January 5 - a more typical day...

In keeping with a solid mix of entries, I want to include one of our more typical days. January 5 was the day after we arrived in Cap-Haitien.

After a restful and rock hard sleep, we woke up and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast. The bananas and bread were fresh and the coffee was delicious. Taking advantage of the sunshine, we piled into the SOIL truck and headed out to the technology center in Milot. After one of the nice but bumpy rides that characterize Haitian transportation, we dismounted outside of a group houses. We were welcomed by an old dell computer and a smiling gentleman who was working very hard carving a large toilet basin out of clay. I stood amazed as Sasha and Sarah explained the various designs and materials that were used in the production of the toilet bowl. The clay could be found locally. Surely they could have imported toilet bowls from the US, but this was an ethical operation that was not just about providing a toilet but also about empowering communities. Leaving the man to his work, Sasha showed us the toilet out back. We took turns stepping inside the toilet and having a look around. I was blown away at the simple yet brilliant innovation. It was as if the cycle was complete: food went from the field, to the human stomach, to the toilet, to the compost heap and back onto the field to enrich the next round of crops. To examine this cycle in its totality, we walked to an additional compost site and through the local fields and gardens. I noted the presence of banana trees through the potato plots…was this planned or by happenstance? I didn’t have too long to think as we continued our jaunt through the community to a dense plot of trees. How refreshing to see veritable forest in Haiti! Internally, I beamed with excitement and began my own mental journey through history—imagining the entire island covered with lush forest. This intellectual indulgence only continued with our arrival at a massive tree which was rumored to have been around since before the revolution. Sasha explained the role of the tree and its giant roots as a political meeting place, but the presence of pots around the base of the tree also had other religious implications. I began to get the eeriest sense and recalled Amy Wilentz’s commentary about Haitians being a people that “walk in history.” The local fellow who was walking us around led everyone over to a large hollow tree, to whom he spoke or prayed loudly. Hanging in back with a few of the SOL gang, I asked them if there were in “lwa” around and they just smiled and laughed. “Is he talking to Bondye?” I asked. They laughed again. Our conversation continued and I joked with them that I wasn’t going into any tree you had to talk to, especially considering how close we were to Bwa Kayiman. “You know your history!” they said to me through their laughter. Just then from the other side of the giant tree, Jack asked about the presence of snakes. While he waited for an answer, he looked down toward his feet and saw a very large snake skin. I’m not typically a religious or mystical guy, but there was just too much going on here to ignore. The two fellows I was with also took a much more serious demeanor. What a strange thing I thought aloud…This is one blan that will not be ignoring Haiti’s rich religious heritage—vodou or otherwise!