Author Archives: paulefallon

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About paulefallon

Greetings reader. I am a writer, architect, cyclist and father from Cambridge, MA. My primary blog, theawkwardpose.com is an archive of all my published writing. The title refers to a sequence of three yoga positions that increase focus and build strength by shifting the body’s center of gravity. The objective is balance without stability. My writing addresses opposing tension in our world, and my attempt to find balance through understanding that opposition. During 2015-2106 I am cycling through all 48 mainland United States and asking the question "How will we live tomorrow?" That journey is chronicled in a dedicated blog, www.howwillwelivetomorrw.com, that includes personal writing related to my adventure as well as others' responses to my question. Thank you for visiting.

Celebrating the Occasion

Posted on 07/07/2012 by paulefallon

One hallmark of Haitian culture is gathering together to mark the start of an event.  A collective pause or prayer precedes daily meals, laborers gather before each work day; and we mark construction milestones with impromptu but elaborate ceremonies.  At … Continue reading →

Posted in Haiti | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Malaria

Posted on 07/04/2012 by paulefallon

The rainy season is dwindling, which means mosquitos are on the wane, yet malaria continues to circle all around us.  During my last trip Nathan, Gama’s three year old son, contracted malaria; seeing his tiny curly headed body shivering under … Continue reading →

Posted in Haiti | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Thank You to all my Readers

Posted on 07/02/2012 by paulefallon

Yesterday, July 1, marked the mid-point in my yearlong commitment to Haiti.  In a happy coincidence the same day marked The Awkward Pose’s highest daily readership and the blog surpassed 10,000 hits.   Thanks to all of you who are regular and occasional readers.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | 3 Comments

Conversion

Posted on 07/02/2012 by paulefallon

Every moment we breathe in, every moment we breathe out.  Every breath seems the same, yet currents of opportunity whisper through our subconscious until all at once, we realize the wind has changed and we are sailing in a different … Continue reading →

Posted in Haiti | Tagged | 2 Comments

One for the Record Book

Posted on 07/01/2012 by paulefallon

This morning at 1 am we completed pouring the first floor of MoHI School; MoHI’s largest concrete pour to date, perhaps the largest ever in Grand Goave.  We started pouring at 10 am on Friday and thirty-nine hours later had … Continue reading →

Posted in Haiti, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Things We Carried

Posted on 06/30/2012 by paulefallon

A week or so before I return to Haiti I send a ‘Mule to Haiti’ email to my connections asking what they want me to bring down.  I am allowed one 50 pound bag in coach, a second costs forty … Continue reading →

Posted in Haiti | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

$5.77

Posted on 06/24/2012 by paulefallon

Consider the following word problem that might appear on the fourth grade MCAS Test.  Paul orders a cupcake at a service center restaurant along the Mass Turnpike.  The total, including tax, is $2.77.  Paul hands the person at the cash … Continue reading →

Posted in United States | Tagged | 2 Comments

My Dinner with Andy

Posted on 06/16/2012 by paulefallon

In honor of Father’s Day, I am posting this essay I wrote three years ago.  It actually happened, and was the best Father’s Day gift a dad could receive.     It’s getting on seven o’clock Saturday night.  I’m sitting in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged | 3 Comments

In A Country of Teenagers, A Young Man Grows Up

Posted on 06/10/2012 by paulefallon

Haiti is a country of teenagers.  I did not originate that saying, Renee did, but it is the best single description of the place I’ve heard.  Teenagers are unformed yet egotistical, lack competence yet are overconfident, wound others recklessly yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Haiti | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

A Map of the World

Posted on 06/04/2012 by paulefallon

What does the world look like to man who has never traveled more than forty miles from home?  He lived in a quiet place among his own kind.  There were missionaries, of course, earnest white people who dispensed clothing and … Continue reading →

Posted in Haiti | Tagged , , | 2 Comments