Sunday drive in Haiti

Apart from living inside the four walls of home and school, my weekly expeditions on foot are Delmas 75 (the street I live on) and Delmas (the road which leads to the grocery store).  Generally, my daily travel consists of walking 5 metres to school (door-to-door) and a weekly trip to Eagle Supermarket (about 600m walk away).  Please don't hear discontent in my blog, I'm not complaining; rather giving you the background to what was an adventurous day today! 

I am very thankful for my colleagues who have occasionally invited me out to dinner or to the GIANT grocery store.  Jill (my room mate) and I have also been invited to spend weekends outside of Port-au-prince, which has been a refreshing change from the bustling city.  As previous blog entries show, I have had a few opportunities to explore and get out and about.  It's only recently that I considered the thought of being in Haiti for 2 years and having the limited mobility I described in my first paragraph, or worse depending on others to take me around.

It's been almost 4 months since I first arrived in Haiti.  Back then I remember clearly stating that I would NEVER drive in Haiti.  A friend told me to never say never... very true!  Especially if saying "never" is the result of fear.  Over the last week I've been reconsidering that vow I made.  

Asking for help is always a humbling experience for me; I don't like being an inconvenience to others or depending on others.  There have also been times that I've wanted to invite colleagues to come out for dinner; but it hardly seems like a genuine invitation when you then ask them to drive.  Last week I also had to decline an invitation to a social event because I had no way of getting there. It's not that I don't have access to a school car; it's that I never considered it a possibility to drive in Haiti.  I had created an unnecessary limitation on myself.  I came to see that I was the one who was restricting myself... not Haiti.  

If anyone knows me well, they will know that I'm not one to take impulsive risks.  If I'm ever to go outside of my "comfort zone" I think long and hard about it beforehand.  I want to make wise choices.  I don't want to be foolish.

All this to say that today was the first day I drove in Haiti!  I prayed fervently beforehand. Yes, I was nervous and a little afraid if something went wrong.  I had the amazing support of 5 girlfriends in the car and a feeling of victory at the end!  I am a very confident driver in Australia; so what was I afraid of?

1. Driving on the right hand side of the road

2. Driving a huge Toyota 4WD (compared to my small Suzuki Swift)

3. Driving on mostly unpaved roads, filled with potholes, people traffic, market vendors on the street, no road markings, loosely observed road rules... etc

Despite all of these fears my travel companions survived the ride and graciously said that my driving on the right hand side improved over the course of the afternoon.  We had a lovely lunch at Fiore de Latte and even had room in our "dessert stomach" for some ice cream!