It wasn´t really the trip to the beach this past weekend that made for a nice break from the mountain barrio of Ojo de Aguas. Taxi driver Wilson and 21 year old Haitian immigrant Manuelito welcomed me into their world with their stories of adventure, hard work, and friendships. You just have to start talking to a stranger and once they find out you´re a friendly english speaker they want to hear your story and they start to test out the little English they know. Wilson happened to be good friends with another Peace Corp Volunteer I know in the mountains. He spoke of his admiration for the adventurous personalities peace corps gringos roaming the island countryside with funky hats and plain worn out clothes. Manuelito took a long walk down the beach in Nagua with me as my curious self proceed to hold a news conference with him. As he divulged his riveting autobiography to me of leaving Haiti alone at age 14 to find work in the DR, we managed to test out 4 different languages, Spanish, English, French, and most fun Creole. ¨Papimal¨ means you are doing well.
I meet new fiends because there is always something precious and invigorating in the story of a stranger. Just listening has helped put my Peace Corps project into perpective. A Project of LISTENING, if nothing else. I want to accomplish a lot, but for now I shall am at peace with just listening.
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