Super Bowl in Haiti

Super Bowl in Haiti

 

Sometimes I think I do things just so I can write about them.  Perhaps that in part was my motivation for going to the UN with some others from GRU (GrassRoots United) to see this year's version of the super bowl.  This one was number 45 and I had to confess to one of the 20-somethings that I remembered the first one between Green Bay and Minnesota.  Apparently my memory is a bit faulty as I checked later and found out it was Green Bay against Kansas City.

 

Anyway, I had been told by Marty that getting onto the UN base was quite difficult as their security was very stringent.  But the others in our group who had been there did not seem to think it would be a problem so I figured I'd give it a try.  As we approached the gate there were several UN soldiers, complete with their automatic weapons, hanging around but they just smiled as we walked past.  At the entrance there was a guy at the walk-through metal detector but he only did the same.  As I walked through the detector my defibrillator set it off, but no one seemed to care and we just proceeded onward.

 

It wasn't hard to find the bar where the game was being played as it was pretty noisy.  When we got there I looked with amazement at the menu offerings.  Lots of stuff on the menu I hadn't seen since I arrived in Haiti a month ago like hamburgers, even veggie burgers, pizza, fish and brownies.  A full bar included $2 beers which is twice what we pay at the hole in the wall on site but still not bad.  There were probably 50 people there but still not too crowded.

 

After buying a round of beers and ordering some pizza we settled in just after the game had started.  I was about to watch my first football game in 10-15 years.  I was also going to expose myself to the most hyped version of US tv that the industry is capable of producing.

 

The game was interesting enough but it was the commercials in between that I found the most fascinating.  Previews for upcoming movies and tv programs were all the rage, and rage is the operative word here.  There was no apparent limit to the degree or amount of violence that now appears acceptable to the folks who control our media.

 

This comes on the heals of another meeting I had with US tv during my month back in the states in Dec.  Visiting family for the holidays, I was again subjected to its wrath and was struck by a common thread.  In several of the shows I watched the "cop" (which may have been a cop, military police, or other authoritarian-type figure) would go way past the limits of what used to be appropriate interrogation procedures and into torture, often with the winking approval of another associate.  It was as if any rules against such tactics were only to be obeyed by morons too stupid to know how the real world works.

 

As a 9/11 truther (see ae911truth.org for details) I think I know how the world works much more clearly than the average person and far more honestly than those who have not figured out that all 3 buildings (yes, 3) that were destroyed on 9/11 were brought down by controlled demolition.  As such, I see the unbridled violence and acceptance of torture being disseminated as a tactic by the "powers that be" to mold public opinion into acceptance of these as normal and appropriate.  After all we were ATTACKED on 9/11 so every tactic in response is appropriate.

 

Even when the subject of the commercials was "humor" instead of drama there was a common thread of "put downs."  It used to be possible to laugh and not have it be at someone else's expense.  That no longer seems to be true.  In every case there was a "winner" and a "looser" in the comedic "battle" as the war theme invaded our humor.

 

Interestingly enough, though, I did not let these thoughts detract from the jovial mood that was present at the UN during the game.  I simply noted these trends, accepted that this is the way the world works today, and moved on.  This is precisely what the Buddhists would recommend and it seems as though, to at least some minor degree, I might be catching on a bit.

 

The game was ok but without a team to root for I was not on the edge of my seat as I used to be when I would live or die by how the 49ers (or OAKLAND Raiders) faired.  I find it amusing that I would put my emotional well-being on the line for such a trivial and meaningless matter.

 

So with the Steelers down by 11 I bet the guy next to me 2:1 beers on them.  I later followed that up with a side bet (also beers) that the Steelers would get at least 1 more interception or fumble recovery than the Packers.  I ended up loosing both bets.

 

The game was pretty fun but I think I got my football fix for another 10-15 years.

Garbage Warriors

Garbage Warriors

 

Last Sunday (1/30) a group of guys from Taos dropped by to finish the Earthship that they had started sometime before my arrival.  These guys are led by their fearless leader, Michael Reynolds, who is the subject of the film, "Garbage Warrior."  Mike has been building homes form tires, plastic bottles and anything else he can get his hands on for quite some time now.  At times he has gone toe to toe with the building authorities losing his architecture license for his efforts (though I think he has it back now).

 

From the start this was a motley, irreverent and at times vulgar crew, but they were also lovable.  They descended upon the scene like a swarm of locusts bringing with them a team of local Haitians to help out.  From the moment they got here, it was asses and elbows everywhere.  I swear I saw sparks fly at times.  They started packing tires with dirt to serve as the foundation for the cistern that would catch water from the roof.  This was then covered with a layer of concrete.  They dug one hole in the ground, lined it with 2 layers of 10 mil plastic sheet and added 3 tires.  After building a domed shape with rebar and wire mesh, the space was covered with a concrete top.  Above the tires they placed a flush toilet that would use grey water.  Like a traditional septic tank, the solids will be contained within the tire chamber and the liquids will seep through the tires and eventually raise high enough to exit through a pipe into 2 more holes they dug.  These were also lined with plastic and then filled with dirt and plants.  This black water system would use the nutrients from the septic tank to feed the plants.  By means of evaporation and transpiration, the liquids will dissipate.

 

The (bucket) shower was roughed out with another batch of rebar and wire mesh, complete with arched entrance.  The main living structure, which already had a concrete ceiling, got a 2 foot layer of bags loaded with plastic bottles to serve as insulation, more rebar and wire mesh and another coat of cement.  The hole in the center of the ceiling was covered with a mushroom structure which uses plastic shingles from the same plastic bottles that are so ubiquitous here in Haiti.

 

Throughout the project, plastic bottles were placed at regular intervals in all of the walls.  These will eventually degrade under the relentless assault of the sun's UV rays but they look really cool for the time being.

 

They landscaped the grounds and when they left it was a very artistic expression of Mike's passion for using whatever garbage is available to create comfortable and pleasing living spaces.  That said, however, I see several problems with their design.  The bottles that decay will leave holes that in many cases will need to be filled.  The mushroom, while quite impressive looking, will fail by any of at least 4 vectors.  The space between the bottom of the mushroom and the hole in the roof is large enough that during a horizontal rain event (i.e. hurricane) it will undoubtedly leak.  When the plastic shingles degrade, the roof will leak during a normal, vertical rain event.  The weight of the mushroom roof, which has concrete sections between the plastic shingles, is way too much for the bare rebar that supports it.  During an earthquake it will shake rattle and roll before crashing down.  And finally, the exposed rebar will eventually rust away until it can no longer support its load.

 

But in the meantime, it looks way cool.

 

 

The US contingent of the crew was pretty interesting.  One night they were on the front portico doing some awesome gymnastic and advanced yoga moves.  One trick they did was to balance on one foot as they lowered themselves low enough to knock over a bic lighter with their nose.  I tried it with a (short) beer bottle and eventually got it, but lost my balance on the way up.

 

Most of the other nights were spent drinking copious amounts of alcohol and teasing each other about their (lack of) manhood.  Lots of politically incorrect stuff that I did not let bother me.  Perhaps it was because they were extremely helpful during the day.  At one point we had a small footer to dig for our front "Galri" (veranda).  One of the guys, affectionately known as salty dog due to his tenure in the navy, came over with their electric jack hammer and with the spade bit broke up enough dirt in 5 minutes to keep our Haitian boys shoveling for the next half hour.  They also offered to help us pour the slab and gave us advice on how to mix our earth plaster.

 

Being either the oldest, or nearly the oldest, person here at GRU (depending on who happens to be here at any moment) it has been at times difficult for me to hook up with many of the kids here, who are mostly in their 20's and 30's.  But I had no problem feeling comfortable around these guys and we all hoped we would meet again down the road.

 

Martin left the same day they did, along with Tim.  But Tina from Canada arrived that same day as well and she's a pip.  She's a plaster expert with her own natural building company and has been here before.  That was made clear by the warm reception she received from many of the folks who had met her on her first trip.  She's got a lot of energy and fits in well with our otherwise all-male crew.  I look forward to working with and learning from her.

 

The house is progressing well and ready for a growth spurt.  The window shutters are up and after only one day most of the final coat of plaster has been applied to the exterior.  I'll start tomorrow putting up the posts and beam for the galri and within a couple of days it should be done.  By that time the final plaster coat will be completed on the exterior and we'll be looking for things to do while we wait for the cob floor to dry before going back inside for the final interior plaster coat, the final earth floor layer and the bamboo dividing wall.

 

Will try and get some pictures posted if I can get access to a mac for a bit.

Ob-la-di Ob-la-da, life goes on

Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on….

 

When I was in Pakistan I had trouble with my computer and after a couple of weeks it crashed and died.  I hauled the dead thing all over India and when I got back to the states I managed to get it functional again (after a huge amount of effort and stress).  And even though it was a new computer and still fully covered by the manufacturer's warranty , it still cost me $500 to get it working (long story).

 

With all that behind me I brought "Phoenix`" with me to Haiti and all was well until last Thurs. when someone entered the office that Martin and I use and took both of our computers, as well as Martin's blackberry.

 

So here I am, typing on another borrowed computer as I wonder what this computer karma is all about.  As an added challenge, every computer I have used when mine has been unavailable has been subject to the same glitch.  The cursor will spontaneously jump to some random location and begin inserting my text there.  This is not a rare event.  I'm lucky if I can type a single sentence without it happening at least once.

 

But enough of my whining.  I had backed up my data just 3 days prior to the theft so I did not loose much.

 

Which is not to say I did not loose anything of importance.  I did loose all of the photos and video of a wonderful day we had in Kenscoff on Sunday, 1-23.  But I'm getting ahead of myself….

 

A few days prior to the Kenscoff trip a couple of Martin's friends dropped by.  Tim Owen-Kennedy is a natural builder and designer from Ukiah, Ca. with decades of experience.  He also knows a lot about various aspects of permaculture and is otherwise a wealth of interesting information.  His traveling companion is Bruce King who wrote the book on straw bale building.  Literally, it's called, "The Design of Straw Bale Buildings."  He's also written, "Buildings of Earth and Straw", "Making Better Concrete" and "The International Standard for Earthen Buildings."  Between the 2 of them and Martin, I was soaking up a lot of good information during our discussions.

 

Martin had planned a day for them but before they headed I joined them for breakfast.  While talking about bamboo connections and other geeky stuff Martin made contact with Regine, a Haitian architect he knows.  She was headed up to see her friend Jane Wynne who has a place where she grows several varieties of bamboo.

 

So plans were changed and soon we were headed up the hill to Kenscoff.

 

The journey took the better part of an hour and as we climbed the hill the temperature dropped by 10 degrees.  I found myself more comfortable than I had ever been since arriving in Haiti 3 weeks prior.

 

When we arrived we were let in the gate by Frank, a Haitian who I learned later had lived in New York City for several years.  We met Jane, who is a wonderful, half-Haitian woman with an effusive sense of hospitality.  It wasn't long before we were on her front porch drinking tea with Coleen, a friend of hers who had brought Marika, her precocious 8 year old daughter with her.

 

The place where Jane lives was bought by her American father who had a vision that included growing several varieties of bamboo.  After tea Marika led us on a tour of the grounds, an acre or more of lush greenery with surprises around most every bend.  Tim was our bamboo expert and explained the difference between the outer, structural part of the bamboo and the inner part that insects love.  He pointed out that these varieties could grow up to a foot in a single day and that when the first shoot comes up you can put a wooden box around it and force the bamboo to grow in a rectangular shape.  Or any other, depending on the shape of the box one uses.

 

Square bamboo.  What a concept.

 

Later, back on the porch Martin was thinking about getting back to his plan for the day when lunch appeared.  Soon after that Frank started playing his flute (bamboo of course) and was joined on the congo drum by his good friend, Willy Lee.  As the music and singing began, Martin's plan became just another unrealized thought.

 

This was when I pulled out my camera and after a few stills, started shooting some video.  Marika, however, had other ideas and put her beautiful chocolate brown face directly in front of my camera and made faces.  It was precious and it's a shame I lost it all.

 

Frank and Willy Lee were joined by Coleen on the guitar with her beautiful voice.  Tim took a turn with the guitar as more neighbors dropped by to join in on the fun.  Pretty soon the porch was full of folks either playing, singing or dancing.  Marika finally grew tired of primping herself in front of my camera and I was able to get some great shots of the scene for the better part of an hour that have now been lost forever.  When the battery finally gave up the ghost I put the camera down and started dancing myself.  I had a great time doing so but this time I had to cut it short as my heart, for the first time since my ablation in May, started giving me some atrial fibrillation problems.  I sat down, concentrated on my breathing and hoped I would not get shocked by my defibrillator since it probably would have put quite a damper on the party.

 

My heart calmed down though and I was able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon without incident.  But the event has caused me to consider a re-do of the ablation, something I was warned about when I had the first one.

 

Just before leaving I asked Jane if I could use her bathroom.  Because she lives in a house that is 100 years old, and is in Haiti, everything does not work perfectly.  She said I would need to fill the toilet with water from the bathtub using the bucket she has there for that purpose.  When I did, the water spilled out of the tank and onto the floor (I guess I should have put it directly in the bowl).  I spent the next 15 minutes mopping up the mess.

 

But the incident gave me an idea.

 

When I re-emerged folks were just saying their good-byes.  I gave and received many hugs and I knew that I had finally found my tribe in Haiti.

 

Jane had mentioned that she was coming down to Port au Prince on Tues. and when she did I presented the idea that was hatched in her bathroom a couple of days prior.  I said that I was extending my stay in Haiti and that I would like to add a week at the end to come back to her place so I could fix her bathroom plumbing.  Jane thought this was a fabulous idea so I will now leave Haiti on March 2^nd.  This should allow enough time to finish the straw bale building and allow another week to help Jane out and hang with some great folks.