the tap-tap touch..

Today was fully day 5 here in Haiti on my fifth trip to this island nation. Aside from a bad bout of bed bugs, which were eradicated today with much adieu,  I have settled in fairly well.

Each morning and evening I ride a "tap-tap", which is the Haitian equivalent to public transport. Tap-taps can take pretty much any form from mini-buses down to the back of a pick-up in varying states of disrepair. I take these rides with my new found friend, Jeremy, a 19 year old kid from North Carolina who is also helping out Megan at the hospital. These rides have proven to be interesting in many ways and I just have to chuckle to myself that most north american's would consider this form of transport too and from work each day as a form of torture. Imagine if you will, a morning that is already hot (30+) and still, a mini-bus filled beyond capacity by about 5+ individuals,  all trying to maintain an air of disconnectedness while practically sitting on each others laps..all the while listening to multiple cell phone conversations and if your lucky, a sales pitch from the, quite literally,a travelling salesman...

Today's rides were extra special in that not only did we get to hear the sales pitch about how Amoxiacillin was the cure for whatever ails you and if that didn't work well Zantac would surely be the winner. But next we moved onto the gentleman who hitched a ride for a few blocks quite clearly focusing in on the "blancs" at the back of the bus, welcoming us to his country now could we please give him some money so he could get something to eat for breakfast..which of course we did and all went well... So much entertainment for the bargain price of 0.45 American each way. Tonight's ride home proved to be slightly uneventful unless you count the fact that I was sitting next to the wide open door as the tap-tap careened through mud puddles and down roads at what felts like breakneck speed in a machine quite clearly not meant to travel at such speeds (sorry Danielle..your voice was ringing clearly inside my head but there was no where to go...)

And that is only what is inside the tap-tap... the sights, sounds and smells are indescribable and need to be experienced to be valued.. Children off to school in pristine uniforms, men pushing wheelbarrows full of construction supplies down the middle of the road, smells of sewage on one block only to be replaced by the smell of fresh baked bread or frying banana's on the next...

I must admit I was a little apprehensive about riding the public transport system here in Haiti but I think it's opened my eyes to a little more of what life is like on a daily basis for many Haitians. And it has shown me how in many ways I am disconnected from my fellow Canadians when I am at home. I see now that I come from a world where we barely even look at each other, we ride in cars alone too and from work, many wouldn't dream of touching a stranger let alone be squished in a car for 45 mins in +30 heat unable to escape, we value our space from one another but after the past few days of travel I can't help but wonder if in some small way I am missing out....that although during our rides in these tap-taps we are not engaging with people on any really deep levels maybe in some small ways I am becoming more connected to the city, to it's people and to the reality of a life I have only stood on the fringe of and will never fully appreciate... but maybe in my own way I can once again become more engaged with my life back home in Canada and more further from the fringe and more into the core...

Just where I'm at tonight....

Night all...

Love Lise

Day 4

Day 4 spent washing,bleaching and boiling clothes and sheets... Not the way I would have chosen to spend the day! Off to the clinic in the am... Life is always strange here... Currently, sitting on a dark room writing this and playing with a very skinny kitty cat... About to go to bed before we lose power! Night everyone!

Haiti day 2

Just a quick post to let those of you not on Facebook that I have arrived safe and sound in port au prince! Looks like it is going to be a steep learning curve for me and creole! Megan and her right hand brooke are awesome and this Is going to be a wonderful month!! Hot, sticky and awesome... Cold pop tastes so great!! Will write more when I get settled in!! Love lise

Amazing people and tragedy..

Tonight I am sitting on my patio, arranging my life and my up-coming trip to Haiti. This past week I have had the privileged of spending time with other people who have spent time in and loved Haiti also. One even spent sometime in the "clink" down there, as his southern self calls it! Not only did I so enjoy listening to all the stories and hearing all the great things that they had experienced while there, I started to get more excited about my up-coming trip. It was nice to see that even though both of these people are now back in the States they have both stayed very connected to Haiti and their work there. Even trying to get back to work full-time...Something I admire! For both of them Haiti was not a fleeting experience they have a love for Haiti that warms my heart.. they are both passionate and caring people and I am so very happy I got to spend time with both Holli Griffiths and Paul Waggoner! Hope to spend time with them again soon!!

Although hanging with them was great I also learned some very sad and troubling news about Ti Kay and Megan's supplies..Seems like it is so hard to catch a break at times...

Below is a picture of a fire that ripped through the compound that held her container full of supplies (not to mention the workshop for a group from Cite Soleil and many other projects currently underway at Haiti Communitere).
Thousands of dollars in precious and needed medical supplies, supplies that are not easily replaced, supplies that save lives and keep people well. It is to say the least devastating...

Currently, I am trying to get a hold of some suppliers to get supplies to take with me to help until they can build up their's. If anybody has connections with medical supply personnel,  please pass them on my information and I can talk to them about how they can help (lbudreo@hotmail.com or 780-278-7186). Also, if you would like to donate money that would also be useful as I will pick up what supplies I can here with it. Every little bit counts.

Megan and her crew are down in Haiti working day in and day out to try and provide healthcare to the people of Haiti. In the conditions, providing the type of care they do is no small feat ..this current tragedy thrown into the mix just makes providing that caliber of care all the more difficult. As a nurse working in a resource abundant facility I could not imagine trying to provide the type of care Megan and crew provide without the appropriate resources.  

Thanks for all your support in this matter. Keep your eyes and ears open as I might try to have a last minute fundraiser next weekend and will keep you all posted!

 Lise

Thank you!

I got the following message this past weekend. Anthea and Lyndon are children of a guy I have known for a very long time (Jay and my brother were great friends growing up)! Makes me grateful for parents like Jodi and Jay who are showing their children that one can make a difference at any age. Compassion is often so abundant in children and much can be learned by these little people!! Thanks again you guys! Lise, This is Anthea. Lyndon (my brother) and I raised some money in the last couple of months. We sold home-made napkin holders, little people, and bugs and sold them to our family and friends. We raised $37.20. We want to give it to you to use for medicine when you travel next to Haiti. My dad will make sure he gets it to you. Anthea (and Lyndon)

A few more items...

Hi Everyone,
Here are a few more things that I/we need for my next trip:

Protein bars/powder (please not the powder in the plastic jugs as they are too hard to pack and are very heavy)

Vitamin B6 (50-100 mg tabs): this vitamin specifically helps fight a toxicity from a common TB drug. A 4 pack can be bought from Costco for $24

Weekly Dosettes: containers to provide medications for people to take at home. TB medication regeimes can be complicated at the best of times, providing patients with prepackaged meds helps improve compliance and reduce possibility of developing drug resistance.

Let me know if you are able to help with any of these items! Thanks!

Sometime in your life, hope that you might see one starved man, the look on his face when the bread finally arrives. Hope that you might have baked it or bought or even kneaded it yourself. For that look on his face, for your meeting his eyes across a piece of bread, you might be willing to lose a lot, or suffer a lot, or die a little, even.> ~Daniel Berrigan

way too serious?! :)

In the past 6 months I have had 2 people very close to me,women whom I respect immensely, tell me that I was an "intense and serious person". Now I feel this is a fairly accurate summary of me.. the kicker for me was that they felt I am that way the majority of time....<>

Today was a beautiful day outside and as I walked in the sun today I started thinking about what my friends had said. This year I have been teaching clinical nursing and have expressed to my students the importance of being self-reflective in their life and practice as nurses. What I realized today as I thought about my friends comments, is that to be truly self-reflective you need to consider what others think about you, especially those close to you that know the true you. So that is what I did..

And what I have come up with is this..I AM a serious and intense person. Can I work on chilling out a bit more...maybe.. ok... yes

But to be serious doesn't mean that I don't enjoy life, the experiences I have, that I can't see the good in this crazy world in which we live and that I can't cut loose and have a purely fun time (at times)!

But what it does mean to me is this.. If you are involved in my life we will have deep meaningful conversations about a broad range of things and sometimes what we talk about may make the both of us uneasy.My facebook posts will probably err on the serious side. You will have a champion for your cause whatever it may be and I will be as supportive of you as I can! I will count on you as I know you will always be able to count on me...

I am not going to apologize for being the way I am...I will work on relaxing a bit more and truly enjoying the moments that I am given!

As most of you know, I work in a field that IS serious, I volunteer in positions that push myself and others to places that are uncomfortable. The conditions in which most people in this world live in IS something that more people should take seriously. So often I get wrapped up in that part of it and lose sight of the amazingness of the life I have in front of me...

And sometimes my friends, who love me very much pull me back to that amazingness (is that even a word?! nope..at least it wasn't in spell check..) and for that I am grateful...

Tonight= sit in the sun and enjoy then chill out with friends and enjoy my awesome life!