How often do you get to put Dead Bat Mate, and solar in the same sentence?  We hope we have your interest perked…we want to share a perspective on a project we are just beginning.

This project has different partners and finds us working with an entirely new group of people from Ohio to rural Argentina and the projects are unlike anything that you might see in the United States.  After all, while Argentina is in the same hemisphere as the United States, it is south of the equator.

Most of our blog stories are about completed solar projects on schools and other kinds of public buildings inside the United States, but Argentina is different in so many ways even our blog stories will be different.   We thought you might need blog stories that would provide you with some insights into the background of this part of the world.  This is rural Argentina.  This is not Buenos Aires.  Some background on rural Argentina is important.

Below are two stories that will help you understand the location for projects that are in their early phases.  They were both written by Beatrice de Courtivron.  Her organization is MotoMedics International.

We felt it was important for you to read two stories because the first is a little bit funny and the second is very sad.  This part of the world is inhabited by fantastic people who enjoy life, but who face indescribable hardships so their lives are often funny and sometime very sad.  The two stories seem to convey both emotions so we are choosing to give you both.  In the next few months, we will give you more stories about our partnership with MotoMedics and the people of rural Argentina.  If you want to look this area up on a map, look for Santiago del Estero, Argentina.  The second story took place in Majadas, Argentina.

And so none of you ask “where are the solar panels?” here is a picture of an installer explaining what is going to happen when the sun hits the panel and electricity is created…in Santiago Del Estero, Argentina.

But before we show you more pictures and tell you stories about solar panels on schools in Argentina, it is important for you to learn a little bit more about this country.

Story One: Dead Bat Mate

Argentines love their mate. Its more than an herb infused drink; it’s hospitality, a ritual, socializing. Everyone drinks from the same straw, they pass the cup around. No one worries about each other’s germs. I happen to like it very much. Although I prefer it unsweetened, sweet is fine too. Argentines seem to like everything sweet so it is easier for me to drink it whatever way they do.

In Burro Pozo, during a lull before lunch, the mate comes out. The woman prepares the cup. First the mate leaves go in then the hot water. Everyone takes it in turn then passes it around. The water is continually added between drinkers. As there is no electricity here, water is kept hot by placing the kettle on burning pieces of wood on a piece of metal that they carry around with them. When the leaves need to be changed, they put fresh mate in, add the hot water and pass it around. I enjoy this ritual; the easy socializing with our hosts.  I knew the minute we arrived at this rancho and saw a goat skin drying in the sun that we would have cabrito today. I watch the grandmother and a daughter cut and grill the pieces while I sit under the outdoor kitchen’s thatched roof and sip the mate.

Our team has divided into 2 shifts for lunch so at least one team is always working. Gerardo arrives from the small community/health center and joins us. After lunch while we walk back to the community center, he tells me about the well this community uses. It’s more of a water filled underground cave about a kilometer away and it is the only source of water for this little community. It was also home to the area bats. One of the men a while back decided it would be a good idea to smoke the bats out of the cave to keep their guano from falling into the water. So during the day, while the bats slept, they threw a bunch of burning torches into the hole, covered it up so the bats couldn’t escape and waited to rid the water of the bat guano problem. But since the bats couldn’t get out with the hole covered, they were smoked to death and fell into the water. There was no way to remove all the dead bats from the cave so there they remained. Dead Bat Water.

I look at him for a minute while my brain registers the implications and kicked into very high gear. My first desperate thought: O my God, I’ve been drinking dead bat mate. My second desperate but somewhat hopeful thought: it is made with hot water and please God help me that it was boiled for days for the constant mate drinking and had some semblance of sterility.

I waited for a couple of hours for the poisonous effects of dead bat mate to wrack my body. I pray not to get sick; I decide that if I am spared illness, I will never ever drink anything boiled or otherwise without casually inquiring about what could be in the water first. But nothing happened. I have always liked bats and found them interesting. Now I wonder if I don’t carry some part of the cute little critters around in me.

Story Two: A Little Boy

When we arrive at the clinic in Majadas, people are already lined up. The waiting room quickly fills up. I am taken aback by all the sick children. There is a Down’s baby who is 2 or 3 times the size of a normal baby his age. His mother smiles at me as he lies in her lap.

Both doctors start treating immediately. Graciela, a doctor from Santiago del Estero, is doing pediatrics. She quickly becomes overwhelmed. There are so many sick and not enough drugs. Many have bronchitis and asthma, there is so much dust. The antibiotics and inhalers go fast and she must resort to using the one remaining inhaler for several children to alleviate their symptoms. All the children have parasites; the drugs are gone in no time. There is simply not enough. The nearest city is hours away; there is no way to get any more and she must do what she can.

This is the second day that we are using the portable EKG that MMI has purchased and donated to Pilotos. I am learning to attach the leads and run the test. Mirtha, the cardiologist, is doing brief physicals and I do the EKGs when she asks me. There are several Chagasic patients, one with advanced TB, who come through. We’ve been working for several hours when Graciela asks Mirtha to help examine one of the children. He has been fainting and turning blue. He is brought into the room where I am for an EKG. He is 3 years old. He can’t lie down because he faints so we do the test with him sitting up. He faints when he cries so we give him cookies while we attach the leads and try to do the test. He is so little, the leads keep falling off his chest. He looks down at the wires and starts crying; we all talk to him and give him another cookie. We have to hold the leads in place. There are 3 of us who do this; I am holding the last 3 against his chest. We do manage to get a reading. He has Chagas disease and his heart is severely damaged. Both doctors speak with his mother. He must be taken to the hospital in Santiago or he will die. She is barely 20 yrs old, she has two older children and is pregnant with her fourth child, her husband works away from the rancho. He brings money when he visits his family. Essentially she is alone. She does not have the money for the bus trip into the city, who will take care of her other children and her animals? It’s a death sentence for this little boy.

I am so distraught after his mother takes him from the room that I have to be alone. People who know me know that I always have something to say. But I am speechless; without words. I go outside for a walk. It’s hot and brilliantly sunny. The sky is a cloudless blue. There is no sign of the torrential rains 2 days prior. The ground is as cracked and parched as ever. The cacti are blooming. I really need a distraction so I start taking photographs of the flowers. There are scorpions and poisonous snakes here. People die of snakebite and I am terrified of snakes. But I am so focused on my flowers that I don’t even think about them.  I am busy with my camera when Gerardo comes looking for me. I struggle trying to explain. I just have no words. He knows this forest with its seemingly insurmountable problems so well. There are thousands of such children in Argentina. Millions in Central and South America. They expect to die young; they know that not all of their children may survive. They all need help and that is why we are here. To help, to make a difference.

I know this intellectually but it was my hands holding the leads on this little boy’s chest. I felt his ribcage expand with his breathing. I felt the panic to stop him from crying less he faint. It is very personal to me. I talk about my own 2 sons. They are sick, I go to the doctor’s. They need meds, I buy them. Here, there is nothing. A few drugs, some supplies on a metal shelf. I feel completely impotent, walking in this forest, under the relentless bright sun, the cactus flowers.

We walk down the path on the way back to the clinic. I see the little boy and his mother leaving. He is sitting in the basket attached to her bicycle’s handlebars. He is wrapped in a towel. He reminds of me of E.T. as I watch them head down the dirt road on their way back to their rancho. He glances at me from under his towel as they pass by. I don’t even know his name.

Chico’s  flower

For more information about Beatrice’s program:  http://www.motomedicsinternational.org/index.asp.

Let us introduce you to an energetic, hands-on science and gardening teacher from Oakland, California. Sue Morgan has taught elementary science for fifteen years. At Sequoia and Glenview Elementary, Mrs. Morgan emphasizes a responsible energy future to the adults of tomorrow. As a PG&E solar school teacher, a member of the NEED/ PG&E California Teacher Advisory Board, and recently a Fund for Teachers recipient, Sue has a solid background on the topic of solar. Here is what she submitted about her recent trip to learn about solar in Germany:

I was the proud recipient of a grant from the Fund For Teachers (which has funding for K-12 teachers, within specific urban areas of the US, to go on summer education trips - www.fundforteacher.org). As the Science teacher at Glenview Elementary School, the first PG&E Solar School in Oakland California, I was interested in researching and observing first-hand the major solar electric installations that have gone up in Germany over the past few years. Germany has distanced itself from all other countries in the world in committing and following through on alternative forms of electricity production. I took advantage of my fellowship to visit, in person, four of the largest PV Solar Parks in the world, all of which are located in Germany. Germany’s increase in solar electric installations is quite impressive: 2003, 145MW; 2006, 968MW. An increase of over 600% in 3 years! An astounding 40+ percent is in residential power!

For my fellowship, I chose to also attend the Intersolar. The intersolar is an international conference and trade show to spotlight solar electric designs and innovations which has been held in Freiburg, Germany for the past 6 or 7 years. Having lived in Germany after graduating from college oh so many years ago, I did have to do some pretrip refresher sessions on my German language abilities. In attending the Intersolar 2007 I found it amazing, overwhelming and a bit disjointed for someone from the under-funded education and nonprofit world. But once I got past the costs involved in the exhibitors’ stalls and booths (multiple flat screens for viewing, couches, tables, chairs, the plethora of give aways; pens, pencils, canvas bags, flyers, Frisbees) and got focused on what some of the new technologies are and I was impressed: Solar glass handling much of the power needs on a skyscraper floor; rolled out solar sheets which are less bulky and labor intensive to install on roofs; solar imbedded in roofing materials. There was a lot of solar electric for heating. All of these were being done in many areas of Europe and Asia.

After the three day conference we set off in search of some of the largest solar electric installations in the world. It was inspiring to actually see these PV Solar Parks in situ, knowing that they were producing 5-12 megawatts of power (enough to power 1700-4000 households) and emitting NO greenhouse gases. Just observing the ‘Potential Possibles’ made me feel simply elated. That a promised innovative technology- capable of producing what we all need without present pollution or never-ending toxic waste- has been given an arena to prove itself, is indeed a reality suffused with hope.

Solarpark Pocking… 10MW powering 3500 households, also allowing sheep to continue grazing.

In 2006 alone, Germany installed over 960 MW of electricity. These installations included residential and commercial in large and small spaces. Installations that I visited were located in rural areas not far from major cities, but actually situated on the outskirts of small villages. Many residents were aware of their hidden power plants, but in one case when we were ever so close, I jumped out of the car to ask fine tune directions from a fire fighter and discovered he knew nothing one of the world’s largest solar electric plant no more than 2 miles from his firehouse. Then again, he may not have been from the community… but from a larger city.

All but one of the solar parks were experiencing rain on the day we found ourselves visiting and 3 of the 4 had sheep and/or goats that were grazing on grass growing underneath the panels. None of the parks were far from residential areas so there was little loss of power in transport. Most of the Solarparks were really not part of the visual landscape and only one had signage to let you know you were getting close. These parks were not easy to find, meaning they were not on major motorways. Back roads and small communities are where these parks are found amid rolling fields of grapes, wheat or just plain grazing land.

Sheep sharing the Gut Erlasee field with 12MW of solar power.

I am more convinced than ever that solar can truly be a part of our future electric needs. Since all of the large solar parks are on farm land, it seems as though they have one field for wheat, another for corn and then one for panels which power the area. If they can power 1500-4000 households, that is a lot of power for a field to produce. Yes, they still need to grow food. Hopefully, those in charge will make sure the money does not become the sole reason for solar decision making. It’s that moderation, that balance, that we must strive for instead of profits over people and the planet. Yes, there is another way to look at what makes a community strong and healthy and how we choose to live.

As a science teacher, this fellowship allowed me to see first hand the size and impact these large installations are having. I have seen the panels near the Mojave Desert here in California, whose landscape calls for more solar, but these areas in Germany are part of farmland, rolling hillsides. The weather in mid-late June was overcast with daily bouts of thunderstorms and lots of rain… for perhaps an hour or so followed by sunny skies again. My assumption is that if they are actually producing enough electricity with that kind of weather, we in California should certainly get moving on installing as much solar electric as we can (and with our Solar Initiative 2006 we are)!

Solarpark Muehlhausen Germany 6.3MW powering 2025 households.

I read recently that California is on pace in 2007 to install more solar electric than all California installations in the previous 30 years. So, it does seem as though we are waking up and committing to a future with a future. I have also recently read an op ed piece that touted nuclear energy as the ‘greenhouse gas free’ alternative energy source that will help slow climate change. There was no mention of the pesky toxic, and when we are talking nuclear toxic, we are talking life toxicity for THOUSANDS of years. This is toxic residue that no one in 50 years has figured out how to deal with in a competent way and for good reason. So NUCLEAR to me is a dirty, pardon the pun, secret that has no viability in our future. I think it is irresponsible of politicians and business people to discuss it as something that might have a future.. purely because they might be able to make a better profit on it. Yes, solar is still expensive, but thousands of years of toxicity will be pretty expensive itself and it’s not as though we do not have alternatives to try out with serious financial backing first. Germany provides the real-time now example of one way to attempt this experiment.

As a teacher, I feel it is important for me to inspire my students to push for a solar future, for these children will be paying their own electric bills before we know it. Sharing with the students, their parents and the community at large, my first hand experience of massive solar that works, may just help educate a larger percentage of the Dimond and Glenview Communities on how viable solar really is. If it can happen in Germany in such numbers, it can certainly happen here.

Sue Morgan Glenview Elementary, Oakland CA.

Earth Day began in 1970, and evolved over a period of seven years before being launched across the country by founder Senator Gaylord Nelson. You can read a more detailed historical account here. Over the years, Earth Day has continued to evolve…but generally speaking, Earth Day is held every spring close to April 22nd…and several groups sponsor their own “Earth Day” celebrations in the weeks preceding, or after the 22nd.

We are a huge fan of the earth, to say the least, but just as we encourage everyone to surge the sun…Earth Day is more than clean-ups once a year…Earth Day is a spirit, an awareness, and action in light of that awareness. Earth Day is every day, and each of us walks in bigger shoes than we think. The annual event of Earth Day is a good reminder of how many shoes are walking…but I encourage us to think about how we dance the rest of the year…after all, what’s an Earth Day without a little fun! It might encourage us to practice those new steps the rest of the year…
The earthdaynetwork has a great calculator on their site…something for all of us to put things in perspective, and think about adding a few new steps to our dance repertoire…and perhaps turning on a few thought lights, while turning off a few literal lights…and, of course, surging the sun…The image of earth from space at night astounds me…we light up much of our world in the evenings, and that’s a lot of energy! Where does all that energy come from…? Do you know your local power mix? How much of your local mix comes from renewable resources?
I’m humbled and awe struck when looking at various images of the earth from NASA, and somehow these images (or looking at the Milky Way from a camp site in the Utah desert, or wherever you have good night visibility and can catch this vision), puts things in perspective for me. We are all connected, and we’re the sum of each part we play.

In the spirit of Earth Day, we all can think globally, but we all dance locally. It’s hard not to feel insignificant, inconsequential, and powerless when hearing messages on where our earth may be headed…but ours is a mission of planting some energy seeds, learning, and having a bit of fun along the way.

I did find an interesting post about “Saving the Earth“…there are so many different things we can do. Anyone out there surging the sun…? The summer is a great time for buying or making your solar fountain, or buying that solar cooker you’ve had your eye on (you can even make your own)…you can charge your electronic gear with the sun…just search for “solar backpacks”… Try something new, and whichever Energy Seed you choose, more power to you. Happy Earth Day…wherever you are.

太平洋煤電公司與三藩市東華醫院組成合作伙伴關係，準備在來年發
展屋頂太陽能系統。該系統將因應新醫院大樓的建築而設計，自行發
電以協助供應新醫院大樓的電力所需。

SAN FRANCISCO - It’s the Year of the Boar, and to help celebrate the new year, PG&E and the Chinese Hospital of San Francisco announced a partnership to go green in the heart of Chinatown…with a solar celebration.  The first step was to announce the partnership, and debut an educational display that will allow every visitor at the hospital the opportunity to learn about solar energy.

The 100+ year old Chinese Hospital has a long and rich history, and is truly an icon in San Francisco- many of the dignitaries at the event were personally involved with the hospital…many were born there (including San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew), and have had children and grand-children born at the hospital. The Chinese Hospital serves as both a traditional hospital, and provides a variety of health education services for the community. At the event, PG&E and the hospital officially announced their intent to build the new Chinese Hospital (a major retrofit/upgrade to the building pictured above) with a new solar electric rooftop installation.

Designs are being finalized for the new Chinese Hospital, but the images above offer a glimpse of what’s coming… This is a 36 kW PV system (valued at over $200,000 after PG&E CSI rebates), and will produce over 60,000 kWh a year saving the hospital over $8,000 a year. SolarCity provided design services for the images above.

“We are honored to be the beneficiary of such a generous donation, “Said Joe Chan, Board President of Chinese Hospital, “PG&E has been providing energy audits for us to substantially increase cost savings. Going green benefits our environment while freeing up resources to improve the services we provide our patients.”

“PG&E is committed to increasing solar on San Francisco rooftops,” said Fong Wan, vice president of energy procurement at Pacific Gas and Electric Company, “Solar energy is only one of the many forms of power we can generate that decreases carbon dioxide emissions to improve our quality of life.” PG&E’s donation of this photovoltaic system is part of a $7.5 million commitment to increase solar installations throughout San Francisco.

In addition to installing solar panels, the new Chinese Hospital will also be fitted with energy efficient lighting fixtures and technical equipment that will substantially decrease their use of energy and lower their energy bills at the same time. The Chinese Hospital is the second non-profit candidate in San Francisco to benefit from the company’s solar program.

Now…for just a bit of trivia… The Chinese calendar has been in continuous use for centuries (possibly since the Qin Dynasty - 221 - 206 BC). The Gregorian Calendar, the calendar most of us use on a daily basis, was decreed in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII (a mere 425 years). The Chinese calendar measures time, from short durations of minutes and hours, to intervals of time measured in months, years and centuries, entirely based on the astronomical observations of the movement of the Sun, Moon and stars.

“Guo Nian” to all. Do you know your Chinese Sign?

Story submitted by Patrick Sherwin from Athens, OH

Our arrival in Haiti is surprisingly smooth due to the help of our interpreters Marie, LaRaque, and Domond. Dinner is great, and the accommodations exceptional when considering the neighborhood we’ve just driven through. The indications of poverty can only be detected by the worn clothing and rough architecture. The people are sturdy, carrying on with colorful style. They carry conviction, and contentment. Many carry large aluminum bowls balanced on their heads full of material necessity: bread, water, wash tubs, fruit, toilet paper, soap, as well as dignity, grace and strength.
In the morning, the smell of rich coffee tweaks my nose hairs. I’m greeted by a gleaming white smile and a hot cup of the dark juice. Finally I’ve found a nation that grows coffee and knows how to drink it. As Don points out, “it’s so thick you could almost use a fork.” As the morning progresses the caffeine quickens my blood as I pace the floors of our stop-over house, Matthew 25, waiting for a lift to the unknown mountain town of Belle Riviere. Eight hours later, adrenal glands exhausted, our ride arrives in classic Caribbean style. He’s relaxed and stoic, looks us all in the eye and accepts our hasty handshake. It’s three o’clock and we are in a hurry to get out of the city and up the mountain. If all goes well we will arrive before nightfall.

LaRaque, one of our interpreters, is upset. He feels like we’ve been cheated out of a day. LaRaque is totally at ease in normal operational mode. He’s unemployed, as far as I can tell, but he’s a good translator, and knows his way around Haiti with confidence. LaRaque works on his own schedule, but he likes to be “boss” or “Bishop” any chance he gets. “We are leaving those here!” LaRaque demands as I try to load up the two dead chickens and bundle of bananas which our driver bought to take home. LaRaque’s correct in his thinking here; the truck is already full- 8 passengers and 1,500 pounds of gear. And besides, LaRaque probably knows best because the chickens are “stinking.”

Our drive through the bustling city of Port au Prince, hugging the bay, and up the mountain, is an experience that could be discussed in nothing less than a small book. We’re driving into oncoming traffic, dodging wicked potholes, and I’m gripping hard to the side of the bus. “He’s not a very aggressive driver,” Marie whispers to me. Her reaction is testament to her empowered yet sensitive style, but I thought we were going plenty fast. I keep thinking we’re going to knock someone’s teeth out with the side mirror, our tires will crush an ankle, or we’ll trap the vehicle in a perpetual wedge with a passing tap-tap- Haitian taxi pick-up trucks usually containing almost 20 passengers.

Finally getting through Carrefour, and thus leaving the city, we are greatly relieved to catch glimpses of the aquamarine waters in the Gulf of Gonave. We are in the countryside now, but the streets are still riddled with pedestrians, vendors, and traffic. It is a clear sign we will encounter throughout this trip; Haiti is severely populated. We can be motoring, or walking through the most remote, hard-to-get-to place, and see a steady stream of farmers walking cattle, children riding donkeys, and women carrying water.

The landscape is a patch work of over-farmed, over-cultivated tropical forest- much of which rises no higher than myself. Tiny foot paths create endless loops spinning through the countryside while “roads,” as we are forced to call them by Fred, tumble and twist over mountainous terrain. The final leg of the trip takes us up and down steep, rocky grades, across rivers, and through giant mud puddles. It’s the ultimate commercial opportunity for the 4-wheel-drive Toyota workhorse owned by the Belle Riviere Parish. But rather than a novelty excursion of five happy men on their way to the fishing hole, this is a necessity excursion of eight rather tired individuals on their way to work some “light.”

“Oohs” and “Ahhs” come frequently from Doris in the backseat. Fred and Hank seem too dumbfounded to speak. Don’s wisdom puts him in the back of the truck bed so none of us can ask, “what the?.. where the?… and when will we be there?…” Nighttime is upon us and the headlights reveal another stream crossing. “Belle Riviere,” is announced by all those returning to this magical little nook.We are greeted like long lost friends by Father, Pare Lutian. After being showed to our rooms- which are very nice- it is time for a feast. Most of us were ready for bed, but we could not pass up the wonderfully prepared food- boiled red snapper, fried goat and chicken, beet salad, cole slaw, bread, dried pig’s blood, banana soup, slick bean gravy on rice, spaghetti and spam, avocados, mangoes, etc..

The forces of nature are alive and well in Haiti. I’m especially drawn to the simplicity and responsibility carried by the brilliant, strong, and friendly people we’ve met. Food, shelter, family, community, water, transportation, and God- if only my life could be that easy. But that’s not to say life is easy for anyone in Haiti; because it’s not. Famine, thieves, hurricanes, drought, corruption; you can read about it all you want in National Geographic. The depth of the struggle and its competing strength of joy, faith, and friendship must be witnessed first hand. It is then, for example, you will see no one is exempt from the task of hauling water. This constant chore can involve 40 lbs, balanced on your head, hiking miles up and down difficult terrain without shoes. The children start carrying water as soon as they can easily walk.

“When we are hungry, we cannot hear anyone,” Lu Bere says with urgency and emotion. He is the father of four children and a pillar in the Belle Riviere community. Lu Bere is involved in all aspects of community development. As far as I can tell, he receives very little compensation for a full schedule of teaching, education administration, and church services. His meager statue is of a humble leader like Gandhi. He’s just returned from a six hour, unsuccessful motorcycle trip to take a teenage woman to the hospital for x-rays- the x-ray machines were broken. He answers that he has not eaten, and says, “My stomach is full with God.” Lu Bere is a mighty man of positive energy. In his engagements, he is currently teaching three generations of the same family- child, mother and grandmother. Lu Bere has posted signs throughout the place we stay as well as the church, and school. They read, “We love you.” “We need you.” “Alone, we are weak. Together we are strong.” His presence is easy and warm. His smile and the example he sets are contagious. “Thank you for coming. We are brothers,” Lu Bere tells me. Now that is spirituality that I can understand! The hard work and dedication of Lu Bere and all those associated with the Haiti Exchange is very evident in Belle Riviere. We are very appreciated and well-received by every community member. But I begin to find out that it is a difficult relationship which requires steady maintenance, a large dose of tolerance, and prayer. Our desires to help are quickly turned into fits of frustration when ideas turn to action. For example, I see a woman and I ask myself “Who’s going to help that women with three children who will wake up hungry, searching for food?” How do we help her? For me, God has given a gift, I can install solar energy systems, and it is just natural to want to share. I have never felt so needed, and so appreciated, in all of my life’s labors. We get a chance to see where Lu Bere’s sustenance is derived from when we come across his parents hovering around their mountainside home. They stop what they are doing and give a warm smile revealing the one tooth they’ve both managed to keep. He’s 89 and she’s 85- must be the equivalent of 115 in the U.S.. They stand in silence like spirits while white doves fly from their attic. These are two of the toughest, all-weathered, and memorable people I may ever meet. Grandfather Lexen reminds us that he won’t be around much longer, as he points to the freshly built grave for two. The grave site overlooks a sweeping valley where their spirit and souls fly into the mystic. I may not be a religious man but this is a great place to “renew your faith.”
In Haiti, once basic needs are met one has great freedom and presence in the moment- time stands still. Children are constantly playing games and teasing each other. Impromptu musical gatherings, pray sessions, and front porch discussions are a part of everyday. Sunday is special day for many who dedicate several hours to song and praise in church with family. However, for the poorest of the poor- much of Haiti- there is absolutely no break from the suffering. They may look clean and well dressed in church, but the children come storming down the isle when the free chunk of bread is passed out by Pare Lutian. I’m very thankful to be a part of the Haiti Exchange. Everyone involved works selflessly, guided by a higher purpose. I’m seriously impressed with the effective, and positive progress in Belle Riviere. I greatly look forward to helping in the future. In our final chat, Lu Bere made a metaphor that sums up the incredible amount of love and devotion that the Haiti Exchange has shared, “We are like a truck, and you are the engine.” Thank you for helping in the creation of this experience. It has been the greatest adventure in my life.
In my next posting I will talk about how we put the solar panels that Don picked up in Columbus, Ohio from American Electric Power and the Foundation for Environmental Education on the roof of the school to provide light for these wonderful people. How funny that a man from Athens, Ohio is installing solar panels donated by American Electric Power, my electric company as I was growing up, on a school in Haiti. The world really can be a wonderful place.