Life as a Haitian: Post hurricane Mathieu, 11 days later, Les Anglais, Haiti.

Life as a Haitian: Post hurricane Mathieu, 11 days later, Les Anglais, Haiti.

Post hurricane Mathieu, 11 days later, Les Anglais, Haiti.

Finally I am able to post something since I made it to Port-Salut and Les Anglais. Saturday 10/15/16 It took us two days to get to Les Anglais because we were unable to cross the river that provides access to the city. We then spent the night in Port Salut at a friend's residence. The devastation of Port Salut by Hurricane Mathieu is unexplainable and sad. When you look at the city, you think of winter in Haiti without the snow on the ground. Port Salut was known for it beauty, a well located costal little city with a good touristic reputation. All the resorts are non functional because of severe damage. Sunday 10/16/16 The following day we were picked up early to continue to Les Anglais, our final destination. Again, there is no way I can put into words what really happened here 2 weeks ago. It took us 2 hours to get there. It's unbelievable, what the south coast looks like. The only way you can really understand how devastating Mathieu was is to see it yourself; it's like a war zone to me. All the farms are gone. :( All the forest has been destroyed (looks like there was a big fire), bridges are collapsed, which makes it impossible for big trucks to bring food and water for the people in Les Anglais and surrounding cities. The impacts of Hurricane Mathieu are big, a lot of effort is needed to coordinate the relief effort. The news has only reported a little piece of what I am seeing. The needs are complex and multiple. The impacts are going to last for years. I have not seeing much effort from the government yet, nor their presence. Monday 10/17/16 The town of Les Anglais is a small coastal flat city surrounded by mountains. A more than 200 feet large river bed gives access to the city. No bridges have ever been built. The residences were poorly constructed. Only 10% of the homes were built in concrete and have partially resisted to the furor of the hurricane. The owner of the hotel where we stayed reported that he saw many people and animals flying down the mountains during the hurricane. One of the patients I had today at the dressing change clinic and some witnesses, told me that he was flying in the air after the wind took him off of his porch. Somehow he landed in the water, which saved is life. The day started this morning with the death of a 9 year old boy from cholera after many attempts to get IV access. He came to the cholera clinic too late and the cholera center wasn't well equipped. Later we helped a lot of people by cleaning their wounds and changing their dressings. For some of them we couldn't do much because their wounds were so infected and complex. The hospital was filled with the smell of infected wounds, which gave me a flash back of the post earthquake experience in 2010. The death toll in Les Anglais 13 days after Mathieu is around 60 and some people are still missing. Praise God we were able to get a satellite phone because regular cellphone don't work here, and we were unable to communicate with the rest of the world. Adding to that, any drizzle in the mountains, can make it impossible to cross the river which gives access to the city. Every other day we coordinate food drops and distribution. Two marine helicopters landed today and brought food and supply for the villages. We are praying for more to come. Besides all, Haiti is still beautiful. The smile on the people faces gives hope. Prayers are needed!! On Tuesday and Wednesday, we drove to two different villages and did mobile clinic and tarp distribution. We received some tetanus toxoids vaccine from a group of friend who visited us, which we were very grateful for. We gave the vaccine to about 50 people. I am finally home with my family. I can't spot thinking about the families in Les Anglais. I am planing on going back very soon . Your prayers are needed, pray specially for the kids, for school to reopen, for diseases prevention, food, safe water to drink and finally for the economy of the area . I want to thank my team leader and teammates for their effort to make it possible to make this little change in the life of the people we served in Les Anglais Dr. Abby Blackmon, Janice Rivers, Cindy Balio, Dr. Aubree Ruzkowski, Jacques Yonel, Samuel Dumond, Mauricio and Hyppolite Fanfan. And some organizations like Harvest Field Ministries, Mission of Hope Haiti, International Medical Corps, Community Health Initiative, working together to bring food, medical care and tarps to this region.

flash back

Tonight I can't sleep:} its too bad. I moved on my bed, turned all side, move the pillow and it has changed nothing. Then I felt the need to talk, like I remember that use to happened to me when I was in Wisconsin Madison. Tonight is different, its deeper, my tears can't stop. I think that I am afraid of sleeping, I want to stay awake, not in case another earthquake happened, but just to think about this tragedy of january 12. This is a story that I can't forget. No I can't forget what I have seen, hearing, living... This window will be never close on my mind. Yesterday I was at the nursing school and I had flash back from what happened on that ground. I could remember the cloud of people screening at us at the gate of the nursing school begging for care. I have never seen that before other than on the TV. It happened so fast.
Tonight I am crying, I can't stop crying . My tears can't help the people that died from the earthquake to come back to life, they can't erase the story of this tragedy as well, so none of that are the reasons.

But I am crying because we are still not ready ... Not ready. We did not learn enough from the disaster of January 12 2010.
I am afraid about some many January 12 that we could still know, that's why I am crying. Who's next? What's next?
When I was at the nursing school yesterday in Léogâne, with a friend from Yale, Connecticut, I had the feeling that nothing never happened there, that this tragedy was a dream that may happened on the future. But it did happen and I can't stop thinking of it. This story will stay for generations.
I wish I could give a big hug to all of the heroes of that day. Without your help we won't be able to breath a little bit today and take some time to think about this tragedy but we would still get stock a certain way with all the aftershocks that came with the quake of January 12. I want to talk on behalf of millions Haitian to thank you all, for you good help and good heart.


May God bless you and protect us.

L-I-F-E

L-I-F-E...
I don’t know what to talk about tonight, but I was talking with some friends about my experience during the earthquake of January 12 in Haiti… after our talk, I spent some time reading my blog and it reminded me these days of my life when I felt the most blessed. Helping so many people, learning so much about what L_I_F_E means. My faith has been increasing so much. Not one time I had any hesitation to not serve others. Serving others is my determination and only goal in life. In return, I get peace back and feel good. But I would recommend this, try to taste the freedom of serving and you will see the more appropriate meaning of life. A good life is not the length of living on this earth neither the amount of opportunities you can get nor the kind of relationship you can have with the wealthiest people on this world … but living is different, according to me, it’s a concept of serving others with love and compassion. I have a lot to know about life and to see and to share, for now I like it. Every day I get to love more, serve more and feel more happy and peaceful from doing that… God bless you, my friends. Good night.

Back :)

Finnaly I am back. Witgh a lot of answers, news, god news. it has been about one year that I started this blog. I wish all my readers an happy new year and hope God will be with us every single Minute this new year.

I back to share my story with you, and keep you update about Haiti. your comments are very importants for me. I am not alone because of God and your throught also.

Now I am a nurse Coordonator at Hope hospital In Port-au-prince, which you can read about in http://www.usfch.org/feh.htm. Now my life is more stable/ i like my job and god is blessing me a lot, i very gratefull for that. Christmas was very good I had some good friend visiting and spending time with me. Please pray that God will give me more direction.

I am staying in port-au-prince, at a guest house that my Hospital owns, I met many great friend that i will never forget, they all have a place in my heart same as all my friends met before.


I was so happy to received Craig and his oldest daughter in haiti with my family, we spent good time together helping with World wide Village (http://www.worldwidevillage.org/) doing Mobile Clinic at the mountain.
I have seen many other friends that I love so much.
Tonight I would like to talk about Peace.
but i would like first to hear from some people:
1- which peace is the most important, the peace we feel inside us or the one the we create around us?
2- what relation exist between them?
next post I will talk more about peace according to me and also talk more about haiti and the greats things God blessed me with , also the greats people he put on my way.
night.

cant find the answer of what I supposed to do in the near future

It 15 mn to 10 am, I am at the Nursing school, translating for a pediatric nurse with the senior students. Today is august 17 and it almost two months that I am back to Haiti. I miss all my friends in Madison, my dear friends the Dopf's family that I will never forget and my friend in Minneapolis. I remember my plan before I came back to Haiti, everything I wanted to do, with my nursing experience, with my new experience with God. I still don’t know why, I am here, not working and not helping at all. Sometime like I always said: it hard to understand God's desire for you. I am praying God everyday to ask him. what He wants me to do?
Sometimes it makes me so sad to see how I spend my time in Haiti. Life as a Haitian is a dilemma. I will never surrender at all. The earthquake has changed many lives, also mine. I will never go back to my first life. I will never still quit in my bed in Léogâne, I will never have my cloths in my nice closet. The tent will be my home for a period of time I don’t know. Any way I am not the only victims of this living condition. Mine might be a lot better than others.
Days after days I am asking God what I supposed to do, cause I want to be active not staying as a lazy man. I want to work or create or change or promote. No one is thinking for me here In Haiti. Only God will give me the answer. I don’t know for how much I will work or where or in what condition but I just want to use my time by doing something positive.
God is giving me a passion now for Medicine; I really like the idea of being a surgeon. And that is not impossible. If it God desire its will be a lot more easy for me to apply for medical school and then become a surgeon and be more helpful for my community. I don’t know what to do or where to go or who to talk to, but I am talking with you, you who know who I am , where IO am from , and what I can do and who I was before and who I will be. God, I am talking to you now please here is my prayer:
“Like a son talking to his father I am comfortable to talk to you my God
You who know when I am sad, when I am weak and when I am lost. Please help me find the answer of what is waiting for me. I am a little afraid for myself, my future and my dream.
You have the keys of my life the keys which can open the book of success. I relay on you my father.
My prayers and my through are for you and to you. Love You God amen »