This is Emily. Emily has been with MFH for over a year and a half now. She came halfway through my year here, so we worked together for a while.Hometown: literally somewhere in Missouri (WHO is from Missouri?!)
How she got to MFH: Through BVS (the Brethren Volunteer Service). Their focus is on simplicity, solidarity, and service.
Superpower: Knowing all the best and worst places to get paté in downtown Hinche.
Quote: <insert sassy Creole slang phrase>
Job: Everything that isn't what Stephanie and Carrie (below) do. Job duties primarily include putting out metaphorical fires, being the contact person for anything MFH-related, all HR, and pretty much all logistics. Her job is the craziest.
Fun fact: Emily knows all the moon cycles and will tell you about them. She is always sending off positive vibes.
Favorite MFH memory: "Every disco night ever."
This is Carrie. Carrie arrived in May to begin as the new Volunteer Coordinator. This is the first time that the Volunteer Coordinator job duties have been separate from other duties. Trust me, it's a full time job!Hometown: Portland, Oregon - she makes it sound like a pretty cool place.
How she got to MFH: Carrie was accepted to an accelerated nurse-midwife program, and deferred for a year to come here! She will make the most fantastic midwife.
Superpower: Cat-whisperer/scared-volunteer-whisperer.
Quote: "MAAAAAAM" (in monotone) and "NOPE NOPE NOPE."
Job: Carrie handles all volunteer arrangements. She schedules them, helps prep them for their trips, and hosts them while they're here. She is ten times more patient than I am, and gets very excited when people talk about placentas and the colon.
Fun fact: Carrie has an extra fluffy (read: chubby) siamese cat at home named "Glamour Puss," or "Puss-Puss" for short. Needless to say, she is just as obsessed with Ina May as I am.
Favorite MFH memory: "When Camille, Emily and I went to give blood, and on our way back it started to rain. The taxi drivers were racing each other back to the house."
This is Stephanie. She has been here just over a month now, but it feels like she has been here much longer. She is comfortable and easy-going, silly and fun, but is way qualified and ready to do battle with the powers that be (cough hospital administration cough).Hometown: Doesn't exist because she is everywhere always.
How she got to MFH: She is pumped about international development and had spent a year in Haiti before, so her Creole is on point and she is doing an incredible job at jumping right in.
Superpower: Being crazy productive and professional despite having Dengue Fever.
Quote: "Where even is the hymen?"
Job: In-Country Coordinator is her job title. She is the face of in-country MFH, doing all on-ground networking and all official business. Seriously, she's a badass.
Fun fact: She lived in Tanzania for several years and has been to too many countries to count.
Favorite MFH memory: "When we went out to a restaurant and I ordered pwason gwo sel and everyone else ordered fries and salad, but my meal came 3 hours before anyone else's."
This is Stuart/Stu/StuLu/Stubaby. She is not technically part of the staff, but she is a long-term volunteer who has become part of the family.Hometown: Virginia Beach, Virginia. Yes, she wears Tory Burch rubber flip flops.
How she got to MFH: Her high school, Norfolk Academy, has an amazing program for high schoolers interested in global health, called the Global Health Fellows. She has spent the past four years designing and piloting a Women's Empowerment Curriculum for adolescent women.
Superpower: Answering really uncomfortable questions about sex and male anatomy from the girls who attend her class. I don't think she can do it with a straight face, though.
Quote: "Ina May just gets prettier and prettier every time I see her" (not kidding, Ina May is taking over the world).
Job: Again, she is not MFH staff, but she's been here for over a month now co-teaching her curriculum in Rivage and at the girls' orphanage...and we love her like a sister.
Fun fact: Her family owns Smithfield meats and her brother once threw the party of the century without her parents' consent (think Project X without the house burning down).
Favorite MFH memory: "Whoosh Papi!"
This is Ina May. Ina May is the house cat, and she is named after Ina May Gaskin, a famous midwife.
Hometown: Hinche, of course!
How she got to MFH: As I recall Nadene tells it, she was looking for a house cat to get rid of the mice, and saw some kittens by the side of the road in Cange. She asked if she could have one, but they were all claimed, so someone called someone who knew someone whose sister had cats to give away. I imagine Ina May was the prettiest and most standoffish one, so she was the perfect choice.
Superpower: Controlling humans with her love-hate demeanor.
Quote: "Meow meow meow," when she is particularly in need of attention.
Job: She is paid in cat food and non-consensual snuggles for her mouse-catching skills and general cuteness.
Fun fact: One time, Ina May got so fat we thought she had a tumor and was going to die. We gave her an ultrasound and it turned out that she had SIX kittens in her very large belly. Also, she won't tell you this, but I am her favorite human.
Favorite MFH memory: When Carrie started combing her with her comb (we presume).
Hometown: Technically, my parents live in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania (Pennsyltucky, if you will). But currently, my home is in Boston, Massachusetts.
How I got to MFH: A college friend, who was a year ahead of me, told me about his post-grad plans to spend a year in Haiti working at a rural clinic. When I discovered, months later, that I'd missed the deadline to apply for his fellowship, he directed me to MFH, where his friend was working. I emailed Nadene, and was already planning a trip to a nearby village in January of 2013. On that trip, I was able to visit the house to meet everyone...and the rest is history.
Superpower: Salsa dancing like a Haitian woman (or so I am told :))
Quote: <insert obnoxious request directed at Ina May>
Job: Again, not an employee anymore. I'm just an MPH student who is obsessed with everyone in this organization.
Fun fact: I could eat brown rice, beans, and beet salad every day for the rest of my life.
Favorite MFH memory: "Jenna's birthday party last year, when we set up candles and yoga mats on the porch and played music all evening."
