Wednesday, April 11, 2007
This morning I went to the cyber cafe for the third time. The first time, I went with Jude to see if I can use my laptop to go online, and although it worked, the electricity went out after five minutes, so I couldn't do much. The second time was on Monday, the next day, when I went there by myself. Jerry, the guy in charge who helped me the first time, was there, so he just set everything up for me when I saw him. I got to enjoy an hour of internet, sending out my first Haitian Courier, posting a few blog entries, and downloading my e-mail, all for just 50 Gourdes (about $1.35).
I wasn't planning on going to the cyber cafe again so soon, but Pastor Baek wanted me to check her flight schedule online (she's flying to Korea in May), so I went. By myself, of course. Jerry wasn't there today. There was some other guy, James, who obviously didn't speak English. Somehow, with my little knowledge of Creole, we were able to communicate. He told me that Jerry was coming at 9AM, which was in 15 minutes. So I told him I'll come back later. I came back around 9:20AM, having figured that Jerry would be on "Haitian time." Jerry wasn't there again. James told me that Jerry came but he left already and that he doesn't work on Wednesdays. He said Jerry is the only one who knows how to set up the internet for me. I told him I knew how to do it, and that I could do it myself. But James said something about authorization. He suggested that I come back tomorrow... I was like, "Dude, I'm here to use your service and pay you money. Are you doing business or what?" Of course I didn't say that, and I wouldn't even if I knew how. Instead I told him I could help him set it up and that it's "trè, trè fasil" (no, I didn't misspell that. It's Creole, not French). So he let me look for an extra ethernet cable, which was just under his desk. He plugged one end into the router, and I plugged the other end to my laptop. Now I was connected. Seriously, it was that easy, and he still told me he didn't know how to set it up. This is Haiti.
For some reason, the reservation code that Pastor Baek gave me wasn't working, so I just did my own stuff for an hour. I was pleasantly surprised by how many responses I got from my newsletter. Well, it wasn't that many, but each one meant so much to me. Even though I'm on this small, seemingly remote island, I could connect with my friends in Uganda, Brazil, Japan, England, and all over the US (I just need one from Australasia and Antarctica, and that will cover all seven continents). It really makes a world of difference when someone contacts me across the globe, from a different world, so to speak. I gave James 50 Gourdes without asking "Konben?" since I figured he wouldn't know how much. I came home and typed up replies to each e-mail that I got, and I'm going to send them as soon as I get online again.
Since I couldn't get Pastor Baek's schedule, she and I went to American Airlines' travel agency. Thank God, all the reps can speak English there. After all, it is American Airlines. Apparently the reservation code that I got was wrong by one letter (I had an "I" instead of an "L"). They charged us US$5 just to print out the ticket. Although we could have printed it out ourselves with the correct code, we figured the convenience was worth it. They wouldn't print out the e-ticket for you at the airport. In the US you could just go up to a kiosk at the airport and print it right there. This is Haiti.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Haitian Diaries: Broken Pump And Saxophone
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
The past week up to yesterday was a break from school for everyone because of Passion Week (or spring break, I guess). So six of the older children (two of them are son and daughter of Mrs. Kang) went to school. We took the younger six to Fontain (the site of new orphanage).
When we arrived, we found some parts of the fence and the water pump broken. The water pump that Pastor Baek built is open to the community, but it's made of PVC pipes, and kids use it very roughly, so we weren't surprised to find it in a few pieces. A part of the pump (a long pipe) sunk down into the well, so we used another pipe and some metal poles to fish it out. It took many tries and quite some time, so we were all excited when we finally got it.
Then we sang some songs (I played the guitar) with the local children (there are always kids around when we go there). Many of them don't go to school because they can't afford it. Figaro gave a message, we sang some more and gave out some bread. We'll be going out here more often.
Jude plays the saxophone during Sunday services. He was practicing it this morning, and there were two saxophones, so I tried the other one. I used to play clarinet during middle school, but I pretty much forgot how to play. To my surprise, I could pick it up pretty fast. I hadn't played an instrument like that since middle school, and I quit clarinet for percussion because I didn't like clarinet. But now I really like saxophone (actually I always wanted to play sax more than clarinet, but the band needed clarinet players). I'm going to try to practice often.
The past week up to yesterday was a break from school for everyone because of Passion Week (or spring break, I guess). So six of the older children (two of them are son and daughter of Mrs. Kang) went to school. We took the younger six to Fontain (the site of new orphanage).
When we arrived, we found some parts of the fence and the water pump broken. The water pump that Pastor Baek built is open to the community, but it's made of PVC pipes, and kids use it very roughly, so we weren't surprised to find it in a few pieces. A part of the pump (a long pipe) sunk down into the well, so we used another pipe and some metal poles to fish it out. It took many tries and quite some time, so we were all excited when we finally got it.
Then we sang some songs (I played the guitar) with the local children (there are always kids around when we go there). Many of them don't go to school because they can't afford it. Figaro gave a message, we sang some more and gave out some bread. We'll be going out here more often.
Jude plays the saxophone during Sunday services. He was practicing it this morning, and there were two saxophones, so I tried the other one. I used to play clarinet during middle school, but I pretty much forgot how to play. To my surprise, I could pick it up pretty fast. I hadn't played an instrument like that since middle school, and I quit clarinet for percussion because I didn't like clarinet. But now I really like saxophone (actually I always wanted to play sax more than clarinet, but the band needed clarinet players). I'm going to try to practice often.
Haitian Diaries: Pick Me Up And Give Me Candy Because I'm Adorable
Sunday, April 8, 2007
I've been learning a lot these days. About the people here, the languages, the history, etc. I've been learning, but nothing much besides. Not nothing at all though. During the past week I've taught some guitar and English, and I've looked after (or played with... or been played by) the orphans. I love the children here. My heart aches every time I stop to realize that they are orphans. Most of them just want someone's attention. They need to be loved. There are only few of us adults here, so some kids often end up fighting for attention. Jasmine, the youngest of all, about three, would run up to you, burry her head between your legs, and when she lifts her face she would pucker up her lips, make a sad face, and say stuff like, "Porté" ("Carry me,") or "Sah-tang issoh?" ("Do you have candy?" in Korean). Peterson, the second youngest, has big round eyes, and he would giggle with a wide smile on his face all the time. He reminds me of Dixon, an orphan in Lenkijape, Kenya, except Peterson is a lot more aggressive because he has to compete with the older children for attention. Oh, how I miss Dixon. When one kid sees me playing with another, he or she will either try to push away the one I'm playing with or jump on top of me from the back. When there are two kids hanging from my shirt, then another comes running in, and then another. It's a chain reaction. Last night Pastor Baek scolded the kids and told them not to burden me so much and to call me Pasté Kim, not SunMin. So today I had a lighter load. Many of the kids didn't badger me for a lift, but sometimes I just can't resist Peterson's giggles. I would grab him and spin him around without him asking. Then more giggles. Of course I would have to pay for it by doing the same to each kid that sees me doing it.
I finally found a place I can go online today! There's an internet cafe right outside the alley we live on. I can only go when there's electricity though. At least I can tell when they have electricity (they do when we do). It's slow like the 90's, but I'm happy because I can use my laptop online. Some places will only let you use their computers (slower computer means more time spent online, which means more money for them, I suppose).
I've been learning a lot these days. About the people here, the languages, the history, etc. I've been learning, but nothing much besides. Not nothing at all though. During the past week I've taught some guitar and English, and I've looked after (or played with... or been played by) the orphans. I love the children here. My heart aches every time I stop to realize that they are orphans. Most of them just want someone's attention. They need to be loved. There are only few of us adults here, so some kids often end up fighting for attention. Jasmine, the youngest of all, about three, would run up to you, burry her head between your legs, and when she lifts her face she would pucker up her lips, make a sad face, and say stuff like, "Porté" ("Carry me,") or "Sah-tang issoh?" ("Do you have candy?" in Korean). Peterson, the second youngest, has big round eyes, and he would giggle with a wide smile on his face all the time. He reminds me of Dixon, an orphan in Lenkijape, Kenya, except Peterson is a lot more aggressive because he has to compete with the older children for attention. Oh, how I miss Dixon. When one kid sees me playing with another, he or she will either try to push away the one I'm playing with or jump on top of me from the back. When there are two kids hanging from my shirt, then another comes running in, and then another. It's a chain reaction. Last night Pastor Baek scolded the kids and told them not to burden me so much and to call me Pasté Kim, not SunMin. So today I had a lighter load. Many of the kids didn't badger me for a lift, but sometimes I just can't resist Peterson's giggles. I would grab him and spin him around without him asking. Then more giggles. Of course I would have to pay for it by doing the same to each kid that sees me doing it.
I finally found a place I can go online today! There's an internet cafe right outside the alley we live on. I can only go when there's electricity though. At least I can tell when they have electricity (they do when we do). It's slow like the 90's, but I'm happy because I can use my laptop online. Some places will only let you use their computers (slower computer means more time spent online, which means more money for them, I suppose).
Haitian Diaries: One Haitian = Five Gourdes
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
The currency in Haiti is a bit confusing. They have Gourdes and Haitian Dollars. One Haitian Dollar is 5 Gourdes. One US Dollar is about 37 Gourdes (that's the rate I got), so 7.4 Haitian per US Dollar. Even though the bills and coins are only in Gourdes, people use Haitian Dollars when selling and buying stuff. For example, if a soda costs 30 Gourdes, the vendor will tell you 6 dollars, so you have to do the math and give 30 Gourdes. Some places will tell you in US Dollars, like the phone company I went to today. Since I bought a cellphone in Kenya last year, I just needed a SIM card. The SIM card at a company cost $11. US dollars, I had to confirm. I only had Gourdes with me, so they told me 95 Haitian Dollars, which doesn't match my rate at all, but I was busy figuring out which bills to use that I didn't realize it was more than US$11 (only about $1.84 though). I was a bit surprised that it cost so much for a SIM card. In Kenya, one costs Ksh100 (about $1.43, even less than the amount I got ripped off today).
So now I have a working phone, but I forgot to buy a card to add minutes to it, so I can't make any calls yet. Receiving is free. I was bummed that they don't have WAP. In Kenya I could use my cellphone to go online through WAP. Even thought it's terribly slow, being connected at all is a world of difference compared to being totally disconnected. I'm beginning to miss the internet. It was a bit of an abrupt disconnection. I hope there is an internet cafe where I can plug in my laptop... and I hope I can find one. No one around me seems to be using the internet here.
The currency in Haiti is a bit confusing. They have Gourdes and Haitian Dollars. One Haitian Dollar is 5 Gourdes. One US Dollar is about 37 Gourdes (that's the rate I got), so 7.4 Haitian per US Dollar. Even though the bills and coins are only in Gourdes, people use Haitian Dollars when selling and buying stuff. For example, if a soda costs 30 Gourdes, the vendor will tell you 6 dollars, so you have to do the math and give 30 Gourdes. Some places will tell you in US Dollars, like the phone company I went to today. Since I bought a cellphone in Kenya last year, I just needed a SIM card. The SIM card at a company cost $11. US dollars, I had to confirm. I only had Gourdes with me, so they told me 95 Haitian Dollars, which doesn't match my rate at all, but I was busy figuring out which bills to use that I didn't realize it was more than US$11 (only about $1.84 though). I was a bit surprised that it cost so much for a SIM card. In Kenya, one costs Ksh100 (about $1.43, even less than the amount I got ripped off today).
So now I have a working phone, but I forgot to buy a card to add minutes to it, so I can't make any calls yet. Receiving is free. I was bummed that they don't have WAP. In Kenya I could use my cellphone to go online through WAP. Even thought it's terribly slow, being connected at all is a world of difference compared to being totally disconnected. I'm beginning to miss the internet. It was a bit of an abrupt disconnection. I hope there is an internet cafe where I can plug in my laptop... and I hope I can find one. No one around me seems to be using the internet here.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Haitian Diaries: Zanmi Lasante
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Wow, what a day. Today was a dream come true. I finally went to Zanmi Lasante! Although, I shouldn't say "finally" since I only finished reading the book about it just over a week ago. My wish was granted much quicker than I thought.
First of all, the place is amazing. Seriously, I couldn't believe that a facility like that could exist in Haiti, especially in a remote mountainous area. Zanmi Lasante (zanmi = friend, lasante = health. Basically it's "Partners in Health") is located in Cange, which is a small village along the north side of a lake (made by a dam), but as far as I could tell, Zanmi Lasante is Cange itself, or at least half of it. As soon as we entered the village, I saw the sign "Zanmi Lasante," but we just passed by. I was thinking we should have gotten off there, but then I saw another sign along the way and realized that the entire left side of the street was all concrete/rock wall. I thought, no it can't be... But then it is! The whole thing that we just drove along is the hospital! The tap-tap stopped right at the entrance, which I suppose is the center of the village. People were going in and out of the main gate freely, and there were tons of people inside the walls. I was shocked. It is a citadel just like the book says.
I took a couple pictures inside before one Haitian volunteer stopped me. I was with Jude and Figaro, so they talked to him in Creole while I stood there clueless. Eventually the volunteer (I will call him Tim for his privacy/safety sake) took us to the administration building, but no one who could speak English was available. They didn't give us permission to take pictures or enter any of the buildings, so I was a bit bummed, but Tim showed us around for a bit. His tour was a bit superficial, so the only thing I was impressed with was the size of the place. They have all sorts of departments and are still building more. During the tour, a white lady waved at me from a distance as if she knew me. I thought she was being friendly and was welcoming a strange blan (which means white in Creole... ok, I'm Asian, but I'm still a blan to Haitians), so I waved back. She walked toward me and shook my hand and said "Anglais?" I said yes and laughed with relief. Finally, someone who can speak English! But then she said she thought I was someone else and walked away. She seemed to be in a hurry. Bummer. After the tour, we came back to the administration building because I told him (through Jude) that I wanted to know how I can volunteer there. We talked to another Haitian employee (or probably volunteer) for a bit, but he was still clueless or couldn't give me any information to help me. Just as Jude asked if we should go, they let me into the admin building to see a manager who speaks English. He was right there behind the door the whole time! And he speaks English! I will call him Dr. John. It was such a delight to finally talk with some in English. He is a very friendly Haitian doctor. I told him that I read Mountains Beyond Mountains and that I was inspired to visit Zanmi Lasante. I guess that really got him excited, so he decided to give me a tour of the place himself. He really liked the fact that I wanted to become a doctor to help the poor. We went to the same places Tim took us, but Dr. John let us inside the buildings and showed all sorts of different rooms. Then I was really impressed. The place gets electricity from the nearby dam, so it's well lit, offices are air-conditioned, and hallways and patient rooms are equipped with UV lamps. AND they have internet! Most people (including we) don't have internet even here in Port-au-Prince, the capital, but they have it up in a little village that's not even on most maps! I even got to see the office where Dr. Paul Farmer used to see patients. I imagined the events that I read in the book. It was so moving. I asked if I could take some pictures, then he said, "No pwobwem!" I was happy just to be able to take pictures inside Dr. Farmer's office.
It was getting late (about 3:20PM), and we had to catch a tap-tap and a bus back to Port-au-Prince before too late. Dr. John gave me his e-mail and Dr. Farmer's e-mail, then found a hospital car that was going to to Mirebalais, where we were to find a bus to Port-au-Prince. I was once again impressed, this time by his hospitality. It was definitely nice to ride in the hospital car, especially since it was covered (and free). On the way to Cange from Mirebalais, we rode in a tap-tap without a roof, so all of us got covered in dust while riding. This time the car was also air-conditioned, so it was nice.
We took a huge bus (autobus, they call it) from Mirebalais to Port-au-Prince. It's more like a big truck with a passenger car instead of a shipment container. The ride was quite amusing. They don't have a TV, but they certainly didn't lack infomercials. People would just stand up and start promoting random products, anything from branded paracetamol to alcohol that enhances your romantic evening to little snacks that's especially delicious to soap from China (which the seller thought was a candy at first, and I corrected him because it said "Soap" on the box).
One interesting thing about Haiti is that anywhere and everywhere outside is considered a toilet. Or maybe there is no such thing as public toilet (except I used one at the beach, which was just a wall with a hole, probably for tourists). The moment we got off the bus, I saw a lady squat down in the grass right next to the bus, and men were basically peeing right on the side of the bus, next to the ladies. You can imagine a man and a woman talking and walking down a path, and all of a sudden they step aside onto a patch of grass. The woman would squat to pee, the man would pee while standing right next to her, and they continue their conversation. This is Haiti. Even in Sierra Leone, I got scolded by a native for peeing on a tree behind a house (it was really urgent). Haiti is such an interesting place. It's so much like Africa. Or I could say it is a miniature Africa without the red dust.
I just realized that my computer clock is one hour earlier than my alarm clock (and every clock in this place, including cellphones). I guess Day Light Savings is supposed to start the first Sunday of April, which was the first of this month. So that means we've all been living an hour late this whole time? And no one realized it? Or does Day Light Savings even exist here? Even if it did, most people probably won't know the difference... You just have to get up when the sun rises, sleep when it falls. Now the sun have been down long enough already. Good night.
Wow, what a day. Today was a dream come true. I finally went to Zanmi Lasante! Although, I shouldn't say "finally" since I only finished reading the book about it just over a week ago. My wish was granted much quicker than I thought.
First of all, the place is amazing. Seriously, I couldn't believe that a facility like that could exist in Haiti, especially in a remote mountainous area. Zanmi Lasante (zanmi = friend, lasante = health. Basically it's "Partners in Health") is located in Cange, which is a small village along the north side of a lake (made by a dam), but as far as I could tell, Zanmi Lasante is Cange itself, or at least half of it. As soon as we entered the village, I saw the sign "Zanmi Lasante," but we just passed by. I was thinking we should have gotten off there, but then I saw another sign along the way and realized that the entire left side of the street was all concrete/rock wall. I thought, no it can't be... But then it is! The whole thing that we just drove along is the hospital! The tap-tap stopped right at the entrance, which I suppose is the center of the village. People were going in and out of the main gate freely, and there were tons of people inside the walls. I was shocked. It is a citadel just like the book says.
I took a couple pictures inside before one Haitian volunteer stopped me. I was with Jude and Figaro, so they talked to him in Creole while I stood there clueless. Eventually the volunteer (I will call him Tim for his privacy/safety sake) took us to the administration building, but no one who could speak English was available. They didn't give us permission to take pictures or enter any of the buildings, so I was a bit bummed, but Tim showed us around for a bit. His tour was a bit superficial, so the only thing I was impressed with was the size of the place. They have all sorts of departments and are still building more. During the tour, a white lady waved at me from a distance as if she knew me. I thought she was being friendly and was welcoming a strange blan (which means white in Creole... ok, I'm Asian, but I'm still a blan to Haitians), so I waved back. She walked toward me and shook my hand and said "Anglais?" I said yes and laughed with relief. Finally, someone who can speak English! But then she said she thought I was someone else and walked away. She seemed to be in a hurry. Bummer. After the tour, we came back to the administration building because I told him (through Jude) that I wanted to know how I can volunteer there. We talked to another Haitian employee (or probably volunteer) for a bit, but he was still clueless or couldn't give me any information to help me. Just as Jude asked if we should go, they let me into the admin building to see a manager who speaks English. He was right there behind the door the whole time! And he speaks English! I will call him Dr. John. It was such a delight to finally talk with some in English. He is a very friendly Haitian doctor. I told him that I read Mountains Beyond Mountains and that I was inspired to visit Zanmi Lasante. I guess that really got him excited, so he decided to give me a tour of the place himself. He really liked the fact that I wanted to become a doctor to help the poor. We went to the same places Tim took us, but Dr. John let us inside the buildings and showed all sorts of different rooms. Then I was really impressed. The place gets electricity from the nearby dam, so it's well lit, offices are air-conditioned, and hallways and patient rooms are equipped with UV lamps. AND they have internet! Most people (including we) don't have internet even here in Port-au-Prince, the capital, but they have it up in a little village that's not even on most maps! I even got to see the office where Dr. Paul Farmer used to see patients. I imagined the events that I read in the book. It was so moving. I asked if I could take some pictures, then he said, "No pwobwem!" I was happy just to be able to take pictures inside Dr. Farmer's office.
It was getting late (about 3:20PM), and we had to catch a tap-tap and a bus back to Port-au-Prince before too late. Dr. John gave me his e-mail and Dr. Farmer's e-mail, then found a hospital car that was going to to Mirebalais, where we were to find a bus to Port-au-Prince. I was once again impressed, this time by his hospitality. It was definitely nice to ride in the hospital car, especially since it was covered (and free). On the way to Cange from Mirebalais, we rode in a tap-tap without a roof, so all of us got covered in dust while riding. This time the car was also air-conditioned, so it was nice.
We took a huge bus (autobus, they call it) from Mirebalais to Port-au-Prince. It's more like a big truck with a passenger car instead of a shipment container. The ride was quite amusing. They don't have a TV, but they certainly didn't lack infomercials. People would just stand up and start promoting random products, anything from branded paracetamol to alcohol that enhances your romantic evening to little snacks that's especially delicious to soap from China (which the seller thought was a candy at first, and I corrected him because it said "Soap" on the box).
One interesting thing about Haiti is that anywhere and everywhere outside is considered a toilet. Or maybe there is no such thing as public toilet (except I used one at the beach, which was just a wall with a hole, probably for tourists). The moment we got off the bus, I saw a lady squat down in the grass right next to the bus, and men were basically peeing right on the side of the bus, next to the ladies. You can imagine a man and a woman talking and walking down a path, and all of a sudden they step aside onto a patch of grass. The woman would squat to pee, the man would pee while standing right next to her, and they continue their conversation. This is Haiti. Even in Sierra Leone, I got scolded by a native for peeing on a tree behind a house (it was really urgent). Haiti is such an interesting place. It's so much like Africa. Or I could say it is a miniature Africa without the red dust.
I just realized that my computer clock is one hour earlier than my alarm clock (and every clock in this place, including cellphones). I guess Day Light Savings is supposed to start the first Sunday of April, which was the first of this month. So that means we've all been living an hour late this whole time? And no one realized it? Or does Day Light Savings even exist here? Even if it did, most people probably won't know the difference... You just have to get up when the sun rises, sleep when it falls. Now the sun have been down long enough already. Good night.
Haitian Diaries: Pasté Kim
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Wow, I didn't realize that it's April's Fools today until I typed the date and stared blankly at the screen for a while. I guess it's not part of Haitian culture, 'cause as far as I know, I didn't get lied to today.
The day started out with a service in Creole. Pastor Son, who graduated a "seminary" here, gave a sermon (I put it in quotes because it's nothing like seminaries in the US). Although I don't know what exactly he said (or more like, what he said at all), he was very passionate. Then we had a service in Korean where Pastor Baek gave a sermon and some guys (some of the Bible college students) attended. After the sermon, Mrs. Kang (the other missionary who has been here for three years now) gave them a summary of the sermon in Creole. We had lunch, and then children's Bible study.
After the evening Bible study (the one after dinner), Pastor Baek, Mrs. Kang, and I discussed what I will be doing this week. Apparently this week will be a week of rest, since everyone will be on vacation from school for Passion Week. Pastor Baek suggested that I go traveling to see some places in Haiti with the Bible college students. I might even be able to go to Cange to see Zanmi Lasante after all. I think I still should take with me someone who could really use the medical care provided there. Even though our medical team helped some number of people, there were several that we couldn't help, many of them requiring surgeries. So I hope the people in Cange can help.
In Korean, a missionary is called "Sun-gyo-sa-nim." Mrs. Kang is called that here, so it would be confusing to call me by the same name, so Pastor Baek decided that I should be called "Pasté Kim" (that's in Creole. In French, it would be Pasteur Kim, but pronounced similarly). I'm not really a pastor, since I don't have any certificate or degree in theology, but they call youth pastors here "pasté" so I guess it's ok. I was a youth pastor for a bit back in California. Actually, they call pretty much anybody who might preach a "pasté", qualified or not, so I guess it's really ok, whether I was a youth pastor or not.
Wow, I didn't realize that it's April's Fools today until I typed the date and stared blankly at the screen for a while. I guess it's not part of Haitian culture, 'cause as far as I know, I didn't get lied to today.
The day started out with a service in Creole. Pastor Son, who graduated a "seminary" here, gave a sermon (I put it in quotes because it's nothing like seminaries in the US). Although I don't know what exactly he said (or more like, what he said at all), he was very passionate. Then we had a service in Korean where Pastor Baek gave a sermon and some guys (some of the Bible college students) attended. After the sermon, Mrs. Kang (the other missionary who has been here for three years now) gave them a summary of the sermon in Creole. We had lunch, and then children's Bible study.
After the evening Bible study (the one after dinner), Pastor Baek, Mrs. Kang, and I discussed what I will be doing this week. Apparently this week will be a week of rest, since everyone will be on vacation from school for Passion Week. Pastor Baek suggested that I go traveling to see some places in Haiti with the Bible college students. I might even be able to go to Cange to see Zanmi Lasante after all. I think I still should take with me someone who could really use the medical care provided there. Even though our medical team helped some number of people, there were several that we couldn't help, many of them requiring surgeries. So I hope the people in Cange can help.
In Korean, a missionary is called "Sun-gyo-sa-nim." Mrs. Kang is called that here, so it would be confusing to call me by the same name, so Pastor Baek decided that I should be called "Pasté Kim" (that's in Creole. In French, it would be Pasteur Kim, but pronounced similarly). I'm not really a pastor, since I don't have any certificate or degree in theology, but they call youth pastors here "pasté" so I guess it's ok. I was a youth pastor for a bit back in California. Actually, they call pretty much anybody who might preach a "pasté", qualified or not, so I guess it's really ok, whether I was a youth pastor or not.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Haitian Diaries: Kids And Pain
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Last night I went to bed with a headache, and this morning I woke up with a headache. I get an headache when I breathe in too much auto-exhaust (I didn't get a headache when I used a mask all day the other day, but I had to look like a dork with my tiny mask), but it's usually gone the next morning. So I was surprised that I still had it. Pastor Baek had told me to rest the next couple days, so I slept through the morning. I felt better in the afternoon. I played with the kids for the rest of the day.
Last night, while I was playing with the kids, Jeanoody (sounds like Jody), one of the older boys (about 7 or 8 years old), kept pinching and trying to hurt me when I wasn't looking. I told him many times to stop, but he wouldn't, so I ground his head with my knuckle a little. He cried for a bit, and after that he kept going around behind my back to kick me. I kept telling him to stop but he wouldn't listen. This morning, when I saw him, he seemed hesitant, maybe even intimidated, at first, but soon enough we were playing and he smiled when he saw me. I was relieved to know that he wasn't going to hate me for the rest of my time here. He also stopped trying to hurt me, so that's good, too. I guess kids here really want attention and easily get jealous when they don't while others do. It's not easy to pay attention to each kid when there are so many. It's also not easy to carry all of them at once when they jump to grab your arms.
Last night I went to bed with a headache, and this morning I woke up with a headache. I get an headache when I breathe in too much auto-exhaust (I didn't get a headache when I used a mask all day the other day, but I had to look like a dork with my tiny mask), but it's usually gone the next morning. So I was surprised that I still had it. Pastor Baek had told me to rest the next couple days, so I slept through the morning. I felt better in the afternoon. I played with the kids for the rest of the day.
Last night, while I was playing with the kids, Jeanoody (sounds like Jody), one of the older boys (about 7 or 8 years old), kept pinching and trying to hurt me when I wasn't looking. I told him many times to stop, but he wouldn't, so I ground his head with my knuckle a little. He cried for a bit, and after that he kept going around behind my back to kick me. I kept telling him to stop but he wouldn't listen. This morning, when I saw him, he seemed hesitant, maybe even intimidated, at first, but soon enough we were playing and he smiled when he saw me. I was relieved to know that he wasn't going to hate me for the rest of my time here. He also stopped trying to hurt me, so that's good, too. I guess kids here really want attention and easily get jealous when they don't while others do. It's not easy to pay attention to each kid when there are so many. It's also not easy to carry all of them at once when they jump to grab your arms.
Haitian Diaries: Swollen Foot And Being Left Behind
Friday, March 30, 2007
When I woke up this morning, it was only 6:30AM, but everyone was up and about. It was probably because they were leaving today, and so they were preparing, but I decided to get up also, although I only had 4 hours of sleep.
Last night my right foot was beginning to swell near the ankle, and it hurt quite a bit. The medical doctor gave me some anti-itch cream, but it was still swollen and hurting this morning. So the acupuncturist used a little suction machine to suck out some blood out of my foot. It hurt a lot when he punctured hundred different places on my foot. I don't think it's better yet, but I'll have to see.
Today we did some sightseeing. Because of my lack of sleep and my painful right foot, I wasn't in the mood for it at all. We stopped by at a street corner where they sold souvenirs. Some of the team members bought paintings and small figurines. It reminded me of Kenya when I had to bargain for souvenirs myself. But again, I wasn't in the mood for anything.
We drove up a small hill on the south side of Port-au-Prince, where we could see the entire city. It was pretty cool, but I was surprised by how small it was. On the way down, our tap-tap broke down, so we got off and walked around for a while. Some of us stopped by an artisan's shop where they made sculptures from solid wood. It seemed that they had the entire family working. I was quite impressed even though I was still feeling sick and tired.
When the car was finally fixed, some strange kid jumped on our tap-tap with us. Before we knew it, the car was moving and an argument broke up among our Haitian guys and the boy. Everyone was shouting and I had no idea what was going on, except I guessed that the boy was one of the people fixing the car. We realized that we had left two of our team members behind (they were probably still admiring the wooden sculptures), so we stopped the car immediately. Couple of the guys ran back to get the two behind, and one kept arguing with the boy. People were shouting here and there. It was a bit chaotic. Apparently the boy wanted more money for what he did. I don't know what he did or how much we offered him, but what we offered was obviously not enough. From the argument (not that I knew a word of it, but the fact that they argued), I could tell that what he demanded was way too much. Finally, some stranger interfered and convinced (or more like threatened) the boy to just take the money and leave. So that was quite an event.
We stopped by the restaurant (the one we always go to. It's more like fast food without the "fast" part, but quality is "fast food") for lunch. The place is right across the street from the airport. At the airport, only the passengers are supposed to go through the security check, but apparently the foreigners can just go though even if they're not passengers. So Pastor Baek and I went in but the Haitian guys stayed back. Some guy tried to go through behind us, but the security guard grabbed and shoved him back forcefully as if to pick up a fight. However, Daniel, our driver, was able to go through. When I asked him how, he told me that he just talked to the security guard. His older brother is an policeman, so I suppose they know each other or something. We said our goodbyes, and they were gone. Soon I was back at House of Love to be greeted by hugs from the kids.
When I woke up this morning, it was only 6:30AM, but everyone was up and about. It was probably because they were leaving today, and so they were preparing, but I decided to get up also, although I only had 4 hours of sleep.
Last night my right foot was beginning to swell near the ankle, and it hurt quite a bit. The medical doctor gave me some anti-itch cream, but it was still swollen and hurting this morning. So the acupuncturist used a little suction machine to suck out some blood out of my foot. It hurt a lot when he punctured hundred different places on my foot. I don't think it's better yet, but I'll have to see.
Today we did some sightseeing. Because of my lack of sleep and my painful right foot, I wasn't in the mood for it at all. We stopped by at a street corner where they sold souvenirs. Some of the team members bought paintings and small figurines. It reminded me of Kenya when I had to bargain for souvenirs myself. But again, I wasn't in the mood for anything.
We drove up a small hill on the south side of Port-au-Prince, where we could see the entire city. It was pretty cool, but I was surprised by how small it was. On the way down, our tap-tap broke down, so we got off and walked around for a while. Some of us stopped by an artisan's shop where they made sculptures from solid wood. It seemed that they had the entire family working. I was quite impressed even though I was still feeling sick and tired.
When the car was finally fixed, some strange kid jumped on our tap-tap with us. Before we knew it, the car was moving and an argument broke up among our Haitian guys and the boy. Everyone was shouting and I had no idea what was going on, except I guessed that the boy was one of the people fixing the car. We realized that we had left two of our team members behind (they were probably still admiring the wooden sculptures), so we stopped the car immediately. Couple of the guys ran back to get the two behind, and one kept arguing with the boy. People were shouting here and there. It was a bit chaotic. Apparently the boy wanted more money for what he did. I don't know what he did or how much we offered him, but what we offered was obviously not enough. From the argument (not that I knew a word of it, but the fact that they argued), I could tell that what he demanded was way too much. Finally, some stranger interfered and convinced (or more like threatened) the boy to just take the money and leave. So that was quite an event.
We stopped by the restaurant (the one we always go to. It's more like fast food without the "fast" part, but quality is "fast food") for lunch. The place is right across the street from the airport. At the airport, only the passengers are supposed to go through the security check, but apparently the foreigners can just go though even if they're not passengers. So Pastor Baek and I went in but the Haitian guys stayed back. Some guy tried to go through behind us, but the security guard grabbed and shoved him back forcefully as if to pick up a fight. However, Daniel, our driver, was able to go through. When I asked him how, he told me that he just talked to the security guard. His older brother is an policeman, so I suppose they know each other or something. We said our goodbyes, and they were gone. Soon I was back at House of Love to be greeted by hugs from the kids.
Haitian Diaries: The Crotch Of The Old Man And The Sea
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Once again, today was quite an eventful day. It's already 12:52AM (Friday) and we still have a prayer meeting later on. I guess I don't have to go, since some of us are already sleeping, but I might as well since I'm staying up to type this up.
This morning we had electricity for quite a while. I used my laptop to show the kids Snow White (dubbed in Korean). Still the electricity was on long enough to fully recharge my battery. Once again I'm a happy camper. I'll be even more happy when I get internet (and SIM card, and broadband, and...).
Today we went to a small village called Laplaine. For the past two days, when we arrived at the clinic site, there were already people sitting and waiting with a number card in their hands. But this time there weren't any. Apparently someone didn't tell the people around the village that we were coming. But that wasn't really any problem because people seemed to gather instantaneously. After all, it is a small village.
Once again I took charge of the dermatology department (i.e. disinfecting and applying ointment, period). One interesting case I had was an old man who had skin disease on his arms, buttocks, and crotch, including a part of his scrotum. So, yeah, I had to disinfect and put ointment on all those places while some girls were giggling at the sight (no, we don't have walls in Haiti. Just kidding, we just had to do the clinic outside this time). One baby had boils and fungus infection all over his body. Poor baby...
We closed the clinic in the early afternoon, and drove to various places including the beach at Morrue. As you can imagine, the beach is really nice, although the place we went wasn't the cleanest place, but the water was blue. That's good enough for me, even with some garbage floating around. We had lunch at the beach, and a few of us took a boat ride along the shore. Nothing fancy, but it was still neat.
They started the prayer meeting now. I'll be back...
Wow, it's 2:20AM now. There were only Haitian guys at the prayer meeting. They sing so energetically. Each person has an instrument and plays them really hard. So you can't really sleep while that's going on. They sang and prayed in French/Creole (and no interpreter) so I didn't understand much, but I clapped and prayed with them anyway. By the end of the three months, I hope I can at least understand what the prayer topics are and know a few songs in French/Creole.
Ugh, the mosquitoes are eating me alive.
Anyhow. After the beach, we stopped by a village called Lully, where there are lots of fishermen. We bought some crabs and lobsters (I think they were lobsters, but they could be some variation of them) that came fresh out of the water. I thought they had caught it just then, because they pulled it out of a cage in water, but now I think they caught it before and were just keeping them in the cage (they seemed to have lost some weight, too). Nonetheless they were fresh. So guess what we had for dinner. It was a feast.
I learned some more French/Creole on the road, mostly from Enock (that's how they spell). When we came home (the House of Love), I tried to talk with some guys in French. They are very friendly, although shy at first, and were eager to help me learn the languages. The more I talk to them, the more I remember French from high school. They can't speak much English, so I have to work really hard. I'm looking forward to spending more time with them.
Tomorrow the team will fly back to LA. I wonder what my life will be like, since after they leave I probably won't be as busy as we were this week. Most likely I'll be teaching Korean/English/guitar. And playing with the kids, of course. I hope I can visit Zanmi Lasante in Cange. A brother of one of the guys I talked to today had been there to get an operation on his shoulder. Maybe I can find a patient to take there. I would be helping the patient by finding free treatment, and I'll get to visit the famous hospital. It's called mutualism. I don't want to be another Paul Farmer, but I see what needs to be done, and I'll find my way of doing them. I just hope that I can be involved in the doing while I'm in med school, like Paul Farmer was.
It's late. Bon nuit.
Once again, today was quite an eventful day. It's already 12:52AM (Friday) and we still have a prayer meeting later on. I guess I don't have to go, since some of us are already sleeping, but I might as well since I'm staying up to type this up.
This morning we had electricity for quite a while. I used my laptop to show the kids Snow White (dubbed in Korean). Still the electricity was on long enough to fully recharge my battery. Once again I'm a happy camper. I'll be even more happy when I get internet (and SIM card, and broadband, and...).
Today we went to a small village called Laplaine. For the past two days, when we arrived at the clinic site, there were already people sitting and waiting with a number card in their hands. But this time there weren't any. Apparently someone didn't tell the people around the village that we were coming. But that wasn't really any problem because people seemed to gather instantaneously. After all, it is a small village.
Once again I took charge of the dermatology department (i.e. disinfecting and applying ointment, period). One interesting case I had was an old man who had skin disease on his arms, buttocks, and crotch, including a part of his scrotum. So, yeah, I had to disinfect and put ointment on all those places while some girls were giggling at the sight (no, we don't have walls in Haiti. Just kidding, we just had to do the clinic outside this time). One baby had boils and fungus infection all over his body. Poor baby...
We closed the clinic in the early afternoon, and drove to various places including the beach at Morrue. As you can imagine, the beach is really nice, although the place we went wasn't the cleanest place, but the water was blue. That's good enough for me, even with some garbage floating around. We had lunch at the beach, and a few of us took a boat ride along the shore. Nothing fancy, but it was still neat.
They started the prayer meeting now. I'll be back...
Wow, it's 2:20AM now. There were only Haitian guys at the prayer meeting. They sing so energetically. Each person has an instrument and plays them really hard. So you can't really sleep while that's going on. They sang and prayed in French/Creole (and no interpreter) so I didn't understand much, but I clapped and prayed with them anyway. By the end of the three months, I hope I can at least understand what the prayer topics are and know a few songs in French/Creole.
Ugh, the mosquitoes are eating me alive.
Anyhow. After the beach, we stopped by a village called Lully, where there are lots of fishermen. We bought some crabs and lobsters (I think they were lobsters, but they could be some variation of them) that came fresh out of the water. I thought they had caught it just then, because they pulled it out of a cage in water, but now I think they caught it before and were just keeping them in the cage (they seemed to have lost some weight, too). Nonetheless they were fresh. So guess what we had for dinner. It was a feast.
I learned some more French/Creole on the road, mostly from Enock (that's how they spell). When we came home (the House of Love), I tried to talk with some guys in French. They are very friendly, although shy at first, and were eager to help me learn the languages. The more I talk to them, the more I remember French from high school. They can't speak much English, so I have to work really hard. I'm looking forward to spending more time with them.
Tomorrow the team will fly back to LA. I wonder what my life will be like, since after they leave I probably won't be as busy as we were this week. Most likely I'll be teaching Korean/English/guitar. And playing with the kids, of course. I hope I can visit Zanmi Lasante in Cange. A brother of one of the guys I talked to today had been there to get an operation on his shoulder. Maybe I can find a patient to take there. I would be helping the patient by finding free treatment, and I'll get to visit the famous hospital. It's called mutualism. I don't want to be another Paul Farmer, but I see what needs to be done, and I'll find my way of doing them. I just hope that I can be involved in the doing while I'm in med school, like Paul Farmer was.
It's late. Bon nuit.
Haitian Diaries: Plastic Basins And Baby Anus
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
The power is back! Well, it was for couple hours this morning. It lasted just long enough to recharge my gadgets (including my laptop), so I'm happy.
I woke up at 4:30AM again this morning to attend early morning service. The kids were up by the time we finished service, and many of them ran to me and gave me hugs. Throughout the day they would do that and say, "Porté," which means "Carry me." If I pick one up, they would shove each other to get picked up next. Every time they see me, they want to play with me. When one sees me, he or she would shout to the others and everyone would rush towards me. They would pull me down to the floor or I would run around the building. They would try to get my attention by saying "Ee-got-chum-bah-yoh" which means "Look at this" in Korean. They would be doing some kind of acrobat or be bouncing tennis balls or something like that. I love kids. They are so easily amused and innocent.
We went to a little village called Cybert today. On the way there, and any time we were riding to places, I learned French and Creole from Haitian guys who are with us. I was quite surprised at how quickly my French was coming back to me, even though it's been five years since I last studied it in school. I didn't like it back then, but I'm really glad I took French in high school. Creole is such an interesting language. It's so simple. I learned a ton today, and I'll learn a ton tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. I'm sure I'll be fluent in no time... right.
Like yesterday, I was once again the "skin specialist." Basically I would disinfect and put ointments on patients when they need it. In one interesting case, I had to do that around a baby's anus while he cried. It looked pretty painful down there, too, but I'm sure the baby was mostly just scared. I would be too if I had my anus exposed to some stranger (with, say, purple skin) putting stuff around it.
We gave out small basins or tennis balls (used one, of course, but it's still a lot of fun for the kids here), but some of those who didn't get one begged me for a basin. We were using some of them to carry and organize medicine, so some people on our team were saying I shouldn't give them because everyone else would want one, too. But I figured we should give as long as we can give, so I emptied a couple of them and gave each to two ladies who were asking for them. It's just a basin. Big deal. That's what you might think, but for the people here, it makes a difference.
When I was in Sierra Leone, which was the first time being in a developing country, I was just overwhelmed by the number of people begging for food and money. I wasn't sure what to do. I thought, if I gave to one, what of the others? But now I think, if I give to one, it makes a difference for that one person. So I will do my best to give as long as I'm able.
We had a late lunch after closing our clinic at Cybert. We went to the same restaurant we ate yesterday. I got a chicken sandwich (I think it was chicken). Then we drove around a bit. We saw the president's house, which happens to be a big white house, and drove through Belvil, which is to Port-au-Prince as Beverly Hills is to Los Angeles, except everywhere else in LA would have be Skid Row. I was busy learning French/Creole, so I didn't get to see much, but I noticed they had nicer buildings (but really not much better than the rest).
I still don't know most of our team members' names. It's because they're Korean names. I'm terrible with Korean names, I'm ashamed to say. I would almost never remember Korean names except, for example, when it's a girl I'm interested in. I just know that the American name of the youngest person (who is older than me; I'm the youngest) is Stephen. I'm sure I'll figure the rest soon enough (or at least how to address them). But my priority is learning the languages. I know most of the kid's names, just not the ones with unique names or the ones I didn't ask.
I need to get a SIM card soon. And I need to call my parents. Well, I don't really need to, but I just want to a way to communicate with them if we had to. I suppose they can call the missionary here if they needed to talked to me. I hope they would call me soon about med school acceptances... But I've decided not to worry about it now. There's nothing more I can do except pray and ask others to pray. So please pray that I get in to a med school... although by the time you're reading this, I've already heard from them (or not). You can pray anyway. God hears our prayers now and even those of the future, because he is outside time.
I'm excited for tomorrow. I'm excited to see the kids in the morning. I'm excited to learn more Creole/French. I'm excited to see patients. I'm excited about Haiti.
The power is back! Well, it was for couple hours this morning. It lasted just long enough to recharge my gadgets (including my laptop), so I'm happy.
I woke up at 4:30AM again this morning to attend early morning service. The kids were up by the time we finished service, and many of them ran to me and gave me hugs. Throughout the day they would do that and say, "Porté," which means "Carry me." If I pick one up, they would shove each other to get picked up next. Every time they see me, they want to play with me. When one sees me, he or she would shout to the others and everyone would rush towards me. They would pull me down to the floor or I would run around the building. They would try to get my attention by saying "Ee-got-chum-bah-yoh" which means "Look at this" in Korean. They would be doing some kind of acrobat or be bouncing tennis balls or something like that. I love kids. They are so easily amused and innocent.
We went to a little village called Cybert today. On the way there, and any time we were riding to places, I learned French and Creole from Haitian guys who are with us. I was quite surprised at how quickly my French was coming back to me, even though it's been five years since I last studied it in school. I didn't like it back then, but I'm really glad I took French in high school. Creole is such an interesting language. It's so simple. I learned a ton today, and I'll learn a ton tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. I'm sure I'll be fluent in no time... right.
Like yesterday, I was once again the "skin specialist." Basically I would disinfect and put ointments on patients when they need it. In one interesting case, I had to do that around a baby's anus while he cried. It looked pretty painful down there, too, but I'm sure the baby was mostly just scared. I would be too if I had my anus exposed to some stranger (with, say, purple skin) putting stuff around it.
We gave out small basins or tennis balls (used one, of course, but it's still a lot of fun for the kids here), but some of those who didn't get one begged me for a basin. We were using some of them to carry and organize medicine, so some people on our team were saying I shouldn't give them because everyone else would want one, too. But I figured we should give as long as we can give, so I emptied a couple of them and gave each to two ladies who were asking for them. It's just a basin. Big deal. That's what you might think, but for the people here, it makes a difference.
When I was in Sierra Leone, which was the first time being in a developing country, I was just overwhelmed by the number of people begging for food and money. I wasn't sure what to do. I thought, if I gave to one, what of the others? But now I think, if I give to one, it makes a difference for that one person. So I will do my best to give as long as I'm able.
We had a late lunch after closing our clinic at Cybert. We went to the same restaurant we ate yesterday. I got a chicken sandwich (I think it was chicken). Then we drove around a bit. We saw the president's house, which happens to be a big white house, and drove through Belvil, which is to Port-au-Prince as Beverly Hills is to Los Angeles, except everywhere else in LA would have be Skid Row. I was busy learning French/Creole, so I didn't get to see much, but I noticed they had nicer buildings (but really not much better than the rest).
I still don't know most of our team members' names. It's because they're Korean names. I'm terrible with Korean names, I'm ashamed to say. I would almost never remember Korean names except, for example, when it's a girl I'm interested in. I just know that the American name of the youngest person (who is older than me; I'm the youngest) is Stephen. I'm sure I'll figure the rest soon enough (or at least how to address them). But my priority is learning the languages. I know most of the kid's names, just not the ones with unique names or the ones I didn't ask.
I need to get a SIM card soon. And I need to call my parents. Well, I don't really need to, but I just want to a way to communicate with them if we had to. I suppose they can call the missionary here if they needed to talked to me. I hope they would call me soon about med school acceptances... But I've decided not to worry about it now. There's nothing more I can do except pray and ask others to pray. So please pray that I get in to a med school... although by the time you're reading this, I've already heard from them (or not). You can pray anyway. God hears our prayers now and even those of the future, because he is outside time.
I'm excited for tomorrow. I'm excited to see the kids in the morning. I'm excited to learn more Creole/French. I'm excited to see patients. I'm excited about Haiti.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Haitian Courier #1: Into the Mountains
Alo, zanmi mwen! (Hello, my friends!)
As you can guess from the title, I'm no longer in Africa (nor the US). This time, it's Haiti (named for its mountainous landscape), which is pretty much like Africa on an island (or a third of it). I've been here for two weeks now, and I'm writing to tell you what I've been up to.
I came here with a team of seven: two doctors, a pastor, and a few church members from Abundant Mission Church in Los Angeles. During the first week, we went around to several villages around Port-au-Prince giving free treatment and medicine. After the first week, the team went back to California, leaving me with two Korean missionaries at an orphanage/church called House of Love. Since then I've been looking after the children while learning a lot of Creole and French by hanging out with the Bible college students that the missionary pastor is training.
One really cool thing that I want to share with you is that I visited Zanmi Lasante in Cange! If you don't know what it is, it's a humongous medical complex in the middle of nowhere built by an American doctor named Paul Farmer. Now run mostly by natives, Zanmi Lasante provides world class medical treatment to the poor in Haiti for a whopping price of $0! Seriously, I couldn’t believe my eyes, that such an amazing facility could exist here (from what I’ve seen of Haiti so far). If you’re interested, you should read Paul Farmer’s biography Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder.
In other news, I haven’t heard back from any of the med schools that I interviewed yet.
I won’t deny that it can get quite lonely here. No one here really speaks English. I talk with the missionaries in Korean (and if you know me, my Korean isn’t so good), and I communicate with the Bible college students in a mix of Creole, French, English, and Korean (they take Korean lessons here). It would make a world of difference just to hear from you, so please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have the time. My cell phone number is: +509-441-3451 (509 is the country code. Yes, the entire country uses only 7 digits). You can try SMS, but I don’t know if it’ll work (apparently a lot of SMS didn’t work while I was in Kenya). If it does, I’ll respond.
Please keep me in your prayers.
God Bless,
SunMin
You can read more about my experience in Haiti on my blog:
http://doxadeo.blogspot.com OR http://www.xanga.com/doxa
To subscribe to Haitian Courier Newsletter, visit
http://groups.google.com/group/african-courier/
As you can guess from the title, I'm no longer in Africa (nor the US). This time, it's Haiti (named for its mountainous landscape), which is pretty much like Africa on an island (or a third of it). I've been here for two weeks now, and I'm writing to tell you what I've been up to.
I came here with a team of seven: two doctors, a pastor, and a few church members from Abundant Mission Church in Los Angeles. During the first week, we went around to several villages around Port-au-Prince giving free treatment and medicine. After the first week, the team went back to California, leaving me with two Korean missionaries at an orphanage/church called House of Love. Since then I've been looking after the children while learning a lot of Creole and French by hanging out with the Bible college students that the missionary pastor is training.
One really cool thing that I want to share with you is that I visited Zanmi Lasante in Cange! If you don't know what it is, it's a humongous medical complex in the middle of nowhere built by an American doctor named Paul Farmer. Now run mostly by natives, Zanmi Lasante provides world class medical treatment to the poor in Haiti for a whopping price of $0! Seriously, I couldn’t believe my eyes, that such an amazing facility could exist here (from what I’ve seen of Haiti so far). If you’re interested, you should read Paul Farmer’s biography Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder.
In other news, I haven’t heard back from any of the med schools that I interviewed yet.
I won’t deny that it can get quite lonely here. No one here really speaks English. I talk with the missionaries in Korean (and if you know me, my Korean isn’t so good), and I communicate with the Bible college students in a mix of Creole, French, English, and Korean (they take Korean lessons here). It would make a world of difference just to hear from you, so please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have the time. My cell phone number is: +509-441-3451 (509 is the country code. Yes, the entire country uses only 7 digits). You can try SMS, but I don’t know if it’ll work (apparently a lot of SMS didn’t work while I was in Kenya). If it does, I’ll respond.
Please keep me in your prayers.
God Bless,
SunMin
You can read more about my experience in Haiti on my blog:
http://doxadeo.blogspot.com OR http://www.xanga.com/doxa
To subscribe to Haitian Courier Newsletter, visit
http://groups.google.com/group/african-courier/
Haitian Diaries: Candle Light Once Again
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
I woke up to the sound of alarm from my phone. It was set to 4:30AM. We had an early morning service at 5, and then breakfast. The children line up in the morning t greet us. Each of them kissed our hands and we theirs.
Today was the first day of clinic, but it took quite a while to actually start the clinic. We made several stops, particularly at churches to give out balloon figures and bread and juice. Before long, it was lunch time even before we started the clinic, so we ate at a restaurant at a gas stand. We had some chicken, pasta salad, and rice. I had a can of this juice that tasted like banana strawberry milkshake, but it was all artificial flavor... yuck. Exported from Kansas.
The clinic was amazing. We had two doctors and two lines of patients. One was a medical doctor and the other an acupuncturist. I stuck with the medical doctor. We gave worm medicine and vitamins to every patient plus any other medicine that each needed specifically. Basically, the doctor told me to do stuff, and I did them. Some times I used a syringe to feed babies medicine, sometimes I dropped solutions into patients' eyes, and I had many cases where I had to disinfect and put ointments. Some of them were just pimples, some where actual infections such as ringworm. As I gave the worm medicine and water to patients, I thought maybe I should take one, too, incase I still carried some from Kenya. Probably not, but my bowel movement hasn't been very stable lately. I'll have to see.
My laptop battery didn't get charged, hence I'm writing on a notepad under a candle light... Reminds me of the time I was in Masai, except I had a kerosine lamp back then. I wish we had a solar powered charger... I'll have to get one when I become a real missionary doctor. They have a generator here, which was sent from the church in LA, but it's broken, apparently from all the tossing and turning during shipment.
I love the kids here. They are so playful, full of energy, so sweet. They would give me massages even when I don't ask. They speak bits and pieces of Korean, which is kind of funny. My heart aches for them because they are so innocent yet they are motherless or fatherless. There are certain aspects of being an orphan that you can never understand unless you are on orphan. But I try anyway.
The food we've been eating here at the House of Love is great. It's all Korean food. mostly because of all the food the team brought. I brought some soup powder (which, by the way, were lifesavers in Lenkijape because I was getting quite tired of lack of variety in diet there) and beef jerky. I just threw them into the pile of food, and I haven't seen them since. Hopefully I'll see it later.
I'm quite exhausted. I have the same headache I had in Kenya when I inhaled too much car exhaust. Tomorrow I'll wear a mask and see if it'll make any difference. Tomorrow will be another day of free clinic. I can't wait for tomorrow.
[Obviously, I had to type this on my laptop once I got to recharge it. I'll post more entries soon.]
I woke up to the sound of alarm from my phone. It was set to 4:30AM. We had an early morning service at 5, and then breakfast. The children line up in the morning t greet us. Each of them kissed our hands and we theirs.
Today was the first day of clinic, but it took quite a while to actually start the clinic. We made several stops, particularly at churches to give out balloon figures and bread and juice. Before long, it was lunch time even before we started the clinic, so we ate at a restaurant at a gas stand. We had some chicken, pasta salad, and rice. I had a can of this juice that tasted like banana strawberry milkshake, but it was all artificial flavor... yuck. Exported from Kansas.
The clinic was amazing. We had two doctors and two lines of patients. One was a medical doctor and the other an acupuncturist. I stuck with the medical doctor. We gave worm medicine and vitamins to every patient plus any other medicine that each needed specifically. Basically, the doctor told me to do stuff, and I did them. Some times I used a syringe to feed babies medicine, sometimes I dropped solutions into patients' eyes, and I had many cases where I had to disinfect and put ointments. Some of them were just pimples, some where actual infections such as ringworm. As I gave the worm medicine and water to patients, I thought maybe I should take one, too, incase I still carried some from Kenya. Probably not, but my bowel movement hasn't been very stable lately. I'll have to see.
My laptop battery didn't get charged, hence I'm writing on a notepad under a candle light... Reminds me of the time I was in Masai, except I had a kerosine lamp back then. I wish we had a solar powered charger... I'll have to get one when I become a real missionary doctor. They have a generator here, which was sent from the church in LA, but it's broken, apparently from all the tossing and turning during shipment.
I love the kids here. They are so playful, full of energy, so sweet. They would give me massages even when I don't ask. They speak bits and pieces of Korean, which is kind of funny. My heart aches for them because they are so innocent yet they are motherless or fatherless. There are certain aspects of being an orphan that you can never understand unless you are on orphan. But I try anyway.
The food we've been eating here at the House of Love is great. It's all Korean food. mostly because of all the food the team brought. I brought some soup powder (which, by the way, were lifesavers in Lenkijape because I was getting quite tired of lack of variety in diet there) and beef jerky. I just threw them into the pile of food, and I haven't seen them since. Hopefully I'll see it later.
I'm quite exhausted. I have the same headache I had in Kenya when I inhaled too much car exhaust. Tomorrow I'll wear a mask and see if it'll make any difference. Tomorrow will be another day of free clinic. I can't wait for tomorrow.
[Obviously, I had to type this on my laptop once I got to recharge it. I'll post more entries soon.]
Haitian Diaries: Arrival
Monday, March 26, 2007
Our team arrived at Port-au-Prince at 7:30AM. When I got off the plane, it was like being back in Freetown, Sierra Leone, except it was at night back then. The airport in Freetown was quite chaotic compared to the one here. It was bigger and cleaner, and no one was shouting to get your attention to be your "guide." The road outside seemed cleaner than Freetown, but it's still quite a mess. I was surprised that no one solicited us when we made stops near the airport. Many of the team members were complaining about the car pollution, but I almost didn't notice. I suppose I had gotten used to it in Kenya.
The House of Love, which is where we're staying, is only about 15 minutes from the airport. The orphans and the Bible college students that are training there can speak and understand some Korean, which surprised me. People called the lady pastor (Pastor Baek) who runs the place "mok-sa-nim" ("pastor" in Korean), and kids around the village called everyone one of us "mok-sa-nim," probably because Pastor Baek had ministered to these kids.
We went to a place called Fontain, where Pastor Baek is building a new orphanage. There were about 30-40 kids around, and we made them balloon figures (I made dogs and flowers most of the time) and gave them some bread.
Afterwards, we went to a clothing factory (called Willbes) run by Koreans. It was mainly to meet some of the managers there. It was quite interesting to see how they mass produced these shirts destined for Target in the US.
The kids here at the orphanage are so adorable. I just wish I could speak more French/Creole. I picked one up knowing that I would have to pick up every single one after that, but it was worth it. I love kids. I've started practicing my French with some of the students. They're pretty cool. Some of them are around my age and speak bits and pieces of Anglais. Must practice. I want to be fluent in French and Creole before I return to the States.
Tomorrow we start the clinic. Getting up at 4:30AM for early morning prayer. The electricity here is very scarce. I hear that they get 2 hours a day on average. I thought it was a scheduled 2 hours, but apparently it's kind of random when it will be on. I only have 25min left on my laptop battery, so I suppose I'll just have to leave it plugged in tomorrow and hope that it gets charged sometime during the day (and not get blown up during the process).
Our team arrived at Port-au-Prince at 7:30AM. When I got off the plane, it was like being back in Freetown, Sierra Leone, except it was at night back then. The airport in Freetown was quite chaotic compared to the one here. It was bigger and cleaner, and no one was shouting to get your attention to be your "guide." The road outside seemed cleaner than Freetown, but it's still quite a mess. I was surprised that no one solicited us when we made stops near the airport. Many of the team members were complaining about the car pollution, but I almost didn't notice. I suppose I had gotten used to it in Kenya.
The House of Love, which is where we're staying, is only about 15 minutes from the airport. The orphans and the Bible college students that are training there can speak and understand some Korean, which surprised me. People called the lady pastor (Pastor Baek) who runs the place "mok-sa-nim" ("pastor" in Korean), and kids around the village called everyone one of us "mok-sa-nim," probably because Pastor Baek had ministered to these kids.
We went to a place called Fontain, where Pastor Baek is building a new orphanage. There were about 30-40 kids around, and we made them balloon figures (I made dogs and flowers most of the time) and gave them some bread.
Afterwards, we went to a clothing factory (called Willbes) run by Koreans. It was mainly to meet some of the managers there. It was quite interesting to see how they mass produced these shirts destined for Target in the US.
The kids here at the orphanage are so adorable. I just wish I could speak more French/Creole. I picked one up knowing that I would have to pick up every single one after that, but it was worth it. I love kids. I've started practicing my French with some of the students. They're pretty cool. Some of them are around my age and speak bits and pieces of Anglais. Must practice. I want to be fluent in French and Creole before I return to the States.
Tomorrow we start the clinic. Getting up at 4:30AM for early morning prayer. The electricity here is very scarce. I hear that they get 2 hours a day on average. I thought it was a scheduled 2 hours, but apparently it's kind of random when it will be on. I only have 25min left on my laptop battery, so I suppose I'll just have to leave it plugged in tomorrow and hope that it gets charged sometime during the day (and not get blown up during the process).
Haitian Diaries: Mountains Beyond Mountains
Sunday, March 25, 2007
"Beyond mountains there are mountains" is an Haitian proverb. I just finished reading Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder on my flight to Miami (and I'm typing this on the plane). It's a book about Paul Farmer, a doctor who has done and is doing some amazing things for the poor (and the sick) around the world, including Haiti. The book was especially meaningful because Farmer is an example of the type of doctor I want to be and the kind of attitude I want to have towards patients and the poor. It's very inspiring.
So why am I flying to Miami? Actually that's not my destination. It's just a brief stop where I can get access to the internet (for the last time in a while) and post this blog entry before I enter the land of "mountains beyond mountains." That's right, I'm on my way to Haiti.
I'm flying with a medical missionary team from Abundant Mission Church in LA. We'll be running a free clinic for a week, and the team will leave while I stay there for 3 more months.
I don't know much details yet (as it is often the case with my trips), but I'll be staying with a missionary who is in her 60s and runs an orphanage. So most likely I'll be teaching English and songs and stuff like that. It would be really cool to visit Zanmi Lasante (Paul Farmer's hospital) in Cange in the central plateau. I could really learn something important from there.
I'm told that where I'll be staying they only have electricity 2 hours a day and no internet, even though it's in Port Au Prince (capital of Haiti). I'll have to go find an internet cafe to get online. I'm going to miss broadband, but I think I'll be fine (I did survive Masai Land without electricity or running water for a month, and I would still go back there.)
Please keep me and the team in your prayers. I will post on the blog as often as possible (probably every time I get access to it).
I'll be back June 28.
[Obviously I didn't get access to internet in Miami, hence I'm posting this two weeks later in Haiti]
"Beyond mountains there are mountains" is an Haitian proverb. I just finished reading Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder on my flight to Miami (and I'm typing this on the plane). It's a book about Paul Farmer, a doctor who has done and is doing some amazing things for the poor (and the sick) around the world, including Haiti. The book was especially meaningful because Farmer is an example of the type of doctor I want to be and the kind of attitude I want to have towards patients and the poor. It's very inspiring.
So why am I flying to Miami? Actually that's not my destination. It's just a brief stop where I can get access to the internet (for the last time in a while) and post this blog entry before I enter the land of "mountains beyond mountains." That's right, I'm on my way to Haiti.
I'm flying with a medical missionary team from Abundant Mission Church in LA. We'll be running a free clinic for a week, and the team will leave while I stay there for 3 more months.
I don't know much details yet (as it is often the case with my trips), but I'll be staying with a missionary who is in her 60s and runs an orphanage. So most likely I'll be teaching English and songs and stuff like that. It would be really cool to visit Zanmi Lasante (Paul Farmer's hospital) in Cange in the central plateau. I could really learn something important from there.
I'm told that where I'll be staying they only have electricity 2 hours a day and no internet, even though it's in Port Au Prince (capital of Haiti). I'll have to go find an internet cafe to get online. I'm going to miss broadband, but I think I'll be fine (I did survive Masai Land without electricity or running water for a month, and I would still go back there.)
Please keep me and the team in your prayers. I will post on the blog as often as possible (probably every time I get access to it).
I'll be back June 28.
[Obviously I didn't get access to internet in Miami, hence I'm posting this two weeks later in Haiti]
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