19428: Nancy: Letter from PaP (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Nancy <nancy@turbonet.com>

 Received this from a friend, a an American teacher on Lagonav.  I know
 how all of us who aren't in Haiti right now wish we had news from "on the
 ground".  Politics are important, but for many, if not all of us, our
 broad and varied connections to Haiti are human ones.  No one view can
 possibly tell it all, but this is what one person sees.  Do note that
 when she talks about getting "home", she's not trying to get to the
airport, but back to Lagonav

Nancy

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi,
I came to Port au Prince on Friday  with the intention of putting the co
founder of the school at the airport.  I was planning to pass a night,
perhaps two, and then head back to my house on the island where I teach.
Unfortunately, I knew that I might encounter some problems with all the
political turmoil which has been slowly erupting.  Unfortunately, I find
that I am still in Port au Prince a week later.  I have been staying as a
result of my friends recomending me to remain in the house until this passes
over.

It has been extremely difficult for me to do this, and I find that I can’t
seem to occupy myself enough to pass the time comfortably.  The tension in
the city doesn’t allow you to relax and focus for very long.  Everyone sits
on their porches with the radio blaring.  Everyone is talking about the
violence and the unrest.  No one can predict where the “dezod” (misbehavior)
will happen next.

I visited my friend Coleen on Sunday, and just when I was thinking about
coming home, our friend Edward called and on a cellular phone connection
which was breaking up, he muttered words of men in ski masked and guns
taking people out of cars and beating them.  This was the route I needed to
get home.  I then decided perhaps I needed to sleep over, but could I find a
way home??  I don’t know.

We called the radio station, and a few friends, and eventually found a route
that would be safe.  I walked to the taxi stand with a teenaged friend of
Coleen, and got home quicker than usual as a result of people not being in
the streets. Edward found refuge and made it home too.

Now it is Friday, a week has passed since I came here, and  although I am
not shut up in the house, I feel I have cabin fever.  I only brought two
days of clothes, and well, they are starting to smell.  I might wash them
tonight.  I really wanted to leave this morning, and almost did, but I heard
the news too late that it was calm.  So, I didn’t get out the door in time.

I decided that today I would take a walk.  I walked up to Petionville, a
suburb like Evanston to Chicago I guess.  On the way up everyone was asking
me if I was scared.  Why wasn’t I already in my country?  More poeple were
walking than I have ever seen.  When I finally got to where the tap tap
station is, there was a baricade made up tires, hubcaps, stuffing for
furniture and all sorts of junk.  Guys with scarves on their face were
throwing rocks and bottles.  I saw cars with guys hangning out the rear with
guns.    Things were burning, and smoke was everywhere.  I heard that young
guys with guns were there but had left.  The calm that might have happened
this morning for a brief moment, was not a calm that I found to be lasting.

I passed by without any problem.  I walked to where I wanted to do email,
but it was closed.  Most of the street vendors were no where in site.
People were extremely friendly though.  I found that although I don’t know
what it was like during the World Trade Center thing, I would imagine that
this is what it was like.  Everyone is really talkative, and friendly and
telling you to be careful, and showing more interest than usual.

This one guy who was selling sugar cane honey saw me.  He knows I like to
buy it, and asked if I was interested today.  I said yes.  (You know you
stand out when you only come to the capital every month or so, and people
know who you are)  I asked if you had the sugar cane honey, and he said all
he had was normal bee honey.  He said he would go get the sugar cane honey
if I waited.  He gave me his chair, and I sat down on it behind his case of
honey bee honey, and began to act as if I was the vendor.  I started yelling
Honey here!!  Come get your honey!!!  MAke me sell today, times are rough in
the country.   This started attracting a crowd.  I spent some time talking
to the spectators, and acting like a merchant.  It was a little funny that
amidst all this chaos and political turmoil which is reaching into the lives
of the poeple and making them suffer, we, a group of HAitians and a
foreigner were laughing hard.  I felt self conscious and wondered if I
should be attracting any attention at all, but we stopped our game when a
big truck came and pushed us out of the street to park and unload his
provisions.  The guy came back with my honey, and I said goodbye.

On my walk home I talked to this woman who was heading to her house.  She
said she wasn’t scared, that it is the guys in power, or who want power, who
are fighing.  She is just going about her life.   She wanted someone to talk
to, and pass the time with since there wasn’t any public transportation
running anymore.

Unfortunately the prices on Lagonav are going up, according to the teachers
I talk to daily on the phone,  because of fear factor and gas getting more
expensive.  Things are hard to find.  THe stores are being cleared out
because people are stocking up so they don’t have to go out on the streets
as often.  Transportation is more expensive to get the everyday necessities.
Electricity isn’t being provided, and this effects the water pumps in the
city, so the city is not functining well at all.  No rain to substitute.

I know that my writing here isn’t well thought out, but I can’t spend much
time on the computer because of the lack of energy at Laurie'’ house, and
the internet cafe’s being closed.

I wanted you to know that I think I am safe, if I keep my head up and aware
at all times.  I want you to know that I am feeling alright, but frustrated.
I don’t think I am the only one who is frustrated.  This entire country is
frustrated.  I mean, that is why all this is happening, well, most of it.
Unfortunately this frustrations of this country, are more greater than my
case of cabin fever.

Violence is unnecessary.

On another note, a friend of mine wrote and said that his wife was attacked
by their house dog.  I guess this dog is a rabid watch dog.  It is
programmed to attack after a certain hour in the evening.  His wife went out
into the yard after this time began, and literally ate the woman to death.
The three children were watching as it happend.  The oldest son tried to get
the shotgun and kill it, but could get it to go off.

WHy does someone need a dog like this in their house??

So many things to think about???  IT is nuts.
I wonder when I will get to go home, to my peaceful house.