A New Week

June 20, 2011

I am indifferent about how to assess the pace of time since I’ve been in Haiti. Part of me feels like I’ve been here forever and it’s hard to believe that it was just a bit over a week ago that I arrived. At times, though, life is seemingly turtle-paced; I feel like I’ve waited here more than I’ve done anything else. But, I still feel like I’ve done a lot. The pace of life here is near extraordinary. I don’t mean the pace at which people live, but rather the pace at which time passes. It’s different...or rather, seemingly different.

Yesterday, after breakfast, we piled in the truck and went to the beach. On the way up to the beach, we had a plethora of stops to make. The first hour-long stop was at Western Union. Luckily, it was near a gas station so I was able to get my daily dose of chocolate milk. Afterwards, we stopped to get gas and buy fruit and a peanut brittle like food from the street vendors. Shortly after our last stop, we arrived at the beach. Normally, I don’t swim in the ocean because I am afraid of the current. I think it’s a result of not seeing the ocean until I was 18 years old; it’s hard to teach an old(er) dog tricks, I reckon. The Haiti sun, though, was the greatest form of peer pressure and it took a matter of minutes before I was diving in and out of the waves. I felt like a free little fish. I challenged the guys to races and handstand contests, I ate my weight in fried plantains, and collected smooth stones from the rocky shore. I was told by two separate men that they loved me; I tried, in my choppy Creole, to explain that it’s impossible to love someone you’ve never spoken to. Understandably (because my Creole is less than awesome), they weren’t really comprehending my reasoning. Luckily, I have lots of “big brothers” who helped me out. After hours of swimming (afro-inducing, for sure) and rock collecting, we strolled up to our car, piled in, and drove home (in the rain).

We spent last night walking around the compound, reflecting on the roof, and decompressing after our active day of swimming. This morning, our Creole teacher came back and I had my first lesson from a native Creole speaker. This new week is a good week.