Adios Haiti

I left my tent and water bottle and a few other bits and pieces for Geraldo Luis in Port au Prince. He told me early this week how much he liked my tent, but it's technically not mine, it's my dad's. As soon as I said that to him I regretted it, and knew in the back of my head that I would leave the tent with him when the trip was over. He didn't even flat out ask me for the tent, but I could tell by the way he admired it he really liked it. He lost his whole family and earthly belongings in a 30 second window during the earthquake, and I suddenly felt like a horrible person to NOT give him the tent. At least I still have a father who can yell at me for "donating" his camping stuff. I wouldn't trade that for the world. Also, my luggage is substantially lighter on the way back, which is always a good thing. I will be back in DR in less than an hour, and very, very happy to leave.

That voodoo that you do

"Jackie" the one-eye wonder dog from Tuesday did really well yesterday and is going home to her family this morning. We're also going to a barrio (borough/city/area) of Port-au-Prince that supposedly has a lot of animals that survived the earthquake. We seem to find out about these things on the underground veterinary Haitian railroad - it seems like someone shows up in the middle of the night with a note that says "We need help here" so then we go.

Speaking of the middle of the night... Ugh.

So I slept thruugh a 4.5 magnitude earthquake the other night which is a pretty impressive narcoleptic feat - but last night we were blessed/cursed with blood curdling screams at 1, 3 and 5am. MP has a Haitian girlfriend (apparently it's is 2nd or 3rd since he's been here?) who stayed with him in camp last night. The poor girl probably lost everything in the earthquake, now she washes MP's nasty clothes during the day and waits around for him to come back from our adventures so she can sleep in his tent at night. He claims she's 18 but I seriously doubt the validity of that statement.

I'm so tired and sore I couldn't care less. But - she started screaming in the middle of the night and it sounded like someone was skinning a live cat. Actually, more like a rabbit. I've heard rabbits scream before (not from being skinned) and it is a horrible, crazy, bowels of hell sound of sound. That what she sounded like.

There were murmuring about voodoo and other psycho stuff, but I think the poor girl has some wicked post-traumatic stress disorder night terror thing going on. Sleeping with MP probably isn't helping. I don't know where she went this morning, but she wasn't there when I woke up. Everyone is pretty cranky and tired. The voodoo screams in the middle of the night didn't help. I think the screams in the middle of the night have been the most horrifying experience to date. It's like the soundtrack to the Haitian disaster... loco

Don't Be a Menace to Port-au-Prince While Drinking Your Dr. Pepper in the Hood

Today was an interesting, interesting day. We drove almost 3 hours across Haiti from Port au Prince to Jacumel. Jacumel is on the southern coast of the island, and according to the United Nations charts, was 80-90% destroyed by the earthquake.

The mechanics came in the morning, and after a few hours of god-knows-what, the truck was "ready" and we were off. Some of the areas outside the city were unbelievably destroyed by the earthquake. Here are some photos of the road about 20 minutes outside of Port au Prince: Apparently everyone had a grand ol' time in the back of the pick up truck. Trying to avoid the scorching Haitian midday sun, I sat shotgun in the cab, MP drove, and JE and A sat in the back seat. As such, we were left out of the "loop" of the fun and games of the truck bed. Oh well.

MP stopped about 1/2 way there at a little roadside stand in a town/village called Fondwa. He went to get some sort of Haitian roadside food, and we treated 4 dogs and 1 cat while waiting for his food to cook. Here is a photo of me, JE and RB treating a cat in Fondwa:
We arrived at the Department of Agriculture offices in Jacumel after an exhausting 2 hour drive through the mountains in the truck which was actually WORSE after the mechanics messed with it this morning. There were literally goats walking on the side of the highway faster than we were driving. UGH. After about 20 minutes of English to Spanish to French to Creole and back to French then Spanish then English translation, it was discovered that the Department of Agriculture was so excited to have veterinary support, they planned an entire day of meetings, organizing, collaborating and such, and were then prepared for another whole day of treatments, clinics, and what not. They were crestfallen to know that we were actually there for only one day (today) and only for 3 hours.

I finally threw up my hands and just said "f it" to the whole situation - the only people who could intelligently argue this conversation (JG and MP), didn't say much, and every mono-lingual person had something to say about the mess of the situation.

Yes - this should have been determined ahead of time.
Yes - someone should have arranged the meetings/times/etc on the phone before we drove across Haiti.
No - there is nothing we can do about it now.
No - arguing won't get any animals treated.
Yes - we should go NOW and treat as many animals as possible NOW, and argue later.

We would have an entire 2+ hour ride home to b*tch about the piss-poor planning.
Done? Done.
Good? Good.
Todo bien? Sure, why not.

We followed the agriculture department officers to a house where there was reportedly a very sick dog - I was hot and aggravated at that point, and just assumed stay in the truck rather than pile into the 10' x 10' backyard/patio with 4 other gringos, MP, 2 translators, a 5 person Haitian family, their 3 pets, and all the neighbors that came by to see what was all the commotion. I poked my head in for just a second to hand JE some ivermectin, then wound up catheterizing and anesthetizing a dog with a huge, gaping, maggoty neck wound from a too-tight collar.
In the meantime, JE and JG treated the maggot dog's puppy and the family cat for parasites. We left the man (who spoke English) with all sorts of antibiotics and disinfectant for the dog post-op, but I didn't agree with it - even though it was under the best of intentions. It is hard enough to get pet owners in Greenwich, CT to be compliant with medications and after care - it is damn near impossible to expect an earthquake-ravaged Haitian family with no running water to flush the dog's neck wounds. But one can always hope, right?

When we got back to the truck, there were 2 dogs waiting for us with the typical crowd of intrigued people. It seems wherever we go, there are at least 10 people surrounding us (and the terrified animal(s) we're treating...) in a shrinking, oppressing circle. Several young Haitian men brought a gangly, limping Rottweiler to the truck, and told MC and JE she started limping after another (Haitian??) vet gave her a vitamin injection. Hmmm.... The vets discovered a ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear in the affected leg, which could be due to any number of injuries, but probably not from a vitamin injection. As such, we didn't give the dog any injections of ivermectin, and instead opted to give her oral medication, then explain to the owners that she had a "footballista" injury (as ACL tears are common with athletes). They seems to understand, so hopefully it was good.... here is the Rotti with the voodoo doctor vitamin injury:


We stopped a few blocks away and treated another 6 dogs in the street. Then the agriculture department took us to a chicken/turkey/pig farm on the outskirts of town where the vets gave antibiotics and parasite treatments to 2 guard dogs. Then we had a 2+ hour ride back. MP was racing the sunset - trying to make it over the winding, narrow mountain roads before dark. We literally coasted off the mountain road just as the light disappeared. It was MC's birthday, so MP and I wanted to try and find beer to bring back to camp. MP stopped along the side of the road just outside of Port au Prince at a "drive up" bar, where he ordered 4 shots for the guys as a birthday toast. According to MC, it was pretty nasty. But it's the thought that counts, right??? Bottoms up, boys!!!!
MC's mother deserves a huge shout-out here for collaborating with CK to get a birthday card to MC in Haiti, which was smuggled in my checked bags with 3 bottles of Dr. Pepper and a box of Snickerdoodles.

This morning, we had P put the Dr. Peppers in the refrigerator in the bank next to the campsite (don't ask...) along with JG's 3 bottles of Presidente Light (Dominican beer). JE brought a box of chocolate cake mix and sprinkles, so while we went off to find Ramon and hopefully an oven, P brought out the beer and Dr. Peppers. My elaborate plan to embarrass MC en mass was foiled, and he was already 1/2 way through a bottle of Dr. Pepper when we got back to camp. I gave him his mom's birthday card and the box of Snickerdoodles, but he was a bit buzzed from the Haitian moonshine so it took a minute to click :)

JE and RB managed to "bake" the cake in some sort of camp-devised fire oven with the cake mix and a bottle of Coke (no Dr. Pepper... that is like liquid gold!) Ramon came over with a birthday tray of dinner and plantains (!!!!) and we had quite a lovely celebration considering how long and exhausting the day was. Ramon's birthday dinner and Josh's magic cakeDon't be a Menace to Port-au-Prince While Drinking Your Dr. Pepper in the Hood

One More

So we arrived in Haiti. Flying in to the Port au Prince airport we could see the masses of people in the streets and tent cities. After a bit of confusion and a 10 minute flip out at the World Food Programme airport office, we met with the SODOPRECA team and were off to our "camp". We saw only a brief bit of Haiti on the way to camp - and it was indescribable at best. Our camp was located about 3 miles from the airport, but about 30 minutes by car due to the utter chaos in the streets.

Our camp is called Sonapi - a free zone that was/is home to several factories and manufacturing plants. Our tents were in an area protected by Brazil UN soldiers along with the DR mobile kitchens and Pakistani humane aid.

JG and I dropped off our stuff and went on a tour of Haiti in the truck with MP, the SODOPRECA team coordinator and A, our translator. The destruction was almost complete and the ruins were unreal. Mobs of people just walked in the street, probably afraid to go back indoors lest their homes fall again. There were massive tent cities all around Port au Prince - some in huge open areas, others just alongside the road, built into the rubble.

We went to a tent city located at a former (now destroyed) church/monastery under protection by the UN troops from Mexico. There were literally thousands upon thousands of people living in various tents - homemade, US Army supplied, donated camp supplies from EMS. We pulled into a clearing and after some Spanish/French/Creole discussions, animals started coming at us from all directions. Haitian children of all ages formed a circle around MP, JG and I. We heard shrieks and squeals as the circle parted and a child came running in with an animal in tow. Most of the dogs were on homemade leashes and cats came in their owners' arms or tied to shoestrings. Several goats were carried in, and one small boy fought with a pig (which was about as big as he was) on a leash. We were missing half of the World Vet donations (which arrive tomorrow with RB), so with albon and some anti parasitic spray, we treated as many animals as possible - 32 at the Mexican Camp (20 Dog, 3 Cat, 8 Goat, 1 Pig). The people kept asking when we would come back - my head was still spinning from the whole experience - I didn't know. As we drove away, a herd of children ran after the truck with a small dog, so we got out and treated one more.

Back at Sonapi, it took 4 people 20 minutes to figure out how to assemble our tent. Then the SODOPREcA people laughed at our sad little tent which was going to hold 2 people. I thought about bringing the Taj Mahal of tents we have at home, but it was too heavy and not worth it for just 1 week. After the 20kg and no more drama in DR, I just assume not deal with it. It's 7:30 but feels like midnight. Time for bug spray and sleep.