oh dear.

What I know about Haiti I (well, I mean I knew basic geographical, historical and political information) I learned from reading Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder about Paul Farmer and his work on cultural understandings of disease and medicine in Haiti and other countries plagued by infectious diseases. I read the book for a medical anthropology class in college, which turned out to be one of my favorite classes*, in spite of making probably a B- because I inexplicably refused to turn anything in on time. Tracy Kidder's writing and Paul Farmer's super human efforts really made an impact on me. I even donated to Partners In Health when I was still in school. So, not that Haiti is any more or less important than any other area struck by any kind of disaster, but it holds one of the few soft spots in my heart. I implore you to read the book. If you're going to donate to anything, consider a donation to Partners In Health.


*Thanks Dr. Joralemon. I sucked in your class, but you were a kickass professor and I shockingly retained and carry with me much that I learned that semester. Sorry for being an unresponsive jerk.