Lots of Avocados

...that we didn't have to pick ourselves, because the storm did it for us!

In all seriousness, though, it's bad news 'round here. The storm had a devastating impact on displacement camps. See: Reflections on Hurricane Sandy. And on agriculture. See: Storm damages crops in Haiti, fueling food price woes. As to be expected, four consecutive days of rain has also already caused a spike in the number of reported cholera cases.

Happy Harvest

 Basil. From our garden. For pesto. Tonight.

Reimagining Cité Soleil as a GARDEN

On what used to be an acre of trash, amazing friends over at Pax Christi in Cité Soleil have imagined this wonderful project (Haiti's largest urban vegetable garden, planted by children) into being:

It's called the Tap Tap Garden. See here the press release from Bochika, the organization that, along with SOIL (who also put composting toilets on the site), helped make this happen with the support of MCC and others. Be inspired. Really.

Daily Minutae

Our weekdays have been replete with lotsa work and a steady stream of houseguests, not to mention gifts from Luna (on Friday alone: a snake, a mouse and a giant green lizard) which tend to necessitate a fair bit of chasing around the house.

Recently, Ben seems to be providing the entire city and its environs with composting worms. Today we went up to Kenscoff to deliver a batch of worms, pick wildflowers and visit J's fledgling strawberry farm. Who can't wait for December and strawberries (fertilized with compost à la Ben)? Me! Me!

Among other destinations, Ben's worms have also made their way to Cité Soleil -- to fertilize a Pax Christi urban gardening program. Oh, and remember the Kabrit? The Kabrit has also found a happy home in Cité Soleil:

(The banner above the bike reads "Another Haiti is Possible: look further")

Coming soon: Ben will be spending 2 weeks in southern France at a photography festival. And even sooner: We're hoping that we will dodge Tropical Storm Irene just like we did TS Emily. The National Hurricane Center advisory isn't looking too good for tomorrow. Boy, does hurricane season have us perpetually on edge around here.

Today we are also grieving the death of Ben's uncle Fred, who passed away yesterday. Fred Fay became quadriplegic in an accident at the age of 16 and was a leader in the Disability Rights Movement. A PBS documentary, A Life Worth Living, showcasing his life will air on October 27th. Fred's death has us thinking a lot about Martha today, too.

sometimes it's the little things

...like the first little tomatoes that appear,

a homemade dreamcatcher,

the golden color of fermenting honey mead,

the banner for a campaign I'm helping with,

or mango season.

Surprise!

: we haven't actually dropped off the face of the earth.

We have, however, made blogging less of priority as we deal with life and work and some major decision-making... (as well as taking some family/community time and time on the beach in Port Salut). Some big changes are in the works, which we will share soon.

surprise pak choy coming up in the oat grass

 surprised that a pineapple can be growing in a small pot

Last Sunday the truck broke down as were coming back from the South. We found a mechanic in Miragoane whose shirt read, "SURPRISE" on the back in block letters. Underneath was an advertisment for a funeral home. Surprise, indeed.

Moving at a Snail's Pace

Whoever coined this phrase obviously didn’t have a garden that was being devoured by snails. I don’t know if it’s the damp weather or if they just happen to be attracted to what we’re trying to grow, but our lakou has become a snail breeding grounds. Snails are eating our peppers, zinnias, collards, mustard greens, squash, nasturtiums, beans, cilantro, tomatoes, basil, arugula, chives, citronella, ginger, begonias, impatiens and hastas. We read that mint is supposed to repel snails. Not Haitian snails. They’re even eating our mint. So far the only things they seem to be ignoring are amaranth greens, fennel, oregano and rosemary.

 

some of the damage

Forget our pacifist values - this is war. Since we’re not into putting chemicals on our food, here’s what we’ve tried: ground up eggshells, coffee grounds, spraying strong coffee on the plants, yeast and honey traps, upside down pots as daytime traps and beer traps. They ignore the traps, cross the eggshells, and eat around the coffee grounds. Our latest course of action has been to go out at night with flashlights, pick them off by hand and squash them underfoot. I can’t bring myself to squash the really big ones, so I throw those over the wall or try to drown them. The dead snails are piling up and starting to smell. Meanwhile, the ones we invariably miss keep eating and breeding.

We’ve started sprouting seedlings indoors to give them a break for the first few weeks of their lives. But now there seem to be itty-bitty snails living in the sand we mix with worm castings to make potting soil… Aak!

Suggestions, anyone?

Latest

Latest amazing Haitian handicraft find: Papier-mâché zebra wearing an outfit.

Latest homecooked feast: Wheat tortillas, guacamole, mango salsa, red beans. 

Latest kitty drama: Poop on the spare mattress. 

Latest craft project: Newspaper pots for seedlings.

Latest garden woes: Blossom end rot and dead rosemary.

Latest hullabaloo: After some delay, the CEP (Provisional Electoral Council) finally announced the list of approved presidential candidates last night. Wyclef Jean was not among them.

- posted by Alexis from Ben's account (he didn't want to take credit for these pictures. Why ever not?)

What's a weekend for?

Sleeping in, lounging around...? Not around here! Our weekend was replete with:

Parties

Ben, ever the optimist: How long do you think before this styrofoam plate is clogging a canal in Cite Soleil?

Soccer Games

U.S. versus Ghana at Garly's house (Note: place of origin wins out over passport when it comes to who I support in the World Cup. Go Africa! Which at this point in the Cup = Go Ghana!).

Argentina versus Mexico at "Hang"

Gardening

We planted three more tires with cabbage, arugula, beets and radishes.

Cooking

Ben took a stab at making pita bread for dinner guests. It was delicious.

And more...

Whatta Month!

So far my tranquil plans for December - meditative reflections on advent, watching the tomatoes and greens grow to the soundtrack of Handel's Messiah, a new flower bed (flowers only - no veggies allowed), Christmas baking, actually going to my yoga class in Pelerin, crafts and some romantic time in the mountains... all, of course, squeezed into our respective work schedules in Port-Au-Prince and the Central Plateau - have been upstaged by:

• a feral cat that broke into our house 3 nights in a row. The first time it attacked Luna IN OUR BED at 2:00 in the morning, resulting in cat sh** on our sheets, mosquito net and Ben's pillow.
  
• a week with stuffy, snotty all-consuming colds followed by:
  
• Ben's severe bout of dengue.
  
• the rats that have eaten most of the tomato, kale and mustard green seedlings. (Oh well, I lost my copy of Handel's Messiah anyway).
• fatigue as I try to work full-time, commute by tap tap, care for my sick husband, feed a kitten, feed myself (thankfully for him, Ben hasn't been real hungry this week), keep a litter box clean and water the seedlings that haven't been eaten by rats. Clearly I don't have what it takes to be anything more than one half of one couple with an equal household division of labor! My kudos to all of you amazing men and women out there that juggle so much more.
  

In spite of the madness, we have both been able to enjoy some pre-Christmas serenity through advent celebrations on hope, peace, joy and love with our MCC community and other friends. We managed to decorate our home with a too-expensive string of lights and a few DIY eucalyptus wreaths (turns out Ben is an amazing wreath-maker). Saturday I spent the day baking Christmas goodies with the Hoffmans while Ben lent moral support from the couch; Sunday I pulled out the trowel and got dirt under my nails while Ben lent moral support from the hammock.

And now, its time to fight the rush-hour masses for a bench seat on a tap tap.

What we have and what we don't

1. Electricity: We don't have it. Or at least not enough to keep our inverter charged and the food in our refrigerator from rotting. We're told - and last year's experience confirms, that EDH (Électricité d’Haiti) starts withholding electricity at about this time of year so that they can provide the city with lights full-time for the week of Christmas and Haitian Independence Day (January 1st).

2. Luna: I never thought that I would own a cat, but our new 5-week old kitten (and future mouser) is just too cute. We have rats. Thankfully they have stayed in our compost pile and out of the house so far, but they're there nonetheless. So, when one of MCC's cats had kittens, only one survived and then happened to be looking for a home - did I mention how darn cute she is? - we gave in and bought a bag of kitty litter. I will post pictures soon so that you check out her insane-looking white eyelashes!

p.s. I am NOT going to become a crazy cat lady like my sister.

3.Work: Work has been a little slow for Ben lately, but that changed when the CLM program got funding for 84 new participants. Remember this? This week I’m in the countryside with him. We’re staying in Desarmes, I’m working from the MCC reforestation program office (where the internet is faster and more reliable than our internet in Port-Au-Prince) and Ben is commuting back and forth to Boukan Kare. A cat-loving friend in Port (and owner of Luna’s mother, Noche) is keeping little Luna for us. Incidentally, today is a holiday but Ben still had to work. It is Fèt Batay Vètyè, in which we honor the final battle of the Haitian Revolution - the Battle of Vertiers. I’m celebrating Fèt Batay Vètyè by making candied grapefruit peel with Sharon (see #6). Do we get extra credit for picking the grapefruit ourselves?

4. Sunshine: Although this may seem like a ridiculous problem to have in sunny Haiti, our new house has too much shade. Our nasturiums won't bloom, our radishes are getting leggy, and our parsley just straight-up rotted in the ground. Also, our laundry is taking two days too long to dry, leaving our towels and jeans with that stinky, took-to-long-to-dry smell. Our landlord will be cutting down one of our trees (whose roots are growing into our water cistern) and hopefully that will help.

5. Intestinal Trouble, which is a nice euphamism for diarrhea. I recently mentioned having spent a week + with dengue fever (read the bit about the rash - I've never itched so much in my life!). Well, no sooner had I recovered from the dengue, the "intestinal trouble" started and has persisted for almost two weeks. I'm open to advice for cures from you medical types (Tim? Caleb?).

6: Festive Spirits: Christmas lights and Santa Claus have already started making an appearance here. The funny thing about these lights and Santas is that most Haitians only celebrate Christmas for what it is: a church holiday that commemorates Jesus’ birth. We don’t have malls and greeting card companies, so Christmas ornamentation is pretty much limited to grocery stores and gas stations. Last year, the Texaco station near where we live now outdid the rest with a G-I-A-N-T inflatable Santa on the roof, not to mention a (fake) tree, lights, greenery and a snowman (also fake. Obviously.)

Last year was our first Christmas in Haiti. On Christmas Eve we put some candles on a cactus and on Christmas Day had a nice, low-key time with other friends that weren’t able to be with their families. But this year - and please keep in mind that it’s only November 18th - I am already sorting through Christmas cookie recipes and trying to figure out where to score a pine tree branch (I couldn’t possibly justify using an entire pine tree in Haiti, could I?). The reason? MY PARENTS ARE COMING TO VISIT! Ben and I have only spent two of the last five or six Christmases with family.* But, as Christmas in the Erkert tradition (along with birthdays, Easter, Mother’s Day and any other excuse to eat a lot and give and receive gifts**) is a really big deal, just knowing that we’ll be with my folks on Christmas makes me want to do it up right. CHRISTMAS 2009, WOOOT!

* It caused great alarm among Erkerts that Ben does not appreciate Christmas music.

** So as not to offend any family, I should add that the Erkerts have many meaningful family traditions surrounding these and other holidays. (We sure do love holidays).

How does your Garden Grow?

Per popular request, here are photos of the terrace container garden that keeps us sane here in Port-Au-Prince. We hope that this vine to the right will eventually bear us loads of passion fruit.

the tomatoes:
herbs and the pepper/parsley patch:

greens and beans:












And our new square-foot garden bed, courtesy of Matt and Esther (thanks guys!):

While Ben's been away

(Ben's trip effectively ends today, at 7:00-ish PM when I pick him up at the bus station. Hooray!)

• I've decided that two weeks is too long for us to be apart.
  
• I only ran out of water twice (though once was for 2 1/2 days) and electricity three times.
  
• It's rained 5 nights in a row and I discovered that my roof leaks in four places. I was under the impression that the spring rainy season didn't start until April, but I'm not complaining. I LOVE the sound of rain on a tin roof! It's cold at night! My garden is in heaven!
• Speaking of which, I planted garlic, heat-resistant lettuce, chard, fennel, borage, lemongrass, more tomatoes, more peppers, more beans and more nasturtiums.
• I've eaten the best tomatoes I've yet to eat in Haiti (from said garden, of course).
• I've also eaten an embarrassing amount of toast and peanut butter. Not only have I not had anyone to cook with, but Haitian peanut butter is also just THAT good.
• A broken-down MCC truck and no Ben to take me around on the motorcycle (I still haven't worked up the nerve to drive it myself in the horrendous traffic here), meant that I finally figured out how to get around by moto taxi. Aside from the nasty burn on my leg (note to self: always wear jeans on moto taxis), this has been really empowering. I feel like I have regained a measure of independence that was lost to me when we moved to Haiti.
  
• I've become more assertive and confident in my work at the Human Rights Platform. Suddenly I have a lot of ideas to grow the capacity of the organization and to get involved in ways that interest me. Maybe it just takes + six months here to be "oriented" job-wise: to develop necessary language skills, build trusting relationships with coworkers and learn one's way around a complicated institution like this.
  
• I had a 5-day weekend, during which:
  

1. I read 3 books and watched more movies than I would usually deign to watch in two months. I did six sewing projects, a few of which I've been putting off for months. Mostly little stuff.
2. For one night I attended the biggest, loudest glitterfest ever: Kanaval in Port-Au-Prince (see previous blogpost with link to someone else's blog).
   
3. I also chose to stay in the city while friends went on various vacations. I needed to be alone, to meditate on why I'm here and to regain some of the peace and contentment that's been missing from my life of late.
   
4. In ironic contrast to the frenzy of Kanaval, Lent has begun. After 3 days of intense partying, Port-Au-Prince spent Ash Wednesday in church. From our terrace I could hear services all over the city all day. During Lent we resist temptation in honor of the 40 days that Jesus spent alone in the desert without food. And most importantly, we contemplate the meaning of sacrifice and what our response should be to the greatest sacrifice ever made.
   
5. I spent Saturday in awe of the creativity of this multi-faceted Creator God, as a friend and I hiked to a farm-converted-into-nature-reserve. We were in the mountains only about 40 minutes above the city, but in a different world. It was foggy, quiet and lush green with wild begonias, fennel, Queen Anne's lace, impatience and roses, eucalyptus, loquat and pine trees. Here, my soul could WORSHIP in the way that has always been easiest for me when I am outdoors in a beautiful place. One of the difficulties for me living in Port-Au-Prince is that I don't seek Him/Her out in the concrete, piles of trash, pariah dogs and bumper to bumper traffic of the city the way I do in the mountains. Maybe for me this Lenten period needs to be about learning to see God in unexpected places. After all, isn't that why one of the reasons I moved to Haiti?
6. If cross-cultural relationship-building is another reason I moved to Haiti, yesterday was momentous. I went to the beach in Gran Gwav, an hour or so from PAP, with all but 3 of my Haitian coworkers. I discovered that Jaqueline is so conservative a Christian that she won't remove her towel from around her waist, even in the ocean. I discovered that Carole, who made our picnic feast, is an amazing cook, that Carlo loves to be the center of attention, and that Haitians wear shoes in the ocean so that their feet don't get bitten by ti bet yo (small animals). Even though most of my coworkers don't know how to swim, lunch was the only thing that could pull them away from splashing in the surf.