An "Experience"

When one tap-tap after another was too full to take us to Wednesday's mobile clinic, Juslie and I walked. We walked for quite a long time. It was hot and sunny. No surprise there. We also had to make our way through trash piles and meander along gutters full of plastic refuse and green liquids. No surprise there either. But we made it and took care of our business with Madame Bwa. Bwa is Creole for wood. This woman can get things done- she is strong and a community organizer by necessity, so her nickname is Madame Bwa. After a few minutes at the clinic, we left. The tap-taps were all full on the way back too. So, we walked downtown-- 45 minutes navigating similar conditions. There we were able to grab a tap-tap on L street. L street is tap-tap haven. There are throngs of people on L street. If you need to get somewhere, you go to L street. If you are coming from somewhere, you end up on L street.

Within 5 minutes of entering the tap-tap, a woman wearing a green and white checked dress was perched on my lap. My thighs were eventually damp from a mixture of her sweat and mine. It was just great. Several other people sitting on the benches were supporting the bodies of other paying customers. One rear end was stuck at eye level. I still don't know what the owner's face looked like. I tell you this to set the stage.

A man who looked about 45 years-old (which means he was probably about 35) started talking. And people listened with rapt attention, smiling and laughing intermittently. Juslie whispered to me that he was sharing funny stories about tap-tap rides to Port-au-Prince, describing women with legs the size of tree trunks sitting on his skinny little lap. He told stories with lessons about how important it is to treat everyone well, because one never knows another's powers. He said that usually a poor person has far more to offer than does a rich person. Other passengers interjected, and through most of it I had no idea what was going on. I just saw people getting on and off the tap-tap, leaving the conversation as quickly as they entered it. No names were exchanged at any point. This man commanded everyone's attention during my entire 25 minute ride; I noticed less and less the sweaty person sitting on my thighs. I asked Juslie if this sort of thing happens often (that is, a single person telling stories on the tap-tap). She said that every now and then, someone will do this; "He is giving an experience", she said. "It's beautiful."

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The not-so-beautiful experience for me is that I am still waiting for institutional approval to commence data collection-- a research project being the purpose for my 10-week stint in Haiti. For the past 4 weeks, among other things, I've been setting things up for the project... and waiting. The picture shows me waiting.