Remember that scene from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe? The one where Peter, Edmond, Susan, and Lucy were walking through Narnia and they think they here the sleigh bells of the Witch, but it was actually Saint Nicholas coming to give them gifts that they desperately needed? That was how today was -except that we didn't run away from a witch.
We went to Thomaseau to inspect the fields and give suggestions on how they can fix certain problems. The funny part came when they would ask us to repeat the presentation to those who had missed it. Every time the first presenter would go and they would ask a question totally unrelated. Actually, all of their questions revolved around instant solutions to pest control and soil improvements. Mission of Hope's Haitian staff answered a lot of the specific questions.
During the trip here I've been questioning where God wants we to go with my career, specifically if He wants me on the Pre-Med path. God sent Dr. Steve Smith like Santa to the Peter, Edmond, Susan, and Lucy. He told us a lot about his Pre-Med school experiences and his medical school experiences. Apparently it's only 6 years of academics (including undergrad) and the rest is on the job training. It was good to get a glimpse of what medical school holds for me.
Showing posts with label seeds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seeds. Show all posts
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Day 12: More of NOT being the monkey
Remember how when the NU group visited a village uninvited and kind of awkwardly, and then we visited Turpin and felt acceptance and less like Duane Elmer's monkey? This time we did it even better.
Today, I felt like a celebrity, in all the good ways. We went to a Thomaseau, a remote farming community in a valley. We greatly respected and they even had a few drinks and snacks waiting for us when we arrived. We were able to give more advanced presentations and they drank in the information. When I spoke, I forgot to mention my name and after my presentation they made a big deal of knowing my name and I felt honored.
They Thomaseau community valued the help and were puzzled as to why we did it for free. They even gave us a lavish meal of chicken, rice, and other vegetables they were growing. Tomorrow we get to investigate their fields and help problem solve troublesome areas in their farms. I feel that this approach was a lot more relevant and part of the Haitian culture, or at least done in a way they respect.
On a side note was totally rude to one the members of the NU team today. Devon said something I disagreed with and I feel like the way in which I voiced my thoughts was too harsh as it closed off any room for discussion. I tend to do this a lot, so I hope she knows that I respect her and care about her.
Also, we got stuck on the way back, which was a pretty fun adventure in and of itself.
Today, I felt like a celebrity, in all the good ways. We went to a Thomaseau, a remote farming community in a valley. We greatly respected and they even had a few drinks and snacks waiting for us when we arrived. We were able to give more advanced presentations and they drank in the information. When I spoke, I forgot to mention my name and after my presentation they made a big deal of knowing my name and I felt honored.
They Thomaseau community valued the help and were puzzled as to why we did it for free. They even gave us a lavish meal of chicken, rice, and other vegetables they were growing. Tomorrow we get to investigate their fields and help problem solve troublesome areas in their farms. I feel that this approach was a lot more relevant and part of the Haitian culture, or at least done in a way they respect.
On a side note was totally rude to one the members of the NU team today. Devon said something I disagreed with and I feel like the way in which I voiced my thoughts was too harsh as it closed off any room for discussion. I tend to do this a lot, so I hope she knows that I respect her and care about her.
Also, we got stuck on the way back, which was a pretty fun adventure in and of itself.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Day 11: Delmonte Shapes Up
Previously on the NU Haiti trip...
Delmonte had not worked at all. He passively stood while the team and Macles (the other translator worked their butts off. However, when word reached his supervisors about his work ethic, he had but one choice: shape up or shape out...
After the some one had a conversation with Delmonte's supervisors, his behaviour drastically changed. He worked a lot harder and even broke a sweat. Clearly hard work is in Haitian culture, just Delmonte needed some gentle reminders. Delmonte is actually a very talented young man and demonstrates what Paul Colliers in The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It, calls the "brain drain" or that when a country falls behind and all the talent leaves to more prosperous areas. Also, we worked on fixing up a small field and planting 4 different types of wheat seeds in it.
Despite the focus being on work today, one of the interns still managed to annoy me. I don't know if he would normally annoy me, but it was just the right amount of me being tired, him being both arrogant and overly talkative, or that he didn't work very hard. I later observed that what I perceived to be arrogance may have just been his nervous reaction. That is, that he may have talked arrogantly about himself and his family and everything he's ever done because he was nervous. I hope it was a nervous reaction.
Delmonte had not worked at all. He passively stood while the team and Macles (the other translator worked their butts off. However, when word reached his supervisors about his work ethic, he had but one choice: shape up or shape out...
Despite the focus being on work today, one of the interns still managed to annoy me. I don't know if he would normally annoy me, but it was just the right amount of me being tired, him being both arrogant and overly talkative, or that he didn't work very hard. I later observed that what I perceived to be arrogance may have just been his nervous reaction. That is, that he may have talked arrogantly about himself and his family and everything he's ever done because he was nervous. I hope it was a nervous reaction.
Friday, May 24, 2013
Day 7: Soil Sampling Solei
Today we cultivated soil and planted the beans we sorted yesterday. The goal is to find a variety that is resistant to the plant virions in the Haitian soil, has good nodulation, and can grow in harsh soil conditions (Nodulation is when the bacteria in a root forms a node which is used to transfer some of the nitrogen from the air into the soil so it can be used by plants). In all we planted 1200+ st. ft. of bean seeds for 3 reps of 100 seeds for 16 different varieties with a total of 4800 seeds planted. We also sampled the soil around the area.
Turpin is a generous village as the local church donated the field we used so we could conduct research. A big sacrifice as it could have produced a lot of food for them. Besides that they were also very hospitable and even brought us a large bowl full of mangoes.
We also got to view the spectrum of the Haitian work ethic. Delmonte just sat there and tried to take pictures of himself to make it look like he was working, while Macles worked his butt off. I think this is just a representation of the individuals themselves and not of Haitian society as a whole although I am told that Haitians think it strange to see 1 or 2 Haitians working with a group of Americans if they're not getting paid. Delmonte was getting paid so he's still not excused.
We also got to view the spectrum of the Haitian work ethic. Delmonte just sat there and tried to take pictures of himself to make it look like he was working, while Macles worked his butt off. I think this is just a representation of the individuals themselves and not of Haitian society as a whole although I am told that Haitians think it strange to see 1 or 2 Haitians working with a group of Americans if they're not getting paid. Delmonte was getting paid so he's still not excused.
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