Monkey Brain Musings

In past blog posts, I have shared snippets of information about some of my HFH team members. I am hesitant about sharing too much, because I would hate for any of them to feel that I was invading their privacy, but they were all so wonderful to be around! So, I will throw caution to the wind, keep a defense attorney on speed dial, and tell you a little bit about the team. As I have already mentioned, Dr. Joe and Linda Markee are the cornerstones of Haiti Foundation of Hope. (If you haven't already, check out the website http://haitifoundationofhope.org) I had a couple of Skype meetings with them before the trip and met them in person at the Port au Prince airport. I spent most of the trip in utter awe of their commitment and energy...they accomplish more in retirement than most people fit in their entire lives! There were a number of HFH board members on the trip, including the Markee's son-in-law, Larry. What a score for me! Larry has a great perspective about HFH, Terre Blanc...

Tonight, I'm going to share some photos and talk a bit about food in Haiti. Here's some statistical data, from my pals at Wikipedia ... "  Though more than half of all Haitians work in the agricultural sector, the country relies on imports for half its food needs and 80% of its rice.   Haiti exports crops such as  mangoes ,  cacao ,  coffee ,  papayas ,  mahogany  nuts, [ clarification needed ]   spinach , and  watercress . Agricultural products comprise 6% of all exports. [ 164 ]  In addition, local agricultural products include  corn , beans ,  cassava ,  sweet potato ,  peanuts ,  pistachios ,  bananas ,  millet ,  pigeon peas  and  sugar cane ."  A big part of giving the Haitians an opportunity for self sufficiency and independence is teaching them agricultural skills. Haiti has extreme weather, ranging from floods to droughts, which makes raising crops and livestock cha...

Well, I managed to work my usual 10 hour shift at the hospital, run an errand, and then get called back in for an OB emergency. I'm afraid my creative juices are lacking this evening, but I still have plenty of photos to share! What's a gal to do? For those of you not familiar with my eclectic past, I worked in the Animal industry for about 25 years of my life, and still have a deep love for critters of all shapes and sizes. It was no surprise, when sorting through my pictures, that I had taken quite a few shots of the animals roaming around Haiti. Most of the animals run relatively untethered, such as the chickens, dogs, goats, and pigs. The donkeys and horses were usually tied to a long rope secured to a post in the ground, although I did see a few of the donkeys roaming loose. Some of the goats were tethered, some roamed free, and a number of them had a triangular collar made of wood that we referred to as the "Cone of Shame". This prevented the goats from roaming ...