So I return home in less than a week. It is hard to believe that it has been that long already. It is amazing to me how the first three weeks felt like months but the last three have flown by... Ok, maybe the first 4 weeks felt like months- being sick wasn't exactly a cake walk. But I suppose I expected it, that the second half of the trip just slips away right before your eyes.
I've been thinking alot about how life here relates to life back home. Thinking about the little things and comparing them. And there are differences that you would perhaps not expect.
Of course there is the language barrier. It is impossible to miss the fact that my english does me little to no good here. My Creole is minimal and my French nearly non-existent. It can be difficult not being able to understand a thing that people say to you. However, like I told a fellow volunteer today, if I had wanted to understand I would have gone to an English or Spanish speaking country.
There is the Race factor. It is something that we have to deal with while we are here. I couldn't tell you the number of times men have told us they love us, or that we are beautiful. We are white women. Therefore, they notice us. Children call after us yelling "Blanc! Blanc!" (White! White!). You can feel eyes on you where ever you go.
The food was less of an issue than I expected it to be. Lots of rice and bananas, but that is no surprise. It is not particularly spicy or unusual. I eat it without an issue so that alone says alot!
Electricity. Haitian electricity is less than reliable. From what I understand you can expect it for a few hours a day, and what hours usually varies. Generators are a very well used machine here. The generators run, and in the process store p energy in a collection of car batteries which are used to smaler watage of power when the generator is off. So if you want to do laundry, or take a shower, you have to first make sure the generator is one or there is not enough power, or no running water. Its a little strange when you wake or get home and your first though is, I wonder if we have power tonight, or if I am reading by lamp light.
Running water. Like I mentioned, if the generator is off, the water doesn't run. It takes some getting used to, remembering to listen for the generator before you plan to shower. Not being able to use water to wash your hands- hand sanitizer is a hot commodity as well.
Regular plumbing. Ok. That sounds worse than it is. We have indoor plumbing, don't get me wrong. But there are rules to make sure we don't lose that plumbing. Nothing gets thrown in the toilet, not even toilet paper. Takes some getting used to to put toilet paper in the garbage can. The toilet at our apartment doesn't flush right now so when it has to be flushed(which is NOT after every use), we have to bucket flush. When the electricity is out- bucket showers, hand washed laundry, and bucket flushes.
The water. You absolutely can not drink the water here. Which takes more thinking than you might figure. Ok, don't fill a glass from the tap. But there is more to it. Doing dishes requires making sure there is bleach in the rinse water. Brushing your teeth you can't even rinse your toothbrush under the tap. In the shower you have to make sure you don't open your mouth. When baking you have to be certain that you take any water used in the reciepe from the water jugs.. Like I said, it really makes you think about all the little things you use water for. If it is an option between a little extra work for clean water or getting sick(what we've dubbed Haitian Happiness), you tell me what you'd pick... Remember, the toilet doesn't always flush.
Getting sick. Not something you really plan for, something that you really hope doesn't happen. But when you get sick here, you have to deal with it here. Trust me, I've been there. It is not a fun scenario.
Driving. Driving here is qute the experience. There are few noticible road rules. I've seen stop signs 4 times(and 3 times it was the same one). No traffic lights- pointless as the electricity isn't reliable enough to run them. Paved roads are few and the ones they have are nothing like what we would deem high quality. Pedistrians definitely do not have the right away, they have to move and fast. Honks of the horn are to simply let people know where you are as much as they are to give someone heck. No lines on the roads, no grid for how they are set up. If you get car sick, Haiti is not for you.
Safety. For the most part, Haiti is a fairly safe place to be. However, considering the country's history, being outside the compound when it is dark is not a good idea. So, when it is dark at 6 30, we are already in the gates, which are locked, and we don't leave again till morning. This takes a little bit of getting used to considering at home we have the freedom to do as we please and come and go as we see fit.
There are probably more difference, but I can't think of them off the top of my head. But I hope this does a little bit to better let you imagine life here. It is a good time and you get used to the differences in the long run. You have to and they aren't so bad as they could be really.
As I prepare to leave you and start getting ready for bed, I leave you with a did you know...
Did you know that Banana trees only produce fruit once?
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