beautiful days.

Who knew it was possible? Friday was the most amazing day yet in Bergen. The sun was out all day long, and we got out of class in time to go enjoy it. It's a completely different city when it's not completely hazed over! We took full advantage of this rare opportunity, and a bunch of us walked about the city looking for a place for a nice small picnic lunch. This is where we ended up...just along one of the ports. It got a bit chilly after a bit, so we headed for a coffee, then to a classmate's place where we awaited a delicious Indian dinner. Thank you Mayuri for yet another wonderful meal!


Saturday a group of us took off for Voss, home to the nearest ski resort, which is just an hour by train from Bergen (an absolutely amazing view from the train - right along the lake and snow-covered mountains with the sun shining brightly). One group hit the mountains to try out the snow (several on skis for the first time ever!), and another smaller group hit the hills on foot (myself included). We were in search of Bordal's Gorge, however, we unfortunately did not find it. We decided to turn back prematurely due to extreme temperatures (even our eyelashes and hair were freezing) and a general lack of "umf" among our group. We at least had a really nice hike, and saw some beautiful scenery along the way. Not to mention, the ice cold (literally frozen by the time we got to the bottom) Hansa beer we cracked open once we decided to not continue climbing. Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure.


Just one week left here. Hope the weather stays decent so I can enjoy the last days.

It matters to this one...

Our professor starts class every day by reading a poem, a quote from a speech, or an excerpt from a novel. He reminded us of this story last week, and its relevance in international health work. I wanted to pass it along...possibly to stimulate some thought...

Adapted from "The Star Thrower"

- Loren Eiseley

A young girl was walking along the beach early one morning. The tide was receding, leaving numerous starfish stranded on the beach. The girl began picking them up and tossing them back into the water.

Engrossed in her task, she didn't notice the old fisherman sitting quietly watching her. He startled her with a gruff, "What are you doing?" to which she smiled and enthusiastically replied, "I'm saving the starfish."

He laughed at her and launched into a scoffing ridicule. "Look ahead of you down the beach," he said, pointing to the seemingly endless expanse of sand and surf. "There are thousands of starfish washed up on this beach. You can't hope to save them all. You're just wasting your time. What you're doing doesn't matter," he exclaimed in a dismissive tone.

The girl stopped, momentarily pondering his words. Then she picked up a starfish and threw it far into the water. She stood straight and looked him in the eye. "It matters to that one," she said, and continued down the beach.

Pieces of the past.

** I wrote this the day after arriving. But decided to let things settle a bit before posting so I could laugh at it rather than be annoyed. **

Looks like it is back to simple living, in a kind of complicated, unexpected and undesired way.

After tromping around the city yesterday afternoon with our suitcases (I always love that part), my friend and I arrived at our student hostel just in time, as the girl that had our keys was just leaving her place – actually met us in the parking lot on her way out. Good timing.

The hostel is well…an enormous complex of (extremely over-priced) student dorms. Walking into it, I felt like I was going eleven years into the past…walking into St. Mary’s dorm. Except this building is dirty, smelly, and is filled with graffiti. Violent, disturbing, dark…graffiti.

We learned the hard way what “white goods” means. No, it is not sheets. It means refrigerator. Good thing I brought a pair of sheets (gave the top sheet to a friend that only had a light blanket), travel pillow, and the Snuggy I got from my east coast family, just in case!

My kitchen is also completely empty. There is one hot plate however. No pots or pans. This is serious. I don’t even have a way to heat water for my coffee. I guess they expect the students that come just for one month (or even less) to travel with a kitchen? I left my kitchen in Berlin. And I am back to eating Ranch style. One eating utensil (a plastic spoon). One mug - my travel coffee mug. Good thing I packed that and my Swiss Army knife. For now I make do with the side of a cereal box as a plate (Yes, I'm serious.) and the tupperware i usually use for lunch serves as my bowl.

My room is as dark as it is outside (nearly). I’m sure this will be the ideal study environment.

My bathroom from time to time lets out whiffs of outhouse smells. And no, not just any outhouse. I’m talking La Hicaca outhouse smells. The maintenance crew came to “fix” it. Nothing actually has changed.

The knob on my radiator is broken, so it’s nearly impossible to change it without a pliers. I forgot to pack my pliers.

Norwegian? Forget it. However it seems that many people here speak English, which is a blessing.

We can’t access the internet until we begin courses and get our user accounts, which is on Monday. Then it takes another 24 hours apparently for our account to be activated. That’s a downer. Oh, and they also fail to mention there is no wireless, so of course we have to buy a cable when we get here.

The housing department is taking advantage of us in regards to rent and the termination of our contract. I'll spare you those details. Just another obnoxious bump in the road. Hopefully we'll get this fixed.

And to make matters worse, I seem to have left my cell phone in the apartment in Berlin, and didn’t realize it until I had already locked things up (left the keys inside), and was on my way to the train station. The neighbor with a spare key wasn’t home. So, am a bit out of touch.

Haha, and the weather. At 8:30am, we leave for class in the dark. By 4pm, it is nearly dark again. The days are cloudy, rainy, and windy. Not my style.

Sigh.

------------now back to real time-----------------

Worse things happen, and I will survive a month. I will probably be settled in just as I'm ready to leave for London.

My second day here I went shopping and purchased an over-priced pot. First, they didn't give me the sale price, then they supposedly reimbursed me. Now nearly two weeks later, and my bank statement still shows I paid $60 for a pot and a fork. Awesome.

Today is the first day I have actually eaten from a glass plate. A friend loaned me one from their shared kitchen. Thank you block C floor 6 =).

The housing department has finally given in to my slightly threatening emails, and has decided to allow my contract to be terminated when I move out, and not a month later as they were trying to do previously.

Today and yesterday we have actually see SUN. Now if only we didn't have to be sitting in class during those precious hours. The city of Bergen looks MUCH different these days now that we can actually see it. I hope it lasts!!

Some of our classmates from the program in Berlin will join us this weekend for the upcoming modules. Looking forward to seeing some more familiar faces!

Things are looking up.

one year later...

friends,

i will spare you all from my attempt to find words to go with the emotions of the past week...after reading reflections and stories of the haitians one year after the quake...after watching videos reliving it all...videos that show how the people continue to fight the fight...my words would not do any of it justice. and would sound only like that...just words.

a dear friend posted this video online a few days ago, and i finally just made it all the way through.

please, if you have about half an hour, i would recommend that you watch it.

it is a story about raphael, one of the strongest people i've been blessed to meet and work with a bit while there. it is a story about his dream to build a movie theater, and so, so much more.

it is a story about fr. rick frechette, a priest and doctor - the medical director of NPH (orphanages that i worked for), that began the country's largest free pediatric hospital - St. Damiens (where i was working after the earthquake), and founder of NPFS (NPH in haiti). it is the story of his compassion and love for the people of haiti.

****WARNING - the video has some graphic footage of their work in the city morgue.****

i had the most beautiful opportunity to accompany these fine men and the amazing team of theirs to the morgue and burial grounds one day. had the opportunity to ride beside raphael on the way to the morgue...as we drove through the city he would point things out to us, and tell us about how things used to be. i then got to ride with fr. rick from the morgue to the cemetery, listening to his countless stories about life in haiti.

a month there...an experience never to forget, and impossible to describe. the video speaks more than i ever could about it. so, i will let you get on with the video.

much love.

another year...another move

yes it's true, i am yet again on the move.
tomorrow morning i leave for bergen, norway to continue the advanced modules that i have chosen for my master's program. i will be in the darkness for just over one month - i hope i make it out of there without having to take antidepressants =) i am in general excited for classes to begin again, after having one month of vacation!

i have had the pleasure of getting to travel around quite a bit over the last couple of weeks to visit some friends that i worked with in honduras and on the int'l medical services team. years have passed since i had seen some of them, and just a few months since i had seen others. i have to pack and clean a bit yet, so i will have to let the photos tell the story. all i can say is that it was so good to be able to spend some time with them, and see the beautiful landscape of southern germany and a bit of austria!

so...tschüs berlin.

Jarvin talking about the NPH Honduras Christmas

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!

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

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...

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.