Haiti -- week 2, Jacmel and Cap Haitian

Week 2 in Haiti and what a week it’s been. It started Easter Sunday with a trip to Jacmel, winding through the hills with all the fruit stands and small villages to an Easter dinner on the beach of fresh, inexpensive lobster. On the way to the beach, we stopped at the Bassin Bleu waterfall for a swim. To get there we had to cross several rivers, and drive through a dried up riverbed. But it was worth it. Driving back from Jacmel we saw group after group of colorful and musical Rara bands performing for the community. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rara

 

Sybille getting some fresh fruit on the way to Jacmel

Quick swim in Bassin Bleu waterfall

Stopped by a kids Rara band, had to pay to keep going, it was worth it

Rara band in Jacmel

Easter dinner on the beach

Monday meant going back to work, fixing bugs, creating new configurations and images for the installs we would need to do later in the week. Spent time learning all about the Ubuquiti routers and dishes we install at client sites and how to aim and get the best signal using GPS technology, compass, and generally looking for the towers.

Today, there is still a very large UN presence in Haiti, every place I go I see various UN vehicles passing by. Our equipment is stored at the UN Logbase facility near the airport. This week I had to get some more computers and printers from our container located at the facility. Had to have ID’s and passports to get into the location and then all equipment has strict inventory controls for checking it out.

On Thursday morning we started the long drive to Cap Haitian to deliver and install some equipment, train some of the local technicians, and do some site surveys on next installations. The drive is amazing, past some of the most outstanding beaches, over a few passes, and into Cap Haitian. For the second largest town in Haiti, it has some of the worst roads. I swear there are fish and crocks in some of the water-filled potholes we have to go through.

Ken and Samuel getting a dish ready for testing

Let’s go back to the passes we have to cross, by no means are they the highest passes at around 3000 feet, but they are some of the scariest. Imagine going over, narrow roads with a 1000 foot drop off on one side, no guardrails, and having large buses/trucks/large UN vehicles coming around the blind corner at any time. You honk as you come around the corners to “hopefully” warn the other vehicle, which you can’t see, to kinda stay in their lane. This is extremely important if you are the in the down the hill side of the road. To add to the fun there are usually people/animals/broken vehicles/large potholes that are in the road around these corners. Have I driven these roads, you bet, amazing fun!

As I’m traveling around I will see people playing dominos and card games. In Haiti when you lose you have to do something to show others you are losing the game. I have seen people wearing leaves around their necks to clothespins on their cheeks, it’s pretty fun to see. But at least we know who is not winning.

 

Losing is no fun

Can you find who is not winning here? ouch!

On Friday, we did a short stop at this school in a small village, getting there was half the fun. We had to drive through several water crossings, use the GPS, ask for some directions, drive through an open market where people had to move their goods off the road so we can pass, but we finally arrived. This catholic school is great, it consists of several school rooms, teachers quarters, and even a pharmacy and dr’s office for local families. The buildings look wonderful and the woman running the program is amazing. But the best part, and this happens at most installs, are the kids coming out when you drive up. Many of the kids live in the local villages in mud type huts and many without electricity. We show up and start pulling computers, GPS’s, tripods and poles, and internet dishes and the kids swarm. It is so much fun to watch. On this occasion as we were finishing up our work I heard wonderful singing coming from one of the rooms. I walked around the corner and saw a whole class of elementary school kids singing under the instruction of the music teacher. I don’t know what they were singing, but it sounded great. After a few minutes I was invited into the class to listen, it was so cool, I just stood in awe. These are the rewards I get for volunteering my time. After a few more minutes I had to go find my group and head to the next school, but this experience will stay for much longer.

Watching as we install their computer lab

The great singing that can heard across the campus

We move to finish up another school we started the day before, we were having a very hard time getting a strong enough signal. We need a 75dB or better signal and we test by hooking up a laptop to the dish. So there are several of us standing on the roof, moving the antenna, back and forth, up and down, trying new location, but the best we could get is 76dB. There are some trees that are in the direct path of between the school and the tower, we need a line of site connection. One of our local technicians had the idea “lets go cut some of the trees”.  Before I notice I see him run over with our ladder to cut trees, stranding me on the roof. I had to stop this idea and mention we had a stronger dish we could use in this special case and we should not cut the trees, but I like his enthusiasm.

Ladder to carry all our tools and test equipment to the roof, and that can be used to cut trees

As I came down the ladder I had a visitor, 8 inches in diameter

One of our technicians in Haiti, Junior, is a young and very smart guy, he was the potential tree cutter. His family has a property in the area that they take local sugar cane and make it into local liquor called Clairin, pretty much bootleggers. So on our way we stopped by the property and got a tour. I was asked if I wanted something to drink, and one of the kids climbs the coconut tree and sends a few fresh ones down, we proceed to eat sugar cane and drink coconut milk for our afternoon snack, what an experience. If I was not working I would have mixed the Clairin in the coconut and drink it all up!

Junior's Dad

The barrels of soon to be drink

The still

Junior, Ken, and Samuel

Ken and Ronald, my driver and friend

Getting fresh coconuts out of the tree

Even the chickens get some coconut, but we keep them away from the rum, that would be drunken chicken

At each install, besides the young kids all coming out to check out why we are standing on the roof, there are a handful of older kids that come and want to help. I have them help with boxes and wires, moving stuff around, handing us equipment, etc. I always let them see what we are doing with the installs. Afterwards, they always ask for my email and contact information, which I always provide. They have the same curiosity for technology I had when I was that age and hope the work we are doing will greatly benefit their lives in the future.

We had to stay over Saturday because we did not want to drive back on those roads at night. So we decided to check out future sites for solar and dish placement as well as security and the lab locations at four sites. One was the Institution Marnatha which is a rural school, what I did not know until I arrived it was a local orphanage. As I got out of the car with my tools I heard wonderful music coming from the second floor. I delayed my site survey to go check it out. I found several of the kids practicing a dance number with others playing some instruments, for the second time on this trip I was in stopped in total amazement. This is why I’m in Haiti.

Awsome dance practice