new point of view

The clinic where i work in Port-au-Prince is only a few hundred yards from the sea. I only know that because someone else told me. I've never seen the water from second floor clinic windows- only the walls surrounding the clinic, the streets beyond the walls, and the entrance to the slum community across the way.

Sometimes it takes a change in perspective to realize what is actually around you. Heading up the mountain a little ways you get an entirely different view of the city.

Towards the sea:

And up the mountains:

I remember being really struck by the beauty of this place when I was taking these photos. My point and shoot digital camera can't capture the panorama beyond the frame or the way the light fell just so. But I remember my heart going a little faster and thinking that in that moment, it was a good thing to be here in Haiti.

I think I've hit the point when I need another little trip up the mountain to find a new point of view.

Miami Rice Miami Vice

In Haiti, imported rice is called diri miami - miami rice (Almost anything from the USA or beyond is thought of as coming from Miami - the closet major US city to Haiti). You can find a nice, brief understandable summary here of the links between US domestic agriculture and trade policies and the high prices faced by the Haitian farmer and consumer. (Thanks to K whose blog i stole link from) The author mentions Bread for the World as an organization taking positive action in the US policy arena - I highly recommend checking out their site and joining their campaign.

The LA times recently published a story that talks about some of the structural challenges to revitalizing local rice production in Haiti. There is a nice little slideshow where I got the graph pictured here.

marathon mind games

I've come to realize that the hardest part of my daily life in Haiti is the fact that I am living it inside my own head. It's a daily fight for me to keep my thinking positive - about why I am here and what i am doing. Mental struggles over motivation, productivity and output quality are nearly universal amongst PhD candidates. There is an entire comic strip series "PhD: piled higher and deeper" dedicated to the quirky mental and social worlds of graduate-level academics.

For a thousand professional reasons this season in Haiti is an amazing opportunity. I know that the work matters. I work for some incredible Haitian mentors and with a great team of co-workers. I have a tremendous amount of autonomy in directing the work and am gaining a lot of managerial experience (a long term plus/short term minus as it's not my favorite thing). If I am faithful on my end, this experience could prepare me for some exciting opportunities to come.

All of this comes hand in hand with lots of expectations (my own and those I assume others have for me and this project). Expectations are really hard to have in a place like Haiti where so much feels totally out of your control. Work expectations are at an all time high right now. We are (hopefully) only a few weeks away from finally starting the big intervention. I have piles and piles and piles of work to do in these weeks - and am keenly aware that my work productivity is the limiting factor to when the entire project actually gets started.

I usually thrive on such pressure - enjoying the adrenaline rush that comes with finally focusing and producing - but this Phd thing is much more of a marathon than the sprints to a deadline that I am used to. These days I just can't seem to find a pace that feels like progress.

Organic or not? Never to early in life to ask!

Interesting NYT article about the use of sucrose in Similac's Organic infant formula. Apparently the formula tastes much sweeter than non-organic varieties which use other forms of sugar. Some public health types have expressed concern that the sweeter formula is potentially associated with overconsumption (and in turn obesity risk) or early tooth decay.

No such controversy over the most local/organic infant food on the market - breast milk. That said, it is interesting that the self-labeled "yoga mom" (is that the new a soccer mom??) fed formula from birth....but shouldn't assume there was not a good reason!

And while you are there....Being the daughter of a sales and marketing type, I have a somewhat random but special place in my heart for stories like this one about retro-marketing (think the new/old Volkswagon beetle brand). It opens with spotlight on a Chicago company that is trying to revive brands retired by other corporations. I didn't know that some of the brands - like Salon Selectives or Eagle snacks - had ever left the market in the first place...and that's exactly the point! Another NYT link on the marketing theme is this video profile (search "Camden High Fashion" - thanks Eva!) of a high school in Candem NJ that is putting on a fashion show sponsored by an urban clothing brand. Is it a benevolent self-esteem builder or corporate manipulation for market access or perhaps a mutually beneficial bit of both?

What's your Geographical IQ?

Calling all other map-lovers - an incredibly addicting little geography game can be found here
Another cool site I just found is for Washington DC's Newseum. Click on an interactive map to see a copy of today's front page from newspapers across the US and select corners of the world (unfortunately no papers from Haiti or sub-Saharan Africa yet) .

Enjoy!