Gunshots, Waiting, Dominos, and a Walk

There was a little bit of reminder last night that Port-au-Prince is not always safe. Sometime in the early morning hours five or six gun shots rang out. It sounded like a hand gun to me and closer than I would prefer, but I was never in real danger. It could have been someone protecting their property for all I know. I have never felt in any real danger here and I suspect the area in which I am is no less safe, and perhaps safer, than many places in the U.S. 

Yesterday, I did ask someone about the changes since the UN left. They said that areas actually have become less safe as now no one comes when there is trouble. I suspect if the UN would have worked harder to respect all Haitians that their mission might have been more accepted. It was and is a complicated relationship, no more so by the cases of abuse by the UN and the introduction of cholera without taking responsibility. 

The kids are in school for most of this week, which means I get to see them for a few minutes here and there as they are in class. After school they have their homework, study, and meal; none of which I want to interrupt. So the early evening is when I get to see them a bit more. But then the trick is to make sure that you keep things quiet. What all this means is that there is a lot of waiting on my part.

The kids get Friday off for Haitian Flag Day, which is a celebration of all things Haitian. Last year some of the kids were able to visit the celebration in the city center. It is unclear if they can go anywhere this year. I am hoping we can talk the correct people into it, so that the kids can have a fun day out. I wouldn't mind seeing the city center during the celebration. 

On my walk between the guest house and the school there seems to always be a game or two of dominos going. Generally, there are 4 guys per game and for a table they rest a square board across their knees. They are playing with a set that goes up to double 6s, so 28 tiles. They are not gambling so it is all in fun, but they play very quickly and there are penalties which will earn you a clothespin on your face, such as when you can't play. It also appears the loser of a round gets any clothespins from the others. It can be quite funny. The guys are nice and let me watch when I asked. We did buy some dominos for the older kids in the center, so maybe if I can get enough practice in I will be brave enough to join the game on the street. 

After seeing the kids at break this morning, I decided to take a walk around the area a bit. I generally stay on the roads with more foot traffic and shops and again, I always feel safe. I do get looks, but I suspect that is mostly because people see it as uncommon for a blan to be walking around looking at the shopping stalls and saying hello to people. The moto taxis always ask if I need a ride, I wonder if they think I am lost. People are nice and mostly just going about their day. Now and again someone will stop me to practice their English, which I find ironic as I would rather practice my Creole with them. So it ends up being a bit of an odd conversation with the Haitian speaking English and the American answering in broken Creole. These walks are one of my favorite things here in Haiti and my range is slowly expanding. Maybe sometime I will grab a moto taxi back to the school just for fun. 

One less happy thing I would like to add today. Corporal punishment is still widely used in Haitian schools. While I would prefer that it didn't exist here, I also understand this is a bit of a cultural issue. What I would like to see is a couple of changes in how it is carried out, such as two adults always present, one being a female, especially when punishment is being given to a girl. Also, a shift from the intent of the punishment to cause pain to an intent where pain is not the main objective. I realize this is not only an issue at schools, but in the home. Again, I am not against corporal punishment, but I do think it is practiced a bit too frequently and harshly in Haiti. Nothing like what I saw many years ago where the person giving the punishment was clearly out of control, but still I think there are methods between dong nothing and corporal punishment that should be leveraged. 

This afternoon I pray for those in Haiti suffering from violence. Those that need a safe place to sleep. I pray for safe travels for additional people that are arriving from the US today. I pray that the children may get the opportunity to leave the center and celebrate their heritage and culture with the rest of the country and that the celebration will be safe and fun for all. Amen.