Haiti Recap, the Daily Schedule
I am back in Vermont, back at my clinic, and back to treating backs!
Dean Janet O’Flynn OT, Andrea Trombley PT, and Norman Villagra PT.
I spent the week of July 15-19 in Léogâne, Haiti teaching 2nd year physical therapy students evaluation and some basic treatment for low back pain. They will have future Therapeutic Exercise coursework to learn more about exercise prescription, this week was focused on getting their back evaluation skills started and headed in the right direction.
I had a great week, and I think the students had a good week too. This was my second time visiting the school, which made the entire trip more relaxing and enjoyable. It is always stressful going to a new place, and while the physical location of the school changed about a month ago, there were a few familiar to greet me and students from my last visit that helped me settle in quickly.
A day at the school looks something like this:
Around 7 am, a bell is rung announcing that breakfast is ready. The students all eat together, and the teachers and any visitors eat together in a different room. The breakfast food is quite diverse, but may include bananas, avacodos, fruit juice (sometimes Tang), spicy peanut butter, rolls and after stressing the importance of this beverage on a daily basis - coffee.
At 8 am, the students meet in the front courtyard with the Dean of the school and sing as part of the Flag Ceremony. I believe this is the Haitian National Anthem, but I did not confirm that with anyone. The students have amazing voices and it is a pleasure to hear them.
Yoga with Andrea - A fun way to start the day.
Classes starts at the conclusion of the Flag Ceremony.
Morning classes are taught in the 3 classrooms. Most of the time there is power, but it is best to be prepared with handouts or a USB drive with the lessons on it to pass around in case the power stops. There is no air conditioning, so the sudden lack of air flow from the fans stopping is regrettable. It is a good idea to have some sort of napkin to put your water bottle on because it will soon be sitting in a pool of water dripping down the sides of the container, much like the stream of sweat running down your neck and between your shoulder blades. Sometimes your fingernails seem to sweat
Two mornings, after the Flag ceremony, we did a bit of exercise. First, Norman Villagra, the only full-time PT professor and head of the PT program, lead us in some dance-style interval training, which was a ton of fun. Later in the week, I lead a short yoga class.
Packets of ketchup, Prestige beer, bananas and the beautiful set table.
Lunch is a bit after noon, sooner if the lunch bell is rung. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, and can consist of steaming hot, spicy soup, or rice and beans served with a sauce made of vegetables, and other food that I just don’t know the name of. One of the side dishes that can really catch you off guard is piklez (picklese). This week it seemed particularly spicy! Haitians love spice, much more than we Vermonters! Ketchup is often served, although it is not always clear what it should be eaten with. One time there were freshly made potato chips, slightly thick and still warm. Ketchup had a clear purpose that day.
Hanging out having my Prestige beer on the deck with the fan blowing on me at the end of the school day!
We start back in the classroom at 1:30 and finish at 4 pm. It is never enough time to get through all of the material. As soon as the school day finishes, I found that a shower and a Prestige beer helped transition to evening. Dinner would be served somewhere between 6 - 8:30 pm. It is a light meal, so I was happy to have brought a big bag of almonds to munch on with my beer.
One of the best parts of my trips to Haiti are the meals. There are always people from around the world speaking multiple languages, and everyone is somehow involved in the task of helping to train PTs, OTs or nurses. This time it was English, Spanish, French and Haitian Creole. Having two Chileans at the table really brought the Spanish out!
My time in Haiti ended before my work was done. I am home in Vermont now, serving the people of Shelburne, Charlotte, South Burlington and even Williston and Essex! I am lucky to have a supportive family, a business that compliments my work in Haiti, and a community of yoga teachers and students that come to my classes, take my workshops, and in general keep me inspired. I feel truly lucky to have the life I do. Thank you to all of you who support me in some way. I couldn’t go to Haiti and teach or volunteer without the Vermont family I have here.