15441: O'Brien re "Big" and bribes RE: 15433: Matt Ray writes a travelogue from his recent trip to Haiti(fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Martha O'Brien <mmcpeob@earthlink.net>

Oh my, "Big" strikes again.  In January we had a similar experience.  Our
luggage came a day late because we missed our connection in Miami and had
to take a different flight--apparently on a smaller plane which didn't have
enough room for all the luggage.  Our experience the following day was
complicated by the fact that the Customs officials the previous day had
insisted that we hand in our customs slips even though we had only our hand
luggage with us.  "Big" (aptly-named, I might add) took us under his ample
wing and got us through customs with nothing more than some minor haggling
and, of course, the requisite $100--which he took himself and presumably
shared with the customs officials.  (In retrospect I wish that we had
bargained with him a bit, but the leader of our group told me that she was
glad I didn't because then they might just have confiscated the meds,
which, of course, we didn't want to see happen.  BTW--we also had papers
"guaranteeing" that we could bring these items into the country.  I guess
that there was no guarantee against bribes!)

One interesting note in this whole transaction was that "Big" said to me at
one point, "Madam, kite m pale--pa pale kreyol avek yo--ou pa konnen pale
kreyol, tande!"  (Or words to that effect.)  I'm not sure why he wanted me
to pretend not to speak Kreyol, but I obeyed--had to bite my tongue a bit,
but I obeyed!

And so it goes.....

Martha O'Brien


--- Martha O'Brien
--- mmcpeob@earthlink.net
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