On Sunday we were on a stand still with Customs again and after three weeks on, I got a day off! We went to Kalico Beach about an hour outside the city. On the way out the hubbub of the city seems to completely vanish once we hit the edge of the city. It was crazy how there were people and houses and then --- nothing but countryside. It was truly beautiful seeing outside of Port-au-Prince, although it wasn't long before we came across a large tent city, out in the middle of nowhere. No electricity and no water was accessible here and I wondered what it was like after the sunset, maybe I'll see on the way back. Everyone drives here like it the Indy 500 except instead of smooth roads, we have bumps, potholes, people and most importantly, oncoming cars/ buses/ trucks. As we came over one of the hill on the way to the beach, I could see a large school bus coming towards us at about 70 mph. As is got closer I could see that it was turning sideways, with the back end swinging into our lane and headed right for us. I totally had a heart-attack and sincerely thought that it was going to hit us and that'd be the end. It barely missed us. It turns out that the axel was broken and so it always looks like that. Go figure...only in Haiti is that a normal sight. At least our driver got a kick out of watching me freak out lol.
Once we got to the beach, we spent most of the day in the water, although it was a little cooler at the beach than in the city (90 versus 100)....well sort of lol. I was just starting to relax laying on the beach with my eyes closed when I heard footsteps getting closer and closer. I look up to see a humongous lobster flipping and pinching the air right above me! The guys was selling them right after he caught them in the water and he even grilled them up for us. They had this sauce made from vinegar and some Haitian peppers (spiciest things ever by the way) to dip the lobster into. It was so delicious and later on he brought back some large crabs that he caught and grilled for us as well.
I thought that I was doing so well with my Irish skin in the strong Haitian sun but as soon as we packed everything back into the cars to head home, I knew that I really wasn't doing to great. Coupled with the dehydration from spending the whole day in the sun, the next thing I knew I had someone giving me water and wrapping a cool towel on my neck, as I was now sitting on the ground. The only plus of fainting like that was that I got to give the safety topic the next morning before everyone headed out for work. It was on proper use of sunscreen and constant hydration lol! Whoopsy...lesson learned : )
It's been pretty hectic here, as always, with people coming & going and with every day's little obstacles. I just have to remember that I'm Haitian time and that I shouldn't stress out too much when things don't work out or are delay because they sure aren't!
I'm ending the day officially stress-free and sipping a Jamaican coke.
Sèlman yon jou pi plis til mwen wè ou ankò!
Once we got to the beach, we spent most of the day in the water, although it was a little cooler at the beach than in the city (90 versus 100)....well sort of lol. I was just starting to relax laying on the beach with my eyes closed when I heard footsteps getting closer and closer. I look up to see a humongous lobster flipping and pinching the air right above me! The guys was selling them right after he caught them in the water and he even grilled them up for us. They had this sauce made from vinegar and some Haitian peppers (spiciest things ever by the way) to dip the lobster into. It was so delicious and later on he brought back some large crabs that he caught and grilled for us as well.
I thought that I was doing so well with my Irish skin in the strong Haitian sun but as soon as we packed everything back into the cars to head home, I knew that I really wasn't doing to great. Coupled with the dehydration from spending the whole day in the sun, the next thing I knew I had someone giving me water and wrapping a cool towel on my neck, as I was now sitting on the ground. The only plus of fainting like that was that I got to give the safety topic the next morning before everyone headed out for work. It was on proper use of sunscreen and constant hydration lol! Whoopsy...lesson learned : )
It's been pretty hectic here, as always, with people coming & going and with every day's little obstacles. I just have to remember that I'm Haitian time and that I shouldn't stress out too much when things don't work out or are delay because they sure aren't!
I'm ending the day officially stress-free and sipping a Jamaican coke.
Sèlman yon jou pi plis til mwen wè ou ankò!
Wow...so proud of you...you are managing to stay so positive when hope seems so far from their lives. I remember when people used to ask if you always smiled all of the time..
ReplyDeletethe answer is yes...
Love you,
Momma