New assignment!

I'm sorry I haven't posted anything in a while but I had some time off from the work in Haiti and I've been traveling all around.  I flew home to Indiana for Mother's Day to surprise my Mom along with my sister who drove up from Birmingham, AL.  I then flew back to DC for a couple of days before flying out to Baton Rouge, LA to help out with the oil spill.  I am currently in Grand Isle, LA where some of the oil have already washed ashore.  The worst of which is on Elmer's Island.  Big globs of oil have arrived and they are deep enough that when you step in it, it comes up to my ankle.  We are coordianting the clean-up efforts here on the island but we have our work cut out for us.  I'll try and get pictures when I can but most of the beaches are closed to the public becuase of toxicity and other hazards that might be encountered.

Depuis prochaine fois!

Dinner with Marilyn and Beth at Magdoos - April 5th, 2010

Counting down...that is until I'm off again!

After working here for just over a month, everybody here has gotten a chance to get to know one another. I've tried to be helpful and "one of the guys" by telling them about my experience in college with welding or my hunting capabilities with archery or rifle shooting from being at camp. They also heard about my study abroad trip to London and all of my many friends back in DC and all over the world. The point of all this is that they now call me "The Lara Croft of Shaw". Turns out they think I'm a tough broad of sort and kinda a super hero!  I love it! (If you feel so inclined to call me this as well, I won't mind : )

Still counting down until I get a break. I feel a little bit like I've had my life on pause, really unable to move along, while the rest of the world rushed by. I've missed my Dad's horse racing in Gulf Stream in Miami and I'll miss it again on May 6th at Churchill Downs in Louisville. My mom and grandmother spent last weekend with my sister... Missed that too. So I am so thankful to have a little reprieve soon, even though it will be brief, to see some familiar faces. First thing on my list to do when I get back is to go to Wendy's and then for dinner get some mexican food. It's the little things that I miss the most!

It's super hot here today. The rain at night makes for a muggy day. They said yesterday that it was 100 degrees here with a heat index of 105. Geez.... Let the countdown begin until I'm back on US soil!

How I feel today:

Mwen anvi vonmi & Tout ko mwen cho... Lol

Kalico Beach

On Sunday we were on a stand still with Customs again and after three weeks on, I got a day off!  We went to Kalico Beach about an hour outside the city.  On the way out the hubbub of the city seems to completely vanish once we hit the edge of the city.  It was crazy how there were people and houses and then --- nothing but countryside.  It was truly beautiful seeing outside of Port-au-Prince, although it wasn't long before we came across a large tent city, out in the middle of nowhere.  No electricity and no water was accessible here and I wondered what it was like after the sunset, maybe I'll see on the way back.  Everyone drives here like it the Indy 500 except instead of smooth roads, we have bumps, potholes, people and most importantly, oncoming cars/ buses/ trucks.  As we came over one of the hill on the way to the beach, I could see a large school bus coming towards us at about 70 mph.  As is got closer I could see that it was turning sideways, with the back end swinging into our lane and headed right for us.  I totally had a heart-attack and sincerely thought that it was going to hit us and that'd be the end.  It barely missed us.  It turns out that the axel was broken and so it always looks like that.  Go figure...only in Haiti is that a normal sight.  At least our driver got a kick out of watching me freak out lol.

Once we got to the beach, we spent most of the day in the water, although it was a little cooler at the beach than in the city (90 versus 100)....well sort of lol.  I was just starting to relax laying on the beach with my eyes closed when I heard footsteps getting closer and closer.  I look up to see a humongous lobster flipping and pinching the air right above me! The guys was selling them right after he caught them in the water and he even grilled them up for us.  They had this sauce made from vinegar and some Haitian peppers (spiciest things ever by the way) to dip the lobster into.  It was so delicious and later on he brought back some large crabs that he caught and grilled for us as well.

I thought that I was doing so well with my Irish skin in the strong Haitian sun but as soon as we packed everything back into the cars to head home, I knew that I really wasn't doing to great.  Coupled with the dehydration from spending the whole day in the sun, the next thing I knew I had someone giving me water and wrapping a cool towel on my neck, as I was now sitting on the ground.  The only plus of fainting like that was that I got to give the safety topic the next morning before everyone headed out for work.  It was on proper use of sunscreen and constant hydration lol! Whoopsy...lesson learned : )

It's been pretty hectic here, as always, with people coming & going and with every day's little obstacles.  I just have to remember that I'm Haitian time and that I shouldn't stress out too much when things don't work out or are delay because they sure aren't!

I'm ending the day officially stress-free and sipping a Jamaican coke.

Sèlman yon jou pi plis til mwen wè ou ankò!

I love surprises!

Everyday I am reminded that although I have been working constantly since I got here 3 weeks ago, I am still working in paradise!  I was especially grateful and pleasantly surprised last night when we went for dinner at the restaurant Papaye.  I had heard wonderful things about it, that is was a fusion menu of asian, mexican and french, and that it was where a lot of people my age hung out.  What I found was a restaurant that would rival some of the best ones in DC!  The food was amazing too.  We all sampled and shared everything, including an asparagus salad with a poached egg, bacon and a sherry vinaigrette, a goat cheese and roasted red pepper pizza, queso fundido with a fresh salsa, kataifi wrapped scallops, and shrimp spring rolls with a apple and soy glaze - - just to start.  For dinner we tried the crab & bernaise topped filets, pork tenderloins with a peppercorn and mustard sauce, and the marinated duck breast.  After many meals of rice here at the hotel, I feel like I am good to go for the next two weeks!  Definately a very pleasant surprise!!

Thanks for all the love and support.... I don't know what I'd do without my daily skypes with my Mom! Love ya!

Even Wonder Woman gets here nails done

So much for the easy-going lifestyle that the Caribbean islands and the warm weather promotes! I have been working 12 hours days in 100 degree heat (with the humidity) traveling around town surveying construction sites and meeting with sub-contractors along with viewing all of their facilities.  I never thought I'd be so elated to see dump-trucks and CAT bulldozers in my lifetime.  But after trying unsuccessfully to find these things for weeks and then to see them all together and available was almost more than I can handle.  Check one thing off my list of things to do!  The most frustrating thing being down here is trying to explain to our home office in the US that everything here is post-disaster and barely functioning.  After spending days trying to track down the manager of the hotel to try and type up a weekly bill for 6 different people (all in French), finding a printer to print them out, scanning them to my computer, emailing them to the home office, it's not ever the way that they want it.  And this is just so that we can get paid to prove that we are down here!  Hello? You sent me here?!  Too funny really.  I love trying to explain in butchered french/creole that I need the shop owner to write a receipt for PVC pipes and then figure out that he can't write at all.  Now, not everyone is like this obviously but that really did happen the other day and what are you going to do?


A couple of nights ago, we got to go to the italian restaurant again and I've got my sights set on this restaurant, Papaye, for Saturday dinner.  Apparently it's a nice fusion restaurant with people my age so I can relax a bit and not be "working".  


I literally think that I might be melting.  The humidity here is like living in a sauna and I am constantly drinking water and praying for the A/C to kick on at night.  I suppose I should think of it as a spa vacation but three weeks in a sauna can't be healthy lol.  Officially three more weeks to go!


While I've been here working for Shaw, I am also still in graduate school back in Washington, D.C.  I have been working on our final term paper and my teacher was understanding enough to let me experience work in Haiti as well as continue with her class.  


So working currently at the hotel, poolside and praying for a breeze.  Laptop in hand and working away!


Jis yon lòt jou nan paradi....

Michelle Obama is here!

This past Sunday after a particularly rough morning (note my depressing blog lol), I was invited to spend the afternoon up in the mountains at my friend's family's home for a Sunday dinner.  They came and picked me up and it wasn't a moment too soon because seeing them instantly boosted my spirits.  On the way up to their house we climbed and weaved our way through the rough and steep roads for almost 20 minutes until we were well above the city below.  As we got closer and closer, I noticed the weather got a little bit cooler and the houses got larger and larger.  We passed one home that looked like it belonging in Tuscany or on the California coastline because it had palatial gardens and red tile roofing.  It was truly a beautiful sight after weeks of only seeing devastation.  Once we got to the house, I noticed that they only had minor damage and most of it happened when pictures, glasses, and vases fell inside the home; they were very lucky, thank goodness!

As soon as I walked inside, I was greeted by Snowflake, their westie and Lola, their little teacup puppy.  I met Caroline's grandmother and cousins as well as aunts and uncles.  Altogether there were probably 12 of us.  We had dinner out on their terrace surrounded but hundreds of orchids, her mother's favorite hobby.  It was evident that she was very talented because everything was so beautiful and she even told me that one of the orchids was named after her!  We had course after course and lots of white wine and as soon as the sun was setting the weather turned nice and breezy.  I feel so blessed to have met their family and they have been so warm to me, even offering me a local phone to use while I'm here!  I couldn't have imagined the day being anymore wonderful than it was....a true oasis in the middle of it all.

Last night, my co-workers and I decided to check out a restaurant up in Petionville, one of the nicer suburbs of P-au-P.  We went to this Italian restaurant called Il Vigneto and it was so good!  It turns out the the own speaks both French and Spanish (I guess because the Dominican Republic is so close) which was great because one of the guys we were with is fluent in Spanish so I had the night off.  At 8pm, we were the only table in the restaurant prompting the owner to come out and serve us himself!  It was a nice change to sit in the A/C and eat something besides a dish with rice and a cucumber salad (a staple of our hotel's dinner every night).  We drank wine, had pasta, calamari, bruschetta and strawberry ice cream even for dessert.  Needless to say, I slept like a baby and feel like a million bucks today!

I have been very very busy since I wrote last and I'm sorry I haven't updated my blog until today but so it goes.  It seems that nothing here is very speedy and any errands that I may have to run take most of the day!  Currently, we are facing quite a fuel shortage here in Port au Prince, leaving many people packed in and around gas stations.  Since there are no container laws, most people are just carrying big buckets of fuel home from the stations.  It will be 2 weeks before anymore arrives.  The government knew for months that they would run out after all the people have been arriving here, driving, and constructing, but of course they didn't react until after there was a crisis.

So I've spent my day today securing diesel and solving other little mini crisis, all in a days work I suppose.

Oh, and of course I almost forgot to mention that Michelle Obama was here yesterday!  I overheard the CNN reporters at breakfast mention that she was heading to the palace (which is just out our front door) and to a few schools as well as the UN.  She didn't stay over night, probably for security reasons as I'm sure visiting here would be a Secret Service nightmare.

Don't forget to check out my pictures too!

Jiska pwochen fwa!



 

Lazy Sunday

As I sit here, this Sunday morning on my day off, I tried to read a book by the pool. But between the circling helicopters and protesting march going on outside, it's kinda hard to concentrate. I'm now sitting on the roof of the hotel, the only real way that I feel outside the compound of our hotel. Far into the distance, up the sides of the mountains that surround me and all the shanty houses crowded up as far as I can see. Past the tent cities outside is the palace towers, the farthest of which is on the verge of collapsing completely. People today see to be going about business as usual, trash collectors stopped by to clean up the gutters full of the tent city's trash and the people are selling food, wooden statues, pretty much anything they have. I can see clothes hanging, probably drenched from last night's rainstorm... The humidity in the air won't let me forget where I am again today. 


Overall it is both a sad and happy day. Sad because I am officially worn out of the depressing situation that a good majority of the people face here, present by small children dodging traffic with their water jugs, in search of someplace to fill them up; Sad because I can see dogs resting on the sidewalk after scrounging for a meal in the gutter, and probably sick and still hungry. I am trying to be hopeful for the future here but the need is so great, I'm not sure what can really be done to change this life that they seem to have always had.

On the other hand, I am happy because today, my good friend Caroline from back home has connected me up with her family here in Haiti. They are coming to get me this afternoon so that I can meet her mother, father and cousins who still live here in Port-au-Prince.  It will be nice to be with my friend's family or just to be with a family in general. I have 31 days left here and my french and creole seem to be getting better. Since Caroline's family is fluent in English as well as french and creole, I hope they don't make me practice to much lol. Tomorrow I'll be back to work and my 5am wake-up calls but not today, today I'm with "family" (Sorry Caroline, I'm claiming them too)  ; )

Pictures from Today, April 9th

One Week In...

It has officially been one week since I arrived in Port-au-Prince! It has gone by very fast, mainly due to the amount of work I've been doing and all of the new experiences that I have had over the last seven days.

Last night there was a big rainstorm, the first inkling of more rain to come over the next weeks. While it was beautiful and perfect to go to sleep to, this morning is stifling already at 6:30am and I know it'll just get worse as the days goes on. I'm just counting down til 9pm when the A/C kicks on in my room. It's the scariest part of the day though because in order to power the air conditioners at night for the hotel they have to switch to the big generator which requires that they shut the little one for a couple minutes. The result is pitch black darkness everywhere in the hotel, the lobby, the bar, and my room. It's such a silly thought but I plan where I'll be when the lights go out every night. The other day I was in the front lobby near the doors to the street outside when they went out and I just had to stand there in silence and darkness and hope that they turned back on soon. Terrifying!
Tonight, everyone with my group is heading back over to Hotel Oloffson to hear this band RAM play and mainly just to have an excuse to break up the routine of the everyday.

34 days and counting til I return home, not that anyone's counting : )

Keep checking into the pictures...new ones are added!

: )

Pictures!

Happy Easter!

After a fairly peaceful weekend touring the Port and Hotel Oloffson, Monday morning started off with a big bang.  Since yesterday was Easter, many of the people weren't out and most of the shops were closed since Friday, which made for a very peaceful weekend.  On Saturday, we went to see the port which has been in the media, since a majority of it collapsed, and I got to stand on the pieces that were left and take pictures of the coastline.  It really was an incredible sight especially since the water is aqua in color and very clear as well.  Afterwards, we went to visit Hotel Oloffson which used to be an old slave plantation and now is a hotel that is very involved in voodoo.  There were statues everywhere and you could really sense the history in that old mansion.  Very eerie to say the least.

Since yesterday was Easter, we only worked a half day and we had the rest of the day off.  I got a little time to soak up the sun and soon it was time for the Hotel big outdoor banquet.  The food and the music was a nice change of pace from the ordinary day and it seemed to brighten everyone spirits.

Today, though I was thrown right back into the heat of it all.  After starting the day at six this morning, I have spent the majority of the day trying to track and obtain a shipment of supplies from Fedex.  Thank the lord that my French is getting better and better, or at least my ability to apologize for my lack of fluency.  It took about 6 hours to figure out that our packages would cost over $2,000 to get out of customs or we could go down to customs ourselves and see if we had better luck.  So off to La Douane (customs) to track down our packages.  We hopped out of the car and headed to the customs office where we found out for $1 we could get the paperwork we need, then we needed $4 to pay the man with the typewriter sitting under the tree to type up the document.  Once is was sealed than we were to go to the FedEx customs facility/barn to pay the taxes ($1,000) to finally get our three packages loaded up in our possession.  Needless to say, it has been a very interesting day and I will never complain about waiting at the post office ever again!

As the day is winding down here, I am starting to feel a little less carsick/ stressed out but I'll still be working until late tonight it seems.  I am trying to upload pictures and if I can figure it out I will let you know very soon!  Jusqu'a demain!

Good Morning from Port-au-Prince!

As I arrived yesterday at the airport, the view from the plane as we landed was both incredibly beautiful and jolting to the senses.  From above, looking down, I could see that we were landing in a large valley surrounded by mountains on most sides.  It was overwhelming that up and down the mountains were concrete houses most of which were rubble with the sprinkling of colorful tents/tarps.

After getting through the chaos that was the airport, which consisted of a band to greet us with a man playing the banjo with no strings but smiling and singing anyways and an old shuttle bus which carted everyone to a big barn that doubled as immigration and baggage claim.   But the real adventure began as we left the airport and entered Port-au-Prince.

As soon as we walked out of there, the locals were coming from every directions trying to help carry our luggage and even after insisting that we didn't need help, the followed us all the way to our car.  We got everyone and everything into the car and we sped off into the city.

It seems like most of the open land is near the airport, which consequently is where most of the tent cities are located.  As far as the eye can see in every direction are people, tents, tarps and sheet.  There are plenty of people walking around, selling goods and most intriguing is almost everyone is smiling.  It is a tough site to see because hundreds of thousands of people are homeless and struggling but it is comforting to see them cleaning up and trying to rebuild.

It is very overwhelming the amount of destruction and work that will be necessary for the country to be stable again but it seems that they are taking everything in stride, one day at a time.

I'm staying at this hotel close to the Palace, but unlike that building it is very sturdy.  Apparently, it was built by American contractors and is up to California earthquake standards so there is no damage and is very safe.  There are armed guards that the gated entrance and 10 foot high walls with barbed wire....definately the safest place in the whole country!  I will be spending most of my time here at the hotel and mostly in the shade outside because the A/C is only on from 9pm to 8am.

That's all for now... I've got to get back to work but I am doing well and I am having a truly incredible adventure!  Thanks again for all the support!

The night before deployment

Hello all!
I am writing to touch base with everyone before I ship out tomorrow morning.  I've been told that while things are still quite rough in Port-au-Prince, that everyone shouldn't be worried because we've got a good team heading down tomorrow.
After spending the day loading shipping containers with everything you could imagine, they should arrive within a week.  I also found out that we are employing mainly local Haitian contractors to help rebuild the embassy and I hope this will be the first of many rebuilding projects that we tackle.
Thank you to everyone who helped me get to this point and for all the helpful advice before I head out.
I'll write back again soon ... Jusqu'à la prochaine fois!