Things that happened

This year began:

::We celebrated Christmas and rang in the new year with friends and family in North Carolina. It was as wonderful and exhausting as whirlwind visits to the U.S. always are. 

These loquats grew:

::The loquat trees on the farm in Kenscoff, full of fruit by mid-January, have already been picked clean by kids and visitors. We used the fruit pictured here to make three gallons of vinegar.

 

This girl learned how to use a chainsaw:

::Up on the farm we've been milling downed trees that fell during last season's hurricanes. 

This house was (nearly) built:

 

 ::A tiny treehouse-esque cabin on the farm, designed by our friend JM while he was here in January, and built from those milled trees.

This house got broken into:

 

::Our one-room home on the farm... the window was forced open and possessions were stolen, resulting in an as of yet unresolved entanglement with the Haitian justice system.

This house remains our refuge from it all:

::After the break-in on the farm, our ti kay in Pétionville feels ever more like a sanctuary. We have a new and lovely roommate, and for the past month have also had a slew of additional house guests and visitors.

This stuff [not pictured] stopped working:
:: After he milled a tree that had a curse on it [a story for another day], everything of value that Ben owns has either been stolen (his laptop) or stopped working. His welder exploded; his Blackberry, iPod, and Fuji rangefinder all died; his Canon camera started acting up and his motorcycle gas tank rusted out. 

These feet went to the beach:

::We've managed to squeeze in three beach trips this year, including a snorkling jaunt off of the Côte des Arcadins (after which we happily spent a morning drifting at sea when our boat engine died).

This garden grew:

::Our garden in Pétionville is thriving after Ben designed a timed self-watering system that feeds from the tank on our roof. Until rainy season begins in earnest, it's a perfect solution for our busy lives.

This guy may go to trial:

::Murderer, torturer, embezzler and ex-dictator Jean Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier was court-ordered to testify in a series of hearings which will determine whether or not he faces charges of crimes against humanity. In these historic Thursday hearings, victims' testimonies are being heard for the first time.

This camp was violently evicted*:

::The forced eviction of people from displacement camps continues, with escalating violence. The  camp above was set on fire in the middle of the night, finally prompting the UN to speak up. (*Thanks to housing rights activist Mark Synder and Under Tents for this photo).

This disease continues to infect people:

::Claiming diplomatic immunity, the UN has shamefully refused to take responsibility for introducing cholera to Haiti. Meanwhile, mortality rates rise while much fanfare is being made over an un-funded $ 2.2 billion elimination plan. 

This cat is oblivious to it all: