in AC. Amazing. So after the orientation I started working as a runner. Essentially running errands/helping the doctors and nurses in whatever capacity they need help. I did get my own walkie-talkie which will make anyone feel important. I did a bunch of stuff - moved patients, grabbed meds, moved heavy equipment, etc. Me and three others had to carry this guy with terrible abdominal pain (who was also throwing up a very unusual looking substance) to radiology. We got there but the patient couldn't sit up for an X-Ray so they had to take it with him laying down. We carried him back to the hospital only to be told the X-Ray we had was useless. By this time, radiology was closed for the day. We tried to get the Japanese Red Cross to open back up for this guy but someone had taken their generator for the day. So the poor guy is going to have to stay at the hospital all night. I just hope they've done something about his pain.
I went to lunch and did lunch dishes. If you sign up for a chore you get first choice for what you want to do and since I wanted to do the hospital orientation and then work in the hospital, I signed up to guarantee me a spot. I returned to the hospital for the remainder of the afternoon. I spent a lot of time in the supply room familiarizing myself with where stuff is so I can be more efficient next time I go. This supply room has a lot of stuff in a pretty small space - everything from syringes to gowns, vitamins to ketamine.
I came back and had dinner (pasta)! We also had this hot chocolate that was nice and spicy (I know my sister Emily would have loved it). I decided to take it easy tonight so I was playing cards for a while and now here I am!
Oh and the post title "Hey You" is in reference to what all the Haitian kids say. I'm serious. All the kids say it. It's like the only phrase most of them know. I have no explanation for it.
Tomorrow it's back to rubbling!
Back soon.
Love,
Daniel
Sunday, May 9, 2010
First Week (Almost)
Alright - I'm on the internet for just the second time since I've been here. The connectivity is quite limited which is disappointing but I'm going to try to make due. Pretty much I've been unable to make my computer connect to the internet so I have to find time on the HODR computers when nobody else is using them and when the internet is working. I'm also sad to say I probably won't be able to post pictures as we have VERY low bandwidth. Check the HODR website for pictures! Sorry for not posting until now - I have a lot to say. More to say then I could possibly have time to write.
I got into Port-au-Prince on Tuesday. As we made our decent into Haiti you could see the various tent camps set up and rubble everywhere. Once out of the place and through customs/immigration you head outside to the pick-up area. This was easily the most overwhelming experience I had had in a while. You're immediately surrounded by tons of people grabbing at your bags, trying to give you a ride. That on top of the heat and lugging baggage makes for an interesting experience. I looked around for a sign with my name on it or the name of the organization (which is what I had been told to do). I didn't see it. I walked for a bit, fending off offers for rides, but didn't find the sign. I did, however, turn around to see a young women in a Wake Forest shirt. She asked if I was with Hands On. At least at this point I had a companion to wait with. After a while she called the base and asked where I shuttle was. There had been a mix up so we ended up waiting a bunch of hours. Once the driver got there we only had to wait another hour or so for another Hands On volunteers flight to get in. This time we did spend across the street from the airport being serenaded by a local and his guitar. Eventually three of us and our bags piled into a tiny sedan and headed out. The drive was pretty amazing. Just getting to see the country for a while was amazing. Most people smiled a waved. Some grabbed at the car.
Once I got to the base I got a tour and settled into a bunk. I brought a tent but am, for the moment, still in a bunk. There are pros and cons to both so I'm still working on figuring it out. Anyways, I made it to the base after dinner time but just before the nightly meeting. I stood up, introduced myself, heard about the happenings from that day, etc. At the end of the meeting you sign up for what you'd like to do the next day. I chose to sign up to work at a new rubble site called Roger.
I woke up around 6 the next morning (which, it turns out, is the time I and most people wake up. Knowing me and my sleeping habits this is pretty impressive)! Breakfast options include cereal (with powdered milk), oatmeal, bread with jam/peanut butter, and coffee (if you can get up early enough). People start heading out to the work sites at 7:30. My group of about eight or ten volunteers gathered tools (wheelbarrows, shovels, sledgehammers, pick-axe) and got in the back of a tap-tap (what the pick up trucks are called). We got to the rubble site which was a pretty large house out on some farmland which had been totally demolished. We pretty much just went right to town sledging the concrete and getting rid of the rubble. It's extremely hot and the sun is brutal so I had to take loads of breaks. We returned to base around 12 for lunch. Lunch (and dinner) are usually a combination of rice and beans, some sort of sauce, plantains, a piece of chicken or fish, and salad. Not bad at all. After lunch we went back to the site and worked a while longer. It was especially neat especially because the local children were helping as well as the homeowner.
We return around 4:30 for dinner. Dinner is followed by the nightly meeting. After that is free time until 10 (at which point it's quite time and the electricity is cut). Some people head to the bar next door (Joe's) to enjoy the local beer, Prestige, or the local rum or whisky. It's also a time to shower. Showering is pretty neat. You fill a bucket with water, go into a little tarped off stall and wash. Nothing feels more amazing than a cold bucket shower after a long, hot day.
Let me change my thought process for a minute to talk about the base, or house, I'm living in. There are currently around 125 volunteers here (25 over the limit). You either live in a bunk bed or in a tent. The bunks are all downstairs and the tents are both downstairs and upstairs on the roof. Bunks are nice because you can lay around in them anytime of the day while the tents are far too hot during the day to be in. The tents are cooler at night and provide more privacy. Again, I'm still debating where I want to stay. At this point I'm guessing I'll move into a tent sometime. There are men's/women's bathrooms. There are toilets but they do not flush. You have to fill a bucket with water to flush. And toilet paper goes in the waste bins. There is a big, open area in the middle of the first floor. This is pretty much a rec area. A crummy basketball goal (which I'm so happy to have), sports equipment, and such. There is an office with computers and fans (where I am now). There is a kitchen (there are a few hired people who cook our meals). Upstairs is totally open-air and just tent space. That is, in a nutshell, the base. More details on this and everything will come when I next post.
Ok so my first night ended well. I got into bed around 10, tossed and turned for a while in the heat, and eventually fell asleep. Day two I went back to the rubble site for more sledging action. We also began to work on cutting out the rebar. Essentially the goal is to remove all the rubble and rebar, leaving the lot just a flat slab of concrete which can be rebuilt upon. In the afternoon I went to a local orphanage. As soon as we volunteers arrived, the kids went nuts. It was a lot of fun. We did painting/drawing with one group of kids then switched and worked on teaching a little English. The kids are adorable and extremely sweet. It was an awesome experience which I'm certain I'll do more of in the future.
Friday in the morning I did housecleaning. This involved doing the breakfast dishes, clearing (and burning!) the trash, cleaning bathrooms, sweeping, etc. The upside of all this was that I had gotten first choice for what I wanted to do Friday afternoon. I signed up for something that had just one spot - it's a disaster preparedness group. Pretty much that means we go around and teach teachers (and, eventually, kids) about several things - what is an earthquake? what causes earthquakes? what can you do to stay safe in the event of an earthquake? what to do in case of a fire/flood? We prepared Friday.
Saturday we went to the middle of nowhere for my first training seminar. We went in a tap-tap outside Leogane, through a crowded market, through a dried up river, into the mountains. The area was stunningly beautiful. Completely unobstructed views of the countryside. It reminded me I was in awesome Caribbean country. The training went really well. About 30-40 local teachers showed up. They were divided into two groups (one to be with me and two other volunteers in the disaster preparedness group and the other to work with volunteers teaching art therapy and its benefits for children experiencing PTSD after the earthquake. Everything went smoothly - we did one session, broke for lunch, and did an afternoon session. The teachers were engaged, asking us lots of questions. I really feel like this was a crucial thing to be doing and the teachers really seemed to learn a lot and appreciate what we had to tell them. In about three weeks this same group of volunteers in scheduled to go to Jacmel (a nice beach town a couple hours from Leogane) for a three day conference! That's going to be a really nice change of pace. Saturday ended nicely, just hanging out, staying up a bit later, hanging out on the roof about half of volunteers, just chatting and having a good time.
Today, Sunday, was our day off. No work. I slept all the way until 7:30! I spent the whole day lounging. Just reading mostly. Sunday is the one day we have to provide our own food. I went for brunch with a few other volunteers. First we stopped at coffee stand on the side of the road. It was AMAZING. The coffee is brewed with tons of sugar and then thick condensed milk is added. It didn't taste much like coffee but, again, it was really good. We then headed to visit the Egg Sandwich Lady. It's a women with a road-side stand with one small camping stove. She makes some eggs, throws them on a buttered roll, adds some endive and tops liberally with ketchup. Delicious. I watched some of the volunteers play cricket today which was totally new to me. I'm going to a place called Massage for dinner tonight (where, I'm told, there will be hamburgers and french fries)! Tomorrow I will probably be returning to Roger for more rubbling and we will hopefully be finishing up that site tomorrow which is awesome.
There is so much more to tell but not enough time. I will post again as soon as possible. For anyone who has contacted me through email or facebook, I will respond as soon as I can!
I miss you all.
Love,
Daniel
I got into Port-au-Prince on Tuesday. As we made our decent into Haiti you could see the various tent camps set up and rubble everywhere. Once out of the place and through customs/immigration you head outside to the pick-up area. This was easily the most overwhelming experience I had had in a while. You're immediately surrounded by tons of people grabbing at your bags, trying to give you a ride. That on top of the heat and lugging baggage makes for an interesting experience. I looked around for a sign with my name on it or the name of the organization (which is what I had been told to do). I didn't see it. I walked for a bit, fending off offers for rides, but didn't find the sign. I did, however, turn around to see a young women in a Wake Forest shirt. She asked if I was with Hands On. At least at this point I had a companion to wait with. After a while she called the base and asked where I shuttle was. There had been a mix up so we ended up waiting a bunch of hours. Once the driver got there we only had to wait another hour or so for another Hands On volunteers flight to get in. This time we did spend across the street from the airport being serenaded by a local and his guitar. Eventually three of us and our bags piled into a tiny sedan and headed out. The drive was pretty amazing. Just getting to see the country for a while was amazing. Most people smiled a waved. Some grabbed at the car.
Once I got to the base I got a tour and settled into a bunk. I brought a tent but am, for the moment, still in a bunk. There are pros and cons to both so I'm still working on figuring it out. Anyways, I made it to the base after dinner time but just before the nightly meeting. I stood up, introduced myself, heard about the happenings from that day, etc. At the end of the meeting you sign up for what you'd like to do the next day. I chose to sign up to work at a new rubble site called Roger.
I woke up around 6 the next morning (which, it turns out, is the time I and most people wake up. Knowing me and my sleeping habits this is pretty impressive)! Breakfast options include cereal (with powdered milk), oatmeal, bread with jam/peanut butter, and coffee (if you can get up early enough). People start heading out to the work sites at 7:30. My group of about eight or ten volunteers gathered tools (wheelbarrows, shovels, sledgehammers, pick-axe) and got in the back of a tap-tap (what the pick up trucks are called). We got to the rubble site which was a pretty large house out on some farmland which had been totally demolished. We pretty much just went right to town sledging the concrete and getting rid of the rubble. It's extremely hot and the sun is brutal so I had to take loads of breaks. We returned to base around 12 for lunch. Lunch (and dinner) are usually a combination of rice and beans, some sort of sauce, plantains, a piece of chicken or fish, and salad. Not bad at all. After lunch we went back to the site and worked a while longer. It was especially neat especially because the local children were helping as well as the homeowner.
We return around 4:30 for dinner. Dinner is followed by the nightly meeting. After that is free time until 10 (at which point it's quite time and the electricity is cut). Some people head to the bar next door (Joe's) to enjoy the local beer, Prestige, or the local rum or whisky. It's also a time to shower. Showering is pretty neat. You fill a bucket with water, go into a little tarped off stall and wash. Nothing feels more amazing than a cold bucket shower after a long, hot day.
Let me change my thought process for a minute to talk about the base, or house, I'm living in. There are currently around 125 volunteers here (25 over the limit). You either live in a bunk bed or in a tent. The bunks are all downstairs and the tents are both downstairs and upstairs on the roof. Bunks are nice because you can lay around in them anytime of the day while the tents are far too hot during the day to be in. The tents are cooler at night and provide more privacy. Again, I'm still debating where I want to stay. At this point I'm guessing I'll move into a tent sometime. There are men's/women's bathrooms. There are toilets but they do not flush. You have to fill a bucket with water to flush. And toilet paper goes in the waste bins. There is a big, open area in the middle of the first floor. This is pretty much a rec area. A crummy basketball goal (which I'm so happy to have), sports equipment, and such. There is an office with computers and fans (where I am now). There is a kitchen (there are a few hired people who cook our meals). Upstairs is totally open-air and just tent space. That is, in a nutshell, the base. More details on this and everything will come when I next post.
Ok so my first night ended well. I got into bed around 10, tossed and turned for a while in the heat, and eventually fell asleep. Day two I went back to the rubble site for more sledging action. We also began to work on cutting out the rebar. Essentially the goal is to remove all the rubble and rebar, leaving the lot just a flat slab of concrete which can be rebuilt upon. In the afternoon I went to a local orphanage. As soon as we volunteers arrived, the kids went nuts. It was a lot of fun. We did painting/drawing with one group of kids then switched and worked on teaching a little English. The kids are adorable and extremely sweet. It was an awesome experience which I'm certain I'll do more of in the future.
Friday in the morning I did housecleaning. This involved doing the breakfast dishes, clearing (and burning!) the trash, cleaning bathrooms, sweeping, etc. The upside of all this was that I had gotten first choice for what I wanted to do Friday afternoon. I signed up for something that had just one spot - it's a disaster preparedness group. Pretty much that means we go around and teach teachers (and, eventually, kids) about several things - what is an earthquake? what causes earthquakes? what can you do to stay safe in the event of an earthquake? what to do in case of a fire/flood? We prepared Friday.
Saturday we went to the middle of nowhere for my first training seminar. We went in a tap-tap outside Leogane, through a crowded market, through a dried up river, into the mountains. The area was stunningly beautiful. Completely unobstructed views of the countryside. It reminded me I was in awesome Caribbean country. The training went really well. About 30-40 local teachers showed up. They were divided into two groups (one to be with me and two other volunteers in the disaster preparedness group and the other to work with volunteers teaching art therapy and its benefits for children experiencing PTSD after the earthquake. Everything went smoothly - we did one session, broke for lunch, and did an afternoon session. The teachers were engaged, asking us lots of questions. I really feel like this was a crucial thing to be doing and the teachers really seemed to learn a lot and appreciate what we had to tell them. In about three weeks this same group of volunteers in scheduled to go to Jacmel (a nice beach town a couple hours from Leogane) for a three day conference! That's going to be a really nice change of pace. Saturday ended nicely, just hanging out, staying up a bit later, hanging out on the roof about half of volunteers, just chatting and having a good time.
Today, Sunday, was our day off. No work. I slept all the way until 7:30! I spent the whole day lounging. Just reading mostly. Sunday is the one day we have to provide our own food. I went for brunch with a few other volunteers. First we stopped at coffee stand on the side of the road. It was AMAZING. The coffee is brewed with tons of sugar and then thick condensed milk is added. It didn't taste much like coffee but, again, it was really good. We then headed to visit the Egg Sandwich Lady. It's a women with a road-side stand with one small camping stove. She makes some eggs, throws them on a buttered roll, adds some endive and tops liberally with ketchup. Delicious. I watched some of the volunteers play cricket today which was totally new to me. I'm going to a place called Massage for dinner tonight (where, I'm told, there will be hamburgers and french fries)! Tomorrow I will probably be returning to Roger for more rubbling and we will hopefully be finishing up that site tomorrow which is awesome.
There is so much more to tell but not enough time. I will post again as soon as possible. For anyone who has contacted me through email or facebook, I will respond as soon as I can!
I miss you all.
Love,
Daniel
Monday, May 3, 2010
Pre-Departure
I've decided (once again) to try this blog thing out. I didn't do so well at keeping up with it in Singapore but I'm going to try really hard this time!
So I'm leaving for Haiti in the morning. My flight is at 6:50 a.m. which means I'm probably not going to get too much sleep tonight but I suppose that's what I get for leaving all the packing for the night before. My mom just moved into her new townhouse in Southern Village so we've been tearing open boxes looking for odds and ends I need to pack.
I'm going to be going to a city in Haiti called Léogâne which is a little under 20 miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince, where I'll be flying into. I'm going to be working with an organization called Hands on Disaster Response www.hodr.org - take a look at their website for more info on details about the group. Once I land in PAP I'll be taking a shuttle to Léogâne - I've been told this is going to take a few hours and will, undoubtedly, be a rocky drive. I don't want to say too much about what will happen next because it would mostly be speculation. What I can say is that I'm really excited about the opportunity (and all that it entails) to go to Haiti.
I've been told that there is both electricity and internet connectivity every night from 6 p.m. - 10 p.m. If this is the case I will update this blog as much as possible. I'd also love to keep in touch via email - my email address is danielmatchar@yahoo.com so shoot me a message anytime. I'll also be checking my facebook periodically and should be using skype there too.
I'll miss seeing you all this summer but will be in touch.
Daniel
Monday, September 15, 2008
Excuse me, Uncle...
For all who visit my blog - I apologize for my long gap in posting. I've been busy, stressed, homesick, etc. None of those are good excuses for not posting, but still...
I have been in school now for over a month. It's been different. School is much more strict in almost all aspects compared to school at home. Of course, we uniforms. It's pretty weird for me because everybody basically looks the same (which incidentally, helps confirm my theory that high school turns us into mindless robots). I changed my courses around a lot in the first couple weeks, but it has remained the same for a while: Contemporary American Lit, Zoology, Spanish, AP Stat, Film making, AP Psych, Photography. The classes are OK - the titles of the class make some of them sound better then they are in reality.
I've met some interesting kids, some boring kids, some asshole kids, some nice kids, etc. There is a real wide variety of interests among students (from computer games to paintball to partying) so there is sort of a niche that most people can find and fit into pretty well. I've mostly been hanging out with different groups and getting a sense of where I fit best.
In reference to the title of this blog - in Singapore (if you are young), you call older men that you don't know Uncle, and older women Auntie. It's the American equivalent of Sir of Ma'am. I find it really fun to say, so usually when I'm in a cab, I'll ask a question to the driver just so I can start by saying, "Excuse me, Uncle..."
Peace & Love,
Daniel
P.S. I still am having trouble uploading photos, but as soon as I can, I will get them posted.
I have been in school now for over a month. It's been different. School is much more strict in almost all aspects compared to school at home. Of course, we uniforms. It's pretty weird for me because everybody basically looks the same (which incidentally, helps confirm my theory that high school turns us into mindless robots). I changed my courses around a lot in the first couple weeks, but it has remained the same for a while: Contemporary American Lit, Zoology, Spanish, AP Stat, Film making, AP Psych, Photography. The classes are OK - the titles of the class make some of them sound better then they are in reality.
I've met some interesting kids, some boring kids, some asshole kids, some nice kids, etc. There is a real wide variety of interests among students (from computer games to paintball to partying) so there is sort of a niche that most people can find and fit into pretty well. I've mostly been hanging out with different groups and getting a sense of where I fit best.
In reference to the title of this blog - in Singapore (if you are young), you call older men that you don't know Uncle, and older women Auntie. It's the American equivalent of Sir of Ma'am. I find it really fun to say, so usually when I'm in a cab, I'll ask a question to the driver just so I can start by saying, "Excuse me, Uncle..."
Peace & Love,
Daniel
P.S. I still am having trouble uploading photos, but as soon as I can, I will get them posted.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Daniel's First Blog From Singapore
Hello everybody! Well, I have been in Singapore for about a day and a half or so. It has been really crazy in so many ways. We left England on Wednesday night around 9:30 p.m. It was a really long and terribly uncomfortable flight. I had been spoiled flying to London in business class, so it was a bit of a shock flying coach. The flight was about 13 hours and its final destination was actually Sydney, Australia and was only stopping in Singapore for a couple of hours. We got into Singapore Thursday evening (the 13 or so hour flight + the time zone difference). The airport it unbelievably clean and high-tech. As we were being driven to the place we are staying at, I was both attempting to take in everything I saw at once and trying not to pay attention to the way people were driving. People drive super aggressively, and it's crazy busy at rush hour time. There are really neat signs posted on the road, though. The best way to describe them is...you know the posts that stand in lines for roller coasters that say "you are one hour from getting on the ride"? Well they have the same thing, but it factors in the traffic and tells you how many minutes you are from different destinations. Pretty neat.
Anyhow, after settling in at our service hotel called Treetops, my parents and I decided to go out for a quick look at the nearby area and to get a bite for dinner. We are staying in the central area of the city, and it is DEFINITELY city-like. Walking down the famous Orchard Road sincerely reminds my mother of Time Square (and she's a New York native)! Well we decided to go to a local food court at a mall that my parents had visited when they were here a few months ago. Now you may be laughing and thinking to yourself, "why would they go to a mall food court for their first meal in their new home"?! I was thinking that in the back of my head as we walked into the Western-looking mall. But it turns out this food court didn't have McDonald's, KFC, Panda Express, or any of the places found around the U.S. The best way to describe the food court was SENSORY OVERLOAD. We circled the floor once, and I had to sit down. I told my parents to choose for me. I got various dumplings and those delicious steamed pork buns. My dad got a traditional pork noodle soup, and my mom settled for a Thai noodle dish. As we walked home, I finished off the night with an ice cream sandwich (a piece of tie-dye white bread with a slab of ice cream in the middle). We got back, and I basically passed out.
Yesterday (Friday) I spent most of the day with a dude named Adrian. Adrian will be a junior at ECHHS and his dad is here on business. They're staying in the same place we are. While my parents went out and joined the American Club (a popular club for expats to join to take classes, go bowling, eat, etc.) I rested up for the big day. Well, in reality, I spent about half an hour poking my eye in a pathetic attempt to get my new contacts in. Adrian and I went out with another American kid out age named Max for a little while. We hit up the local food court and I got a dish (I will get the name of it later) that was basically an Indian pizza, filled with onions and chicken. I accompanied my meal with an Anything soda. I kid you not - Anything is a carbonated drink, and Whatever is its non-carbonated counterpart. You literally don't know what you're getting when you buy the drink because each can is a different (and often surprising) flavor. I lucked out by getting something that tasted like maybe ginseng coke, but next time I might not be so fortunate. I also got a Wintermelon Tea soda, which sounded and looked good, but wasn't. Max headed back and Adrian and I spent the afternoon roaming the city by subway and foot. We went to the famous Raffles Hotel (and saw the Long Bar where the Singapore Sling was invented nearly 100 years ago). Raffles proudly boasts about the famous guests (everyone from Rudyard Kipling to Michael Jackson). Apparently their way of boasting is by making prices out-of-this-world expensive. We saw a bunch more cool stuff, came back for a quick swim, then I went to sleep. My parents and I were all laying in my room watching Across the Universe on DVD when we all somehow fell asleep. We woke up just in time to meet our friends for dinner. We went to a popular Hawker Stand (a place where tons of vendors offer great food at reasonable prices). We opted to eat outside on satay street. We literally ordered 60 satay sticks (20 chicken, 20 beef, 20 mutton). We also had tons of other awesome dishes including the traditional chicken rice. It's quite literally chicken and rice. Nothing terribly special. We finished by sharing 3 ice kacangs (shaved ice with artificial flavor syrup, red beans, corn, and fruit topping).
Adrian and I then took off and went to the famous Clark Quay area. Known for its many clubs and great nightlife, this area is apparently where its at on the weekends. Then I saw the silliest thing. NO JOKE - there was a bar that was supposed to be like a hospital. There were no bar stools - they were replaced by WHEEL CHAIRS! And instead of glasses, people were DRINKING OUT OF IV BAGS. The tables were made to look like operating tables, and the servers were dressed in doctor/nurse outfits. It was SO bizarre. There were tons of prostitutes in the area. Since prostitution is legal, old men seem to flock to the area for the services. My mom and I have even made a game of it - Who Can Spot the Prostitute? It's pretty easy when you see a 60 year old, white, bald, unattractive, fat guy with a 20 year old, beautiful, young Asian girl holding onto his arm. Anyway, Adrian and I went towards home and were stopped by a men a couple of times asking if we wanted "ladies for the night". We politely declined, but did not feel intimidated. You see, the big scary pimp you think of in America is replaced here by a small Asian man with a soft, heavily accented voice. Once I got back around 11:30 last night, I still wasn't tired. I hung around until finally (around 2 a.m.) I had to go get some air and a snack. I went to the nearby 24-hour McDonald's. It was nothing special. Finally, a little after three, I crashed. I just woke up about an hour ago (8 a.m.). I guess this might be a sign that I'm not quite adjusted to the time difference. Although I can't say I always slept better back in NC.
OK! Well I hope this post wasn't too long. I had so much to say and I guess I waited to long to post. Today I'm often to see some apartments with my parents. I will let you know how that goes.
*Please note: I apologize DEEPLY for the fact that my mom's camera will not connect properly to the computer and also that I left my camera's connector at home. I have so many good pictures that go with this post. I PROMISE TO GET THE PICTURES UP ASAP! So check back in soon.
Peace & Love,
Daniel
Anyhow, after settling in at our service hotel called Treetops, my parents and I decided to go out for a quick look at the nearby area and to get a bite for dinner. We are staying in the central area of the city, and it is DEFINITELY city-like. Walking down the famous Orchard Road sincerely reminds my mother of Time Square (and she's a New York native)! Well we decided to go to a local food court at a mall that my parents had visited when they were here a few months ago. Now you may be laughing and thinking to yourself, "why would they go to a mall food court for their first meal in their new home"?! I was thinking that in the back of my head as we walked into the Western-looking mall. But it turns out this food court didn't have McDonald's, KFC, Panda Express, or any of the places found around the U.S. The best way to describe the food court was SENSORY OVERLOAD. We circled the floor once, and I had to sit down. I told my parents to choose for me. I got various dumplings and those delicious steamed pork buns. My dad got a traditional pork noodle soup, and my mom settled for a Thai noodle dish. As we walked home, I finished off the night with an ice cream sandwich (a piece of tie-dye white bread with a slab of ice cream in the middle). We got back, and I basically passed out.
Yesterday (Friday) I spent most of the day with a dude named Adrian. Adrian will be a junior at ECHHS and his dad is here on business. They're staying in the same place we are. While my parents went out and joined the American Club (a popular club for expats to join to take classes, go bowling, eat, etc.) I rested up for the big day. Well, in reality, I spent about half an hour poking my eye in a pathetic attempt to get my new contacts in. Adrian and I went out with another American kid out age named Max for a little while. We hit up the local food court and I got a dish (I will get the name of it later) that was basically an Indian pizza, filled with onions and chicken. I accompanied my meal with an Anything soda. I kid you not - Anything is a carbonated drink, and Whatever is its non-carbonated counterpart. You literally don't know what you're getting when you buy the drink because each can is a different (and often surprising) flavor. I lucked out by getting something that tasted like maybe ginseng coke, but next time I might not be so fortunate. I also got a Wintermelon Tea soda, which sounded and looked good, but wasn't. Max headed back and Adrian and I spent the afternoon roaming the city by subway and foot. We went to the famous Raffles Hotel (and saw the Long Bar where the Singapore Sling was invented nearly 100 years ago). Raffles proudly boasts about the famous guests (everyone from Rudyard Kipling to Michael Jackson). Apparently their way of boasting is by making prices out-of-this-world expensive. We saw a bunch more cool stuff, came back for a quick swim, then I went to sleep. My parents and I were all laying in my room watching Across the Universe on DVD when we all somehow fell asleep. We woke up just in time to meet our friends for dinner. We went to a popular Hawker Stand (a place where tons of vendors offer great food at reasonable prices). We opted to eat outside on satay street. We literally ordered 60 satay sticks (20 chicken, 20 beef, 20 mutton). We also had tons of other awesome dishes including the traditional chicken rice. It's quite literally chicken and rice. Nothing terribly special. We finished by sharing 3 ice kacangs (shaved ice with artificial flavor syrup, red beans, corn, and fruit topping).
Adrian and I then took off and went to the famous Clark Quay area. Known for its many clubs and great nightlife, this area is apparently where its at on the weekends. Then I saw the silliest thing. NO JOKE - there was a bar that was supposed to be like a hospital. There were no bar stools - they were replaced by WHEEL CHAIRS! And instead of glasses, people were DRINKING OUT OF IV BAGS. The tables were made to look like operating tables, and the servers were dressed in doctor/nurse outfits. It was SO bizarre. There were tons of prostitutes in the area. Since prostitution is legal, old men seem to flock to the area for the services. My mom and I have even made a game of it - Who Can Spot the Prostitute? It's pretty easy when you see a 60 year old, white, bald, unattractive, fat guy with a 20 year old, beautiful, young Asian girl holding onto his arm. Anyway, Adrian and I went towards home and were stopped by a men a couple of times asking if we wanted "ladies for the night". We politely declined, but did not feel intimidated. You see, the big scary pimp you think of in America is replaced here by a small Asian man with a soft, heavily accented voice. Once I got back around 11:30 last night, I still wasn't tired. I hung around until finally (around 2 a.m.) I had to go get some air and a snack. I went to the nearby 24-hour McDonald's. It was nothing special. Finally, a little after three, I crashed. I just woke up about an hour ago (8 a.m.). I guess this might be a sign that I'm not quite adjusted to the time difference. Although I can't say I always slept better back in NC.
OK! Well I hope this post wasn't too long. I had so much to say and I guess I waited to long to post. Today I'm often to see some apartments with my parents. I will let you know how that goes.
*Please note: I apologize DEEPLY for the fact that my mom's camera will not connect properly to the computer and also that I left my camera's connector at home. I have so many good pictures that go with this post. I PROMISE TO GET THE PICTURES UP ASAP! So check back in soon.
Peace & Love,
Daniel
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