Planned post prior to this evening:
The many interruptions, x-rays,
clinics, peasant organization rallies, etc. have made continuity in
my program mildly difficult. I've still managed to have at least one
class a day. A group of students always shows up ready to pick my
brain for at least two hours. Sometimes their questions really stump
me and I feel silly. Then I feel silly for feeling silly because I
really couldn't have anticipated needing to know the English
translations of certain words having never before spent a significant
amount of time in this culture.
I've decided what I would like to
contribute to this organization/community when I have the means to do
so – bathrooms. Human dignity can be preserved and upheld in
something as simple as allowing a person to use a real bathroom or
shower, particularly when they're ill. The women that wash and cook
in the back told me once last week I needed to come hang out back
there more to practice my Creole. What I couldn't explain, however,
was that sometimes being back there was difficult because those were
the moments when I saw the most significant instances of human need,
and I couldn't always stomach it.
There aren't any running-water toilets
for patients (I think I mentioned in a previous post that there are
outdoor latrines). For patients remaining here for an extended period
of time, there are also no showers. I've caught too many glimpses of
pregnant women, looking ready to burst, taking a bucket sponge bath
with little to no privacy behind a broken-down truck in the yard.*
Another time an elderly woman, carrying her IV bag, sat naked on the
steps leading up to the latrines as her (presumably) husband or son
bathed her. Even those these are the showering/bathroom experiences
that most here are accustomed to as well (several of the people that
work here also take bucket showers openly in the back), my idealistic
self envisions something better for those who are already battling a
difficult experience.
*This is not meant to be negative
commentary on the organization here in any way, shape, or form. I'm
just reflecting on what I've seen.
I had a long conversation yesterday
with a student I have who goes to school in Cap. His English is
relatively strong, although we frequently converse in French/Creole.
We talked about how he wants to study medicine and become a doctor,
as aspiration of many here as it is one of the few careers that
students actually see in practice. Almost every girl will tell you
she wants to be a nurse when she grows up. Anyways, I appreciate
conversations with this student because, at least not yet, they
haven't turned into a guilt-trip for money. He showed up today with a
list of 90 words/phrases that he wanted help defining/spelling, many
from song lyrics. I asked a lot about the process of going to
university here, and I'm still working on trying to piece together
the details between what I find online and what the students tell me.
It's clear to me so far that even if you finish high school and are
intelligent, there's not a good chance of a scholarship. The
scholarship issue is tricky. On the one hand, there is a lot of
money. On the other hand, many organizations, and the government,
don't want to pump money into educating students either in Haiti or
abroad who won't remain in Haiti. I am working on researching this
more, mostly because I want to find more resources for this student.
On a lighter note, I have three
different peanut-based things to snack on. Regular shelled peanuts,
tablet (which is like Haitian peanut brittle, not very sweet though),
and the not-so-spicy-now peanut butter (amazing on bananas).
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