Many thanks to Vanderbilt med student and amateur photographer Meghan who shared her talents to take these portraits of some of our 9-month-old babies with their moms
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
the trash can that changed my life
What do a trash can, a multifuction laster jet printer and 82 one-inch binders have in common? They are relatively small things that are making me very very happy these days. For the last 11 months I've been running across the large clinic compound each and every time I want to print a single page. I've been walking to the office next door to throw out my trash and since July, I've been cramming piles of data collection forms in two overstuffed binders. Those days are done.
It's so often the small things that can feel like the biggest victories here. I had been asking for a trash can since I arrived last October - but it never materialized until a week ago. Delivery of the 1-inch binders to hold each child's data forms required a month of almost daily visits to the clinic's purchasing department. Once I decided to buy it, the printer was a relatively quick acquisition. I carried it from Chicago a couple weeks ago but had to do a bit of negotiation / playing dumb at the customs counter to avoid paying crazy high taxes on it.
I can't believe how much better I feel about facing the work day knowing that things are just a little more organized and efficient. This should probably give me some hope for the future. If a trash can can change my life, who knows what something a little bigger might do?
Friday, September 26, 2008
Tumblon.com
I've had a link to the trial version of Tumblon.com posted on this blog for the last six months or so. The full Tumblon.com site is now up and running. I encourage you all to head over and take a tour of what it has to offer.You may be asking yourself "Why is a very single woman with no children of her own promoting a website aimed at parents of kids age 0-5?" Well, let me assure you that it's not some strange almost 30-year-old's maternal fantasy in same spirit as the Christian college girl who buys wedding magazines even though she has never had a boyfriend.
Here's why:
1. Because it's a great idea....and a free one at that. At tumblon.com you can track your children's developmental milestones, receive suggestions on books, toys and activities that are right for their stage, share photos with family and friends and use a simple template to create a family blog.
2. Because I love and respect the people behind it. Tumblon.com was developed by my college friend Graham along with another classmate of ours, Jon. Graham spent several years as a elementary school teacher in the New York public schools before becoming a "stay-at-home" dad for the last 3 years.He is passionate about promoting healthy environments for child development - from improved educational opportunities to practical parenting advice. Graham also happens to be married to one of my dearest friends and fellow Rebecca who is currently doing a fellowship a behavioral and developmental pediatrics in NYC.
3. Because I'm now the kind-of-official Tumblon.com nutrition blogger. Every few days I'm posting about infant and young child nutrition at Something to Chew On, one of the three featured blogs on the Tumblon.com site. It's a fun way for me to bring together three of my favorite things - nutrition, writing and giving advice. Of course, I need all of my friends and loved ones with actual parental experience to read and give constructive feedback on my somewhat theoretical postings.
While you are there you should check out the other two featured blogs - Essential Questions by Graham on parenting, child development and education and Honey for a Child's Heart by Glady's Hunt - a grandmother and well known advocate in certain circles for the importance of literature in family life.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
a nutritionist, a rabbi anld a monk walk into a bar....
I've often told people that at parties I feel like a priest - once people hear that I'm a nutritionist they stop talking, look down at their plate, and then start to confess all of their diet-related "sins". More recently I've discovered that being a nutritionist also makes for interesting conversations on airplanes.
Yesterday when I was flying from Chicago to Miami, I got drawn into two nutritional counseling sessions with total strangers. The first was with a woman sitting across from me in the O'Hare food court. Not quite sure how it happened but we started talking about local food and buying organic. Our talk ended with me "referring" her to this helpful guide to the 12 best and 12 worst fruits and veggies in regard to pesticide load to help her prioritize her organic shopping. A couple hours later, as my plane was landing, the women next to me heard about my work in Haiti and asked if I had any advice about feeding her autistic son. Unfortunately that's an area I really know nothing about.
The most interesting on-board discussion I've ever had about my work was on another flight to Miami two years ago. I could feel the eyes of the man seated next to me looking over my shoulder at the proposal about nutrition and HIV/AIDS that I was writing on my laptop. Soon he started making some very specific comments about nutrition and HIV that made me wonder whether he had any personal experience with the disease. By the end of the flight he had shared the full story of his HIV diagnosis, of watching his closest friends die terrible deaths, of riding the ups and downs of new drugs and their side-effects, and about how being HIV-positive continues to affect his self-perceptions and overall health. He offered me the gift of a small glimpse of the realities of living with HIV/AIDS - something I see every day but don't even begin to understand.
Yesterday when I was flying from Chicago to Miami, I got drawn into two nutritional counseling sessions with total strangers. The first was with a woman sitting across from me in the O'Hare food court. Not quite sure how it happened but we started talking about local food and buying organic. Our talk ended with me "referring" her to this helpful guide to the 12 best and 12 worst fruits and veggies in regard to pesticide load to help her prioritize her organic shopping. A couple hours later, as my plane was landing, the women next to me heard about my work in Haiti and asked if I had any advice about feeding her autistic son. Unfortunately that's an area I really know nothing about.
The most interesting on-board discussion I've ever had about my work was on another flight to Miami two years ago. I could feel the eyes of the man seated next to me looking over my shoulder at the proposal about nutrition and HIV/AIDS that I was writing on my laptop. Soon he started making some very specific comments about nutrition and HIV that made me wonder whether he had any personal experience with the disease. By the end of the flight he had shared the full story of his HIV diagnosis, of watching his closest friends die terrible deaths, of riding the ups and downs of new drugs and their side-effects, and about how being HIV-positive continues to affect his self-perceptions and overall health. He offered me the gift of a small glimpse of the realities of living with HIV/AIDS - something I see every day but don't even begin to understand.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Mesi anpil - part one
Many many thanks (mesi anpil) to the lovely family and friends who are making our little room renovation a reality -Sue, Jill, Kathy, Pat, Sarah S, Mom, Dad and especially to Grandma Lucy for being an extremely personal/efficient delivery service. I still need to buy the fan, source a little table, and hang a curtain but sooner than later I will hopefully be posting some photos of a much more baby friendly room. My grandmother brought an adorable alphabet mat that my parents found to cover the floor. (Although I must say it's not so nutrition-friendly given that D is for doughnut and I is for ice cream) It really helps brighten the entire space and gives the parents a relief from holding children on their laps for our hour-long meetings. We've already had a few 7-month old babies practicing World Wrestling Federation-worthy moves. As you can see, they got so tired out, they fell asleep.
What's a VP to do?
No matter where you stand on the personalities currently nominated for Vice President of the United States, you may, like me, still be wondering what the official VP job description actually involves. I don't remember that being stressed on my 8th grade Constitution test. According to this Washington Post article there is some historical precedence for this lack of clarity - the "founding fathers" didn't really know what a VP does in office either. John Adams called the VP role "the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived." Walter Mondale (VP under Jimmy Carter) is credited with being the first VP to try to take on a more politically influential/meanginful role.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
In the wake of Fay, Gustav, Hanna and Ike
As flood waters recede, sad news from Gonaives continues to rise. Thankful that Josephine is no longer following in their path. Not quite sure what else to be thankful for in these circumstances - except that I was not affected? Even that doesn't seem quite right.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Grandma Lucy comes to town
I'm working from home today after sending Grandma Lucy off to the It was such a blessing to spend four and a half full days with her. Alone time with Grandma is not something you take for granted when you are one of 19 grandchildren. It took 30 years of life and moving out of the country for me to get my chance!
Between the downpours of rain, I was able to introduce her to many of the activities, people, and places that make up my day-to-day life in and around
I got to hear a number of old-but-new-to-me family stories. We watched two inspiring movies on DVD and I introduced her to Rummikub - my latest favorite game. (I think it might be her latest favorite game now too). She even had time to read an entire book by my favorite Haitian-American author.
As those who already know her might expect, each friend and coworker here who met Grandma Lucy instantly loved her. They could not believe her energy, her enthusiasm for life or her real age. She had hugs for everyone and made a valiant effort to learn the name of each new person she met.
Sometimes I can't believe it myself - how blessed I am to have such an incredible person in my life and even more blessed to get share some of her incredible genes. Thank you Grandma!
Paul Farmer's account of flooding in North
While I was enjoying my grandmother's visit to Port-au-Prince - many others were responding to the terrible flooding happening to the north in Gonaives- Haiti's third largest city. I've been copied in on a series of emails about the floods. The exerts below comes from a message written by Dr. Paul Farmer, co-founder of Partners in Health (PIH) You can find the full letter he addressed to PIH staff on Saturday night here.
Those interested to donating to the response should contact your local American Red Cross or visit the PIH website. (Photo from PIH)
"The need is of course enormous. After 25 years spent working in Haiti and having grown up in Florida, I can honestly say that I have never seen anything as painful as what I just witnessed in Gonaïves—except in that very same city, four years ago. Again, you know that 2004 was an especially brutal year, and those who work with PIH know why: the coup in Haiti and what would become Hurricane Jeanne. Everyone knows that Katrina killed 1500 in New Orleans and on the Gulf Coast, but very few outside of our circles know that what was then Tropical Storm Jeanne, which did not even make landfall in Haiti, killed an estimated 2000 in Gonaïves alone. Logging on this morning from Mirebalais, I see that Ophelia has circulated the essay I wrote about what are, essentially, unnatural disasters."
"We’re faced with another round of death and obliteration. Haiti’s naked mountains promise many more unnatural disasters. We know that a massive reforestation program and public works to keep cities safer are what’s needed in the medium and long term. But there’s a lot we can do in the short term to help out with disaster relief."
"We saw a couple of U.N. tanks rolling through the muddy water over these streets, some Cuban doctors, and two Red Cross vehicles (one of them stuck in mud at least 10 miles from the city), and heard and saw helicopters overhead. But for the most part the streets were full of debris, upside-down vehicles, and dazed residents looking to get out before the next rains."
"A speedy, determined relief effort could save the lives of tens of thousands of Haitians in Gonaïves and all along the flooded coast. The people of that city and others have been stranded without food or water or shelter for three days and it’s simply not true that they cannot be reached. When I called to say as much to friends working with the U.S. government and with disaster-relief organizations based in Port-au-Prince, it became clear that, as of yesterday, there’s not a lot of accurate information leaving Gonaïves, although estimates of hundreds of deaths are not hyperbolic. We had no cell phone coverage there and had to wait until last night to call people in Port-au-Prince. One sympathetic American friend, following up on our distress calls about a lack of relief, told me this morning the retort she’d heard from an expert employed by a U.N.-affiliated health organization: “Three days without water is nothing. People in southern Haiti affected by Gustave went ten days without water.” No human can go ten days without water. Food, perhaps. But not water."
"A U.S. Coast Guard cutter is to arrive in Gonaïve tomorrow with water and supplies, but by report last night’s attempt to dock a U.N. vessel and distribute food was not successful because of “fear of crowd control” (this was from an American friend in Port-au-Prince, so I can’t confirm anything other than what I saw: no widespread distribution of water or food or tents or tarps or anything)."
"Over 20 years ago, someone explained to me that “wet poverty is worse than dry poverty.” I wasn’t then sure what that meant, but had a pretty good idea of the misery endured by those living through the rainy season in houses that, as the Haitians say, “can fool the sun but not the rain.” I’ve repeated the maxim often enough to merit teasing from my students, but the Haitians find it neither amusing nor over-used. Trying to sleep in wet clothes, on a muddy floor, is high on the list of degradingly uncomfortable activities. It’s better to simply give up and wait until daylight."
"The world is waking up to these threats, but Haitians have long been pulling all-nighters as rainstorms keep them up rather than lull them to sleep. Please give generously to ZL’s efforts to intervene immediately, and share this with friends and family who might give even small amounts via the PIH website."
Paul Farmer
Those interested to donating to the response should contact your local American Red Cross or visit the PIH website. (Photo from PIH)
"The need is of course enormous. After 25 years spent working in Haiti and having grown up in Florida, I can honestly say that I have never seen anything as painful as what I just witnessed in Gonaïves—except in that very same city, four years ago. Again, you know that 2004 was an especially brutal year, and those who work with PIH know why: the coup in Haiti and what would become Hurricane Jeanne. Everyone knows that Katrina killed 1500 in New Orleans and on the Gulf Coast, but very few outside of our circles know that what was then Tropical Storm Jeanne, which did not even make landfall in Haiti, killed an estimated 2000 in Gonaïves alone. Logging on this morning from Mirebalais, I see that Ophelia has circulated the essay I wrote about what are, essentially, unnatural disasters."
"We’re faced with another round of death and obliteration. Haiti’s naked mountains promise many more unnatural disasters. We know that a massive reforestation program and public works to keep cities safer are what’s needed in the medium and long term. But there’s a lot we can do in the short term to help out with disaster relief."
"We saw a couple of U.N. tanks rolling through the muddy water over these streets, some Cuban doctors, and two Red Cross vehicles (one of them stuck in mud at least 10 miles from the city), and heard and saw helicopters overhead. But for the most part the streets were full of debris, upside-down vehicles, and dazed residents looking to get out before the next rains."
"A speedy, determined relief effort could save the lives of tens of thousands of Haitians in Gonaïves and all along the flooded coast. The people of that city and others have been stranded without food or water or shelter for three days and it’s simply not true that they cannot be reached. When I called to say as much to friends working with the U.S. government and with disaster-relief organizations based in Port-au-Prince, it became clear that, as of yesterday, there’s not a lot of accurate information leaving Gonaïves, although estimates of hundreds of deaths are not hyperbolic. We had no cell phone coverage there and had to wait until last night to call people in Port-au-Prince. One sympathetic American friend, following up on our distress calls about a lack of relief, told me this morning the retort she’d heard from an expert employed by a U.N.-affiliated health organization: “Three days without water is nothing. People in southern Haiti affected by Gustave went ten days without water.” No human can go ten days without water. Food, perhaps. But not water."
"A U.S. Coast Guard cutter is to arrive in Gonaïve tomorrow with water and supplies, but by report last night’s attempt to dock a U.N. vessel and distribute food was not successful because of “fear of crowd control” (this was from an American friend in Port-au-Prince, so I can’t confirm anything other than what I saw: no widespread distribution of water or food or tents or tarps or anything)."
"Over 20 years ago, someone explained to me that “wet poverty is worse than dry poverty.” I wasn’t then sure what that meant, but had a pretty good idea of the misery endured by those living through the rainy season in houses that, as the Haitians say, “can fool the sun but not the rain.” I’ve repeated the maxim often enough to merit teasing from my students, but the Haitians find it neither amusing nor over-used. Trying to sleep in wet clothes, on a muddy floor, is high on the list of degradingly uncomfortable activities. It’s better to simply give up and wait until daylight."
"The world is waking up to these threats, but Haitians have long been pulling all-nighters as rainstorms keep them up rather than lull them to sleep. Please give generously to ZL’s efforts to intervene immediately, and share this with friends and family who might give even small amounts via the PIH website."
Paul Farmer
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Ike's imminent arrival
Thunder in the distance - waiting for the rains to start - and praying for the residents of Gonaives. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2008/09/200896224744581760.html
Friday, September 5, 2008
Taking stock between the storms
Last week I wrote relatively good news about Gustav - the much anticipated hurricane that passed over Haiti without us feeling a single gust of wind here in Port-au-Prince. This week, Hurricane Hanna caught us all by surprise when she hovered just north of Haiti for almost 3 days - bringing an afternoon of seriously high winds and several days of heavy rain.
Tuesday, we were at the clinic when the winds picked up mid-day. Objects were crashing off the roof and trees falling over. We left work early so that people could get home to secure their property. All along the drive home we saw broken branches littering the streets and leaning electrical poles - until finally, about 100 yards from the gate to our neighborhood, we reached a point in the road where we couldn't pass because a huge tree had fallen across the road - taking down a compound wall and several power lines with it. We lost electricity and internet for about a day as they had to repair a broken line to the neighborhood's generator. We aren't likely to get back on the city power grid for a month or more.
The winds died down by the end of Tuesday but the clinic was closed on Wednesday as the director did not want staff and patients to navigate through the dangling power lines and blocked roads. Sporadic rains kept many of the mothers in our project away on Thursday. I'm thankful that as of this morning, all but 2 of the 33 babies enrolled so far are up to date on their visits and their supply of fortified manba. We've been noting a lot of cases of diarrhea this week which are likely related to the rains.
These issues are relatively minor compared to what Hurricane Hanna caused in Gonaives, a city several hours north of Port-au-Prince. Terrible flooding has left people standing on rooftops for more than two days without food or water. The woman who comes one day each week to clean our home is from Gonaives . She told us that her brother and sister lost everything in the floods - their home, their clothes, their cooking pots. I've heard similar devastating stories from others with family and friends in the area. An estimated 250,000 people are in need of assistance. The director of our clinic is urging people to make donations to their local chapter of the American Red Cross with the designation that it should go the Haitian Red Cross. (Photos below from Miami Herald)
Today is back to beautiful (but hot) blue skies above Port-au-Prince. Unfortunately it's not likely to last more than a day. Two more storms - Ike and Josephine - are currently on their way into the Caribbean. Ike, which is currently a Category 4 hurricane, is projected to arrive Sunday morning. While it is predicted to make landfall in the Bahamas, people here in Haiti are very afraid of the heavy rains that may last through the week to come.
Tuesday, we were at the clinic when the winds picked up mid-day. Objects were crashing off the roof and trees falling over. We left work early so that people could get home to secure their property. All along the drive home we saw broken branches littering the streets and leaning electrical poles - until finally, about 100 yards from the gate to our neighborhood, we reached a point in the road where we couldn't pass because a huge tree had fallen across the road - taking down a compound wall and several power lines with it. We lost electricity and internet for about a day as they had to repair a broken line to the neighborhood's generator. We aren't likely to get back on the city power grid for a month or more.
The winds died down by the end of Tuesday but the clinic was closed on Wednesday as the director did not want staff and patients to navigate through the dangling power lines and blocked roads. Sporadic rains kept many of the mothers in our project away on Thursday. I'm thankful that as of this morning, all but 2 of the 33 babies enrolled so far are up to date on their visits and their supply of fortified manba. We've been noting a lot of cases of diarrhea this week which are likely related to the rains.
These issues are relatively minor compared to what Hurricane Hanna caused in Gonaives, a city several hours north of Port-au-Prince. Terrible flooding has left people standing on rooftops for more than two days without food or water. The woman who comes one day each week to clean our home is from Gonaives . She told us that her brother and sister lost everything in the floods - their home, their clothes, their cooking pots. I've heard similar devastating stories from others with family and friends in the area. An estimated 250,000 people are in need of assistance. The director of our clinic is urging people to make donations to their local chapter of the American Red Cross with the designation that it should go the Haitian Red Cross. (Photos below from Miami Herald)
Today is back to beautiful (but hot) blue skies above Port-au-Prince. Unfortunately it's not likely to last more than a day. Two more storms - Ike and Josephine - are currently on their way into the Caribbean. Ike, which is currently a Category 4 hurricane, is projected to arrive Sunday morning. While it is predicted to make landfall in the Bahamas, people here in Haiti are very afraid of the heavy rains that may last through the week to come.
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