Category Archives: Haiti

The Fool on the Hill

Posted on 02/04/2012 by paulefallon

When the Beatle’s The Fool on the Hill hit the airwaves in 1967 I was twelve years old, the perfect age to be captivated by a song that denounced conventional motivation.  I always thought I would love to be the … Continue reading →

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Lean Thinking Comes to Haiti

Posted on 02/03/2012 by paulefallon

One of the more peculiar paradoxes of my life is that I spend two weeks every month in the Unites States, where much of my work deals with Lean process improvement, and two weeks in Haiti, where the concept process … Continue reading →

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Concrete Night

Posted on 02/02/2012 by paulefallon

I am sitting at a picnic table under a bare bulb in the middle of Mission of Hope.  It is 6:45 pm, which in Haiti means it is black as midnight.  I will try to describe the scene, but it … Continue reading →

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Twin Tales of Darkness

Posted on 01/08/2012 by paulefallon

Haiti is not nearly so dark as it used to be.  The electrical grid in Grand Goave, which ran maybe four to six hours per day during the year after the earthquake, now operates about twenty hours a day and … Continue reading →

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Buckeyes in Haiti

Posted on 01/07/2012 by paulefallon

I often describe Haiti as magical, and I am not alone in that view.  Mysticism is strong here where ancient voudou merges the physical and the spirit world.  It also provides context for the daily trials of people with so … Continue reading →

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Construction by Hand

Posted on 01/04/2012 by paulefallon

A five gallon bucket is a foot in diameter and just over a foot tall.  It will take over 11,000 buckets of concrete, carried from the mixer by hand and up a ladder, to pour the second floor of the … Continue reading →

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Waiting Around

Posted on 01/02/2012 by paulefallon

Waiting around in Haiti is a national pasttime.  I always have a book or magazine with me because you never know whenever the ‘plan’ will be derailed.  Today was a good example, representative rather than extreme. This morning Gama dropped … Continue reading →

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What Am I Doing Here?

Posted on 01/01/2012 by paulefallon

It’s Sunday, New Year’s Day in Haiti. I have the day off.  People have wondered what am I doing here, so perhaps this is a good time to lay out a day in the life of Mister Paul, l’architect, which … Continue reading →

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Jenison 3

Posted on 12/31/2011 by paulefallon

The first person I saw in Grand Goave, of course, was Jenison, standing outside the gate at Mission of Hope as casually as if he had just happened by, as purposefully as if he had not moved a muscle since … Continue reading →

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The Only Way out is Through

Posted on 12/30/2011 by paulefallon

The weather forecast for Port Au Prince was optimal; high of 90, low of 75, sunny for days.  Late December is the coolest time of year in Haiti; it is not uncommon to see natives wearing sweaters.  So when I … Continue reading →

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