Hobo's Lullaby

I am officially a hobo. I have spent about two months living out of my bag in the US, and have embarked on three more of the same in Haiti. I live on about thirty kilos (including my computer), and that is still too much stuff. 

* * *

The Van. Oh the van. I had so much fun and a great learning experience. Here I am, dressed up for a wedding.

At first I was a little apprehensive or nervous about living out of the van. It was a little claustrophobic. It is a little tricky to park over night. The radiator leaked. The solar system wasn't working perfectly. But there was water, shower, stove, toilet and a lot of dust.

So first I cleaned. I scrubbed. I used bleach.
Then I got three gallon jugs,  ready and waiting to add to the radiator at any moment. I got into a rhythm and knew how long I could go before needing a refill, and never even overheated.
Then I figured out that my old campus during the summer is a great, safe place to park over night where no one bothers you and you can pick up a great wireless signal.
Then I went camping on the coast. Parking was not as easy as on campus, and I ended up paying to camp in Butano state park - which is five minutes from the beach and five minutes from Duartes restaurant and the San Gregorio country store (with music in the mornings), and which facilitated the burning of my leftover firewood from my northern escapade.

Then I listened to my dad's advice.
I enjoyed days with the doors wide open in the Baylands nature area and my new set of binoculars and the birds. Cleared up that claustrophobia and made for good hikes.
I cooked. I visted with my dad. Two of us in our little RVs parked, in his cause it is bigger and has the satellite TV. We watched the news and old school sci-fi where Leonard Nemoi was an alien from the Stratosphere.
He showed me how to maintain the toilet (and I thought I was a toilet expert).
When I tripped the inverter on the solar panels, he guided me by phone to reset the panel controls (involved wires) and then I figured out how to reset the inverter on my own.

I told my dad that I wanted to paint the inside. He agreed that it needs a coat. I suggested flowers and some artsy stuff. He laughed and thought that might make it look like a closet homosexual case: blue and manly on the outside and all flaming girly on the inside. Sounds good to me.

Totally sweet.
Totally free.
Dug it.
Will do it again.

* * *

I had a window seat from Miami to Port au Prince. I have seen the photos and knew what to expect: rubble, tents and a city made of plastic sheeting, but - maybe because it is more impressive in real life or maybe because I am getting better at not having expectations - the view surprised me. It wasn't much more than the rubble, tents and cities of plastic sheeting... but there were people too. People who I can't describe yet, people who I have not met, people just the same.

The office is a bunch of air conditioned, pre-fabricated, plastic containers. I spent my first day bursting in and out of cold, dark offices into blinding sunshine on white rocks and back again. I visited each of the following departments more than once, usually 3 times: movement coordination, human resources, security, planning, finance, ICT (forget what that stands for, but it is the dudes who give you a phone, a radio and a computer, but no mouse) and of course my new boss. I didn't get too lost, thanks to the friendly people.

My role is to support the Government in the coordination of all things WASH, but I don't work for the government. Right now in Haiti is an interesting time of transition from the initial emergency phase of the response to the earthquake to more long term, stable and sustainable interventions.

Originally I was destined to support the regions south of the capital, but since we are under staffed, I will also liaise with several of the municipalities in the capital. That should be interesting because I will get to interact with other sectors. That should also be a little overwhelming because it used to be (and maybe soon in the future) one and a half or two people. I should also put the disclaimer that it is my second day, and all that may change or I may have misunderstood the expectations of my boss...

Today I needed a mouse. I mean needed one, bad. I can not deal with the little touch button thingy on the IBM laptop they have given me. So, I tagged along in a car to find one. I found a mouse, but driving around was better than the mouse itself.

Graffiti: The shape is a map of Haiti, not a penis.
The artist, "Jerry" apearently, has done many of the best.

We went up high, low, through tiny streets with more potholes than concrete. The roads are lined with rubble. Tent cities are on every corner and open space, save the cemeteries. The graffiti is the best part. There are simple messages "votez pour" X candidate for Y post, and, in a country known for its artists, there are fabulous caricatures of Haitian faces: children, women and old men. Some hold signs that say "I (heart) Haiti." And there are other signs as well, in sloppy hand writing and not as optimistic: "We need help. Food. Water. Doctors."

I chatted with the driver, always a good source of information on the banalities of life in the place you are. Where to buy what, the hours what kind of shops are open, why those hours, how to get the cheap charges for international phone calls. I learned a lot in a few hours.

I am a little timid to take photos yet, but stay tuned.

Pretty sweet so far.
Although not free in any sense of the word.
Whether I dig this or do it again needs more than two days to figure out.

* * * 

Also, my friend Jesse from Peace Corps is here in Haiti and he has a blog too. It is quite cool. It gives an interesting first impression of the country from his perspective.

* * *

*This blog is only an expression of me and in no way represents any other agency mentioned herein.

The wallow

Today is loser day, in which I will wallow. I try not to let that damn Super Ego get in the way, but sometimes you just gotta give him his time to say his piece. He is embodied by the neighbors to my office window who are beating their dog.

In response to that damn Super Ego, my Ego has been procrastinating this entry by doing my actual job, by telling myself I am so busy and generally ignoring the fact that I am 0 for 3 in my contest endeavour. I admit I should have updated this about a week ago when I got the results, but I was feeling a little down with my lack of success. I am still feeling silly in this 10 contest adventure - simply because I am sucking.

* * *

Contest #1) Essay. Didn't win. Totally tanked, in fact.
Contest #2) Poem. Didn't win. I guess the cyber democracy populous didn't dig my style. Don't really have any indication of the level of my sucking.
Contest #3) Poem. Awaiting results. I stick by my odds in the last post.
Contest #4) Article. Not purchased. Didn't win.

* * *

Art. From 2002.

(Thanks for scanning this, Don and Kathy.)

* * *

In other news, I will be jobless in about a week. This is by choice and I feel blessed to be able to make that choice and I am looking forward to it. Although it may not last. I will take some time (after this excercise in self-pity today) to enter more contests, to get back my positivity on this writing thing and to revel.

One must take time to revel.

For the Id.

An Optimistic Pre-quel

Back in 2006, I arrived in Kenya and was on my way to the wild northeastern bush- Mandera. I didn't know much about Kenya or Nairobi and, more importantly, I didn't know much about Mandera... just that it was dry, there was a strict curfew and nothing to do anyway but sit on the roof and gaze over the hills at Ethiopia or Somalia. I'd need some entertainment.

In preparation, I dutifully went to the bookstore downstairs from the movie theater and started picking stuff up.

It was here that I discovered "Kwani?" - the Kenyan literary magazine.

It is full of fantastic writing in English, Kiswahili and Sheng (an evolving slang language of the youth). Okay, let's be honest, I can really only say the English is entertaining, I can't read Kiswahili or Sheng.
It has poetry, stories, cartoons and other sort of creative stuff.

It has a pulse.
It is political.
It is gives an insightful perspective into the thoughts of Kenya and - to me personally - a bit of optimism for this country.

Since the post election violence at the end of 2007 (see Kenya Quickie)- Kwani? has sponsored and lead some of the most moving efforts at showing and questioning what really happened to people, as well as peace building and reconciliation through art. Take a look around thier site.

So there I sat on my way to Mandera with the 2005 edition of Kwani? in hand, in a yellow, 7-seat, twin-prop plane. There were plasic jerrycans of fuel stored in the nose and wings of the plane. The fumes wafted back. The big people were spaced in the plane to balance it out. Someone's daughter was on the lap of the Head of Mission. It flew low but finally did make it. The flight was 5 hours long (or more?) and I didn't read a page. An interesting beginning to my relationship with Kenya...

Since then, there has been at least 3 more Kwani? published, as well as some feature length books, some of which I bought - and then at some point I seemed to have lost or given away somewhere.

(And a historical note, it was on my way out of Mandera when I started this blog.)

My first buck

* * *

Business, first:

Contest #1) Helium… That's where it started, and it will apparently continue into oblivion, but is none-the-less an interesting background to my adventrue in writing. I haven’t submitted anything new here since the last posting, but I am earning good money. To date: $1.05, at this rate I'm going to need a piggy bank! The biggest earner by far is my masterpiece on beauty tips- more than 1/3 of my total earnings are from this article alone. How about that. Deep. Fufilling. $1.05.

Contest #2) Poetry contest for charity… 2nd round of cyberetic-domocratic judging completed. The quality of poems is better in this round, so I guess that should give me confidence in the merit of the contestant-come-judge approach. There is no feedback from the contest organizers if you passed to the second round or not, so I have no idea what people thought of my poem. I will only know if it passes to the final 12 in the next few weeks. If not I will never know how far it went. Oh woe goes the fragile Ego who sits atop her fence.

Contest #3) The more professional poetry contest… No idea. The contest is closed, and if I don't win then I don’t expect any feedback. Wish I had a clue. Wish I had a chance.

Both #2 and #3 should have results in July. I am honestly pretty nervous at the idea of the outcomes. Discouragement? Depression? Elation? Egomaniacal striation?

 * * *

Writing, second:

So, the artist. Is so deep. Is so idealistic. The process is supposed to be moving and personal and involve a muse. The artist is not supposed to create for the audience or for appreciation, but for the pure and simple joy of creation.
Creation of any sort seems to involve some evolution.
And evolution involves some reflection and adaptation and revision to improve upon that creation. And sometimes that involves some sort of opinion that is not your own. Which by definition is involving the audience and by-passing the muse and maybe isn't so deep. But it's still being an artist, I think.

So here is some creationist evolution by an amateur artist who is perhaps not so idealistic.

Here are two versions of something. Which do you think came first? Which one do you like better? Did it evolve at all? Should it have even been created?

*

Shifting nomadic sporadic emphatic
transient walking with steps automatic
a basket a bundle a trundle crate casket
reflective packing with questions to ask it

I tell myself I am not in the race,
not influenced by the incompetence
of the electoral college, not capitalist, not racist, not American.
I tell myself I am not in the bottom,
not affected by the incompetence
of taxes called inflation, not corrupt, not tribalist, not African.

*

I tell myself I am not
in the race, not
influenced by the incompetence
of the electoral college, not
capitalist, not racist, not
American.
I tell myself I am not
in the bottom, not
affected by the incompetence
of taxes called inflation, not
corrupt, not tribalist, not
African.

*

Here is my answers to my own questions: I sort of like the two part one because it is more playful, but it doesn’t seem finished yet, needs more to make it strong. The bottom one seems to take itself too seriously, trying to be deep, trying to speak for everyman - but could be complete as it is.

* * *

Personal, third:

We are moving. My next 3 months are pretty unclear, but (as life seems to keep on going whether or not one has a plan) the next month promises much more excitement in my life than just the outcome of the second two contests. I will definitely leave Kenya by mid-July. I might get a job. I might not. I might go surfing. I probably won't. Either way, there will certainly be some interesting blog posts. Currently I am a little bit reflective, as one tends to be upon the brink of leaving 2 years of inspiration, frustration and fun.

There is no fastlane

where 

potholes appear

with overnight rains, 

where

streetlights are standing

with bulbs dark, 

where

I saw a dead man

hit last new years eve.

my brain

Brain Lateralization Test Results

Right Brain (66%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain. Left Brain (34%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain

Overall I appear to be Right Brain Dominant!

Right brain dominant individuals are more visual and intuitive. They are better at summarizing multiple points, picking up on what's not said, visualizing things, and making things up. They can lack attention to detail, directness, organization, and the ability to explain their ideas verbally, leaving them unable to communicate effectively.

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According to Darwinian theory, optimal evolution takes place with random variation and selective retention. The evolution savvy individual will try many different approaches when faced with a problem and select the best of those approaches. Many historical intellectuals have confessed their advantage was simply considering/exploring/trying more approaches than others. The left brain dominant type suffers from limited approaches, narrow-mindedness. The right brain dominant type suffers from too many approaches, scatterbrained. To maintain balanced hemispheres, you need to exercise both variability and selection. Just as a company will have more chance of finding a great candidate by increasing their applicant pool, an individual who considers a wider set of options is more likely to make quality decisions.

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Are You Right or Left Brained?
personality tests by similarminds.com