27.12.10

My German Christmas


As mentioned in my last post, I spent Christmas this year with a good friend that I worked with on the NPH Int'l medical team. He is from Hänigsen, about half an hour NE of Hanover (in Lower Saxony). A cute little village in rural Germany. The train ride was beautiful (however I had to stand as there were no longer any seats left. I was surprised to discover that they sell more tickets than available seats for the journey. Lesson learned. Reserve a seat for the next trip, which is 6 hours long. I will NOT stand for that journey. Paying 3 Euros is well worth it for that trip.) Anyways, it was a nice ride through the snow-covered countryside.


Day 1: December 23 - Shortly after I arrived, Jan's mother served us a typical northern German meal of sausage, kale and potatoes, which was exceptionally delicious. This was only the second time during my four months in Germany that I've had a true German dish (a little embarrassing, I know). After my stay with Jan's family, I wonder why I haven't had it more often. It's quite delicious. Following lunch, Jan, his sister Kristina, and I decorated the Weihnachtbaum (Christmas tree), and in the evening we went to a Christmas Market in Celle, another small village in the area, to enjoy a mug or two of Gluhwein. That night I was introduced to another version, complete with rum-soaked cherries. Tasty. We then went to Jan's girlfriend's place to set up their tree and hang out for a bit.


Day 2: December 24 - This is the day that Christmas is typically celebrated all over the country. Our day started out by sleeping in until we couldn't possibly sleep any longer (well, maybe Jan could have...) We spent the day just hanging out with his family, and went for an afternoon Christmas walk in the forest near their home. The previous day we had quite a bit of freezing rain, which made for a slippery walk, but sure made the trees even prettier.


In the evening we lit the Weihnachtbaum (actually burned the candles - I'd never seen real candles burning on a tree! quite pretty actually), and then the gifts were opened. Our Christmas dinner was a meat fondue (didn't even know that existed). We cooked beef, pork, turkey, chicken, salmon and shrimp - yes, it was quite the meal! It was of course accompanied by some delicious homemade sauces, potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms and bread.

After dinner we headed to Burgdorf, a nearby town, and met up with some of their friends from high school at the local Christmas Eve meeting point...a bar that gets so crowded that the majority of the people have to stand outside in the snow. Needless to say, we didn't last too long there...


Day 3: December 25 (the REAL Christmas day!) - Following tradition, we went to Jan's aunt and uncle's place in Harz (mountain range in Northern Germany, on a good day about a 1.5 hour drive from Jan's place, however the weather slowed us down a bit...). The family gets together every year on the 25th to share cake and coffee (and wow - this family sure know how to make amazing cakes!). Following the cake, Jan, his sister, one of their cousins and myself took off for the mountains to enjoy some Christmas sledding. I've never seen so many adults on sleds in my life. Man, it certainly was a great time! Then, to finish the day off, we had some more delicious German food - a special bratwurst that is only made at Christmas time (forget the name...), along with potato and pasta salad. And don't forget the bier, schnapps and Schierker Feuerstein (a local drink, comparable to Jägermeister).

The Christmas experience was complete when I got to skype with my family in Iowa. They were all together on Christmas day to have lunch and exchange gifts. It's always so nice to be able to video chat with them while they're together, but of course, it's nothing like actually being there! Really miss you guys!



22.12.10

Auf Wiedersehen 2010, Hallo 2011


Just over one week ago (it feels like at least a month has gone by...) I took my first oral examination in my life to finish up the Core Course (covering Tropical Medicine, Public health, and Epidemiology) of my masters program. 'Twas a bit nerve-wracking, however it went much better than expected, but man am I happy it's over and done with. Our class celebrated with a farewell party last Tuesday, as we all move away to continue with the Advanced Modules at other institutes. We have continued to celebrate having our lives back throughout the week by meeting up for dinners, visiting Christmas Markets, attending Christmas concerts of friends, etc. And as strange as it may sound, I'm loving the snow-covered winter! We've had snow now for a bit more than three weeks. It's been years since I've been around for a full winter season. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to tolerate it, but so far so good! (moving to dark and depressing Bergen might be a different story though)


What 2011 has in store for me...

I'll be completing my modules in Bergen, Norway (a research course, one on HIV and another on Tuberculosis), then I will head to London in February were I'll take a course on nutrition and public health, and another that deals with issues faced by children living in difficult circumstances (political conflict areas, living on the streets, orphans, child abuse, child labor, etc.). I then plan to come back to Germany to take a course in Heidelburg on consultancy skills in evaluating health systems and programs in international health. Should make for an interesting and busy four months. But I'm really looking forward to it.

Then, it's back to Honduras to work on my thesis, which has yet to be solidified. But will more than likely be focused on HIV positive adolescents. And, if I'm lucky, maybe a visit to the mid-west before heading down there?? We'll see how my bank account looks when it comes time! I think life in Bergen and London for a few months is going to make quite a dent in my savings account...not the cheapest cities in the world to live in. that's for certain.

But, more short-term...
Tomorrow I take a train to Hannover, just about 2 hours from Berlin. A wonderful friend, and colleague from the NPH medical team (and his girlfriend who I had the pleasure of meeting nearly one year ago in Haiti) has invited me to spend a true German Christmas with his family. I'm not sure what all that entails, but I will soon find out.

Back to Berlin for New Year's Eve, then on to visit more friends (2 doctors i worked with in Honduras in 2007/2008) in Bavaria, then possibly to another dear friend and colleague from the NPH medical team, which just might involve some skiing in the Alps! Hopefully I come out of that alive.

So as you can tell, now that our course has come to an end, I have my life back, and am loving having some freedom to spend time with friends nearby...some that I have not seen for years. Friends from the Core Course...we all grew in many ways over these past few months. I am so happy to have gotten the chance to meet and work with you during this course - even in the group work projects ;) will miss you all as we go our own ways, but I look forward to seeing some of you in the modules and in other places around the world!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas, and I wish you all the best in the coming year!
Peace,
Annie

26.11.10

a beautiful way to start a November weekend...

Following my rule of no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, this morning as I left the apartment for class, I searched my ipod for some music to accompany me on the (rather short) journey. I landed upon some Christmas jazz, and out the door I went. Just as I was leaving, big fat snowflakes began to fall from the sky, and I had a perfect walk to class.

A couple of friends and I decided to head to the Charlottenburg Palace Christmas Market (just a short walk down the street from the institute we are studying at) after class for a look around the shops, and to enjoy a glass of Gluhwein, a traditional German Christmas drink and roasted chestnuts. I didn't know people actually ate those - I thought it was just a Christmas song! They sure were delicious though! The weather has turned quite "Christmasy" within these past few days, so a trip to the Christmas market was the perfect idea. However, I did realize how badly I need to get a pair of boots. My toes were just about frozen solid in my Converse sneakers...

When I got home I re-heated some of my leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner, then came to check emails. In a newsletter I subscribe to, I came across a link to this article.
The Secret Life: A Portrait of a Sex Worker in Haiti


Just a couple of days ago I received news from my colleague from the NPHI Medical Services team who works in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. He told me a couple of weeks ago about the unbelievable amount of sex-workers in Petionville, where our orphanage is located in Haiti (about an hour or so from Port-au-Prince). He said he can't walk down the street without being called by the women (or young women...). In the most recent email, he told me of the much needed break he took a couple of weekends ago, when he went to a hotel near the beach (he's currently located in our home near Santo Domingo). While out to dinner one night, he said the women would just come and sit down at his table...

He tells stories of UN "aid" workers and others, he sees taking up the offer from the women. It certainly makes you wonder...

It's a terrible situation the women are in...that their only lifeline is to sell the little bit of dignity they may have left within them. And then there are the "relief workers" who put fuel to the fire.

So, just something to reflect on today, the day after Thanksgiving. Sometimes it's so easy to forget, or take for granted, all of the blessings in our lives. I started the day today feeling on top of the world. I have so many things to be thankful for - for being born into a life in which I have so many opportunities. I have a loving family, and many close friends. I've received a good education. My work experiences over the years have opened my eyes to many things I never imagined I would ever see. And I saw them because I held my future in my own hands. My destiny was not determined by the chance of having a place to sleep, food to eat, clean water to drink, safety, a place to study, and good teachers to guide my learning.

I have never had to worry about what I will have tomorrow. I have been given the opportunity to determine my own destiny through the decisions I make. So many people in this world don't have the chance to determine their life-path, but it has been chosen for them, by the circumstances into which they were born and forced to live in.

Well, I didn't mean to get all sappy here, but was just thinking about this a bit, and wanted to share with the rest of you. It is so shameful to hear about these stories...that reflect the power that just continues to drive these people into the ground...

25.11.10

Happy Thanksgiving!

This morning I realized that this is my first year without a true turkey dinner! Even in Honduras I was able to celebrate with the other foreigners. I was never disappointed in the amount of delicious food we were always able to whip together, often with limited access to the “necessary” supplies and ingredients. However, things are a bit different here with no fellow Americans to spend the day with! I did however meet up with an Italian friend (another student in the master’s class) for a coffee at Starbucks (mocha praline soy latte – highly recommended. It’s like liquid Nutella heaven.). What a perfect way to give thanks – thank you America for spreading Starbucks to Germany, and locating one just a few minutes’ walk from my apartment. And thanks Starbucks for created such a scrumptious (and low fat I’m sure) drink.

I have just begun to boil my potatoes to make our family’s traditional dumplings. They informed me they will not be eating them this Thanksgiving, because I’m not there to make them. That is sad news. I will have to eat enough for all of us. That is good news. The dumplings will be accompanied by a sausage (please see the photo to the left of the terrible package they came in. I'd really prefer to not see the animal on the package.) instead of turkey, sauerkraut (as usual) and corn (instead of the delicious green bean casserole my family will be eating). I’ll miss the pumpkin pie! But I guess I already had my desert for today.

I will soon have the pleasure of meeting with my family as they prepare to sit down for their Thanksgiving lunch (many thanks to technology for allowing me to skype with my family and “sit” at the table with them today, even across the ocean!) After they eat, we will try to meet online to play the German card game that has been passed on through the generations of the Kautza family – sheepshead (the photo to the left is of us playing cards on our computers. hilarious, i know). Thanks Yahoo games for allowing us to meet online to play cards across the globe!

(Potatoes now off the stove, mashed, and cooling in preparation for the formation of the tasty balls of dough they will soon be transformed into.)

Oh, and most importantly, thanks to Professor Vogel for not being able to make it to the institute to continue expanding our knowledge of health economics. I really don’t think I would have been thankful to discuss more about accounting and bookkeeping. So, thanks for the day off of class, and please be nice when grading my essay. THAT I would be thankful for.

Now, a quick rundown of what’s been happening ‘round these parts.

Nina, a good friend and colleague from the NPHI Medical Services team came to visit a couple of weekends ago. She finished the masters program I am currently in this past December. Yes, she's the one that got me into this mess. =)

Friday night we went to a classmate's house for an amazing Ghanaian dinner that his mother prepared for us all. Thanks to Edmund's momma! Saturday morning we slept in nice and late, and walked around the city a bit to pass the time. We came home to make a delicious pasta dinner, then headed to the Jamie Lidell concert, followed by some dancing at La Havanna Club.






We had a lazy Sunday, and got out of the apartment just in time to make it to the East Side Gallery just before the sun set, to enjoy some wall artwork, where the Berlin wall used to stand.


The day was topped off by making baleadas and micheladas with a couple of friends from class.


This past Tuesday I went with a few friends from class to the Nina Hagen concert, which proved to be quite an interesting experience. She is a crazy older German singer, turned Christian. We weren't quite sure what to expect, but it was a nice evening. From what I've heard online and from friends here, her voice used to be quite amazing. I was a bit disappointed at the concert...she sounded like the female version of Tom Waits. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Tom, but just wasn't expecting her voice to be so scratchy. Oh well.

Let's see...what else has happened since the last post.

We've had another exam, with results (that we still haven't received) that will likely turn out just like the first exam. Our third exam is quickly sneaking up on us, and the final oral exam only a week after that one. Thesis outlines to write, advanced modules to settle on, which will carry me to Bergen, Norway and London, England for a few months beginning in January and lasting through early April. Exact dates yet to be determined.

I can't believe how quickly time has gone here. It seems like just yesterday that we were all sitting around the circle playing our silly "get to know you" games, or dating games according to the course coordinators. Strange. It's crazy to think that we have less than a month left together!

Oh, I also purchased the album "Zaz". I heard about her from a couple of classmates that went to see her last weekend. I'd recommend checking it out. Umm - her music is in French, so I really don't know what she's singing about, but it's nice music!

Now, time for bed.

Be careful all of you that will be taking part in the Black Friday shopping. Try not to be stampeded. I will be sitting in class, learning about essential drugs, intellectual property, and techniques on how to do literature reviews. Can't wait! And snow is in the forecast! So at least maybe there will be large, pretty snowflakes to watch again out the window?

Peace.

18.11.10

the awesomeness that is my sister...

well i have nothing really noteworthy to post about. so instead, i will pass along to all of you readers out there (i often wonder how many there really are?!?) a website of an amazing project my sister started with youth in her community. check the blog for details! Youth Art Team

my sister's personal blog is on my list of favorites on the right side of my page ("liberate blog"). i encourage you to check it out as well!

31.10.10

life flying by...

time for another update?

Just a few days after my last post, I celebrated my 29th birthday with friends from all over the world. In the afternoon we got a tour of the German Parliament building. The photo above was taken at the top, which is supposed to have a beautiful view of the city. However, of course the day we went it was cloudy and rainy. The festivities continued with a party back at my flat, where I heard a number of versions of "Happy Birthday" and a variety of other songs in a lot of languages I have yet to master. We kept ourselves entertained for hours singing, dancing, and playing some pretty hilarious games (I think Su takes the cake on giving all of our abdominal muscles a workout from laughing so hard). Turns out our group is loaded with many talents. Some of you should form a group and go try to make some money from all of those tourists here in berlin =)

Last weekend our class returned from a four-day "field trip" to Geneva, Switzerland, where we visited a number of international organizations working in the health field to hear about their work. Allow me to give you a quick tour.

World Health Organization: Where the magic happens. View from the rooftop of WHO

The Global Fund: To fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
(No, we didn't visit Ralph Lauren)Taking in the sights of the water of Lake Geneva...









Celebration the last night with the Charite gang



Killing time walking around the old city before heading to the airport


We also visited UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, and UNAIDS. I won't bore you with more photos.

22.9.10

Master of Procrastination

I think I would do just lovely with a thesis on that...

With just over one week of the core course under my belt, I am already trying to find a way to put off doing what I should be doing - be it studying, trying to plan out which advanced modules I would like to apply for, or continuing to develop my research question for my thesis. I have found the perfect thing - updating my blog.

Our class is going well...quite an interesting mix of people. Our class consists of mainly doctors, with a couple of pharmacists mixed in, along with one of each of the following: biologist, parasitologist, dentist, nurse (that would be me!), and a social scientist. There are 32 of us, coming from a total of 20 different countries - Argentina, Austria, Bosnia, Burkina Faso, Germany, Ghana, Great Britain, Greece, India, Indonesia, Italy, Korea, Mexico, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Switzerland, Thailand, Uganda, and of course, USA.

Thus far we've been filled full of theory - discussing research methods, international health in general. Tomorrow we dig into more of the medical stuff, starting out with Malaria.

I continue to be frustrated with the language, and I continue to have horrible run-ins at the super market. For example, just last week I was yelled at by a man terribly upset with me, for trying to be respectful of the man in front of me. I had just unloaded my arms (there were no carts available, so I was carrying my things), placing my items onto the conveyor belt. I held them back just for a couple of seconds while the guy in front of me unloaded his cart. Up walks the man behind me, yells some terrible sounding at me, throws (yes - THROWS) one of the little plastic divider things in front of my things (when I put my things down I couldn't yet reach them since they were way up by the cashier). he then shoves my stuff to the side, knocking a few items to the floor (he is unconcerned by my things now laying at my feet). He then places his things on the belt and continues to mutter in German. People can be so pleasant! I always love the shopping experience here...










(Yes, we were those people taking pictures on the U-Bahn...)

Last Friday the coordinators of our program invited us to a dinner out - the best Thai food I've had in a long time! Some of us decided to head out for a drink at the Oktoberfest tent that had been set up in the city. However, upon arrival (at something like 10:45pm) they had already closed down. Who closes an Oktoberfest tent that early?? Well anyways, we made do at a joint on the corner instead.

Well, that should do for now.
Peace.

11.9.10

Hallo aus Deutschland!


In Henri Nouwen's book, "Gracias!", a journal of the time Nouwen spent living and working with the poor in Peru and Bolivia in the 1980's, he discusses how it is good for people to be forced back into a child-like state of learning. He discusses how when you set yourself in a position of uncertainty, in a setting far outside of your comfort zone, it is as though you have become a child again, and you are forced to learn in a child-like manner, asking all of those "why" questions, and wondering how, what, when and where...

It challenges the mind, body and spirit to grow in new ways when you place yourself in unfamiliar settings. Moving yet again to another country, where they speak a language that is so foreign to me, and the way of living is so different than what I have become used to, has been a beautiful challenge, and opportunity to grow.

Of course it is frustrating coming to a country where I can't even say, "hello, my name is annie". I hate being "that person" that goes to a country without having studied their language even the slightest bit (the most I studied prior to coming was maybe 45 minutes while sitting in the Des Moines airport getting ready to board the plane. and by "study" I mean listening to a German phrase book CD).

As I struggle at the baggage claim in Berlin trying to figure out how to unlock one of those suitcase carts, I hear a knock on the window just in front of me. I look up and see my friend, Nunja waving happily on the other side. It was so great to see her - I didn't know she would be waiting at the airport for me! Once I finally had collected all of my bags, I went out to meet her, and out jump two more friends, Eike and Jan, from behind a post. What a lovely surprise. It was such a blessing to have them all here with me for my first couple of days so they could give me my "how to survive Berlin crash course"! They taught me things like, "stay off the red bricks on the sidewalk or you'll get run over by a bike" and "don't take it personally if people don't smile at you and don't seem very welcoming." Oh, and they also helped me get my reduced-fare student transport pass (with my hilariously terrible and overpriced photo) - I'm pretty sure I never would have been able to figure that one out on my own. Que complicado...

Oh, and the maps and chocolate Eike gave me as a "welcome to berlin" gift have come in quite handy over these past couple of weeks! Can't get enough of that German chocolate...good thing we don't have a scale in my apartment.

There have been several moments over the weeks when I have returned back to the child-like feeling Nouwen talked about in his book. They say it's good for you...

Immediately upon arrival to Berlin, we came to my apartment in Neokolln to drop my things off (a very Turkish part of Berlin), then we headed out for my first meal in Germany - PIZZA. Then we hit the city to see the sights. We went to the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag. Also spent some time walking through the Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe. We also strolled through Alexander Platz to see the World Time Clock.

That was about enough for one jet-lagged day. But then the second day, we slept in until about 11am, then Eike had us over to her place for some true German food - sausage, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut. It was heavenly.

For the past week and a half, I've been partaking in intensive German courses with some fellow classmates from the Masters program. It has been just that - intense. But, I'm at least beginning to learn a language that I once found impossible to understand. After having 7 days under my belt, I decided it was time to venture out and try to fix my cell phone so I could use it here. I was a little skeptical when I went to the hole-in-the-wall electronics store, and the guy took my phone and said, come back in 30 minutes. I was a little nervous that between my minimal German, and his minimal English, there had been some miscommunication. I thought maybe I'd never see my cell phone again.

So, after pacing the hopping street for a bit, I went back to the store and sat outside to wait for the next 15 minutes to pass. I whipped out my German dictionary, and started to study. The guy from the store came out and offered me a seat at the counter inside, so I took him up on the offer.

He offered me a baklava, and reminded me that it was "sugar fest day". The end of Ramadan - a reason to celebrate for sure. He then surprised me with a tea from a Turkish bakery next door, and then followed by a candy. When he started to explain his background (he's Pakistani) and he asked me if I was afraid of Pakistani people, I started to feel a bit bad about being skeptical of leaving my cell phone with him...

One hour and 50 minutes later (yes that's right - I timed it), he finally told me that they were having difficulties unlocking my phone, and that the technician was going to have to look at it on Saturday. (remember, it initially was only going to take 30 minutes...) I was meeting up with some friends that night, so rushed back and threw myself together just in time to meet them only 10 minutes late.

So, that's about it for now. I expect things to pick up quite a bit this next week, with the beginning of the course. So if I go into hibernation mode again, you know this is why.

Much love to you all from Berlin! (a beautiful, warm sunny day here today! got to spend some time in the park studying German. was lovely.)

22.8.10

Moving on...

Well the time has come for me to say goodbye to NPH for a bit, and take a leap into uncertainty yet again. Last Friday was my last official day "at work", and I have just one more week here in the good 'ol USofA before heading to Berlin, Germany to study for a masters degree in International Health. (http://internationalhealth.charite.de/en/) I will be studying full-time, and therefore it should take about one year to complete the program. I'll spend the first four months in Berlin for the core course, then will be traveling around a bit to complete my required modules, which will be focused on HIV/AIDS.

In July I was fortunate enough to be able to participate in the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria. The conference was one week long, and gave me a taste for what I'm in for with my move to Europe. It was inspiring to be surrounded by 19,000 other participants from 181 countries, all working towards the same cause. The experience got me really excited about continuing my studies in this area.

I have one week left here to enjoy time with family and friends before taking off again. So I leave you with this. Hopefully I'll have a chance to update the blog following the move.

Much love to everybody.

20.6.10

It feels like years have gone by…

It’s only been four months. A lot has happened in those four months. I’ll attempt to fill you in here. I'll even include some photos...

I returned to the US from Haiti mid-February after spending a month working in St. Damien hospital post-earthquake. It seems like years have passed since we were there – I often times wonder if it was all just a bad dream…


Upon my return, my mind was made up that my next step must be to apply for a master’s degree in International Health. I had been thinking about it for a couple of years, but never had thought as seriously about it as I did on my return trip from Haiti. After all, one thing that motivated me to go into nursing was my desire to do international work someday. I had no idea that it would happen so quickly after graduating or that I’d be doing it for so long. Clearly I’ve been sucked in. Thank you NPH.

The application to the program was due just a couple of weeks after I returned from Haiti, so instead of taking the time I needed to readjust and figure out what exactly it was that I had just experienced, I had to pull myself together and get the application material sent off.

Due to the earthquake and our medical team’s extended stay in Haiti, other travel plans were put off. The NPH International board meeting which was to be held in Mexico in February was cancelled. Our international medical workshop which was to be held in the Dominican Republic in April also had to be cancelled. Thus, I was blessed with a bit more time to spend in the States, and was able to visit family and friends that I rarely get to see.

My return started out by being welcomed at the Des Moines Airport by my parents, niece and nephews. Oh, it was so good to be home. Shortly thereafter, I got to spend time in Waterloo with my sister (BFF!), brother-in-law and their wonderful children. That was quickly followed by a visit to Minnesota to see my beautiful friends Christine, Nick (who i just recently found out are pregnant! yay!) and Jonny over St. Patrick’s Day.


Two dear friends of mine, Pat and Christine (a different Christine), got married in Connecticut in March. It was an honor to be able to be there for their special day – a beautiful ceremony and reception. I got to play big sister for the weekend, and hang out with Pat’s daughters Alex and Casey (we shared a hotel room). ‘Twas a fantastic time for sure.


I took advantage of my time out east to visit another long-time friend and her husband – SJ and Sean – in New Jersey. Way too much time has gone by – I wish we lived closer! Love you guys…was so good to see you!

Following a couple of days in Jersey, I hopped over to NYC to see mi amiga Michelle, with whom I volunteered in Honduras in 2005. Wow – that was really 5 years ago?! Seems like just yesterday we were hanging out in the pasillo of Casa Personal, drinking rum and tang, eating baleadas and whatever was left of whichever boxed cake mix some volunteer had made for proyecto familiar. During my days in New York, I finally got to meet the mysterious Alex that I’ve heard so much about over the years. So nice to meet you – you now have my permission to marry Michelle. (I don’t have any photos from those days – it was raining cats and dogs and I was just too nervous to carry my camera around…lame.)


April finally rolled around, and the medical team I work with got together in Miami for a week of meetings. We spent the week planning for the coming year, updating our health policy, and revising the forms for the NPHI Health Care Manual. They were long days, but quite fruitful. We’re still working on the finishing touches, and waiting for our Health Policy to be approved by the Consejo. But, things are moving forward. Slowly, but surely. NPH style.


From Miami, I took off for Peru to spend two weeks working in our clinic in Lunahuana (while my colleague Jan was stuck for days in Miami – he had finally just left Haiti/DR – due to the ash cloud covering Europe). Since my trip to Machu Piccu had to be canceled, I decided to at least spend a weekend in Lima, since all I really knew of Peru was Lunahuana and Cañete. I stayed in a pretty nice hostel in Miraflores, located just off of a nice park where I was able to spend some time lounging. On Sunday I went to the central park with a volunteer from our home, and hit up the market – hard. I found a guy making jewelry…and well, if you know me at all, I’m a sucker for necklaces and bracelets. I nearly bought him out.


From there I headed to Bolivia, where I would spend another two weeks working in our home just outside of Portachuelo. Really – the jungle. I love falling asleep to the sound of monkeys in the nearby trees. Unfortunately, the visit just wasn’t the same as in the past. A couple of key elements were missing – Kara and Ismael. Kara is another ex-volunteer from Honduras, who had been working as the House Director for the past several years in Bolivia. Just a couple months before I arrived, she returned to the US. Ismael, who now is working as the House Director, previously was the Local Health Coordinator, was in El Salvador at the time of my visit. I was lucky enough however to see him the day before I left. (please note the sloth at the bottom of the tree behind us in the photo)


Some of the staff and volunteers had a lovely “despidida” (going away party) my last night there. We went into Santa Cruz, started the evening off with an amazing BBQ at one of their homes, and then a couple of us danced the night away.

Speaking of despididas – I must mention that it is final. In the first days after arriving to Bolivia, I received my letter of acceptance to the Master program I had applied to. And thus, I made the incredibly difficult decision to not renew my contract with NPH when it expires in August. Although the last few years have been anything but easy, they have been beautiful, and it will be incredibly difficult to say good-bye (actually hopefully more of an “hasta luego”) to the hundreds of children and friends I have grown to love over the years. NPH really has been my life for the past couple of years, and it’s hard to imagine life without it. It kind of feels like losing a piece of yourself. August 16th will be a tough, tough day, when I roll out of the gate of NPH Honduras, en route for the US.

I will be heading to Berlin, Germany on August 30th, where I will be based for the following four months for the core course of the program. During those months, the course work will be focused on tropical medicine and public health (at the Institute of Tropical Medicine and International Health – Berlin). Upon completion of that portion of the program, I will enroll in various modules throughout Europe, focusing my studies on HIV/AIDS.

Which leads me to the next big news – many, many months ago I applied for a scholarship to attend the 18th International AIDS Conference, to be held next month (July) in Vienna, Austria. To be honest, in the chaos of the last several months, I had forgotten that I even applied for it. Well, turns out I was awarded free travel and conference registration! The conference is held every other year. In 2008 it was held in Mexico, but by the time I was aware of it the early registration deadline had passed, and I was in no situation to pay the expensive registration fees. Needless to say I’m pretty excited about the opportunity to take part in the conference (I’ll be traveling from July 16-25), and get a little taste of Europe before I move there at the end of August! Eek. That still hasn’t really settled in yet!

The conference is being presented by the International AIDS Society, partnering with UNAIDS, World Health Organization, the Global Fund, and more. The theme of the conference this year is “Rights Here, Right Now” and thus will be focusing on the rights of the HIV positive population, and increasing their access to medications and other needed services. The most current studies on care for HIV positive people will be presented, and the current guidelines for treatments discussed. As I am going to represent NPH and to gather useful information for them, I am planning on attending a workshop on how to disclose the HIV status to children and adolescents, and how to continue to work with positive youth, which is an ongoing difficulty we face in our homes that provide care to nearly 90 HIV positive children and adolescents.


Early June, as I’ve done for the past five years, I assisted in organizing a 10-day medical brigade to a couple of remote villages in northern Honduras. The brigade this year consisted of pediatric and internal medicine doctors, a pharmacist, pharmacy and medical students, nurses from our clinic at the orphanage (foreign and Honduran), and a badly needed dentist. A couple of years ago we started a water project, delivering water filters to every home of a mountain village called “La Hicaca”. Since we began the project, the number of gastrointestinal infections has been drastically reduced (the infant mortality rate of the area was quite high in previous years to due GI infections and dehydration). It has gone so well that we had been asked to deliver another 29 filters to another nearby community this year.

Being a part of the brigades is something quite special – every year my eyes continue to be opened to the reality so many people of our world face. Lack of access to clean drinking water. Lack of access to health facilities. If there is a health care facility, there is an absolute lack of adequate medication. Many people of rural communities may go their entire life without ever seeing a doctor. Diabetes and hypertension are common due to the high fat, high salt, high sugar diet, as well as the lifestyle. Teeth literally rot out of people’s mouths, because there is no education on why cavities occur, and there are no dentists to do annual cleanings, to fill cavities when they are still salvageable, or to even take them out when they are already completely dead. Not to mention it is all too common that children start drinking soda from their bottles as babies, and as soon as they have teeth (maybe even earlier…) they are already eating chips and candy.

The photo above is us bathing ourselves in a rain storm. We were without shower facilities for three days (in ultra hot, dirty conditions - thank God for rain). He're a slightly nicer picture of my with a little girl that our team "adopted" several years ago. She comes back to "work" with us every year. She's a doll, no? This was taken on our way to Trujillo (beach on the north coast of Honduras) on our day off.


A part of me is terrified of going back to school (I was so happy to be done with it in 2004!), but being down here I am frequently reminded of why I went into nursing, and I guess this is the reality I have to face to continue to do what I love doing.


One last exciting thing of late – then I promise I will leave you be. When I returned home from South America, believe it or not, His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama came to the University of Northern Iowa to discuss how to promote a non-violent world through education. So, naturally my sister, brother-in-law and I jumped at the opportunity to attend the panel discussion in the morning. I had just finished reading one of his books - “The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World” – which I would highly recommend to you all.

And speaking of good book – right now I’m finishing up “There is no me without you” by Melissa Fay Greene. It is the story of an Ethiopian woman who after a series of events opens her doors to children orphaned by AIDS in her country. Also an excellent read – it has been giving me a lot of encouragement in my road back to studying.

Ok, so that’s my last four months in a nutshell.

Much love and peace to you all.

And happy Father’s Day to all of you dads! Mine especially =)

And oh my gosh – Honduras vs. Spain tomorrow. VAMOS CATRACHOS! I think it’s about to get ugly…

8.2.10

The only way we survive is through our faith and humor...


Over these past 2 ½ weeks, we’ve seen things that nobody should have to see…these things should just simply not be. We’ve seen children that have had their limbs cut off – in surgery or because their house or school crushed them. One boy came into our triage tent 1 ½ weeks after the earthquake – his leg was half gone – bone sticking out, surrounded by infected flesh. He was just now arriving to receive treatment – he wasn’t able to get to the hospital any earlier.

En route to Kenscoff (where NPH Haiti is located – high up in the mountains) on Saturday, we drove through Port-au-Prince. The ex-volunteers in our truck wanted to see what was left of the city they once knew. We passed the government buildings that are no more than piles of broken cement. The whole downtown area has been destroyed. Even the buildings that remain standing must be broken down before they fall on their own one day. We passed a supermarket that is no more than dust now…an estimated 400 bodies stuck inside. Passing it you smell their bodies rotting in the heat. People wear masks in the city because the stench is unbearable.

Mass was said on Saturday on top of the Fr. Wasson Center, our old hospital in Petionville that collapsed, in memory of Ryan and Molly, two volunteers that lost their lives in the tragedy. Mass was then said at Josef’s house (an ex-pequeno of NPFS Haiti and now employee of the organization), where he lost his entire family – not one was pulled from the home. They stood upon his crumbled home, now the grave of his family. As mass was said, many could not stand the smell of Josef’s family that was decaying under the rock. One of the band members threw up because of the stench. This ceremony is the closest thing he will get to having closure and burial for those he loved the most.

A few days ago I was sitting on the porch of the volunteer house, and as a semi drove behind the building, we heard yelling and people running on the gravel road. One of the trucks that was en route to our storage facility had been broken into. As it drove down the road, a few men jumped on the back and opened the doors. They began throwing boxes out – eventually whole pallets were being dumped off the truck. The people are hungry – and there is little food to eat. People are thirsty, and there is little water. Many people are still in the dark about where they can get the food they’ve been promised by the global community. People will do anything to make sure their families have a bit of food to eat. The people are struggling to make it.

In Fr. Rick’s homily on Sunday, he said “The only way we survive is through our faith and humor”. It’s true – we are in the midst of many horrendous things. But through our faith and humor, we are able to carry on. We have an amazing team of people that has come together through this tragedy. Many NPH volunteers, ex-volunteers and staff (you'll see some of them in the photo above) have come together to support our Haitian brothers and sisters – those that belong to our organization, and those that have been somehow treated or touched by our organization. People that have never even heard of NPH or St. Damien Hospital have shown up to our doors offering any help they could possibly give us. The latest estimate is that our hospital has cared for over 10,000 people – including those admitted to our hospital, and through our mobile clinics.

It is amazing to me how this tragedy can bring so many people together – people from all over the world have come together to support the efforts of the local staff of St. Damien and all of their outreach projects. If any of you would like to donate to a cause I truly believe in, visit www.compassionweavers.com . This is the website of the work being done in St. Damien Pediatric Hospital and their outreach projects. All donations will go directly towards serving the people of Haiti. All of us here appreciate your support of the work we are doing, and the work that will continue to be done long after we leave.

Peace to you all, annie

4.2.10

A Dignified Burial

Every Thursday, Fr. Rick Frechette and his team gather bodies from the morgues of St. Damien and the General Hospital and lay them to rest about half an hour outside of Port-au-Prince. I joined them today, along with several other volunteers.

The day began around 9am when we took off for the General Hospital. This was the first time I really had been out of the hospital, and my eyes were opened to the destruction this country has faced. We drove past the Presidential Palace, and all of the other government buildings that are now not much more than piles of crumbled cement. We drove past a number of tent cities that have been made of nothing more than sheets, sticks and rope. We passed lines of people waiting to receive bags of rice.

When we arrived at the hospital (there were probably somewhere around 20 people with us), the team had disposable gowns ready, and they showed us how to use the gown bags as booties to cover our shoes – so I was one of the lucky ones to get those. Once we were all gowned up, we put on our face masks and gloves and headed to the morgue. The hospital staff from the morgue opened up the large coolers that were just filled with bodies piled on top of each other (something like walk-in meat coolers – excuse the description…) and Fr. Rick said a prayer, and that was followed by song. They repeated this in the second cooler, and we received instructions on our tasks.

Fr. Rick and the hospital staff pulled the bodies out of the cooler and placed them in the paper coffins made by a group of guys that grew up in our orphanage and now are living on their own. All of the bodies were covered with a long piece of white paper with the Passionist symbol on it, and in Creole it said, “May the angels meet you in paradise”. A hand-made rosary was also placed in each coffin before it was closed and carried off to the trucks.

The 50 coffins we had were filled, mostly with individual bodies placed inside. What I assume was a mother and her baby child where placed in the same coffin. Another ten infants and babies were placed in another coffin together. The bodies that were left we placed in body bags and carried out.

As you can imagine, the closer they got to the bottom of the pile, the more decayed the bodies were. Without getting too detailed, it was pretty apparent that these people had died quite some time ago.

We arrived at the cemetery about mid-day. There we were met by a band of about 5 men – they are there every week. The local men that dig the graves were there with shovels in hand. I can only imagine how difficult it is to dig those graves in the rocky earth. They had dug I think maybe 7 graves – several coffins placed in each grave.

We unloaded the bodies from the trucks – usually about 4-6 of us carrying a coffin. A few guys were down in the grave to take the bodies from us as we passed them down. The earth between the graves was narrow and loose. Several times as we were carrying the coffins we would slip on the loose dirt and nearly fall…struggling to keep hold of the coffin.

After they were all laid to rest, a prayer was said, and the band played again. The local men began to fill in the graves, and we headed back to the hospital.

The day was incredibly difficult – but very moving and special. The people we buried had not been claimed by family – they had nobody to give them proper burials. This sadly enough, is much too common in Haiti. If the team of St. Damien weren’t to bury these people, they would wind up in mass graves somewhere. It was a beautiful experience to be able to help give them a proper, dignified burial.