partying Port-au-Prince style

Today is Madi Gras - the last (and biggest) night of Carnival celebrations in Port-au-Prince and across the world in cultures with strong Catholic influence. I've promised myself that I will sit tonight's celebrations out in order to catch up on work before the clinic reopens on Thursday. I managed to come down with a really bad cold/cough just before this crazy weekend began and I'm sure that my lack of solid sleep is why it continues to linger. I'm a bit disappointed though - for better or for worse I really enjoy being part of the sounds and energy of the Carnival party.

Carnival definitely has its pros and cons. It's a true celebrations of Haiti's music, food, and arts culture. So much of the discussion about Haiti - both internally and externally - is negative. Haitian society is very segregated by economics, politics and religion. Yet at Carnival time everyone is rubbing shoulders (or at least coming much closer to it) - singing and dancing to the same Kreyol music. It's incredibly impressive to see how people come together to pull off the festivities - from building the stands to coordinating the parades to selling street food everywhere. Carnvial time one of the only periods of the year when I feel free to walk the streets of Port-au-Prince after dark.

On the con side, Carnival is definitely about excess - and in a country with such glaring poverty the contrast is particularly jarring. You inevitably begin to question why the same sort of investment of financial resources and human capital isn't evident when it comes to meeting people's basic needs for food, shelter, employment and education during the 362 other days of the year. We see the birth rate in our clinic double to triple 9 months after the Carnival season - and the HIV transmission rate likely peaks too. There is a lot of drinking that leads to a lot of fighting in the street crowds.

I know many Protestants in Haiti refuse to participate in Carnival. Many others opt out of the street party for other reasons. I'm sure that in a different season of life I might stay away too. For now though you can check out my photos and video from the last two nights of festivities here. The Boston Globe has some impressive photos from Carnival celebrations across the globe here. (Look for the whiter faces on the stand in the upper right hand corner of the photo from Jacmel, Haiti - that's my neighbors!) Bon Kanaval!

Kanaval anko (yep SLS Carival again)

We are coming upon a much anticipated 5-day weekend here in Haiti. Carnival officially starts on Sunday night and continues through Fat Tuesday. The clinic is closed Mon-Wed. I'll probably spend one night down at the main festivities and one other night at one of the many concerts going on around town over the weekend. I am most excited about getting to sleep for a few days without setting an alarm. It's also a great chance to catch up on a my lagging personal correspondence and a lot of administrative work.

While the official Carnival celebrations last 3 nights, Carnival is better thought of as a long party season that starts in January with the first Carinival music being played on the radio (There are radio stations that play all Kanaval music all the time - just like Christmas carols between Thanksgiving and Christmas in the USA) The season continues with big parties every Sunday night until the big celebration in the days leading up to Lent.

Some of the smaller cities host their own Carnival celebrations the week before the big event here in Port-au-Prince. Last weekend I went down to Jacmel, the same southern beach town I went to last year, to experience their unique festivities that feature parades with hundred of people wearing incredible paper-mache costumes. Here's a link to some more photos.

ugh

I have been and will likely continue to be quiet on the blog front in the coming weeks. It's been a really stressful work season - lots going on and lots of deadlines I have to meet (and a few I have already missed..hence the ugh). Appreciate thoughts/prayers for a good review of the project by the university ethics committees in March/April. Our project was surprisingly controversial during the initial approval because we are feeding peanuts to infants. I know they will be looking closely all that has happened to date. Good news is that there are some personal glimmers of hope on the horizon - my friend G is coming to visit Haiti in early April, will likely travel to New Orleans in late April for a conference, potential trips to Peru in May to visit my Cornell pal S and to another meeting in in June in Namibia...and by mid August, si bondye vle, intervention will be done. After almost 2 years away, I should be returning to live in my Ithaca homestead and work on writing up with the support of my adviser (who has been on sabbatical in Africa this entire year). I'm ridiculously excited about returning to my overstocked kitchen - breadmaker, rice cooker, french press, too many cookbooks! Oh, and having a car again....being able to take long walks....access to many dear friends within a few hours drive....reconnecting with a church community....getting to talk to nutrition-oriented colleagues....gimmee coffee americanos... Sigh - a girls gotta dream!