The day everything ended!!!
The Veve for Brav Gede Nibo
After residing in Haiti for some time the night for Fet Gede arrived, and changed everything.
During the night Papa Danis had been mounted by Ti Jean as had my partner, Baby. I followed them into the bagi of the hounfor and waited for the Lwa to leave their hosts. Baby came to and left the room to return to the danse, and then Ti Jean had some things to tell me. In the seclusion of the bagi, away from wandering ears Ti Jean told me of my potential.
For days my head was not mine, thoughts meandering through a level of disbelief and confusion.
"...eat me, drink me..." time.
I am still uncertain of when things will take hold, though change is afoot and has been for some time. Everything has turned upside down and for two days now I have been in a hotel rather than with my partner back in our lakou (the group of houses in which a number of the family reside)
It has been two days since I fled the house, weary and drained from stress. I find that no matter what the situation the only thing can can really unsettle me is my partner. Some here say the problem is that I love her too much. This is however a society where men have multiple wives, and I only have one lady who, if things go well I shall marry. On that morning, however, I decided that enough was enough and packed to leave. Baby came to my room asking me not to go, though after a time I left. With divine timing, being early in the morning a tap-tap was passing as I stepped out to the dark road. It stopped and my partner's father got out. It was his tap-tap. He asked what I was doing and I said that I was headed for a hotel. He did not want me to leave as I had not spoken with my Papa as of yet. I coaxed him into taking me, and then descended upon my Aunt's hotel in the township of Jacmel. The place would not open for another two hours, though as we slowed to a stop my Aunt was opening the front door. With another divine timing I was instantly inside and in a room of my own. It was also destiny for me to enjoy some isolation as my phone had disappeared, of which I became aware once in the sanctuary of my new room.
After two very short visits, now the rain has fallen giving a further isolation. In Haiti rain means everything stops. The general mode of transport are the moto (scooter) taxis. Even with some hope that I shall see my love later it is now virtually impossible.
Whilst I have publicly said that if the relationship fails I shall leave Haiti, it is not time, and I need to await my true love. There is mystical intent to this union and as such it is not for me alone to void my responsibility and leave. Oddly enough, once at the hotel I became calm. It is though there was more than me who decided it was time to evade the politics and usual family issues during a relationship crisis. This is the way in Haiti. We are all masters of our own destiny, though there are also many other forces at work. In Haiti, the Lwa play a daily role, and the Hollywood image of Vodou has completely corrupted the truth of this religion.
For those who follow this solitary blog, a new understanding of life in Haiti shall ensue, and that is something which cannot be discussed without some discussion of the religion. In Haiti, Vodou is inseparable from the people, as it is a part of life, the same way that the people we see in the street are a part of life for us all. This is how ingrained the Vodou is in society here. I have been in night clubs where Lwa have mounted me, and from what I have been told after everything continues as though another person has simply entered the club.
I will attempt to tell my story with honesty and integrity, whilst protecting information personal to others.As it stands any discussion of my personal relationships steps into murky water, as it is personal to my partner and I. It is although integral to my story, so whilst I may not tell the entirety of a situation there will be times where it enters into some focus here. To be exact, this time in Haiti has largely been ruled by that relationship, where the ten months I was her for a short time previously was ruled by the Lwa and myself. Relationships often interrupt life, when they are awry. When relationships are doing well they are a beautiful additive to ones world. My partner shares the same soul as I do, and as such we shall always be connected, making it even more additive and at times disruptive to my life. This is not the usual soul mate that people discuss though rather something more distinct.
The main focus of this work is to give another perspective on Haiti. Like many well told stories this one begins at the end. The perspective that is conveyed here is mine and mine alone. This means that the information on Haiti is unique and will add to any other account of time here. I will take this time to mention that in all honesty the people here are beautiful. So many Haitians are helpful and hospitable that I was quite taken aback when I first visited in 2008. The Australian government website had spoken of danger, and suggested a copy of one's travel documents be lodged with them, for reference once one has problems. During the month that I was here, I never had an issue.
The ten months that I was here, from April 2010, also lead me to a beautiful family who took me in and made me one of their own. I was for some time the only foreigner in the area, other than passing doctors and other foreign aid workers, though they tended to appear for a couple of weeks and then vanish. When I first arrived I did not speak Kreyol, and with very few people speaking English in Haiti there were times that it was difficult. After some time I learnt more of the language and it became easier, though I never had a moment where the kind help of others did not prevail.
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