And the beard grows on....

Hong Kong - 7+ weeks into the beard...thoughts? No longer itchy but very very white! (And I still need a haircut.)

Jordan

After a welcome few days at home, I found myself speeding toward The Middle East – words which elicit such strong thoughts and emotions – some of mystery, some of fear – most rooted in deep misunderstanding and often in misinformation as well. We have visions of deserts and veiled women - which do exist - but we often fail to see the rolling groves of olive trees and stair-stepped hillsides covered with the famous white limestone buildings of Amman.

For the second time this year I would be visiting and working in The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan – the stable, docile Switzerland of the region – an Islamic kingdom which has for decades been at the center of negotiations to bring peace to all the peoples of the Arab world. With few natural resources, limited access to international waters, and a less than desirable position between Israel, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria it has long been in Jordan’s interest to cultivate positive relations between all of it’s neighbors. And the rest of the world has embraced them for their efforts and rewarded them with aid in many forms.

Like many of the projects I work on, this one is funded by USAID. (The United States Agency for International Development) USAID projects cover many different programs and have many different goals – all of them with an overarching purpose of improving US relations and hopefully, increasing stability. Most often the focus of these programs is covering basic needs – food clothing and shelter. (I understand now why Maslow and his hierarchy can be found in almost every curriculum of higher education!) These needs are most often meet through intricate feeding programs and the development of Agribusiness models so communities have the capacity to feed themselves. Programs that deal with small business development and income generation such as those I work on in Handcraft are often peripheral.

The program in Jordan though is slightly different. As agricultural development requires one primary resource to work – water – and this resource is in extremely limited supply, USAID is focusing their development in Jordan on the development of the tourist industry – and therefore – on developing products tourist want to buy – enter me.

While many of us have heard of Petra – The Lost City, The Hidden City, The Rose City – or have at least seen it in movies – “Indiana Jones The Last Crusade” among them. Jordan has many amazing sights to behold. It is a land with a rich history spanning millennia.

This land was an integral part in the development of human society and is inseparable from our collective history. The ancient Nabateans – who carved the famous Treasury of Petra – predate Christ by a centuries years. They developed a thriving and vibrant society in a most inhospitable land by carving an elaborate system of channels and cisterns directly into the sandstone mountains to collect that most precious resource of survival – water. These channels and cisterns can still be seen throughout the region and some of them still collect water during the cold rainy winter months. (It took Roman troops three attempts to conquer the hidden city- and was only accomplished by blocking the water channels and waiting for the stores to run empty.)


The Romans, and Ottomans after them, left their mark as well. Sand-worn remnants of ancient Romanesque colonnades can be found in many cities – absorbed into the landscape of modern life – a constant reminder of history marked with centuries of graffiti and no doubt political propaganda (For some reason graffiti rendered in a calligraphic alphabet seems not so offensive.) A perfectly tuned elliptical coliseum was carved into stone during the heyday of the Roman occupation and, of course the classically “recarved” tombs which have made Petra famous.

The Nabateans though – as have their modern ancestors the Bedouins – made sure their influence was known even after the height of their civilization. In lieu of the flora found on most Corinthian capitals, the Nabatean stonemasons used the head of an elephant to bear the weight of their temple roofs. When the Romans re-surfaced the simple geometric patterns of the tombs of their forebears, the Nabatean craftsmen made sure to include subtle references to their cultural design. (Above the classically proportioned facades, there are almost always the geometric staircase designs of the conquered tribe.)


Bedouin encampments can still be found throughout Jordan. Though modern amenities and obstacles have made nomadic life less attractive, these families – or tribes – are legendary for their hospitality. Perhaps it is because of their history of movement, that they are always welcoming of strangers. (The Jordanians in general are a hospitable people.) You are offered tea at every turn – almost always flavored with local spices – cardamom, cinnamon, sage, or mint – it is a sweet wonderful introduction. And be careful with your open admiration of material goods, as it is not uncommon for people to offer you as a gift something you have admired casually, and refusal to accept would be rude. The nomads life cannot be bound to material possessions and hospitality toward a stranger – or a friend – is always a priority.


The religious importance of the region can also be seen in so many places – from the Jordan Valley to the castle fortress of Saladin in the olive draped hills of Ajloun. Places and people from our mornings in Sunday School remind us how this area has influenced, and continues to influence, the fate of the world. The baptism of Christ took place in Bethany on Jordan within sight of Mt Nebo and a short distance across the river from the fabled walls of Jericho. A salt column stands within a few kilometers of this same sight and is rumored to be Lot’s unfortunate wife. At night you can see the lights of Jerusalem across the Dead Sea and beyond the hills of the West Bank. Wandering feels right in this environment. You can imagine the tribes of Israel, the Bedouin caravans, and the Muslim pilgrims making their way across the open plains.


Herod bathed in the waters of the Dead Sea -though modern resorts have replaced the legendary Sodom and Gomorra. The river no longer runs wide or deep (It is so narrow in places you can almost reach across and touch trees rooted in Israel.) but instead runs through a carefully monitored and vigilantly patrolled demilitarized zone. But when you visit you will be struck by how very small this piece of land is. In combination with such limited resources for survival it becomes much more understandable why the peoples of the region have spent so many generations fighting for control. While religion is the visible center of the argument, water rights are certainly a close second. It is also clear why Jordan's role as a peacekeeper has become all the more important.

While visiting the Land of Lawrence may not be at the top of your list, I have to say it holds many wonders – some well known, some still to be unearthed. I definitely encourage you to discover it for yourself - you will not be disappointed.

Around the World and Back Again...

My time in Haiti ended without incident and allowed me to get home a few days early. Overall the program came off wonderfully. The students were very happy and the trainers I was supervising and critiquing did a wonderful job.

As I ended my time in Cap Haitien and started my journey back to LA, I found many small sights to enjoy - a fisherman manning his boat on turbulent seas, the patchwork of rich greens - and perhaps a few to ponder as well.

As I flew across the farms of the Central Plateau and the mountains surrounding them, I could not help but notice the luxurious blanket of vibrant green grasses cut through by angry brown streams steadily eroding the island. These streams turn into brown rivers as they travel down the mountains to the lowland plains; and the muddy rivers cross field after field of cane and banana plantations until their earth laden waters empty into the pristine blue Caribbean. The effluent from these channels can be seen stretching for miles into the vibrant tropical water. From the air you can literally see the island washing away before you.

Haiti has been almost completely deforested through it's many years of struggle. As you cross over the country by air, the international border with the Dominican Republic is clearly identifiable as the lush rain-forests which should cover the whole of Hispanola are noticeably absent in Haiti. Beyond erosion, this has only exacerbated the other problems Haiti faces - poverty, disease, famine - as the once rich supply of natural resources has dwindle perilously low.

When I first came to Haiti, several years ago, I asked a close friend what I should expect. His response was to tell me "It is both the most wonderful and most horrific place you may ever go." I have to say this has held true. For I have found in Haiti some of the most amazing dedicated and resilient and beautiful souls I have ever met, but I have also seen the most devastating poverty and the most overwhelming difficulties of any place I have visited.

Each time I travel there, I can only aspire to leave behind some small thing or some small knowledge which might help alleviate the pain of a struggling land in however minute a way. I know I will return to Haiti and I look forward to it with a great sense of hope.

Sightseeing - La Citadelle

The Western Hemisphere's largest fort - La Citadelle. This massive and highly impressive fortress was built in the early 1800's by Henri Christophe - one of the leaders of the Haitian slave revolt which gave Haiti it's independence from France. The fortress is impressive and still boasts a munitions bank unrivaled in the region. Of-course the cannon and cannonballs found here would be of little use in modern warfare - and I'm sure the two centuries of neglect have not kept them in particularly good working order.

La Citadelle is situated at the top of the mountain above the city of Milot and has strategic views of Cap Haitien harbor and Cuba only 90 miles to the West. This vantage point places it in the perfect position to observe the primary navigation route around the new republic. (These straights were at one time frequented by pirates on their way to La Ile Tortug - their home when they needed a rest from pillaging and plundering.)

The fortress was built to ward off any threat of French troops returning to the region. It was designed to hold 5000 troops and has an intricate system of water collection using cisterns and runoff from the structure's many roofs. Cannon are still lined up throughout the halls and cannon balls can be found at every turn. (The building has been designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO and is currently being studied as an opportunity for tourist growth in the region.)

Given the French did not return, the fortress was never used in battle and is in great condition with very little wear and tear from anything other than the occasional earthquake, and with walls as mch as two meters thick even the earthquakes have had difficultly damaging the massive structure.

To reach the fortress, you must first pass the ruins of San Souci Palace - Henri Christophe's residence.More delicate than the fortress San Souci has been ruined by earthquakes, it once was a grand building with gardens rumored to rival Versailles. The ruins are impressive, I can only imagine how it must have been when it was intact.

Henri Christophe was one of the three leaders of the slave revolt. Along with Petion and Desalines, the three men orchestrated the second revolution overthrowing colonial power in the Americas - the first being the United States. A fact which still gives great pride to the small nation.

Not long after the fortress was built, Christophe died at his own hand. After suffering a stroke he felt vulnerable and unable to govern his provinces. In an effort to protect his body from desecration, it is rumored his wife had him covered in quicklime and buried in the fortress above their home. To this day the location of his grave is still unknown.

After passing the ruined castle, it is a steep climb either on foot or horseback to the summit of La Citadelle. There is still an air of mystery as the road climbs higher and higher through verdant fields and the remains of tropical forests. The first glimpse of the castle hearkens to another world as the sheer walls of the facade rise up out of the mountain above you. It brings to mind medieval knights and European monsters. A time capsule reminding us of another age - an age of colonialism, and age of pirates, an age not so long gone, but so difficult for us to truly imagine.

The project I was working on in Haiti is focused on tourism development. I can already picture the tram navigating the stone path to the top with its payload of cruise ship tourists Or perhaps a funicular or even a sky tram with vibrant painted gondolas will eventually grace the hillside connecting the palace grounds to the fortress courtyard. I can't help but think some of the magic will be gone then. Hopefully though, even as development encroaches - the walls of the fortress will keep the secret of the final resting place of Henri.

Does this beard make me look fat?

I'm not sure this "castaway" look was such a good idea after all. The theory of not shaving everyday is great in principal, however... I am at the itching beyond belief phase, and I think it makes me look fat - or maybe I am fat. (I know I need a haircut.)

Of course this could be because I am eating 5 meals a day, and not the "5 small meals" recommended by so many diet programs.

We begin the day at 6:30am with breakfast - usually I have some fresh fruit - not so bad - followed by plain crepes with a bit a local honey - again not too terrible. From here, however, we go rapidly downhill.

Our class starts at 8:00am. Given we are working in the poorest country of the Western Hemisphere, and learning cannot happen when people are hungry, we provide our participants with Petit Dejeuner (small breakfast) at around 9:30am. Well Petit Dejeuner is not always so Petit. It is a traditional breakfast of some nature.

While I have no problem passing up the scrambled eggs with dried herring, on the mornings when "espagature" (a Frenchified Creole word ) is served I cannot resist. Who would ever have thought a simple sauce of onions, garlic, tabasco and - here's the best part - ketchup could be so delicious! Add to that slices of fried hot dog and Kel Sipris! (Quelle Surprise!) Manifik! (Manifique!) So hard to resist I seldom can and the slide from a healthy breakfast has begun in full force.

Lunch at 12:00pm brings another dilemna. To eat or not to eat...not as simple as it sounds. Again it is a traditional meal rice and beans with Creole Chicken or Creole Beef or Creole Shrimp - this description tells you the protein and that it is served with a red "Creole" sauce - beyond this it is anyone's guess. The problem for me is not my hunger, but the expectation exists for me to eat with my students. For me to show we are equal and demonstrate a solidarity. So I eat - again - just two hours later.

The fourth meal is not so dramatic, but nonetheless the calories exist and must be counted. (The "I eat therefore I am" school of thought.) Tea time - the afternoon snack - the CAKE course! Luckily - the preparation has been less than stellar most often -but nonetheless I feel I need to confirm my suspicion about every other day, and, I must admit, even when it is as dry as dust, I still finish it - along with a coca-cola - and a smile!

Living on an island in the Caribbean - even one as poor as Haiti - does have its advantages. In particular fresh seafood! As Steve does not care for fish, we seldom have it at home. So when the opportunity to not only eat "the fresh catch" but to see it being caught arises, I'm in! Dinner is a simple but delicious grilled fish or lobster - with drawn butter and french fries naturally.

Now- you would think the day would be done as far as caloric intake - but, my friend, you would be mistaken. How could you possibly expect me to be sitting by this beautiful beach at days end and not have a cocktail - or two - or perhaps three. In my defense, and in deference to my waist and with respect to the high quality of the local rum - I have given up mixers. Rum on the rocks, sil vou ple! (Si vous plait!) Empty calories are empty calories after-all.

I suppose my diet can wait, opportunities like this don't come along often enough...so "Tan pi!" (Tant Pis!)

Voudou and the Disney Princess

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THIS WORLD WE LIVE IN? While I am not a fan of the all capital emphatic statement, I do feel if there is a time for when it is justified - NOW IS THE TIME!

After two successful days of training in Cap Haitien, I boarded the "multinational" twin prop back to Port au Prince. Even though I would only be in the capital for one day, I was looking forward to seeing a young craft fair being organized by a former student in our training program. The show was held at the Sugar Cane Museum closeby the airport, and I must admit, I was expecting far less than I found. The show was well organized and much larger than imagined. About 200 craft vendors were showing in a lovely open air facility. Booths were well presented, aisles were wide and overall everything was fairly impressive.

While the show was targeting the ex-patriot and the Haitian bourgeoisie markets, there was also a nice group of international buyers in attendance - many of whom I had just visited with in Guatemala last week!

For days, I had been looking forward to the temptation of Voudou images. The skeletons of "Baron." The vicious dragons slayed by St Jaques. The kaliedescope of color in Erzulie Freda's heart. And I was not disappointed. My colleagues had been given specific instructions to keep reminding me "You do not need another Voudou flag...move on." And even though a flag picturing the Haitian hero Desaline marrying a mermaid was begging me to buy it, I remained strong, and confident. Voudou was alive and thriving and I did not need another flag. But then it happened.

The problem arose with one particular product. Most of the vendors had fairly traditional Haitian wares - cut and hammered iron, papier mache, and my beloved Voudou bead work. As I made my way to one of my favorite artisans my resolve was starting to fade. I was imagining a new flag over our dining table - perhaps one depicting a conjoined mutant triplet mermaid with three bare chested torsos and one magnificent beaded tail or maybe a set of alien looking twins - revered and feared here as a magical incarnation. But imagine my surprise when I turned the corner to Valris's booth and there she was, she was perfectly rendered. The beadwork and sequins beyond compare. She sat among the Veve symbols, the glistening sequined lime snakes, the exhalted black Madonnas - the princess of Disney's Alladin - Jasmine! Of course she had been morphed into a Voudou mermaid - but there was no Voudou capable of eliminating the saccharine sweetness engrained in her very being.

What have we come to when even Voudou - one of the last true bastions of misunderstanding and fear and loathing is subject to the pressures and influences and imagery of American iconography? And even more disappointing...my immediate and unconditional devotion and enchantment. I don't know how hard I should be on myself - I didn't buy her, but I wish I had. Perhaps though it isn't such a far stretch - she is after all a princess of "The Magic Kingdom."

Cap Haitien

Well, while I am usually quite an adventurous traveler, I really didn't know if I should be impressed or petrified on the final leg of my journey to Cap Haitien. I have taken the twin prop over the mountains in this Creole speaking former French colony before, but never on a Czech plane with Portuguese signs and a Spanish speaking Honduran flight crew. It was either very worldly or slightly insane to even have boarded. Perhaps I will sort out my feelings on this during the 5 repeat trips over the next few weeks.

Cap Haitien is beautiful. The beaches and the water truly show why Haiti was known for so many years as "The Pearl of the Caribbean." Our hotel hearkens to another era and sets the stage for our days of beach living. The public areas are all open air structures with timber frames and thatched roofing. The entire area is softly lit with pendant lamps adorned with translucent shades created from local shells. (Sounds awful but is really quite stunning - it disturbs me a little to say that.)

As I sit writing this a cool sea breeze is blowing. I had the grilled spiny lobster for dinner - one of the largest I have ever seen - and I am now relaxing with a glass of rum and listening to the thunder roll across the night sky. Not a bad reward at the end of a three day journey.

PS - I might try this rustic beard thing out for a few castaway weeks - thoughts?

Port au Prince Safe and Sound

I'm not sure if age is the determining factor or just too many miles on planes over those same accumulated years, but I am at the point where "red-eye" flights are no longer part of my life. For this reason - and limited flight schedules, it takes two days for me to reach Port-au-Prince from Los Angeles and it will be another be another full day before I arrive in Cap Haitian.

The trip to Miami was relatively uneventful this time out. After our "emergency medical landing" in Dallas on my last Miami flight - an unfortunate consequence of a well known rocker taking too many pills and washing them down with alcohol. "Uneventful" was more than welcome. Fall is in the air though, there was definitely more turbulence as the cold pockets are developing across the country.

Now after a two hour flight to PAP this morning I am happily enjoying a sandwich by the pool at the Hotel Montana - one of Haiti's jewels. The Montana reminds me PAP and Haiti were once the playground for elite - from Europe's royal families to Rock and Roll superstars like Mick and Bianca Jagger. Haiti was THE place to be seen, and The Montana was one of a handful of hotels which catered to them in the 60's and 70's and is the only one which is still in relatively good condition.

The lobbies and public spaces are filled with beautiful French art deco furniture. The walls and rooms are adorned with local art - from traditional Haitian paintings - depicting the African wildlife left behind on the Middle Passage - to the hammered oil drum sculptures which have become emblematic of Haiti's creativity of design and resourcefulness of material.

On the approach to the airport, you can still see the magical blue waters and endless remote beaches found throughout the Caribbean. The mainland though is a patchwork of squatter settlements and cane fields and has been ravaged by deforestation and the ensuing erosion. The ride from the airport takes more time than it should as the city's infrastructure is all but non-existent. While I enjoy PAP for it's vibrant people and it's persistence, it will be nice to be out in the field for most of this trip.

October 2009 Off to Haiti

Monday, October 12, 2009 -

This week - tomorrow - I am off to Haiti, once again. I will be there for three weeks working with Aid to Artisans (ATA) on a training program for vendors in Labadee - the only Haitian Port of Call for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. The vendors there will be the first to welcome the world's largest crusie ship in just a few weeks. In the 8 hour port call, almost 6000 people will come ashore!

I have learned quite a bit from this training program, and working with my colleagues at ATA, about the fundamentals of Adult Learning. While many of the principals we are working I have used instinctually, it has been great to have a better understanding of why we have to address adults differently in learning environments.

I'll be staying in a lovely beachfront hotel - the Cormier La Plage - and am looking forward breakfast on the beach every morning and the finest Barbancourt - Haitian rum - as the sun sets!

(This photo is from a friend of mine - Howard Peller - who is working with basket makers in the same area of Haiti.)