What's normal?

Both Kurt and Alexis have commented on their blogs about how after you live in Haiti (or any new place) for a little while, the things that at first blew your mind and inspired blog posts are now totally normal. I started thinking about what I've gotten used to so far, the things that don't surprise me at all:

1. Kids/adults shouting "BLAN!" I still get annoyed, but now I can ignore it 95% of the time.

2. Naked people - they're everywhere. They're not always 100% nude, but they're pretty close.

3. People on horseback, just like the wild west. Almost.

4. Farm animals: goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys, cows, donkeys. They roam freely: you name it; they're walking around.

5. Trash. Plastic bottles, bags, etc. There is nobody here to take it "away" so it stays on the ground or is burnt.

6. Fires. These are usually for cooking, but people also burn trash, leaves, farm fields, and tires. Sometimes at night we can see fires on the sides of the mountains surrounding Desarmes, and sometimes we get a nice chemically whiff of burning plastic. Ah, fresh air.

7. Toyota trucks. If Toyota ever thought their trucks were not invincible, they should look at the trucks here. If you remember commercials from a long time ago, they showed odometers of 200/300/400/500,000 miles and still running. Now, imagine these same trucks being shipped to Haiti, where almost every aspect of preventative maintenance is ignored, they get overloaded so that their bumpers are almost dragging on the ground, and they drive over roads that should be called trails. These trucks are unstoppable. (Toyota, you can send a check for this ad to MCC Akron.)

8. Stars. No infrastructure means no lights, and no lights means no light pollution, which means STARS!!! everywhere! We've seen a few spectacular meteor showers - but really, most nights are spectacular.

9. Vodou drumming at 2am, almost every night.

10. Home church services at 3am, not every night but often. These are louder than the drumming.

11. People walking through the streets shouting news through a megaphone. They usually start between 4-5am.

12. Little animals. Lizards, inside and outside. Tree frogs in the house, hiding in hats, behind curtains, or wherever it is dark.

13. People everywhere (really, everywhere). It is impossible to do anything without being watched. Who needs Big Brother when you have 8 million of his younger siblings?