Sunday's Events and many digressions...

I was given an incredible opportunity to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience on Sunday.  (How's that for an attention-grabber?)  Fafan, a friend of mine and a teacher at Hope on a String, invited Pierre and I to attend her graduation from beauty school.  She had planned to invite Pierre and Bennett as her "paran" (parents), but because Bennett was not around, she invited me!  You must know that Fafan does Pierre and Bennett's nails occasionally - feet and hands!  Of course, they say they do it so she can practice, gain experience, and earn money...but I think they really enjoy getting pampered and cleaned up.  Anyway, on Sunday morning, I crossed the road to eat breakfast at the other house, where I enjoyed fresh pineapple, mango, cantaloupe, and apricot.  Until Sunday morning, I had never realized that I had never eaten fresh apricot before.  It was delicious!  I can't believe I had never enjoyed that delicious fruit fresh!  Then, I went back to the house to make myself look presentable.  I knew that this graduation was a big deal, where people would wear their Sunday's best.  I put on a dress, closed-toed shoes, and even some make-up.  Pierre drove the car down the dirt/rock road to Fafan's house to pick her up.  However, she wasn't ready because, as her mom told us, she was at the dresser (tailor) picking up her suit and having final touches put on it.  What I did not know at the time was that all graduates had to wear a white jacket and skirt, with a red blouse for their graduation.  Fafan had hers made and had her hair done for the occasion.  When Fafan arrived, she looked beautiful, as did her mannequin, Sabrina, Armonie's younger sister.  Fafan dolled Sabrina up to show off her beauty knowledge and ability to apply it.  Sabrina, 17 years old, looked beautiful.

We were on our way to Port au Prince with Pierre behind the wheel.  Driving in Haiti is very different than driving in the United States.  There seem to be few driving rules/laws, except you are supposed to have a license in order to drive.  But, the passing rules, the honking guidelines are all very different.  For example, if you are driving on a two lane road - one lane going in direction A and the other going in direction B - you can pass the car in front of you whenever you feel it is safe to do so.  There are no dotted lines or straight lines telling you when to pass.  Instead, you pull your car safely into the other lane and see if a car is coming.  If there is no oncoming car, you can pass the car in front of you.  There is also honking etiquette.  In the US, people honk because they are mad, stressed, angry, or they need to get another driver's attention.  In Haiti, honking is necessary to drive safely on the road.  Cars/motos honk when they pull into the road; they honk when they approach people walking to make sure they get out of the way; they honk to let the car behind them know it's ok to pass; they honk when making a turn!  Again, I don't fully understand the honking etiquette, but I can tell you it's a bit complicated!  It's almost as if people made these honking guidelines because the "state" or the "system" did not do so, by way of lights, signs, lines, etc.  Anyway, Pierre did an excellent job.

When we were close to Fafan's graduation, we passed a huge passenger transport intersection - packed with tap taps and buses, people making transfers, loading their bags of goods.  Pierre described this location as PaP's Port Authority.  I was crowded, dirty, seemingly disorganized, and possibly dangerous (pick pockets, etc.)  To think - Cassy (HoaS staff) travels from Corail to PaP weekly.  She takes a moto from Corail to Nanbouk, then a tap-tap to Cabaret, where she then transfers to another tap-tap that takes her to Port au Prince.  Then she gets on a different tap-tap to her neighborhood, and then a moto to her house!  She says this transportation costs about 60 goudes (40 goudes= $1 US), and it can take anywhere from 1-2+ hours.

Fafan's graduation took place outside, next to a church.  There were tarps tied up to act as ceilings to block out the sun.  When we entered the gate (after worrying about where to park safely and persuading the guard at the gate to let us park inside) it was clear that I as about to experience many things that I had never been given the chance or taken the opportunity to have.

Firstly, it was HOT.  It was crowded, full of graduates all wearing the same thing.  There was a large stage set up that everyone was watching - performers singing, dancing, doing skits, and there was a catwalk where women modeled clothing that, I assumed were made by graduates.  Guests, parents, friends who came were all dressed up - full suits, women in tights, jackets - as if it weren't 100 degrees outside!  I sweat through my dress a handful of times, and I was barely wearing anything compared to everyone else!


I was the only white person (that I could tell) in the entire place of hundreds of people.  I am certain that I have had very few (maybe only one?) other experience in my life, in a public place, here I was the only white person.  Of course, in Corail, I am one of two white people in the community - Lara is the other "blan," as we are called.  As many people did in Corail when I first arrived, I'm sure many people at the graduation were wondering why I was there.  I didn't feel uncomfortable or nervous at all - just aware.  Aware that I was the different one.  I could begin to think about what some people/friends/students of mine might feel back in the United States when they often the only black person in the room, the Asian person in the room, etc.  After a bit, sitting, listening, and watching, I forgot about my difference - but I was reminded of it whenever I caught people staring.  Race and the awareness of race has always been a topic of great interest to me, and I was very glad and felt lucky to have had this experience. 

The whole graduation area was crowded, with chairs packed tightly together, narrow rows.  We sat and watched the fashion show, the parade of wedding dresses, performances of all kinds.  The crowd of graduates was rowdy and happy.  I took several photos of Fafan and her friends.  Something interesting I have noticed in all my days of taking photos here is that people do not smile in photos.  Smiling is not a natural inclination.  I brought this observation up with my friends in Corail.  I said, "Tout moun in Haiti pa souri nan foto, pouki sa?" (Everyone in Haiti does not smile in photos, why?"  They laughed wholeheartedly at this, and agreed.  They said that people want to look serious in photos.  Now, whenever I take a photo of friends here, I say, "SOURI!!!" and make then laugh, and I try to catch their smile in the photo.