Tuesday
Our week started out by unpacking the 1200 pounds of goods and organizing, sorting and documenting what we brought so they know what they have to give to the kids when it is required.
Personally, my week started by gathering the 12 laptops and going through them again (I already did this before our trip at home) and uninstalling any existing antivirus programs, installing their preferred Antivirus (free) program, some version of MS Office programs so their office and school personnel can be productive with these computers and setting the proper time and time zone, while I am documen ting the specs for the inventory list. I probably spent more than three full days on and off working on this task since there are several daily challenges working in Haiti; their power is intermittent and they use satellite Internet so they are limited in bandwidth. I am actually surprised at how dependable both of these have been... considering the conditions, but it seems that just as something was finishing downloading, there would be an interruption. I also ran into laptop hardware limitations and issues... but that is what you have to deal with when you need to rely on donated goods. (I will be a much more fervent fundraiser for Espwa in the future so we can provide more updated equipment.)
I also now know what specific programs they require so in the future, I can do more prep work beforehand. I setup my IT workstation at the dinner table, which was very central to all activities and people, but as meal time got closer, I would have to shift everything elsewhere to make room for the kitchen staff to do their thing. I started doing one laptop at a time but started multi-tasking as things sometimes went a bit smoother. They also had a broken laptop they wanted me to look at, so I didn't want to start troubleshooting a broken unit until I got past these initial laptop tasks.
Daily life for visitors at Espwa
The guest house is called "the Quad" and they have 8 guest rooms available. Most have two beds, a few have three. They have a 'drink plan' here... last year I was told that you kept track of what you drank and paid $1 per pop... or beer... or drink (rum and coke). This year they changed it so that they just charge a flat fee of $50 for the group for the week. That fee seeems extraordinarily low (especialy considering how much is consumed at happy hour and evening relaxing time), so I am pretty sure we will pay much more than that when we depart on Monday.
The meals have been great. Sometimes we have local style meals, and sometimes it is an American type meal with a Haiti twist. The pasta meal we had the other day was spaghetti with no sauce but other additives, which was superb. There is usually rice served with something... usually cheese and crackers and there is always peanut butter. :-) I was hoping to shed a few pounds on this trip, but I now fear that I will gain a few instead.
We are all taking Malaria medicine, although it seems the dosage and instructions vary wildly. They issued me 6 tablets... one a week before I entered the country, one to be taken the day I enter Haiti, and then one a week for 4 weeks after. Others are taking one pill a day for 15 days, others have a different pattern. It seems odd that it differs that much, but as long as we are taking it, I am sure we are all protected.
("I am not a doctor, but I play one on television.")
For health reasons, all the water we use is bottled water. A large office-style dispenser is in the kitchen for our daily use and the kitchen staff uses the same large bottled water when they prepare and cook meals. All but one of our rooms has a sink in them for brushing teeth, etc., but we need to remember not to put that water in our mouths. I keep my travel water bottle near the sink for that purpose. The bathroom/shower room is a dorm style setup... stalls for each purpose and all guests use the same facilities, but there is sufficient privacy. The showers are cold water only, but due to the ambient temperature, the water is not very cold; so I consider them 'cool' showers, which is usually exactly what you need to cool off and feel refreshed after a hot, sweaty day.
They do have a woman here who will do laundry for you for a few dollars per load. I packed 'fairly light' but I think I brought enough to get through the week. So far, I have not noticed that I failed to pack anything. I usually don't worry about it when I travel because I figure I can always buy it when I get to my destination... not so much here. I am happy that I seemed to remember to bring everything I needed... and more.
The people here are amazing... polite, happy to see us, patient... as we struggle to remember names and words and try to learn (and usually butcher) their language, Creole. Some of the older kids are very good at English and are sometimes fluent in Creole, French, Spanish and English. One of the older kids, Junior is his name, promised to stop by the Quad and help me learn some more Creole. I am starting to put names with the faces I see regularly, but some of the woman that were here last year have a great recollection of the people they developed relationships with and those folks are ecstatic when you do remember them.
We did some visits to the girls' houses, the mainvillage and various parts of the compound. A brief 'Bon Jour' or 'Bon Soir' will evoke a big smile and a sweet response... usually the same greeting.
I am vowing to learn much more Creole (and French) before I come back next year.
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