Journal Entry – Wednesday February 1, 2012
Random Observation of the Day:
It struck me this morning that one of the really cool things about being part of a team like this is that you’re constantly surrounded by people who are always looking for ways to be helpful. The result is that EVERYTHING gets done with incredible ease and efficiency, you never hear anyone complain about ANYTHING, and even the hardest work becomes immensely enjoyable.
Wish I could bottle THAT up and take it back to the States.
Bizarre Visual of the Day:
Hadn’t seen THIS before.
As some of you know, the primary mode of transportation in Haiti is something called a tap-tap (named for the fact that a passenger taps on the side of the vehicle when they’re ready to get out), kind of a group-taxi thing. Tap-Taps are generally made out of something that looks like a 30-year old long bed pickup, with a metal canopy built over the bed for shade, and painted in bright festive colors. It’s not uncommon to see 20+ people crammed in the bed, hanging from the sides, or even sitting up on the roof as a tap-tap careens wildly through the city streets or along the roadways of the countryside.
So today as we were leaving Dubuisson and driving through Mirebalais on the way back to Thomazeau I saw something I had NOT seen before: We passed by – literally within two or three feet – a tap-tap full of people, AND with about a dozen or so goats – LIVE goats, mind you – tied together at the ankles and draped over the top of the canopy, hanging down the sides of the tap-tap upside down.
Talk about multi-purpose public transportation. Can’t do THAT on the subways in New York City.
The best part? When we got back to Thomazeau our Haitian cook, Manuella, had fresh roasted goat prepared and waiting for dinner.
Now THAT’s pretty cool.
