Right now, I am in Haiti.
Long story short, I got an internship through Alliance of Students Against Poverty(ASAP), which connected me to the biggest microfinancing organization in Haiti called the Fonkoze Foundation. I will explain what my job is in the days to come, but for now, I am just going to upload some journal entries I have so far since I don't have that much time.
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May 28, 2009 Thursday
I guess I am going to start writing my journal today. It's always nice to start a travel journal a few days before the departure. These are some hectic moments. I am already in the traveling mode--thinking about what to pack and bring in my luggage, reminding myself about last minute responsibilities, reading about Haiti and microfinancing, etc. I have so little time and yet so much to do. Right now, I am a bit worried about my malaria pills. Maybe I should have taken them earlier this week when I got them on Tuesday… I didn’t bring them down to DC with me because the nurse told me I could take them on Sunday … but I am starting to wonder if she meant last Sunday… Oh, God. Hopefully, I will be fine. I will be healthy. I will be okay.
Keeping a journal of my experience in Haiti is one of the internship responsibilities, but I write this journal willfully and with enthusiasm. For one, I like writing about things. And for another, I guess keeping a diary of this sort is a kind of historical writing. After all, I am actually writing a primary source document. It is a personal account of my experience. This is my memory, my history. Perhaps later on, historians will try to psychoanalyze me when they are trying to research my case studies and how accurate they are.
Perhaps it is necessary to say a few words about my diary-- the philosophy of how I want to write it. The foremost thing I want it to be is to be honest. I do not want to pretend knowledge of the country or the subject. I really don’t know anything about Haiti or microfinancing. I am trying to read things and I am planning to bring books, but I have never experienced these things directly, and I didn’t have time to take a formal course or even to do substantial research to claim authority about anything. The only things I have authority over are my senses, and even those could be inaccurate. All I know is that I am going to write what I see, what I feel, and what I think. Here, I am going to try to let my guards down. This is a personal space. I do not want to get bogged down to what is politically correct or polite to say or not. I am going to unleash my ignorance, racism, prejudices, and feelings. This document will reflect the person I am, the person who is walking through these experiences and memories. I cannot help but be who I am. So, please forgive my honesty, even if it is wrong, even if it offends.
Today is the day before the training in Washington DC, and I came down to stay with my friend Yuna. She is my elementary school friend. It is so strange that this girl I hung out in 6th grade through 8th grade in Seoul, South Korea is sitting in front of me here, packing her luggage as she prepares to depart to Uganda. She will be working for health service related tasks in Uganda for two months. As for me, I have an internship with Fonkoze Foundation, the biggest microfinancing organization in Haiti. ASAP is the organization that selected me, gave me funding, and then connected me to Fonkoze. Yes, I am going to Haiti this summer. June 2-29. 28 days. It seems a bit short, and yet, it really isn’t for an inexperienced traveler like me.
My partner Kendra called me while I was in the train to DC. I am so excited to meet her. Her parents came from Haiti, and she speaks Creole fluently. This also makes me a little bit nervous, since she will be able to blend in perfectly, while I obviously will stick out. I look different. 5 feet 3. An Asian girl. I am nervous that I will stick out too much and will become a target for whatever crimes there exist in this world. This is my first time traveling to a poor country. In fact, this is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere. Almost half of the population live in absolute poverty ($1/day). I don't even know how that feels like.
During my prepping, I read a book called Paradise Lost, which discusses Haitian history with some historically questionable slant (I should try to find another book that sounds more objective). Haiti has a truly fascinating and vibrant history. Two brutal colonial periods. Two US invasions that no one really hears about these days. It is the first black republic, and it achieved the first successful slave revolution. I want to study and feel this country with all my senses. I want to learn, yet I cannot help looking at the crime rates and all its violence and problems. I guess I shouldn’t worry too much as it is already decided that I am going.
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What we did in the two days of training in summary:
1) learn about the mission/history of ASAP
2) what we are exactly doing in our internship
3) a national geography photographer came in to talk about how to take portrait phoptos and video clips and genral issues with using cameras
4) how to interview--what questions to ask, how, etc (even a lunch time excercise with the homeless in the city)
5) Q&A with the previous intern
6) Post internship issues--fundraising/chapters/etc.
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June 2, 2009
First day in Haiti
I am lying on my bed in my room for this week. This room has been kept closed for a while so it is really hot in here. Although now that we opened the windows and all, it should get cooler soon.
I am currently sitting in a mosquito net. It looks like a tent of black veil on the outside, and it is pretty nice in here. I feel safe from the notorious mosquitoes out there. I had a really hard time putting this up, though. One of the staff of Fonkoze helped me put it up. Oh god, it is so hard to remember the names of the people here. I just remember the two Gertrudes I met in the kitchen. Of course, there is Familia (that is not how you spell her name at all), who is our guide and interpreter. She went to school for radiology and a bit of computer science in Huston, Texas. Yes, she is Haitian. She is tall and skinny. She said she has been working for this organization for a year and three months now. She likes that she can help people through this organization although this is not her field exactly.
There is a small toilet attached to the room and Kendra is taking a shower right now. I took a shower some moments ago as well. There is no hot water, but the cold water is actually refreshing. It seems a bit weird to lie down under this black veil that is tenting my body. I can't really spread out my body properly because the space under the net is small.
The car ride from the airport to here was an interesting one. We drove through Port au Prince... which was beautiful. Beautiful mountains, beautiful sky and clouds, and beautiful handpaint all over the walls of the buildings. The vivid colors of handpainted walls and Haitain clothes were just wonderful. Of course, the buildings were run down. Half broken. The doors didn’t seem to fit the buildings. The people sitting outside to cool themselves in the shade. The buses and cars were crowded. No real traffic lights or lines on the road. A lot of the roads were still under construction and it seems like Haitian mountains have a big problem of deforestation. But overall, the vivid colors and the dark skin of the people here create a vivid contrast, almost a sense of optimism. Of course this is my viewpoint from the car. Driving by, looking through windows, seeing but not really seeing.
I am excited for tomorrow. I am supposed to visit a few clients in the program--"women with nothing" is how the staff characterize them. It will also give me some idea about what I am actually physically going to do here. Hopefully it won't be too hard of a day.
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June 3, 2009
Motorcycle Rides!
Today was amazing. For breakfast, we ate spaghetti. There were also some tomatoes and mangoes, as well as coffee. I am continuously impressed by the food here. It feels like they really give us plenty of food, and so far everything is new, so I am eating pretty well. (I am not a picky eater in general.) "Spaghetti with ketchup," Constantino had warned us before departure, but I actually like it a lot. Ketchup was merely optional (alongside the hot sauce) and I liked the dish without ketchup better. Gertrude had put some onions and sausages in it. I am not sure how she seasoned it but it almost tasted like olive oil and cheese as I had before in the States or in France.
Pascal also exchanged some money for us, which was nice. I changed 20 dollars, which ended up being 813 gourds. It seems like a lot of money all of sudden. I wonder what I can actually buy with it. All I know is the fact that I have to pay Gertrude and others who are preparing all the meals 4000 gourds when we leave. That is about 100$ for the entire month, which is a really great rate. I am so glad that the expenses here are really cheap since I spent most of the fund I received from ASAP buying stuff I needed pre-departure, including all the vaccination and medication, flight, and hiking supplies.
The car we were in yesterday had to be sent somewhere else today, so we all ended up in the back of three motorcycles. This was of course my first time on a motorcycle. I initially rode with S (pronounced ess in a cool French way). I was so nervous in the beginning and I felt so tense, but gradually, I started enjoying it a lot. It was awesome. The view was great, as we were driving through these hills and mountains. The air was fresh, although all the dust on the road would occasionally fly to my face. It was a sunny day to begin with and Haitian mountains and landscape coupled with the beautiful clouds are just gorgeous. In the morning I saw lots of school kids in uniforms going to school, and they were beautiful, too. The uniforms are made in vivid colors and children look great in them, although they are supposed to be expensive as the uniforms are the source of income for the schools. On the way, my hat flew away and another motorcycler had caught it for me. I quickly learned that you have to tighten up your hat on motorcycles and also the fact that sunglasses help a lot with the wind. Oh I wish I took a picture on the motorcycle. I guess I will do that next time I am on it as I suspect it will be one of the most frequent transportation for me here.
Motorcycles are everywhere here. Public transportation as we know it (like buses with regular schedule) seems unavailable, and there are so many motorcycles around here. Apparently, there are also moto taxis in Port-au-Prince, which are very dangerous. Today's three drivers were all case managers and CLM staff, so Fanilia told us to not worry about their driving. Although I was not wearing a helmet and, on the particular motorcycle I was on, there were no back or side mirrors, I learned to trust the driver. And from then on, the ride was much more enjoyable. I just have to say to myself, oh well, I can't do anything about it at this point. People in the streets will shout at me "blanc" or "chinoise" or whatever else. In some ways, I enjoy the attention. This is probably because I feel pretty safe with all the staff surrounding me.
The place we went today is a town called Bozio. (Oh, by the way, where I am staying is called Sodo. It is supposed to be the fourth largest city in Haiti.) The motorcycle went into a really thin road, which literally meant that sometimes the motorcycle fit the entire road. I cannot imagine what will happen if there was another motorcycle on the other side. I guess it will be a rare thing. This is obviously a rural village, where you have to go in pretty deep from a paved road. I think most of the places we have to visit are like this. They are quite inaccessible and far away from the centers. After a while, we started walking on foot because motorcycles cannot go through, and soon we faced a big stream. We had to take off our shoes and socks and cross it with bare feet, and it was deeper than I expected that my rolled up pants got all wet. We had to walk a lot more after crossing the stream. But the scenery was beautiful and I enjoyed the hike.
We soon arrived at a school. An elementary school where children were singing and playing. This was the place we were supposed to be and where the meeting was supposed to be held. I will discuss the village committee meeting itself in a separate post, as it is a more serious stuff. Also, I am going to attend another one tomorrow, so it would be nice to combine the two experience and write just one post.
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June 4, 2009
Chickens and another village committee meeting
Fanilia told us that she is leaving tonight to meet some people in the Northeast but she will be back tomorrow evening. Until she comes back, Ebert will take care of us.
We left a bit later than yesterday--maybe around 8. In the city, there seemed to be a market of some sort. People were selling all sorts of things. A little bit away from the market, the clm staff were giving out chickens to the women who are just starting out the program. These were the women who chose chicken as their assets, and what we were seeing was the asset transfer process.
I thought they would give the chickens separately, but I guess they just do it all at once in one place. This is more time efficient for the organization, although each woman was left to herself to find a way to transport the chickens back to their houses. Most were planning to carry everything on their heads (so remarkable!) and walk home. Each woman received 5 chickens and a cage to put them inside.
Here, we also met Bonisson, the last case manager we were supposed to meet and who is also going to work with us throughout the day. While the staff was giving out chickens, Kendra and I were standing around awkwardly amongst the crowd. They were looking at me, and some started talking to me a little bit until they found out that I can't really speak to them. I wish I could speak more Creole. I actually understand 30-40% of what they are speaking, especially when they are talking in a more formal tone, which resembles French even more. However, when they are not talking so formally, I have no idea what they are saying. And even when I do, I have little context and am often clueless. (people joke around how the only thing I can say is merci).
Anyway, Kendra and I started asking questions to the women and they started answering. Everyone gathered around us, and Kendra was able to ask them questions and translate what they were saying to me. I appreciate her so much. It actually gives us a lot of independence--oh, well, technically, she is doing all the work I suppose-- that Kendra, the other intern coupled with me, speaks Creole.(again, the staff makes fun of her Creole. Haitians are really funny people. They like to joke around a lot, and they are so playful.)..
Bonisson had to make it to another village committee meeting soon. Kendra went with Bonisson, and I went with Ebert. I rode with him yesterday and he speaks more English than most of the case managers I have met so far, so I was glad. Ebert speaks very good English, although he thinks he doesn't. I am constantly impressed with the level of education the staff received. Typically, educated Haitians can speak both French and English, and some even went on to learn Latin and Greek in schools. Their language also has some Spanish influence, so I wonder if it is easy for them to learn Spanish as well.
We bought some big bottled waters. Each was 25 gourds. We eventually arrived at Emile's place, and I ended up on Ebert's motorcycle again. We ventured into the hills and mountainous terrains. At one point, we were riding through the cornfields, and then we came to a big stream.
After the boat ride and after a few bumps and other small streams, we eventually parked our motorcycles and started walking a bit into the village. Like yesterday, there was supposed to be a village committee meeting. Bonisson was in charge of this meeting, as he is from this area and people know him very well. They call him dodo, which means sweetheart.
Let me combine the two village committee meetings I witnessed into a separate post, since I think they deserve special attention.
Some photos:
This is my bed :) I have some stuff inside the nets so I can do things inside the bed once I am tucked in. 
This is the kind of the motorcycles I am on.
Typical hiking view.
A woman and her child.
Ebert on his motorcycle
Ebert giving out chickens, one by one.
A typical view on the road of Haiti.
The school we went to. It is colorful.
Women who are on the CLM program.