Sundays are fast becoming my favourite day in Haiti. Which is a bit of a confession as on Sundays we generally don't go to the hospital, or look into theatre. The day starts early. Up before sunrise - at round about 4.30 am, shower or wash, depending on the water situation - further confessions: I usually pray for a shower! But without becoming too detailed it is amazing how little water it takes to wash body and hair. (And not wanting to waste the water - it goes into the toilet cistern.)If I've remembered - and by now on Sunday three there should be no excuse - the coffee left in the fridge can be drunk iced, and we get dressed up for church. I stick to short-sleeved clerical shirt and long trousers with socks and shoes; though many Haitians will come with vest, shirt, tie, suit trousers and jacket, and highly polished black shoes. (How they keep them that way is beyond me - please note there is a lot of dust in Cap Haitien.)
We intend to get to church by 5.30 in order to get a seat in the main auditorium. The service is finished in just over 2 hours, and we tend to leave during the last hymn in order to get out before the major crush, and more importantly so that Robyn can get away without having to talk to nearly everyone! (It would be an exaggeration, but almost every step feels like it's accompanied by a shout of "Miss Ro, Miss Ro". Robyn is clearly much loved and her return has been noticed by many who have both missed her when she left last year, and those who want to know what she is going to do next... and not a few remind her that they said she would be back!!)
So it usually takes about 15 minutes to get back to the flat. And the final obstacle is the flight of stairs up: Sunday School is held on the floor below Robyn's flat, and climbing up is a feat of ingenuity as children and parents are both coming and going.
After a quick change we headed off to a local hotel for breakfast. The Roi Christoph - named after the infamous self proclaimed King who built the palace we visited yesterday, and who, we are told, also worked at a hotel on the same site before his emancipation and elevation to (or seizing of) the throne.
A great choice of eggs - soft boiled, scrambled, fried, sunnyside up, omelet, or poached; there is a selection of fruit - today was bananas ("fig" in Creole - not to be confused with "banana" which is the cooking banana - or plantain and tastes very like potato to me.) papaya, and mango with a lime juice topping; or there is spaghetti. Everything is accompanied by coffee and bread, and we ate well, in the warm, with breezes from the air and overhead fans, and the anticipation of a swim to follow. Ross and I swam, Dale read (or was it dozed) by the poolside, and it felt very relaxing.
A number of people - Haitians and foreigners - come just to swim, and make a family day of it. There were a few others in the pool, but it was hardly crowded. (Quite amusing when the enormous palm tree next to the pool decided to shed a branch which came down with a loud crashing sound and there was much scurrying away of the family playing around the trunk.)
Unlike the pool at the hotel last Sunday, this one, though older, has much clearer water, even if there is a liberal sprinkling of flowers and leaves on the surface - but they are all fresh and don't mar the enjoyment at all.
The hotel also has a wi-fi system, and a number of people have their laptops out and in use. But we have found the reception to be patchy, and this time didn't bring anything with us.
I got my shoes cleaned. Having asked what the usual rate was from some Haitian's who had just had their's cleaned, and seen that is what they paid, I approached the man. In my best Creole i asked the price, agreed on it and left my shoes. When they were returned - beautifully polished, amazingly the price had doubled! Again in my best Creole I declined to pay, reminded him of the quoted price and he backed down. Off course feeling very small by now I did then give a tip, as the service was cheap by any standard, and we in the developed world have such a higher standard of living.
After a leisurely time of it we had an appointment to keep: we had been invited to the home of Ruben and Jacqueline for a meal.
Ruben was our driver from Santiago to Hiati, and Jacqueline (known by many as "big momma" or "Jaa") his wife live about 30 minutes from the centre of Cap Haitien.
Ruben is a Baptist Pastor - looking after a country church with a number of satellite fellowships. The church is not big enough to support him financially, and so he works as an English and Spanish teacher to supplement things. Jaa is a registered nurse and works in the OMS Mission compound near to where they live.
Jaa, and later Ruben, have been some of Robyn's longest friends. Robyn and Jaa worked together at Vaudreill in Haiti, soon after Robyn got here, setting up a Nurse Training Scheme run by a Mission Society. Ruben was on the scene then - with tailor training and a call to the ministry, he and Jaa were engaged. For their wedding Robyn was their "marenne" - which sounds a bit like a mixture of chief-bridesmaid, god-mother, mentor, supporter, and general all-round supporter to the couple. (Most marriages in Haiti have one, but it is both a role and term that is new to me.)
When Ruben and Jaa had their only son - Rudolph, but known as Babe - from the age of 5 he lived with Robyn in Cap Haitien in order to go to school. Jaa says that Robyn is a second mother to him. (This something Robyn has done for many, many children, and even now we are still being introduced to one of her "boys" - I can remember Babe, Dodley, Pousch - or her "girls" - Santia, Sandra, Kethia, Ruth-Marnie... to name but a few.)
Babe now lives in the USA and is a nurse himself.
Ruben and Jaa have been building their house for the last 17 years - and have lived in it for about 15 of those. It is off the main road, up a hill, and from nearby there are spectacular views of the surrounding plain, with the Citadel (above Sans Souci near Millot) in the distant background.
In the photo the Citadel can just be seen on the ridge just left of centre on a peak.
The house is habitable, but still needs to be finished. It is big, airy and cool - helped by fans. It is surrounded by a big wall with iron gates. There is a fantastic covered patio area where I was able to doze for a few minutes.
There is a charcoal kitchen, and a great meal had been prepared. We were offered salad (washed in treated water!), chicken, pasta, potatoes, deep-fried savoury rice balls, beans and rice, washed down with home-made Lemon and Grenadine juice.
Only three of us from the "team" were able to go out to their house, and the table had been set for three.
It took great persuasion to get Jaa to eat with us. (Ruben was still out working in the churches - this is Sunday!) And although Jaa and Ruben have a couple of church girls living with them now, they wouldn't eat with us either.
We saw the puppies at the back - off-spring from "Wolf" the dog Robyn gave to Ruben and Jaa a few years ago. Wolf's brother "Doggie" now lives with Cilotte - another great friend of Robyn.
(There are a lot of dogs on the streets of Cap Hatien - and they are clearly all related! If you ask a child to draw a generic picture of a dog it would probably look like a Haiten one! The dog in the Simpsons cartoon series
is also clearly a close relative!)
Robyn has kept cats - the last one was a good ratter, so Robyn kept him, until the neighbours killed it, and (I kid you not) ate it.
We drove home dodging the usual frenetic driving of the motorcycles and tap-taps. On the front of just a few were emblazoned - "Psaume 136", "Cadeau Dieu", "Magnificat", and "Jezu Merci", and that combined with "Jehovah Raphe Construction Materiaux" and "Shekinah automobile parts" we needed little reminding of the presence of religion here!
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