Urban Camping 101

Yesterday was election day. Municipal, local and even legislative (in the Artibonite, apparently).

But did I care? No. Did I vote? No. Did other people vote? I wonder. The streets were sooo empty, even for a Sunday morning that my mother and I were rather puzzled. My neighborhood was quiet, QUIET, for goodness sake!!!!

So if we didn't vote and didn't go out, what were we doing, you ask. Worrying, that's what! We're down to between 1h15 and 2h of electricity per day. And this does not make us happy.

Our fridge has turn into a pantry, the ants pantry specifically. We practically don't buy fresh anything anymore. Except certain vegetables like carrots or potatoes or onions that don't really need refrigeration. And since we can't save left-overs, we only cook what we can eat in one meal.

Milk isn't a problem since we've been drinking condensed milk for years now. But things like eggs or bread are surprisingly problematic. We now buy half-cartons of eggs, instead of the whole dz but the bread either goes stale or it molds over.

I have mold phobia, people. And it was EVERYWHERE at first. Now that we basically don't get electricity for much of the day, the mold has dried, we cleaned out the fridge and threw out the last 2 eggs.

Needless to say, I'm trying to use as little electricity as possible. So we don't watch tv/listen to the radio unless there's electricity. I don't know when my inverter is going to give out but I want to make what ever juice is left last as long as possible. So only the lights are on at night. Very depressing.

Very little ironing. Which is in itself a nuisance. You see, while knit clothing would be the obvious solution, my clothes are handwashed so they get scrrrrrubed out of shape by our laundress. So I only had regular fabric clothes. Well, cotton = ironing. I haven't figured out the solution to that one yet; don't want to get a wood-coal iron, ecological responsability and all that. Needless to say, handwashing is here to stay since a washing machine would be useless these days. So round and round we go...

Think that's bad? Rumor has it that the first trimester of 2007 (if not the end of 2006) will be completely energy-free. No electricity. Pa p gen kouran menm menm.

This is very depressing, especially when you hear that some neighborhoods already have no electricity at all, while others, such as Cité Soleil or Delmas 33 (nearer the airport, though) have 24h/7 electricity. I have a friend in Musseau who told me they get electricity during the week but not the week-end .

Now, I've lived through this sort of thing during the embargo so I know I can survive it but it's HARD!!! I just know the price of meat is going to soar. And bye bye yogurt, I'll probably have to change to calcium supplements.

All this brings me to Santa and my list. I used to joke during the embargo that we need everything is two sets : electric and manual. Well, here we go again. I call it Urban Camping 101.

As my mother pointed out last night, first thing we need is a solar-powered lamp. Then a dynamo FM radio. And maybe a dynamo flashlight. Oh, and the blender will have to be replaced (I already have a whisk but I'm thinking more along the lines of a meet grinder).

What else? Hum...I'll have to cut off the internet and the cable service so I need some entertainment. Scrabble and cards we already have. (This is the perfect time for me to learn to play poker, btw). I think the monopoly set is still complete but you could come up with a Clue or a Trivial Pursuit, always wanted one of those.

Did you get all that, Santa? Oh, and don't bother hohoho-ing when (if!) you come, I sleep badly enough as it is, a heart attack isn't a good stocking stuffer. So just come, do your thing and leave quietly. Beware of Sophie, next door, she's the bite-and-drag type.

As to wether or not I've been bad this year...well, I'm sure we can work something out for next year. See you when I see you, Nick.

Just like that...

Today is the first day of December, my favorite month of the year. Except it's been a while since December 1st was full of happy anticipation for me.

The last two weeks have been more and more difficult. Mostly it's the kidnappings/murders that have me down. Last week, everyone was glued to their radios, listen to this mother's testimony. Her 20 year-old daughter was kidnapped and held captive for nearly 10 days. The kidnappers wanted $300,000 USD for her release.

The poor woman "sells" phone calls for a living and couldn't possibly come up with this sum, even in her wildest dreams. After days of constant negotiations, and with the help of neighbors, she scrapped together a mere 10,000 gdes. Finally, they called her and told her to go to a certain neighborhood to find her daughter.

What she found was the girl's body. They'd broken her arm at one point and shot her. Probably in both eyes. They told the mother she shouldn't have tried to contact the police so they were "throwing [her] back [her] kid".

The day after this terrible interview, one of the employees at work was kidnapped near her home. Which is in the same neighborhood the girl was taken. Those kidnappers (although it could be the same group) asked for the same amount, $300,000 USD. The employee's family paid an undisclosed amount and she was released. She's since left the country.

A few days later, I read in the papers that the body of a six year-old boy was found in Cap-Haitian by his father. The man had paid the ransom twice, in gourdes and in US dollars, but still they killed his son.

Everyday, you hear a different kidnapping story. This Monday, a priest is abducted inside the parish school he taught at. Tuesday, at least six women were kidnapped in broad daylight; all were alone in their cars when abducted. At least four more people were taken that same day. Two high-profile victims were on of Preval's former ministers and a well-know professional.

Wednesday, Thursday, today, probably the same has already happened or will soon enough.

Meanwhile the police says it arrested six hundred people for the month of November alone. Meanwhile, the municipal and local elections are for this Sunday and so the candidats are campaining. Meanwhile, the President, the Prime Minister and nine Ministers are all currently traveling abroad.

The Prime Minister, before leaving, told the press that his government believes that dialog and negotiations are the way out of this situation. One senator thinks that the death penalty should be reinstated for murderous kidnappers. A LOT of people agree with this.

So, if right now, you're dreaming of egg nog and fancy diners, and cakes and decorations, of caroling and gift shopping, enjoy it.

Others aren't so lucky.

We won! We won! We won!

Some good news, people (enjoy it while it lasts). Our very own BélO won the Prix RFI Découvertes 2006.

Unfortunately, I only have links in French at this time. Those who wish to, can listen to Claudy Siar of RFI's Couleurs Tropicales. He does a two-part show from Douala, Cameroun around the contest.

For the record, this is our second win, the first being Beethova Obas, back in 88. And I'm sure it won't be the last...

Ayiti cheri, mete pou yo!!!

Hello, Is It Me You're Looking For?

So you clicked and nothing had happened in months. Where was I, you ask? The imp in me wants to say "Guess where?". Or the drama queen would say "I was hiding from the world" and toss her head tragically. Or better yet, the mysterious seductress (believe it or not, I have an inner femme fatale, I swear!) would murmur "Depends on where you were looking" and smile suggestively.

It's none of that. Reality, so prosaic sometimes I could cry, is that I just didn't feel like it. You see, once the excitement of the elections died, there was nothing to do but dodge kidnappers and weep over you food bill.

I did both, religiously. And then the summer vacation came and the city died. The streets were empty, except for those lucky few who have jobs and have to drag themselves everyday to work, no matter what. This is what I did for weeks and weeks.

Then school opened again...except, the streets were still empty. Where were the kids? The first day of school, I saw a total of 4 kids. On a street were there are dozens of schools of all kinds, it was rather shocking, to say the least.

Even that is past, parents must have found the money to send their kids. This is the no 3 priority for my fellow denizens, right after food and lodging, I think.

I do have one other good excuse for not writing, the usual one : Technical Difficulties. My phone has been working, or not, throughout the summer. In fact, last weekend, it didn't work for 24h, between two rain showers. I didn't realize I had an hydraulic phone myself until this happened!!! For some reason, at work was no better. So any little bit of inspiration I managed, died at the sight of Cannot find server!

My morale is as it always is: high for 5 mn, low the rest of the time, like everyone else around me. I don't believe people who say they are not scared or depressed or worried. How can you not be when OP (alleged popular organizations, whatever that means) are threatening "Operation Baghdad 2". Sounds like a b movie, right? Make that a b horror movie.

It started yesterday. They say that kidnappings will return to their 30+/day regimen, with assorted crimes and/or violent acts if the Gvt doesn't give them back the fake jobs they had under The Ex. And Rinse Repeat said yes, that whore! He's promised them 25,000 jobs in the public service.

Still, no matter how upset I am over this, I hope he keeps his promises because they're already burning tires and blocking the streets.

And so my stress rises. And I have no solution to this. Tomorrow and Wednesday are hollidays and I'm going to the beach. Yay!

But (you could feel it, right?) I'm sooo scared. Scared to leave my house empty for so many days. Scared to take the roads. Scared to sleepover outside of the city. But mostly scared to come back!!!

On the other hand, I do need a tan...

You Give Me Fever

ETA: This post was drafted on May 31st but I never finished it and even forgot completely about it *gasp*. Since I'm going to come back on this soon, you can catch up on the history of this "situation". Have fun and watch out for the next installment! Sorry for the spelling or other errors. I'm giving it to you raw, LOL!

This month of may has been really hot. And I'm not talking about the weather or the political stuff. Oh, no! nothing so futile.

I'm talking about the cell phone wars. You read me, the streets of this city are all atwitter because there's a new kid on the playground and he doesn't play nice.

But before we get to that, I've got to take you waaay back, all the way to 1999, the year of the cellular advent.

Sure, before that there was the CB of the mid-eighties. How could I forget? I couldn't watch the Disney Channel in peace because the signal scrambled everytime a kid wanted to ask his mother if he could have his dessert. And there was a first cell company but only the lucky few, as far as I can tell, had them and they were HUGE.

Then, sometime during 1999, all the landline phones of the national company started going out of order. I recall quite clearly wondering how so many of my friends and family could have their phones busted when none of them lived in the same neighborhood. Lo and behold, Cell Co. No 1 comes out and everyone rushes to get one. I didn't. Not only because the prices seemed a little much but I thought it was a bourgeois fad.

Cell Co. 2 pops up. CC#1 isn't happy. They don't talk for about a month and then kiss and make up. I actually got my first cell phone because my office got a deal with CC#2 and I could pay it off each month.

Both hiked they prices. People grumbled but put up with it.
You see, that's how it works here: since almost everything is a monopoly (blatant or not), most people settle for shutting up and living with the situation as best they can. That is, until May 1st...

Fever when you kiss me...

After months and months of teasing, and enticing, and suggestive comehither stares, Cell Co.#3 finally launched its services. And then all hell broke loose. For a solid two weeks, all people could talk about was this new kid, bulldozing into town.

And believe me, no pussyfooting at all.

The number of stores alone had to make you take notice. And their colors: red and white. I think a blind man's retina would be seered by CC#3's trail of fire across this city. Everywhere you turn, a red store.

They have t-shirts, caps, lanyards, bracelets. It's like a giant tomato exploded on our heads over night.

Fever when you hold me tight...

And when word got out that CC#2 didn't want to talk to CC#3, the new kid took off the gloves and put out an ad naming CC#2 and offering free phones for all who wanted to defect from CC#2.

For two weeks straight, lines of people, from before dawn, in front of each and every store. And believe me, there are plenty of stores to choose from. I counted on the list they posted in the papers, 33 stores between my house and my office.

Now, all through this battle, CC#1 had been very quiet.

La parentèse Enchantée

It's been a while I know. I needed a break and I took it. I made a short trip to visit my aunt and managed to almost not talk about "the situation" with anyone.

Almost because, of course, the minute anyone found out where I come from, they wanted my opinion on all the news they heard about the elections, insecurity etc.

I have to say my most startling conversation was with this volunteer. She assumed I'd voted for Rinse-Repeat which shows you the level of spin people are spewing and ingurgitating. If the poor girl had had access to other sources of info, she'd realize I am truly not the person to assume this about.

I tried to explain my vote choices and my general position in a calm and rational way. Not an easy task, believe me. Especially since I tried and failed to blog about the election results for the first round.

I had to delete all of my first draft, and the second, and the third. By the fourth, I realized this wasn't going to happen. I just couldn't seem to say what I felt without using words that started with f-, c-, g-, m- or a-.

I'm still upset. Whenever I manage to forget that both Haitians and the Int'l don't believe we are worthy of and, actually, even need true democracy and laws and all that jazz, somebody reminds me.

So let's talk about the infamous results. I say infamous because I'm still violently opposed to handing out any blank vote like it's some damned bonbon.

I also cannot stand hearing about how grown up it was for the Haitian people to go vote and not kill each other all over the streets. Practically since the beginning of the registration process, I've heard people say that they were going to "sell" their vote. And just as soon, everybody believed that Rinse-Repeat would win!!!

So big whoop, we voted and no bloody massacre. One could tell from the questions of the foreign press that they were sooo disappointed, boohoo.

I'm still convinced the alleged "spontaneous" protest in favor of Rinse-Repeat being elected on the first round is manipulation. How else to explain that all this crowd would have brand spanking new t-shirt and posters of their dear candidate? In this dirty, no water country? Yeah, right...

As if that comedy wasn't enough, the second round for the legislatives was today. Logical sequences are also absent, you see. Every election will apparently have it's own special counting system. No wonder schools are rare here. Can't have too many people wondering why 1+1 doesn't always equal 2, can we?

Anyway, my mother voted. I didn't. Early numbers estimate that only 8% to 15% voters bothered to go today. My mother went with friends and it was the same site as for the previous round. Except no line, no crowd, nada. To hear he tell it, the whole experience was like a Sunday afternoon during World Soccer Championships.

Meanwhile, I was busy enjoying all the electricity we had. This was my second at-home day (thank you, temporary govt!!!) so I've been doing all the stuff I couldn't do during the terrible blackouts we've just had: ironing, sewing, blending, mixing, curling my hair.


As you can see, my self-imposed vacation is over. Can't wait to see how this latest farce plays out. [insert smirk here]

Ain't no mountain high enough...

Well, I voted and made it back in one piece. And I have the proof right here:












It went surprisingly well. I'm still in shock. I didn't sleep well at all. Even though I put my alarm on for 5h am, I was awake before that.

We all got dressed and ate a quick breakfast. We met our neighbors around 6h am but there were latecomers so I guess we got to the voting center around 6h30. Like I said in my previous post, we were transferred to a school, the Lycee Marie-Jeanne.

When we got there, the line was to the half point of the street. Around 7h, I left the group to see how far it was. It was up to 3 times that many. I'm guessing 100 people, easily.

So we waited, and waited. At around 7h40, the voting started. It was supposed to begin at 6h but they were late. At 8h25, there were 20 between me and the gates of the school.

While all this waiting was happening, the elderly and the pregnant got to cut in front. There were also the observers, the party mandated people, some press and the local police. I only saw 1 Canadian cop, which was a big surprise. My father says the police was in plain clothes.

At 8h40, my mother and the rest of our group got in but my brother and I, we were locked out. We got in 10 minutes later.

You were assigned a classroom by alphabetical letter and there was a bit of confusion. Lots of people lost their temper because they couldn't find their correct line.

I was out of there by 9h45 am. In the end, my mother, brother and I voted in the same room. They had to find our names on a list with the card number and a picture. You get checked, you vote, then you sign to get your card back, they paint your thumbnail and tada.

I have to say the biggest problem for me was that the only thing separating you while voting was this cardboard contraption: two pieces of carton fitted together in the middle. No real privacy.

And it was even worse for the couple of voting posts outside in the yard. Anyone could see what the voter was marking. Plus, school benches are NOT for adults, thank you very much.

We went down the line before we left for home. I estimate 200-250 people were in line. And there was at least as much at the center across the street.

My aunt lived in Petion-Ville, in the mountains actually, and she went at 2h30, got out at 4h30. Heard the same story from someone else, but she was at another center in PV.

All in all, it was a good day. A few casualties but no big drama. I don't get why the journalists at the official press conference where so negative in their assessment.

Ok, so the next step is the results. I'll let you know asap. For now, I'm off to bed, I'm dead on my feet. Who knew doing your civic duty was so tiring?

The View From My Window

I thought you guys would like to see what "reaching your voters" means here :












You can tell right away which candidates have a lot of money and which don't.

Nothing but good times ahead

Tomorrow, I vote. And I'm scared. No big surprise, my fear, if you've been reading this blog regularly. Except this time, past experiences seem to excuse my cowardice, if only a little.

Today, though, I stayed home. The government gave its employees three days off; schools have been closed since Friday. The rest made up its on mind on whether to work or not.

I was glad to stay home, though I couldn't find the energy to do much. I'm anxious. They say that is Mr Rinse Repeat isn't elected, the bad guys have promised to bloody and burn this city. They say that even if he wins, that will happen. That it has always been planned that way.

It's been very quiet lately. At night, I haven't heard anything other than airplanes and helicopters. Even the constant background of generators stopped since we've had electricity every night since the week-end. During the day, no news of kidnappings or crime, but it could be they are happening in secret elsewhere, if you catch my drift...

It wasn't quiet Saturday, though. It was the last day for campaining and you could tell by all the fresh banners, and posters, and balloons, and billboards covering what seems like every available inch of wall or lamppost in town. Saturday, particularly, saw several candidates rousing the troops one last time. Of course, it made for as many traffic jams since the candidates picked strategic points to rally their followers.

And ads urging us to vote where everywhere these last few weeks. On the radio, on TV, in the papers, in the streets, pushing, and pushing, and pushing. I joked with my family that printers and glue manufacturers will come out of this electoral season with beatific smiles. I'm not sure those who will have to scrape and repaint their walls will be as happy.

It's been an interesting campaign. Full of rumors, accusations, puzzling silences and even the death of a candidate. Rumors say that the winner has already been chose, that the irregularities were arranged during the registration process. This seems plausible. Elections, in the last fifty years at least, have not been known for their fairness or transparency, regardless of what anyone might pretend.

The government channels are also showing ads on how and where to vote. They put the reworked list of voting centers in the papers but I checked mine again online, on the website they set up for it. My original center was a block from my house. Then it moved to 2 blocks away, in a neighboring high school. Three days ago, I discovered I would have to walk 8 blocks to vote. So we changed our strategy. Instead of going each one in turn, we've decided to go with a group of neighbors. I've put out my clothes and made breakfast already. We're leaving at daybreak. I want to bring my cell phone but I don't know if I can; I'll have to check.

So tomorrow, I vote. And I'm still scared. I try not to think too much beyond Wednesday. Or maybe I should say Tuesday night, since the UN etc promised partial results for tomorrow night. This is what worries me the most : what's next?

The polls will be opened from 6h am to 6h pm. It promises to be a grand affair. The numbers a impressive. 3 millions voting cards delivered, 9 thousand UN troops, all the police force (well, those not dead, imprisoned or MIA, at least), 12 helicopters and an staggering 36,000 national and international observers plus the newly trained electoral security agents. No motorcycles, strict limitations on speed or vehicle access to centers.

We also made the news. This one is a given. We always get our 15 mn of fame when something big like this happens. It seems like every day, on French, Caribbean or Canadian TV, they have a segment or a documentary on our "situation". I haven't watched US channels but I imagine that even CNN Headline News found something to say about us. I expect to meet a few foreign reporters at the center, although the big agencies will probably crowd the more "interesting" ones like near the slums of Cite Soleil or at the Prime Minister's office in Musseau.

Most people want to vote, if only to deprive one candidate or another from winning. I don't know who exactly I'll end up voting for, I'm more sure of whom I won't vote for. I'm not convinced my ballot will matter one way or the other but I'm not willing to gamble on it. There are also a number of people who will not vote and say so. Either by political belief or lack of interest. The former group say that it isn't our elections, once again, but those of the foreign players. I agree. Those in the latter group just don't think it's important anymore. Most days, I agree with them. Except, I want to do something, not sit and wait as always.

I just hope...

Anyway, stay tuned folks. Surely, I'll have more to tell. Tomorrow.

ho, ho...oh

I promised a blitz of blogging...and I didn't deliver. Before you complain, I have the perfect excuse: it's the government's fault.

Yes, you read me right. It's all their fault. They went and did exactly what everybody was afraid of: the elections have been posponed. Maybe until January 22nd. They'll let us know for sure any day now. Which means the anxiety of who/what/when will last at least that long.

I'm personnally anxious for us to turn a page. I don't believe there will be elections, democratic or otherwise because it doesn't seem like that's the plan. We're crawling with NGO types, military types, diplomacy types and for what?

When I registered as a voter, I discovered the office by happenstance, walking down the street. It wasn't written anywhere that I could tell. Ditto for getting the card back. My mother stumbled upon the line the first day so we went the next.

Is there a point beyond ridicule? If so, this is what it must be like.

Not that anybody else thinks it's going to happen, either. This canadian journalist doesn't believe so. Neither do most cab drivers I've talked to or any one else for that matter.

I don't even think we really care. We've had gas problems. Sure the streets are almost empty because school is out for the hollidays but the lines in and around gas stations last week were not fun at all.

And then there's the news that we beat Colombia for highest kidnapping rate ever. Rather hard to be proud of such a reputation. I'm personnally very scared to go out. Allegedly, we've gone from 30 kidnappings in Nov to 30 for the first week of December alone. Yikes! I'm also not convinced, like the Police seem to be, that this is purely criminal.

Take for instance this guy who gets kidnapped when he just made a withdrawal at the bank. He gets cornered and kidnapped by armed men. Logically, this is a set-up. Somebody at the bank tipped off the bad guys. Were the story takes a chilling twist is that the unfortunate woman on the sidewalk is taken too. And tortured, to hasten the ransoming process. That one smells like a crime of opportunity. Doesn't it?

I think it's a tool. Which is nothing new. In the past, whenever there's been talk of trouble here and foreign intervention, suddenly your phone or cable doesn't work and thieves are all over you. Can't be just a coincidence, can it?

Not with the UN reportedly renting left and right for an average of 5 years. Not with Mr Rinse-Repeat a favorite if not a sure thing for President. (So much so, he didn't bother until recently to talk to the press, or so they say)

A friend says that if he is our next president, she's definitely leaving the country. After what we've lived through so far, can I blame her? Worse still, with the current crime rate, can she stick around long enough to find out?

'Tis the season to be jolly, right?

Intellige Clamorem Meum

Until recently, I had been very discreet about my blogging. I had told only a few close friends and family, half of which didn't eve sign up for the thing. And that was just fine by me.

I guess I treated this blog like I do all my writing. I think it sucks, basically. Not only was I voicing thoughts and feelings I wasn't sure I wanted to share with people I saw every day, but, true to my type A personality, I decided to do it in a language I'd initially learned from an animated rabbit.

But I needed to say something. Hence the title this post. It's from the Latin version of book of Psalms, and means : "Understand my outcry". Because this huge scream was building in me and it needed to get out. I couldn't share it with my friends or family because they were either in it with me or too far away to fully understand. Paradoxically, I needed a forum of people who were somehow virgin of all the stories and rumors if only to get my own story out.

I think I had an epiphany in spring 2002, actually. My official favorite artist, Barnett Newman was being showed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and I just was struck dumb by the power of his colors. I couldn't find my favorite "Outcry" but this one, the "End of Silence" (detail) ties in nicely, don't you think? (Of course the physical and emotional effect is lessened by the distance. The actual exhibit gave me chills)



So I blogged. And then, I started getting feedback. Not necessarily comments directly on this page, no. But a few people, some of which I didn't know at all, had linked from the only 2 sites online that blog rolled me (you know who you are, I think) and read my posts. Not only that, they said they liked what they read, were even touched by it. Who would have thought!?!

So I took my courage into my own hands and posted the URL on a group I belong to, inviting them to look at the pictures I put up. Yes, I was being coy. What I really wanted was for them to read the rest. It worked.

Predictably, this is not enough for me. I want to read blogs by others like me. I want to know that I'm not the only mouthy third-worlder out there. I want to see that other Haitian women are speaking out, telling their story.

So I'm putting out an ad:

Wanted

Women bloggers of the third wold. Must be opinionated, frank to the point of bluntness and unafraid. Haitian, Caribbean, Latin America and/or island nationals preferred. Please post link in comments. Transgender applications not received at this time.

One last thing. If you're not sure if you belong to the 3rd or 4th world, it's simple: check out your country's score in the UN Humand Development Index. I'm generous so I'll take anything under 0.80.

Tis the season to...whatever!

So we're starting the final month of the year. I am beyond glad to see 2005 go, I'm almost dizzy with relief. If only 2006 could be better...

I was discussing this with my mother last night and I realized two things:

1) I can't remember the last Dec when I was actually looking forward to a new year. I don't think it was 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 nor 2004. Maybe 1999, because of the millenium hype? Though I might have been distracted by the bog anxiety.

2) I'm so glad I don't have children!!!! Between the fact that our exchange rate is stagnating at 43,50 gourdes for a dollar, which means every time I get to the cash register at the supermarket, I fear imminent myocardial infarction, and the fact that all those shootings, murders, kidnappings, mutilations and rapes have left me so rung out, I can't even listen to a jingle or a hymn without sneering, I just want this nightmarish year to be OVER.

So if I had kids, I'd have to go through all the Santa, carolls, tree trimming ritual. And to do that I'd have to be drunk for 40 days (including the first week of the New Year, of course, since school children here don't go back until after Epiphany).

Alas, 2006 isn't going to be much better. How do I know this? Simple. The government has announced that elections will be held January 8th, and inauguration February 24th at the latest. That's, respectively, the first non-holliday Sunday of the year and the Friday before Carnival.

Oh, Joy!

In other news, I'm decided to do a blogging blitz for Advent. So between today and Christmas Eve, I'm challenging myself to post something every day! (don't hold your breath). I'm also "improving" on my blog content, as you can tell from the side bar's growth, to your right. Suggestions are welcomed.

And, before I go, a word about today, World Aids Day. While the UNICEF's statistics, for example, can be staggering, there is some good news available. Starting with the fact that initiatives like PIH/Fonkoze in the fight against AIDS has won a prestigious prize, to the real deal : research in Haiti shows antiretroviral drugs work even on us!

So maybe some things, like human life, are really worth fighting for, even when it all seems relative.

Finally, something to cheer about

Proof that not only is there some good news on this island but that I actually know about it:

My favorite milk drink/yogourt Lèt Agogo won the first prize in the CEPAL/ECLAC competition titled Experiences in Social Inovation. Read about it here and find out about the project here.

Oh, and their milk drink (20 gdes in local grocery stores) looks like this:

I'm so happy, I think I'm going to invest in the dairy project!!!

The View From My Window

While I was working on my previous post, a protest started in front of my office building and I just had to give you the scoop. The front banner says it's the National Coordination of Cooperative Victims (see here and here for details.)

First, the group grew to fill the intersection, then it became a sit-in, which of course backed up traffic for the whole block.

And then gun shots were fired. Apparently, it was a police officer in plain clothes who was pissed off that his SUV couldn't go through. What I did see with my own eyes is two men in t-shirts and jeans with their black handguns drawn.

Of course, the crowd panicked. My own heart skipped a beat when the first shots were fired because I sit with my back to the window. Anyway, no harm to anyone that I can see. The protest is regrouping as I write this.

A sampling of the signs and chants: "We don't want of live like animals, we don't want the IMF", or "We don't want to be hungry, we don't want the IMF", and after the incident, they chanted "Latortue stole our money, now he's shooting at us".

That last one is rather inaccurate (Latortue "inherited" the problem) but then again, it's not like much has been done in favor of these people.

New column! The View From My Window

Introducing my new column: The View From My Window where I'll post pictures I take on the streets of my city.

This is a picture of my front yard. The caption: "One man's campaign is another woman's litter"

Kreyòl Pale, [krēōl'] Konprann

Today is International Creole Day. To celebrate this day, a few words in that tongue, shall we?

Jodi a se Jounen Entènasyonal Lang ak Kilti Kreyòl. Sa vle di tout moun ki pale kreyòl sou latè ap fete bèl lang sa a ak moun ki pale li.

[translation: Today is Int'l Creole Language and Culture Day. This means that everyone worldwide who speaks Creole is celebrating this beautiful language and its speakers.]

I was very happy to watch a debate on Guyane's television around this celebration. I was surprised to see how well I understood what the 7 participants were saying, except, of course for the use of "ka" with verbs which always confuses present and future tenses in my head, but that's another debate altogether...

I was also rather discouraged. It seemed their problems with Creole are almost the same : French is considered a 1st-class language, Creole isn't. People think using more Creole in daily life will cut us off from the rest of the world. Creole is still not considered a "real" language by a lot of people.

One guest, the owner of the local television station we were watching, said that 10 years ago, the station was even stoned because he aired the news in Creole. Things have progressed yet he still has to fight with his guests to get them to interview in Creole.

This situation fits in well with my previous post. Most candidates are using Creole and Rasin music to get the vote. Yet walk into any public office and everyone wrestles with French, all the forms are in French. In fact, I sometimes feel things in Creole are ID and the Constitution.

I hate that this language that all Haitians communicate with is so politically charged. You're "smart" when you speak French, and "dumb" when you speak Creole. And yet, if you actually analyze what most people say in French, was comes out and what they mean are two different things. So it's a means of control and, well, oppression. If you say something only in French, you're guaranteed to filter out almost 95% of the population. This is a good way of making sure people only understand what you want them to.

Our former Prezidan, a great actor in his own right, took to making all his speeches in Creole. Smart man to communicate directly with "the masses". Yet, when he was away, I wonder what stories he told in French and in English...

There are several issues that need to be addressed by the candidates. Foremost is Education. School is mostly taught in French with French books. Is it any surprise that we get such poor results in the official exams? An expert said it best on TV the other day : Children here don't go to school to learn, they got to practise memorization skills.

I was taught Creole in school, in 3rd or 4th grade, for all of 6 months. Never again afterwards. In fact, I was forbidden to speak it even during recess. I didn't even have an opinion on Creole in schools until a few years ago I saw a documentary on Hawai'i.

There is a school on the main island there that experimented in teaching class entirely in the Hawai'ian language (I don't know the correct term). The only class they had in English was literally English. Those students ended up with the highest scores of SAT for that state.

Imagine what would happen if every single law, news article, movie, book or textbook was available in Creole. Every single Haitian would not only have equal access to knowledge, he would also be able to question what's going on around him.

The question now becomes : who really wants that ?

Alien-Nation

The electoral campaign has been in full swing for several weeks now and we are living the boomerang effect. Forrest Gump said it best : "Stupid is was Stupid does". In our case, "Half-baked is what Half-baked does".

One candidate in particular has been the focus of a lot of opposition from the electoral council itself. To the point you would have to be in a coma not to notice this special treatment.

You see, his nationality was contested because the 1987 Constitution and the electoral laws state that you can compete for state office if you renounced your Haitian nationality. After a lot of haggling, debate, vociferous public discussions, he seems to be back in the race.

I am not a fan of this man, I don't belong to his party, I don't even think I'll vote for him. In fact, I'm rather set against him because he's the US White House favorite, apparently. Still, I wasn't against him running.

Why? Why if he's been living in the US for decades? Why if he's made millions, it's said, in the Texan food industry, (which does not do much to impress me anyway)?

Because it's almost unspeakably hypocritical and biased, that's why! I spent 9 mos working in a small institution with 52 employees. From the Director to the gardener, all of them either had 2 passports, were in the process of getting another, had close relatives ie parents, siblings, cousins who either were foreign nationals or citizens.

Worse still, of the 20 some candidates for President, no one is very offended by their allegiances, except for that one guy. I don't know if it was a preemptive strike but another candidate took out 4 pages of a local newspaper to publish his credentials: both his parents birth certificates, his own and his US green card!!!! Do I really care?

The Constitution and the laws are wrong because they weren't made for the long term. It was convenient in 86-87 because a lot of Duvalier's people fled the country. But when you ban them from the elections for only 10 years, what happens next? It's been almost 20 years since Jean-Claude et Cie left the island. Are we even surprised there are three openly pro-Duvalier candidates for presidency?

All this led me to question what makes one a "true" Haitian. I examined myself. I'm not particularly patriotic because I find patriotism to be a posture. One of my ancestors fought in the War of Independance but so what? Look what happened to that ideal. Some days, I curse my parents for birthing me into this chaotic mess. Most days, I wish I could drop everything, empty my bank account, grab my passport and run for the airport.

Speaking of elections, I'm not sure I'll even vote. Will it be a truly free and democratic vote or is the President already picked out, like the rumors say? I don't trust any of the candidates but so are shameless whores. As friend said, there are some unnatural alliances being made for this campaign. And besides, what have those overnight political parties done for the community, anyway? The older ones bring nothing new. The newer ones sprouted out of the blue.

I do have my voter's card. I registered at the voting office closest to my house. My entire family did, by the way. But I was shocked to realize that, of the thirty people there, office staff included, nobody physically looked like me. I'm light-skinned, everyone else wasn't. They were staring at me and talking about me rather openly. Was I a naturalized Dominican? Was I a bourgeois?

I'm getting used to this more and more. When I get on a bus, people seem surprised that "someone like me" even takes public transportation! Beggars on the streets call me blan as if I were a foreigner. Worse still, people who identify with me are all sure I'm living abroad and that I'm just here for a short visit!?!

So where do I belong in this society? Why am I voting for, if I'm such an oddity? And who's my candidate, anyway?

La Grosse Fatigue

Several people have urged me to write more. I would like to but my muse often goes to visit her relatives in Les Irois and she can't make it back on short notice.

Seriously though, I do think a lot about my posts (which might go against blogging practises but...) and sometimes I change my mind about what I want to talk about. Or I have no electricity or no internet access.

But mostly, I'm just tired. Tired of thinking in a country where thinking isn't encouraged.

Tired of having my common sense taken for granted. Why did my parents bother to send me to school if everbody acts like I'm too deaf, dumb or blind to understand what the hell is going on?

Tired of being afraid to go outside past dark because I might witness something I shouldn't, get shot or out right killed?

Tired of accidently stepping into puddles of human blood. It's happened to me twice this month alone and it's disgusting. Plus, I watch CSI, that stuff doesn't wash off just like that, you know.

Tired of wondering why I go to work if I just get poorer and poorer every day. I got an inflation increase at work. So What? My buying power is lower than the couple of extra bills I got on my paycheck.

But mostly I'm tired of being disappointed all the time. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Why do I wake up in the morning if the day is somehow going to be worst than the last? School has started for three weeks now but the streets are almost empty before 7h am and after 5h pm. Where has everybody gone to hide?

So, for now, if you don't hear me, it's okay.

I'm just tired.

Blame it on the rain...or not

Is it really all Katrina's fault, what happened in Louisiana and Mississippi? Or is it ours? The US news channels are all showcasing the destruction, the despair, the looting but I don't really see anything being said about what causes this foul weather and how the cities can take measures.

Surely it is too early for them to focus on that. But still, the questions beg to be asked. Am I the only one who's noticed that the world is getting a little agitated these last few years? I remember clearly being taught in school that we, the poor countries, were more susceptible to these natural disasters. Because, because, because. But this summer, countries in Europe I had never before heard of suffering from this, had flooding and landslides : Switzerland, people, was muddied up!!!

I saw a French panel of experts from all fields essentially saying that the temperature rise (1 degree/year) is at the root of this phenomenon since hot ocean waters cause hurricanes to begin with.

So I'll just go ahead and say it: the US, once they get over the shock, should reassess their environmental policies. They are notorious worldwide for refusing to sign the Kyoto accords on gas emissions and the hothouse effect. And they are one of the biggest polluters, being the biggest industrialized nation these days. If you only take care of the victims, you don't solve the problem, you perpetuate it.

All these images on TV bring me back to Gonaïves, last year. Some stories are so similar. People being surprised by the strength of the water, spouses being torn from their loved ones hands, house disappearing. If there are about 20 hurricanes forecast for this season, I'm worried about what is coming up. After Gonaïves, everybody in the Capital is a little anxious. We're the most populated city on this island, slums clog the canals, the slightest rain turns the streets into rivers.

The property line of the house I live in has shrunk over the years because of the rains widening the ravine behind us. It's family owned and no one thought to have work done when it was still time. My neighbours back wall fell last year, I wonder if mine will this time around.

15 more potential hurricanes to go. God help us all.

Both sides of the story

I haven't posted in a while. My original blog would have had this title but the subject would have been the media, propaganda and the nature of truth.

I'm not writing about this the same way, instead let's stay on the island and let the lobbyists do what they do best.

The big news these days is the fact that our former president's party signed up on the last day of enrollment for political parties to participate in the election. There are now 63 parties in the run. Why did they do it? Why, indeed when all partisans of the ousted president are clamoring for his return to his legitimate, democratically elected post? Well, some of these party leaders are saying that one should differentiate between those who believe in the party's ideals (such as those who enrolled), and those who believe in their exiled leader's ideals. Whatever they may be...

As far as the temporary government is concerned, the elections are on. They've even extended the registration period until September 15th. Hordes of people are rushing to sign up for the National ID card. Of course, the government sold us on the idea by saying it could be used as regular ID for 10 years (sic). I had mine made in early July when there weren't any long lines under the sun. I could have gone earlier but I waited until an office opened nearby. Now, you have to expect a very long wait at every registration office. Some people still don't know what's going on, witness this man I overheard commenting to his companion that it must be "some check they're giving out". Because, of course, money is the only thing that will motivate people, these days!!!

When we forget the elections, there are the usual topics: security/disarmament/human rights violations; trading petty insults with our loving neighbor; the price of gas/government subsidies (or not!).

Meanwhile, people are filing the streets of the city once more. School starts over next month and many parents are out buying books and fabric for uniforms. We are all still wary and we do jump at the least little sound but not as much as before. Things are different but not resolved. We hear less of kidnappings and such but they still exist.

So Crime is lower but still very present. Case in point : A friend of mine had just gotten home when an armed stranger put his hand over her mouth and a gun to her temple. The story doesn't end tragically for once but being confronted by three armed criminals is not exactly reassuring. Also, a man and his wife were shot at while driving by in their car. The husband's brain exploded (sic) and the wife took a bullet to the neck. I haven't heard another version of the story yet so it's an unsolved mystery, still.