The rain is back!
May 15, 2008Even though it is now officially rainy season, it hasn’t rained since the first few days after I arrived here in Haiti. Until today. I spent the morning at the Toddler House, where the older kids stay. A few minutes before I needed to leave it started to rain. Since it was a light rain and I was afraid it could turn torrential, I thought I’d go ahead and try to beat it home. It’s normally about a 15-20 minute walk downhill at a very steep grade. I learned today just what a foolish idea it is to try to walk on mountains in the rain. The road was very slick, and even though I was wearing new tennis shoes, I kept slipping repeatedly. (Luckily, I never actually fell!) I became thankful for every pothole and crack in the road as they gave me a more secure foothold. My trek downhill did coincide with that of one of the Haitians, and he was very helpful, showing me the best places and steadying me a couple of times when I slipped. He even had to take my hand a couple of times and help me through some of the worst parts of the road. It was somewhat embarassing and I felt like a stupid foreigner who couldn’t even walk as I watched other Haitians pass me going both up and down, but at least I made it back in one piece!
