It’s been a
couple months since my departure from Haiti.
Since then, I have travelled to Colorado where I washed dishes for food,
to Texas to visit family, to Florida to pack up the vestiges of my university
life, and am now headed back to Texas for a job as an “environmental educator.” I’d like to think there is some continuity
between my endeavors in Christianville and this forthcoming employment.
My second trip to Haiti was much like a condensed version of the first: hot and frustrating. After initially overcoming the ennui of having all of my previous projects fall apart, it was determined by my superiors and myself that it would be best to focus on one task that might have a lasting influence. As forecasted in my preceding post, this was accomplished by tying up fifty-two 2meter segments of bamboo in a single pond. The idea is that algae (a.k.a. periphyton) will grow on the bamboo as a source of supplementary food for the tilapia. The algae will use carbon from the bamboo and CO2 from the water, along with nitrogen and other nutrients from fish waste, to grow. Additionally, the bamboo/algae combination will provide some cover for the fish. The shading and protection will replicate a more natural environment, possibly contributing to stress reduction. Perhaps that’s wishful thinking. But one of the greatest benefits is that the system requires [edit: almost] no maintenance by the farm workers.
My second trip to Haiti was much like a condensed version of the first: hot and frustrating. After initially overcoming the ennui of having all of my previous projects fall apart, it was determined by my superiors and myself that it would be best to focus on one task that might have a lasting influence. As forecasted in my preceding post, this was accomplished by tying up fifty-two 2meter segments of bamboo in a single pond. The idea is that algae (a.k.a. periphyton) will grow on the bamboo as a source of supplementary food for the tilapia. The algae will use carbon from the bamboo and CO2 from the water, along with nitrogen and other nutrients from fish waste, to grow. Additionally, the bamboo/algae combination will provide some cover for the fish. The shading and protection will replicate a more natural environment, possibly contributing to stress reduction. Perhaps that’s wishful thinking. But one of the greatest benefits is that the system requires [edit: almost] no maintenance by the farm workers.
 |
| No, this is not a high school science project. It is the month's work of a college graduate. |
The bamboo setup
hardly consumed all of my time whilst there.
Over the course of the month, I spent less time on the farm than my
previous visit. I would otherwise chat
with missionaries, take walks or runs in the local area, relax at the new Haiti
Made Café, or spend time with the Christianville orphans. One of the Americans had nicknamed me ‘Baby
Jesus’ (much to my chagrin), which many of the Haitian staff members found to
be highly comical. I couldn’t wash a
dish without people chiming out, “Thank you, Baby Jesus!”
During my final
week, several of the Christianville administers approached me with the possibility
of a paid position. My response was
equal parts interested and hesitant. I wasn’t
sure if I wanted to commit to the year they were considering offering. But the complications of developmental work
prevailed, and I was never officially offered a job. Perhaps that’s for the best.
I very much
intend to return to Haiti, especially the Gressier area where I made so many
wonderful connections. The Americans and
Haitians who are together striving for a better existence are a testament to
the profundity of human collaboration. I
have great hope for a better life, not only in Haiti but the world, due to the
small successes and smiles I encountered as an intern at Christianville’s fish
farm.
Devoted goodness
has and will distribute justice in our international, ambivalent society. I thank everyone who has had the patience to teach
me a little more.
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