An evening out with Jonas

Yesterday Jonas approached me about attending a soccer game this evening. I wasn't completely sure about it at first, but as I got to thinking, going to some Haitian events and interacting completely outside of the compound sounded like a great opportunity, and indeed it was. 

So this afternoon I called Jonas, and told him I was interested in going. At this point I was really excited about the whole trip. Lugenbuhls were on a family drive, so it would just be Jonas and I. He told me to start walking downhill outside the main gate at 4.  So at 4 I start walking and before too long I find Jonas.  He grabs his motorcycle, I Jump on the back and we go. Riding a Haitian motorcycle was actually one of the things on my bucket list before leaving, and it was a really cool ride. Going downhill, they cut the engine to save gas. At he bottom of the hill, the pop the clutch and charge to the top of the next hill, then coast down again. Between this method, and having to go slow because of the rocks and potholes we were able to talk most of the way. Jonas explained how important it was to greet people as we passed. So he would shout to just about everyone. He said if you don't greet them, and you fall, they won't help you. 

So when we got to the field, it was enclosed by a big block wall with a gate manned by a couple of security guards. We paid the fee, they gave us wristbands like you would get at an amusement park, and we walked in. Inside Jonas showed me the local radio station, told me a bit about the history and introduced me to his friends, which he has a lot of. Apparently when Jonas isn't translating, he works at the radio station in Bonne Fin. He promised to show it to me one of these days. 

We got there a little early so we milled around until it was time for the game to start. It wasn't a huge game. I think it was probably very similar to intramural games in the states. But it was a lot of fun to watch. The best part was being able to see this perspective of Haiti. To be able to go with a native Haitian to an event and experience the culture outside of the compound. I'm not sure I heard someone yell "blan" (white/foreigner) once, and I only had one lady ask for money. So I felt like I blended in well. I wore a baseball cap, so maybe people couldn't tell I was white... Yeah probably not, but hey I tried. I got a few photos, but I will post later when I get decent Internet. I gave up trying to post pictures from the cottage.