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Hey all!

I've changed my settings so that people can leave posts for me. And please do so so I know that people don't forget about me. Kidding, I'm not that sad.

A new surprise

So guess what kids? Looks like i'm going to be in this city for a few more days. We just found out that we are going to have to enter 5,000 more files into the computer. It would be fine if there were more things to do in this city. But at least I'm not getting sunburned.

We did get a tour today. One of our group has family here in Gonayiv and her cousin took us around town on the back of his truck. We got to see the bus station and the public hospice and his house. It was pretty cool. I just wish we could have homestays so that I could learn more Creole. When I don't know another language I freak out and start speaking Spanish.

Tonight we are having a 21st birthday party in the lobby of our hotel. The manager is buying her a bottle of rum and we get to set up the music. Which is cool because we have a pretty large group of people to hang out with every day. Our chaperones are teaching us how to dance salsa and Konpa, which is real kind of crazy when you watch it.

I think I said this, but last night I had a complete mental shut down and could not look at another number. I hope when I come back to the states I can still create a coherant thought. Though it might be in Creole.

Here's more pictures from our hotel including the view of the mountain (totally void of trees) and the house outside my window.

Last days in Gonayiv

Our job here at Fonkoze is to enter all of the account information into this new software called Loan Performer. This means we have to take a completely manual system and put it on the computer. So I'm sure you can only imagine the number of files we have to go through, calculating interest and trying to decipher the spelling of names in Creole so we can type them accurately on the computer. Its really a very boring job.

Everyone here is getting cabin fever. We got to go out last night which was really fun. Clubbing and salsa dancing with our chaperones who are pretty much our drivers here. It was a good relaxing way to unwind after sitting in a chair for hours. Mostly we are at the computer for a number of hours a day. And by number, I mean 12 hours a day entering information. And this is only the first branch we have been to.

The internet has been spotty, but I have managed to take some pictures. Maybe later when our connection is a little stronger I’ll have more.

After this, I will be heading to Gwomon and then to Twodino to enter some more computer information.

This is the market outside of our hotel. There is this women that lives below us that carries bags and bags of goods on her head every day to sell.


That's all I can get for now. Until later.

Finally here

We are finally here in Port au Prince. We had to spend a very long time at the Miami airport with me flipping out because I really wasn't sure who was picking us up at the airport, but we made it.

The Hospice where we are staying for two nights is called Hospice St. Josephs and its on a hill overlooking Port au Prince, facing the water. The view is gorgeous and I'm sure everyone here has at least one picture of it.

Tomorrow, we are heading to Gonayiv to start working on the accounts. We will be staying there a little under a week before we split up into groups and travel to other cities. We will be starting in the North and then traveling to the central areas. Then we will come back to Port au Prince for one day before we hit the branches in the South.

I don't have any pictures as of yet, and I have to get off the computer. THere are tons of people looking to use it.

I'll try to leave another post soon!

The week before

Hello all!

I'm glad you are interested in my adventures in Haiti. I wanted to provide you all with a short description of what I will be doing in there with Fonkoze. Bare with me, I'm not a great speller, but I'm sure it will be interesting, especially if I get some nice pictures to post.

I'm flying to Haiti on June 20th with four friends from Global Outreach at Fordham University. Or job in Haiti is to update the software Fonkoze uses to keep track of clients and their loans. We will be transefering data from Emerge to Loan Performer. I will be with these volunteers for the first month.

The first week we will spend in port au Prince learning the computer software, Loan Performer. This software was developed in Uganda specifically for microfinance institutions to keep track of their loan clients. If you don't know about microfinance or would like to know more about it, or Fonkoze in general, you can visit our website, www.fonkoze.org.

For the next three weeks we will be travelling in pairs to a number of branches throughout Haiti to asess their technological capabilities and update their data.

The volunteers will return to the states on the 15th, but I will be staying on until September 7th to finish up the transfer.

I hope to provide you all with more information as things go along. So keep checking!

I'll be available through email and I would love to hear from you and see how things are going while I'm gone.

Until then, m ale!