The Little Things

Little Things

There are many things that we take for granted.  Here, in Haiti, I discover more and more things every week I am here.

We actually had rain last night.  And also on Sunday, it rained.  There was no thunder or lightning, just a steady downpour that kept coming and coming.  It made me want to stay under cover, like the tin roof at the kitchen.  Of course, that sounded like someone rattling steel balls in a coffee can, but it was better than being soaked; which I was anyone since I was working outside on the grease trap when it started.  As I waited for it to stop it struck me that there was no lightning or the resonating boom from the following thunder.  I missed that.  Back in Indiana the kids and I used to sit on the front porch and eagerly await the ominous storms approach.  It was accentuated by flashes of white light following by the inevitable rumbling or crack of instant ear shattering sound. It all depended on how far away the strike was.  As I grew older I recognized more of the danger involved in those intense storms.  I now seek sturdier cover than the front porch, but, alas, I still think of those days with a smile.

I think the rain shorted one of the voltage regulators in the generator.  Toby was able to put another one it last night, but it was conditional.  The generator would run, but only at half voltage since the one he put in was defective from the start.  As a result three of the tents on that generator had to give up their air conditioning for the day.  Not too bad a deal, as I spent most of the day on the air conditioned loader anyway.  But when I returned at the end of the day and opened the door to the tent I was welcomed by a hot blast of air.  These tents really do get hot during the day.  Toby started the AC units back up after five so it is nice and cool as I write this.  Makes me appreciated the reliability of the electric grid at home; and air conditioning.

The other trade off for having electricity to the offices was that the tents got to go without internet until this evening.  Bummer; couldn’t check email, news, weather or facebook.  I’m far from a techie geek like some people I know, but, I never thought I’d say this, I missed all the above.  Tonight I’m glad the internet is back on.

It is quite hot here during the day.  Each day is a close race in getting to 95 degrees.  Today was probably 94, so it was cooler; by a hair on the thermometer.  Even so, the sudden burst of chilling cold water from the shower head makes me inhale like it was ice water.  Tonight I once again grimaced at the thought that water piped in from Antarctica was going to spray generously over me.  It did, and, as usual, I had a very short run of it.  But now it is a piece of history as I can now complain to my blog that I miss hot water.

On occasion, I have driven.  When I first got here the memories of careening around motorbikes and playing chicken with a fifteen ton Tap Tap overloaded with people, sugarcane, chickens and other mundane cargo highly discouraged me from ever getting behind the wheel of anything that moved.  In fact, I declined Travis’ offer to drive for a month and a half before I wrote my will and took the keys to something with four wheels.  It really isn’t that bad.  The key is learning to drive like them.  Be stupid, take chances and drive as fast as your vehicle can possibly go.  Learn to love the horn and keep close to your heart the Great Haitian Motto, ‘they will move’.  Actually, I’ve driven a Kia truck with a diesel motor that responds like a snail on sleeping pills, a loader that wiggle waggles like a drunken sailor, and a triaxle dump truck that sounds like the Queen Mary coming in to dock.  I like the truck the best.  It has the loudest horn.

There is an abundance of little things that pop up on a daily basis.  I miss eating with my family.  It’s nice to have common humor around the table and not have to worry about saying something wrong.  It is also different to watch movies with family.  Everyone is comfortable to laugh at silly things that others’ might not think funny.  I miss taking walks with my wife in the evenings.  Here, there is no one to share thoughts during the day, hold a hand or just be happy to be with one who gives unconditional love.

I suppose it is good to be denied so many little things because, in the long run, I will appreciate and savor them all the more when I come back.