There I am "Home" in Canada. I understand now why the missions are limited to one year for Canadians. The psychologists who are following those going to a mission realized that a year is the limit for someone to stay in a mission and to come home without loosing all his/her marks. I caught myself saying sometimes that I was going home when I was talking about the place I was renting in PAP. It is really interesting to analyze this mental process which affect all of us, at a different degree of course depending many factors but still we are all going through it. I spoke to mission veterans upon my return who told me that their return was like another mission and it lasted the same as the mission itself before they could really got back to their regular routine.
When you leave for a year you have to adapt to your new environment but so has to do the family who stays behind. Our capacity to adapt to all situation kicks in and the emptiness left is fulfilled somehow making the return home a little more difficult than expected. During the year spent away from the family you have developed some different habits so it is hard to reverse the process and for the family members, even though they are happy to see you back, there is also a length of time required to adapt to the fact that you are returning home and willing to get back to the family circle.
I have to admit that the first week I was a little disoriented and felt detached to my surroundings but knowing me I know that is not going to last too long. However, I know that my pace is still slower that it use to be and it will probably takes time to return as it was before the mission but one day at the time is the way to go to avoid the "burn out" effect that some people have felt in the past.
We are pretty well trained prior our departure to go to the mission and our adaptation to the country we are going to serve for a year is quite facilitated. Unfortunately, there is no debriefing to help us to return which can be disastrous for someone would would return home thinking to get back his/her life where he/she left it prior to the mission.
A piece of advice that was passed to me by a mission veteran and that I found really useful was:
When you are returning home, think of yourself as a guest for the first few days (or weeks if needs be), this way you don't put too much pressure on yourself creating major stress to you or to everyone around you. It also gives the family members the necessary time to let you back in the family circle with a minimum ripple effect on their own routine. That was my approach and I can say it makes things a lot easier.
Next step to finalize my return home, work. I'm looking forward to start to work again, I'm sure it will be challenging at the beginning but I'm also confident that the professional and the human experience acquired during the mission will help me to be better in all aspects of my daily work and interaction with people…one day at the time ;-)
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Friday, August 15, 2014
Almost a year already
August 19, 2013 I, along with 24 other Canadians were leaving Canada to come to Haiti to try to make a difference. A year later (minus few days) the time has come for me to go home and to do a little assessment of my actions here. I came down to Haiti with reasonable expectations I think. I knew I was not going to change the world but I knew I probably could win few little battles.
In my mind, the mission was split in two distinct entities. The first one, as a police officer working for the UN and bringing my knowledge and experience to the Haitian police and the second one, as a human being, a brother, a father who could bring something to the local population to make the life of a few a little easier (at least for a while).
As a police officer, I always strove to give the best of myself to fulfill my duty. From my posting in Ouanaminthe to the next in PAP (Port-Au-Prince), my goal was clear; get involved, do my job professionally and establish a good relationship with the local police to try to understand how I could achieve a better job based on their needs and not solely on my vision of a professional police force. It is interesting to see that we (UNPOLs) all come from different part of the world with different point of view on policing and no matter from which country we come from, we are usually pretty sure that we have the best techniques to teach to the Haitian police. However, some of our techniques and teaching can be applied here but some others would require a complete culture change. We are not here to change the Haitian culture but rather teach them how a police approach could be applied in their environment.
Democracy was brought to the Haitian people like a gift but many of them didn't understand what it really meant it was a totally foreign concept to them. It was like giving a car to someone with no driving licence. Democracy for many here means do what I want when I want and where I want. Nobody took the time to explain to them that democracy is not just a pretty word that gives your the rights to do anything you feel like, there are also rules that have to be followed as well. A democracy without rules is called anarchy and a society without even basic rules cannot fonction.
I spoke with many HNP (Haitian National Police) officers who understand that the population of their country still requires education in order to achieve a democracy. A real democracy is achieved by the local population and not brought as a concept from somewhere else. Anyway, all this to say that I have tried my best to understand this fascinating culture and even if I still don't understand it fully, I have a much better idea which helped me to do my daily job. A European or a North American who would try to change things here without trying first to understand little bit the culture, would end up achieving nothing and would return home really frustrated. We have to lower our expectations and go with the flow, it may seem very slow most of the time but it is moving. It's like the traffic in PAP, if you think you are going to go from point A to point B in 10 minutes because it is only few kilometres apart like you would do it in Europe or Canada well be ready to be disappointed, a simple trip like this could take 1 or 2 hours in the heat, the smoke and the dust. But on the other hand within a major traffic jam where in Europe or in Canada traffic would be stuck for hours without moving, here in PAP you will be surprised to see the traffic flow going slow but not stopping. The same idea applies here with what we are bringing here, if you think you are going to put together a new revolutionary system for the greater good and in a record time, be ready to be like in the traffic jam, very frustrated. But again, on the other hand, if you are ready to only win small battles at the time and learn to live happy with that you can achieve something. What I learnt here is essential, we cannot expect to see our good hearted ideas to change this country just based on the fact they are good hearted, I believe we need to do better than that. Before we plant the seeds of democracy in people's mind, we have to ensure the soil is fertile and ready; and only education can achieve this. There is a massive need of education throughout the country which has never been fulfilled. As long as this gap will remain, the hope of a better Haiti is pretty slim.
But don't get me wrong, lack of education doesn't mean necessary chaos, violence and fear which are the clichés we usually have from Haïti...It only means less chances for many locals to a decent life style. Most of the locals are very friendly. A simple "bonjour" from your part and they will wave at you with a huge smile. I don't even get that with my neighbours at home which makes me wonder who is the most educated here?
In almost a year here, I have been many times shopping on foot and in civilian clothes to the local markets or for a run and I never encountered any situations in which I felt even a little bit in danger.
And as a human being, a brother, a father, my contributions as little as they were, compared to the needs of the population, brought some reliefs to some people. The mere facts to be able to help kids to go to school or bringing people some clothes from Canada for themselves or their children were an instant satisfaction which really complemented the professional aspect of the mission.
I'm going back home with the satisfaction that I have tried (and succeeded sometimes) to make a small difference on a professional and on a personal level as well.
I'm returning home with a post card in my mind from Haiti, with beautiful beaches, wonderful smiles from people who didn't even know me but took the time to say hi and the marvellous sun that keeps shining 350 days a year at least. The dirt, smell and other unpleasant sights are kept on the back of my mind. I don't want to forget them since they are part of the Haitian experience but I don't want to remember Haiti this way.
And like any good wine, such an experience must sinks in first in order in to be fully appreciated later on, so this year spent here will mature in me (and probably matured me as well) but I already know that while I take a lot away from this experience (on a professional and personal level again) I also know that I leave a little part of myself here.
Next time I will speak to someone interested to do a similar experience and need some advice I will tell him or her "If you want to live an extraordinary experience, go but be careful there is price to pay, once you go to Haiti you will never come back home fully".
Few more days and I'll be home. The feelings are really mixed between happiness and sadness but I will keep the Haitian sun and smiles in my mind for the colder days in Canada or when riding the bus with all those educated and civilized people who can't even say hi to each other.
From Haiti chérie,
In my mind, the mission was split in two distinct entities. The first one, as a police officer working for the UN and bringing my knowledge and experience to the Haitian police and the second one, as a human being, a brother, a father who could bring something to the local population to make the life of a few a little easier (at least for a while).
As a police officer, I always strove to give the best of myself to fulfill my duty. From my posting in Ouanaminthe to the next in PAP (Port-Au-Prince), my goal was clear; get involved, do my job professionally and establish a good relationship with the local police to try to understand how I could achieve a better job based on their needs and not solely on my vision of a professional police force. It is interesting to see that we (UNPOLs) all come from different part of the world with different point of view on policing and no matter from which country we come from, we are usually pretty sure that we have the best techniques to teach to the Haitian police. However, some of our techniques and teaching can be applied here but some others would require a complete culture change. We are not here to change the Haitian culture but rather teach them how a police approach could be applied in their environment.
Democracy was brought to the Haitian people like a gift but many of them didn't understand what it really meant it was a totally foreign concept to them. It was like giving a car to someone with no driving licence. Democracy for many here means do what I want when I want and where I want. Nobody took the time to explain to them that democracy is not just a pretty word that gives your the rights to do anything you feel like, there are also rules that have to be followed as well. A democracy without rules is called anarchy and a society without even basic rules cannot fonction.
I spoke with many HNP (Haitian National Police) officers who understand that the population of their country still requires education in order to achieve a democracy. A real democracy is achieved by the local population and not brought as a concept from somewhere else. Anyway, all this to say that I have tried my best to understand this fascinating culture and even if I still don't understand it fully, I have a much better idea which helped me to do my daily job. A European or a North American who would try to change things here without trying first to understand little bit the culture, would end up achieving nothing and would return home really frustrated. We have to lower our expectations and go with the flow, it may seem very slow most of the time but it is moving. It's like the traffic in PAP, if you think you are going to go from point A to point B in 10 minutes because it is only few kilometres apart like you would do it in Europe or Canada well be ready to be disappointed, a simple trip like this could take 1 or 2 hours in the heat, the smoke and the dust. But on the other hand within a major traffic jam where in Europe or in Canada traffic would be stuck for hours without moving, here in PAP you will be surprised to see the traffic flow going slow but not stopping. The same idea applies here with what we are bringing here, if you think you are going to put together a new revolutionary system for the greater good and in a record time, be ready to be like in the traffic jam, very frustrated. But again, on the other hand, if you are ready to only win small battles at the time and learn to live happy with that you can achieve something. What I learnt here is essential, we cannot expect to see our good hearted ideas to change this country just based on the fact they are good hearted, I believe we need to do better than that. Before we plant the seeds of democracy in people's mind, we have to ensure the soil is fertile and ready; and only education can achieve this. There is a massive need of education throughout the country which has never been fulfilled. As long as this gap will remain, the hope of a better Haiti is pretty slim.
But don't get me wrong, lack of education doesn't mean necessary chaos, violence and fear which are the clichés we usually have from Haïti...It only means less chances for many locals to a decent life style. Most of the locals are very friendly. A simple "bonjour" from your part and they will wave at you with a huge smile. I don't even get that with my neighbours at home which makes me wonder who is the most educated here?
In almost a year here, I have been many times shopping on foot and in civilian clothes to the local markets or for a run and I never encountered any situations in which I felt even a little bit in danger.
And as a human being, a brother, a father, my contributions as little as they were, compared to the needs of the population, brought some reliefs to some people. The mere facts to be able to help kids to go to school or bringing people some clothes from Canada for themselves or their children were an instant satisfaction which really complemented the professional aspect of the mission.
I'm going back home with the satisfaction that I have tried (and succeeded sometimes) to make a small difference on a professional and on a personal level as well.
I'm returning home with a post card in my mind from Haiti, with beautiful beaches, wonderful smiles from people who didn't even know me but took the time to say hi and the marvellous sun that keeps shining 350 days a year at least. The dirt, smell and other unpleasant sights are kept on the back of my mind. I don't want to forget them since they are part of the Haitian experience but I don't want to remember Haiti this way.
And like any good wine, such an experience must sinks in first in order in to be fully appreciated later on, so this year spent here will mature in me (and probably matured me as well) but I already know that while I take a lot away from this experience (on a professional and personal level again) I also know that I leave a little part of myself here.
Next time I will speak to someone interested to do a similar experience and need some advice I will tell him or her "If you want to live an extraordinary experience, go but be careful there is price to pay, once you go to Haiti you will never come back home fully".
Few more days and I'll be home. The feelings are really mixed between happiness and sadness but I will keep the Haitian sun and smiles in my mind for the colder days in Canada or when riding the bus with all those educated and civilized people who can't even say hi to each other.
From Haiti chérie,
"La Main Divine" orphanage
Few pictures from "La Main Divine" orphanage in which Canadian UNPOLs along with other nationalities have been involved for several years. The smiles and joie de vivre from these children who have nothing is a daily reminder to all of us to enjoy what we have in life (health and family should be way before anything else)
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Chikungunya
Have you ever heard of the Chikungunya? Probably not, like most people here in Haiti until recently. This virus is transmitted by mosquito bites and share some similarities with the Dengue fever. Chikungunya is characterized by an abrupt onset of fever
frequently accompanied by joint pain. The name ‘chikungunya’ derives from a word in the Kimakonde
language (Zambia), meaning "to become contorted" and describes the stooped
appearance of sufferers with joint pain. Other common symptoms
include muscle pain, headache, nausea, fatigue and rash. There is no cure nor any vaccine to prevent it, and the only treatment is symptomatic. Fortunately this decease is rarely fatal and last only for few days but elders and infants are at bigger risk.
These past few months, we have seen in Haiti a multitude of cases throughout the country to finally reach epidemic proportions. Not later than last week, the young 30 years old fellow who works in our complex as guard got the Chikungunya and unfortunately his 1 year old daughter got it as well around the same time. He managed to get better but his daughter had lung complications associated to it and despite our effort to take her to the children hospital, she passed away. The doctors said that she probably had some existing lung conditions prior to get the Chikungunya and the sickness just aggravated her condition.
Many people here are living in poverty and to buy pain killers is already a privilege that most can't afford. The money we've collected between ourselves helped the family to pay for the funerals and food for few weeks but we know that does not sooth the harsh reality for their loss nor for their hard living conditions in Haiti.
Another reminder for us all to enjoy what we have at home before complaining about little things that are bothering us.
These past few months, we have seen in Haiti a multitude of cases throughout the country to finally reach epidemic proportions. Not later than last week, the young 30 years old fellow who works in our complex as guard got the Chikungunya and unfortunately his 1 year old daughter got it as well around the same time. He managed to get better but his daughter had lung complications associated to it and despite our effort to take her to the children hospital, she passed away. The doctors said that she probably had some existing lung conditions prior to get the Chikungunya and the sickness just aggravated her condition.
Many people here are living in poverty and to buy pain killers is already a privilege that most can't afford. The money we've collected between ourselves helped the family to pay for the funerals and food for few weeks but we know that does not sooth the harsh reality for their loss nor for their hard living conditions in Haiti.
Another reminder for us all to enjoy what we have at home before complaining about little things that are bothering us.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Rainy season in Haiti
After a very nice warm winter here in Haiti, the rainy season has started with diluvian rains like I never seen before. Check this video to give you an idea of what I'm talking about.
The video is filmed while we were on the road trying to get back home (It looks like a river but this is actually the main road; what you see floating and running downstream are garbages).
With that kind of weather, a regular 15 minutes ride becomes a 2 hours perilous adventure.
If you have problem to watch the video from the blog, you can watch it on youtube as well at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJLR_ON-BHs&feature=youtu.be
The video is filmed while we were on the road trying to get back home (It looks like a river but this is actually the main road; what you see floating and running downstream are garbages).
With that kind of weather, a regular 15 minutes ride becomes a 2 hours perilous adventure.
If you have problem to watch the video from the blog, you can watch it on youtube as well at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJLR_ON-BHs&feature=youtu.be
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Spring Equinox
Few more pictures of the beautiful flowers to celebrate the Spring Equinox.
I heard this winter was harsh this year in Canada and some part of the US; I hope these pictures will warm you up and make you realize that warmer days are just ahead...don't give up ;-)
I heard this winter was harsh this year in Canada and some part of the US; I hope these pictures will warm you up and make you realize that warmer days are just ahead...don't give up ;-)
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Flower pictures
It is hard not to notice in the midst of dirt, dust, fumes and over smelly sewers, the beauty of the flowers around. The mere fact of seeing these beautiful flowers alleviate somewhat the hard reality of the daily life in Haiti.
Below are some samples of flowers that grow around my house and on the Base. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do.
Below are some samples of flowers that grow around my house and on the Base. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Already mid-March
It is amazing how time is passing by since I started this new job in Port-au-Prince. Meetings after meetings, reports after reports, the day is just flying. Working 7 days a week, makes me loose the sense of time; is it Friday, Monday or even Wednesday...a single day off per week would at least break this hypnotic routine. On March 19th it will be 7 months already since we arrived in Haiti, just incredible.
Anyway, I like what I'm doing and I believe that is the most important.
But I have a certain work ethic and it is not always easy to have expectations on the way the work should be done, especially here; Haitian people, like many other people who live on an sunny island don't have the same approach on a workload. There is in the air, in their attitude a kind of "nonchalance" on which stress slips on. Whatever is not achieved today will be done (maybe) tomorrow. But for us, programmed the way we are to deliver on time, it is frustrating to have to wait on something that could be done in hours instead of days or sometimes even weeks. On the other hand, when I think about it, I think we should copy them a little. After all, we work so hard to meet the deadlines and then what...other deadlines? We are running all our life after deadlines until we reach retirement but so tired physically and mentally at the end that we barely can enjoy any of it. Definitely something to keep in mind to alleviate the level of stress we are creating ourselves in our daily "developed countries" life.
Since I'm in Port-Au-Prince, I don't have much interaction with the local population but with the recent change of time, we can enjoy an extra hour of sunlight which allows me to get back to running. A 30 minutes run every night allows me to meet people in the neighborhood and salute them in which they usually reply with a huge smile and a waving hand; and to date, not a single incident to report ;-)
Anyway, I like what I'm doing and I believe that is the most important.
But I have a certain work ethic and it is not always easy to have expectations on the way the work should be done, especially here; Haitian people, like many other people who live on an sunny island don't have the same approach on a workload. There is in the air, in their attitude a kind of "nonchalance" on which stress slips on. Whatever is not achieved today will be done (maybe) tomorrow. But for us, programmed the way we are to deliver on time, it is frustrating to have to wait on something that could be done in hours instead of days or sometimes even weeks. On the other hand, when I think about it, I think we should copy them a little. After all, we work so hard to meet the deadlines and then what...other deadlines? We are running all our life after deadlines until we reach retirement but so tired physically and mentally at the end that we barely can enjoy any of it. Definitely something to keep in mind to alleviate the level of stress we are creating ourselves in our daily "developed countries" life.
Since I'm in Port-Au-Prince, I don't have much interaction with the local population but with the recent change of time, we can enjoy an extra hour of sunlight which allows me to get back to running. A 30 minutes run every night allows me to meet people in the neighborhood and salute them in which they usually reply with a huge smile and a waving hand; and to date, not a single incident to report ;-)
Thursday, January 30, 2014
MINUSTAH KOLERA satute
At the entrance of Port Salut a very controverted statute can be seen which depict a Haitian holding Haiti's flag with his foot on a blue helmet representing the UN. On the helmet MINUSTAH KOLERA can be read and under the helmet a mountain of skulls. This symbolic statute is a response to cholera epidemic started in 2010 which is still on-going nowadays. Some scientists said that the epidemic has the same strain found in Nepal; in the vicinity where the outbreak occurred, a Nepalese peacekeepers were stationed, therefore the MINUSTAH was directly pointed out. The UN is now being sued for the outbreak which killed over eight thousands people so far and sent hundreds of thousands in hospital. For the time being, let's hope the outbreak will be stopped before more people die from it.
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Few more pictures
Few more pictures to show you the beauty of Haiti.
It would be nice for Hati to develop tourism but once tourism will flourish here, it will be very difficult to enjoy this island the way we do it today. Big hotels, waves of noisy tourists and vendors harassing us on the beach like in the Dominican Republic will probably take over the serenity of the place. Let's hope at least that sex tourism will be avoided with strict laws; unfortunately poverty often leads to exploitation of all kind.
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It would be nice for Hati to develop tourism but once tourism will flourish here, it will be very difficult to enjoy this island the way we do it today. Big hotels, waves of noisy tourists and vendors harassing us on the beach like in the Dominican Republic will probably take over the serenity of the place. Let's hope at least that sex tourism will be avoided with strict laws; unfortunately poverty often leads to exploitation of all kind.
Vacation time in Haiti
As I say in the previous post, it is a shame that the security in Haiti is so unstable otherwise they could develop tourism on most of the island. Beautiful beaches, nice people to meet and good local food such as fresh fish, lobster, delicious fruits and vegetables. But Haiti has also mountains which would offer very nice trek opportunities for those like me who prefer the mountain to the sea.
Now, let's talk about my first few days of vacation in Haiti.
A morning walk along the beach in Port Salut (at 7 am), allowed me to meet some fishermen coming back from fishing on board of their hand made boats with some of their catches. They were happy to show me what they got and even told me to take pictures which is quite unusual for Haitian. Life here is fairly relax and people seem to live at the rhythm of the sea, one wave at the time. The sand is golden, the sea is turquoise and the palm trees are omnipresent, the perfect background for an exotic picture album from paradise.
After my little walk, I went to a French restaurant for breakfast. This place is right on the beach and the food is good. Veggie omelette, fresh fruits, nice dark coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice was my choice of menu for this morning. This nice meal and the early hour I got up to come here made me a little tired so I went to the beach under a huge tree and had a very pleasant nap for over an hour. Few locals are around listening "Kompa" music which is Haitian native music in Creole. Kompa music on one side and the sound of the waves on the other was the perfect way to deeply relax. I wish I could share that with my family other than pictures and stories but maybe one day when Haiti will be secure enough, we will be able to come together here and I'll be able to show them the beauty of this island and its people.
Voilà, that's all for now, my lobster has arrived and I really don't like to eat cold so bye for now.
Warm regards to all from Haiti chérie.
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Now, let's talk about my first few days of vacation in Haiti.
A morning walk along the beach in Port Salut (at 7 am), allowed me to meet some fishermen coming back from fishing on board of their hand made boats with some of their catches. They were happy to show me what they got and even told me to take pictures which is quite unusual for Haitian. Life here is fairly relax and people seem to live at the rhythm of the sea, one wave at the time. The sand is golden, the sea is turquoise and the palm trees are omnipresent, the perfect background for an exotic picture album from paradise.
After my little walk, I went to a French restaurant for breakfast. This place is right on the beach and the food is good. Veggie omelette, fresh fruits, nice dark coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice was my choice of menu for this morning. This nice meal and the early hour I got up to come here made me a little tired so I went to the beach under a huge tree and had a very pleasant nap for over an hour. Few locals are around listening "Kompa" music which is Haitian native music in Creole. Kompa music on one side and the sound of the waves on the other was the perfect way to deeply relax. I wish I could share that with my family other than pictures and stories but maybe one day when Haiti will be secure enough, we will be able to come together here and I'll be able to show them the beauty of this island and its people.
Voilà, that's all for now, my lobster has arrived and I really don't like to eat cold so bye for now.
Warm regards to all from Haiti chérie.
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| Spiny lobster on the beach |
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| Fisherman just returning with his catch |
New functions in the mission
After a busy month of January, I come to the end of it on vacation. I use these days off to visit some of my contingent mates at Les Cayes (South of Haiti). I took the opportunity to also visit Port Salut, a village right on the beach located approximately at 35 kms from Les Cayes).
Before I get to the vacation part I should quickly explain what my new functions are within the mission.
The MINUSTAH mission is scheduled to end up in 2016. To say that the UN will get out of the country completely would be a little presumptuous but at least the mission the way we know it know will end.
Since 2012 until 2016, the mission has a plan to fully professionalize the Haitian National Police (HNP) but to reach that goal a rather substantial amount of money is required from all donor countries such as Canada, USA, France to only name the largest contributing countries in Haiti. That's where I come into play. My role is to create the bridge between the HNP and all the contributing countries (11 so far) and to ensure these countries are still motivated to continue to help Haiti and specifically the HNP in order to secure the country and allow its development. Instability is the root of the problem here and the reasons why tourism is almost inexistent and why no companies are willing to invest here.
It's a very demanding job but I really like it; I feel that I'm contributing to the solution of the problem. Until my last day on the job, I was working on a big meeting (first of its kind in this mission) which will reunite the HNP and all contributing countries to exchange on what has been accomplished so far, what needs to be done still and try to get everyone committed to the realization on the plan including the Haitian government. It is nice to have the rest of the world involved to try to help Haiti, but Haiti has also the duty to show that she is actively participating into the solution. Hopefully, the outcome of the meeting will be positive and the realization of the plan will go on as scheduled. That will be discussed in an other post.
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