Not much to say...

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Get me out of here!  I’m stuck in this house and I want to be in a tent city, in a mountain village, in a Haitian hospital, anywhere but here!  I’m not helping anyone, not am I seeing Haiti in all of its glory.  I’m reading, checking facebook and joining Twitter. Stupid politics.

The CEP was supposed to make their election runoff announcement yesterday afternoon.  Then 4:00 came and went.  Then 8:00, then 10:00, then midnight.  They were supposed to make the big announcement at all of those times and it just never happened.  Our hosts were tapped into various websites and connections, while we sipped on wine and got to know each other a little better.  We waited until a little after 1:00 am and decided to call it a night.  It sucks to feel that the gov’t is trying to manipulate the people.  We are losing time, just waiting for them to tell us what they already know.

I woke up at about 7 this morning, just in time for the big announcement.  Fortunately, the CEP followed OAS recommendations and Mirlande Maniga and Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly as the runoff candidates. The runoff is scheduled for March 20.

We couldn’t go to our clinic though, as we weren’t sure how the country would respond. There was a rumor that Celestine, the gov’t backed candidate, had armed supporters who were prepared to protest.  At the moment, that seems to be just that, a rumor, and all is peaceful. As the morning progressed, we heard only celebratory sounds.  The occasional “Tet Kale” chant or excited screams would float through the air.  There were also UN helicopters and planes in the air, but no sign of violence. 

We were slated to go in to the mountains today, but had to postpone our clinic until tomorrow.  A trip into the mountains requires an early start, and we couldn’t be sure it was safe to travel until it was too late to get started.  We know to appreciate the unexpected rest day, but I think we are starting to get a little stir crazy.  The cooks started on dinner shortly after breakfast and the smell has been teasing our senses all day!  We did help organize the donation supply room, but other than that, the day has felt rather unproductive.

It sucks to lose a day.  Now we only have one more clinic before we head home.  Oh well, such is life in a land of political uncertainty I guess.

Since this blog is so short, I’ll fill it with pictures I took from “lockdown.”

Enjoy!

 I spent quite a few minutes just watching the daily life of this family across the street. 

 My favorite mosquito eating lizard.

One of the UN planes flying overhead.

We did get to go to this quaint Lebanese restaurant in Petionville.  It didn’t look like much on the outside, but were overwhelmed by its beauty the minute we stepped foot inside.  The food was delicious, the atmosphere was relaxing , and the company was unbeatable.  Haiti is full of surprises…

Turns out, we clean up ok!

I was on constant lookout for Shakira.

 Ok, the bathroom was a little creepy.

The outside of the restaurant.