My Thursday started out like many others have over the past year. Keeping all your ducks in a row in Haiti is hard enough, but if you allow things to get de-arranged (there's a nice Creole-inspired word for you)-- if you allow things to get de-arranged, it can be nearly (if not actually) impossible to re-arrange them.
So dozens of times over the past year I have risen at a normal time but immediately started prepping for a Port au Prince trip to re-arrange paperwork that had been, unfortunately, de-arranged. This time it was a 6am departure with a 9am meeting at the other end. Prepping for Port au Prince is an involved process. You've got to think about all the possibilities-- everything that can go wrong-- and, if possible, mitigate those risks.
- You need a spare in case of a flat (I've learned that one the hard way).
- You need a jack to change the tire in case of a flat (I've learner that one the hard way).
- You need your phone (I've learner that one the hard way) .
- And a car charger for your phone (I've learner that one the hard way) .
- You need money.
- Money for gas.
- Money for food.
- Money for food for everyone that's coming with you.
- Money for a possible break down.
- Money for whatever errands you are running.
- Money in case you have problems with your errands.
- You need a lot of money (I usually just empty the safe and be done with it).
- You need paperwork.
- Paperwork for you.
- Paperwork for your car.
- Paperwork for the organization.
- You need a lot of paperwork (I usually just empty the file cabinet and be done with it).
Once prepped, I set out on my journey and began calling all the people I was supposed to meet on the other side. We were all coming from Jacmel, so it would have made sense to travel together, but strained personal relationships have made that impossible. Instead there was a delicate dance where each of us tried to arrive on-time, but last, so that we didn't have to wait for the others.
I arrived at the offices first (I've never been good at dancing) and began to get things in order. We had come to sign some paperwork that we had been assured was already prepared for us. By the time all of us were there they had begun preparing the paperwork (see what I did there) and we waited. 9 became 10 and then 11 and 12. But while the wait was excruciating, the outcome was more than I could have hoped for. By 3:30 the paperwork was done(ish) and I was planning my celebration! There is a restaurant I particularly enjoy just up the block from the offices and around the corner from where I had parked. The fact that I hadn't eaten all day was going to make the food even better. On top of that, I had my laptop and a USB modem in the car so that I would soon be surfing the web at 3G speeds while eating good food on an empty stomach.
But oh! Port au Prince, you have never been faithful to me. And this day would be no different. I have no eloquent or ironic way of putting this: My car was gone from where I had parked it. My first thoughts turned toward theft because our recent past, but I knew that would be a complete loss. So I pinned my hopes on towing. I knew the car was legal but maybe I had parked illegally? I looked for signs. The was a no-parking sign (which looks very similar to the American "wrong way" sign incidentally) across the street, but I had seen that in the morning. Plus there were other cars currently parked just a few feet from where my truck had been. Maybe they were illegal too and the police hadn't passed by in awhile? I was beginning to doubt my own story.
Checking with the locals didn't help either. The merchant on the corner hadn't noticed anything unusual between sales of crackers, sleeping pills, and phone calls. And the police, normally out in force on this particular street, were no where to be found. I wandered the neighborhood looking for an officer, but all had gone home the moment the local offices had closed. Running out of ideas to retrieve my car, I approached the scene of the (hopefully not) crime again.
But as I approached, a small truck pulled up. A man got out of the cab and pull the fence (or what I had thought was a fence) aside to allow the truck enter his compound. I had parked in front a gate! Could my luck possibly hold out? Had these men called the police on me? I could only hope.
But oh! Port au Prince, you have never been faithful to me. And this day would be no different. I have no eloquent or ironic way of putting this: My car was gone from where I had parked it. My first thoughts turned toward theft because our recent past, but I knew that would be a complete loss. So I pinned my hopes on towing. I knew the car was legal but maybe I had parked illegally? I looked for signs. The was a no-parking sign (which looks very similar to the American "wrong way" sign incidentally) across the street, but I had seen that in the morning. Plus there were other cars currently parked just a few feet from where my truck had been. Maybe they were illegal too and the police hadn't passed by in awhile? I was beginning to doubt my own story.
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